Last few days of Ramadan

Alhamdulillah, I have been pretty lucky this Ramadan. I had pretty much the first half off from work, and the latter half, I have been in the Muslim world.

It has been a while since a meaningful post, but I've been keeping notes, so hopefully I won't miss anything important. That being said, my observations over the past week might be spread out over several posts.

I have been looking for a place that will finish the whole Qur'an in Ramadan during Taraweeh, and on Thursday, I think I hit the jackpot. The very same masjid that is nearest to my house apparently has two congregations at the same time. Upstairs, in the main area where I had been going, they do not complete the Qur'an and read only one verse per rakat. Downstairs, there is a smaller group that finishes the whole Qur'an. I don't remember if I noticed them before - if I had, I probably thought they were just over flow. I found out about them when I asked if there was 'Itikaf in the masjid, since I hadn't seen any evidence of the mosque being open too late after Isha. One guy didn't think there was 'Itikaf, but another guy, who was closing the main area, smiled and pointed downstairs. I don't know if there is 'Itikaf there, but at least I know that there are places that finish the Qu'ran in Ramadan - you just have to look really hard. Unfortunately, the discovery was a bit too late for me - I will only be able to go there for tonight, the last taraweeh in Ramadan (I was told by my coworkers that Turkey has already announced Eid is on Tuesday). I hope the khatm is today and that I didn't miss it on Friday, the 27th. As I can really only venture out to other parts of the city on Friday night and Saturday night, I reserved those two days to go to the touristy mosques. One of Muhamad's friends, Yusuf, recommended Eyup for Laylatul Qadr (27th) or Fatih, so those are the two places I went this weekend.

Yusuf warned that Eyup (Eyup Sultan mosque, where Abu Ayyub Al Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, is buried) would be packed Friday night, and he was right! It was a very Hajj-like experience in that regard, from what I observed. It was very hard to move around. I even saw those chains of people busting through the crowds. I was pushed by the crowd at several points. It was quite tiring. There was not enough room to pray. A little bit dirty. And tiring. All very Hajj-like experiences. (As I was trying to learn more about Eyup and how to get there, I came across different websites claiming the mosque was Islam's fifth, fourth, and even THIRD holiest site! I thought that was pretty funny).

After getting out of work on Friday a bit late, 7:15 or so, I stopped by Gell on the way home and had a Gellburger menu (means combo) for about YTL 5 or so. I ordered a "Tost" (YTL 1.5) to see what it would be like. It is kind of grilled cheese sandwich - not bad. I had asked my coworkers what bus to take down to Eyup, since it is a bit far. The 55M takes you from the Sisli bus stop, about 10 minutes from my place, to Eyup. I left my place at about 7:55, got the bus right away at around 8:10, and reached Eyup about forty five minutes later. I have pictures of the scene around Eyup - my mom is mailing the connecter, so hopefully I will upload soon. It wasn't as festive as the Blue Mosque, but there was still a lot going on (compared to Fatih, where I went the next day - nothing going on there, albeit, that mosque is under construction). There was a big tent where they have special Ramadan activities, but other than that, I think the structures were all permanent.

I reached and as I mentioned, the place was absolutely packed. I had to pray outside - not in the courtyard of the mosque, but in an area outside of even that! I had an inkling that this might happen, so I wore my green rain jacket. I spread that out to pray on, although you could still feel the pebbles and rocks underneath (another Hajj similarity). There were several rows of people circling out from the masjid. Circling (another Hajj similarity) - I'm not sure why, but the rows were definitely not straight - they were focused around a fountain for some reason in an arc. I really couldn't tell what the qiblah was at that point, but I'm pretty sure I was at least praying in the right direction. I had missed Isha and four rakats, but decided to stay for the rest. After witr, which I sat out, I tried to make my way into the complex at least, as a side door opened. It was packed insided. We inched our way in, but there were a lot of people trying to leave too, so at some point, it became standstill, so I tried to go back out from another door. Same problem. Eventually, I did make it out, after the people trying to enter at the second (main) gate held back for a bit. Once I exited, some people were handing out fliers - some things don't change.

I walked around the complex for about an hour, waiting for the crowd to thin a bit. Lots of touristy shops in the area. I bought a cheap prayer mat for YTL 3.5, but it looks nice. I will have to come back later for some other, better ones. Some were as much as YTL 17, I think. I also think I saw the kinds of scarves Mom wants me to get. I bought a small bottle of water (YTL 0.5) for suhoor, since I didn't want to lose my spot once I got in, and I didn't know if suhoor would be provided (it wasn't).

