22 Ramadan 1431

Learning a language, building muscle, reading a long novel, regular aerobic exercise, acquiring a skill, all of these things take a long time and they require systematic effort. You have to have a program. Spirituality is like that, too. Ramadan is a program. Religion is education; and learning is a sacred activity. All education is a drawing out of what lies within. Information is only the occasion of self-development. On certain days, you have to commit yourself to staying up at night. Tonight is the night of the 23rd of Ramadan, the night after the 22nd day. Perhaps it is the night of decree, or measure, or worth, or all of them. Perhaps it is a night of empowerment. A night to understand that power does not come with the ability to force one’s way, to make others conform to one’s will, but that real power comes from what the Mennonites call Gelassenheit, and what Muslims cal Islam, the autonomous decision to let God’s will be done.