There was some program going on in the mosque - lectures, nasheed, Qur'an recitation, all happened at various times in the night. At the same time, there was a program happening in the big tent as well. Lots of people were sitting and waiting in chairs. I went in, but couldn't figure out what was going on, so I went back out. I should have stayed (although maybe it is good for my ears that I got out). I think there was some kind of Ottoman/jannissary band that played some songs. I could only see from the tent flaps and from the windows, but there were quite a few performers dressed up in interesting costumes (probably Ottoman). They were standing in a semi-circle, with a couple of guys at the front holding flags. On the left, there were some people with some kind of horn, and on the right, drums. In the center, some guy was dancing and going in circles while also playing the drums. At least some of the songs were Islamic - I heard a lot of Allahu Akbars. However, as for the music, I think it reminded me somewhat of some of the music from The Message movie. Maybe this is where Akkad got his inspiration. Once I finally got into the complex and found a spot (outside of the prayer hall area, on a mat), I could still hear the band in the distance. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

The official program ended at around midnight, concluding with a group Salat ut Tasbeeh. The Imam recited the tasbeeh outloud, helping keep count. I kept my spot outside until about 4 am. I tried to read Qur'an, and I did get quite a bit done - I am all caught up now, after being about 10 behind last week. After a while though, my mind stopped computing, so I had to put that away. Sitting so long, my legs started to hurt, so I would get up every half hour or hour to pray a couple of rakats and stretch out. Mostly, I just did dhikr, but it was quite painful overall, sitting on a mat over stone for so long. There was a constant flow of people in and out and about. The people next to me changed countless times during the night. I don't know where they left or why they left or why new people came. Finally, at around 4 am, I figured I could probably try to go inside and find a spot. I did find a spot, in the second to last row. It was a bit more comfortable, but not much. I prayed witr there, and finished my water. I don't know where or how all the other thousands of people had suhoor - but for the last hour, most people did not move in that building. Perhaps they had also brought water bottles. While I waited in the mosque, the adhan was called, and just as I observed at the mosque near my house, someone started reciting a thirtieth of the Qur'an. This time, they read the 29th juz. Only after that did we get up, pray sunnah, and then Fajr. There was more dua and dhikr after Fajr, but after finding my shoes, I started to make my way out - I was too tired. I stopped briefly outside during the dua, but there are too many birds there, so I headed out. Plus, it was raining. (Another thing I've noticed, you are asked to recite the fatihah quite a bit in these pre/post prayer sessions.)

I went back out to the bus stop. I didn't want to wait for 55M to come around, so I took 55T when it came, which took me to Taksim. From there, I took the Metro back home - it was pretty empty at that time of day compared to the peak time. So was the bus.

I went home and crashed until about 1pm Saturday. I woke up, put in a load of laundry, then went back to sleep. I ended up doing three loads yesterday, so my drying rack is full. Unfortunately, even after almost a day, everything is still pretty moist. I timed myself, it takes me about seven minutes to iron one of those 100% cotton shirts the first time. It adds up and is time consuming, but probably worth it for me to do it, especially if I can manage to do it on weeknights.

After finishing up the laundry and reading some Qur'an, I made my way down to Fatih (Sultah Muhammad/Mehmet II) mosque for Isha and taraweeh. I was running a bit late to get there for iftar, so I stopped in Taksim for Iftar. I went to Taksim Doner, and had an Arabic style doner in a wrap for YTL 3.5 with Ayran for YTL 1.5. It was okay, but the Arabs do this better. Next time, I will just have the Turkish style doner sandwich.

I thought I could take the Aksaray tram to Fatih, so after praying Maghrib at the Taksim mosque, I took a dolmus/minibus down to Aksaray (Aksaray reminds me of Galatasaray - I live right next to there stadium, but strangely, I don't think I actually live in Galatasaray - I don't know where that is). Unfortunately, the tram guard said that it does not go to Fatih, and he said to go walk to the bus stop and take a bus. I never found the right bus (or even a bus stop), but I walked all the way to Fatih, with the help of several people who pointed the way. Along the way (after I stepped into a puddle of mud), I noticed quite a few people selling what look to be used cell phones - perhaps you can check this area out when looking for a cheap deal.

It was about a 15-20 minute walk to Fatih. I stopped and bought an ice cream - some berry flavored one. It had a different texture to it, but it wasn't bad for YTL 1.5.

I think Fatih was under construction when I came earlier this year - most of it is closed off. There are a lot of cats at Fatih, and the steps are all slightly sloped downards for some reason, so you should be careful. Some guy outside was collecting Zakatul Fitr. When I walked in, there was a lecture going on. Alas, even Fatih only reads one verse per rakat, although the Imam read at a little slower pace than the other mosques. After having gone to three big mosques for Taraweeh, and several smaller ones, I've noticed that each place does have its own little thing that it says after 2/4 rakats of taraweeh. After four at Fatih, Ikhlas is recited, then salawat on the Prophet. There are also some other things that are recited. I imagine it would be hard for someone who prays at different places every day to keep track, but I guess most Turks probably just pick one place and pray there. Fatih did fill up, and there was some over flow on mats outside. When I exited, some kid gave me a box that looked like a rose. I think it had candy in it. It asked me to recite Fatihah for someone, so I did. Alas, I left the box at the Internet Cafe last night after Skyping with the family.

I think there is a mosque shortage in Istanbul, although there are more than I initially thought (in Damascus, the minarets all have green fluorescent lights which help you see how many there are - in Istanbul, you just have too try and see the minarets). I went to the same mosque as last time for Jumuah. I went a bit later this time, and it was already packed. The outside mat area was already full - the area was covered with tents - so I made my way inside and lucked out to squeeze into a spot. It started raining during the khutbah, and I could hear a lot of shouting outside. Not good. The tent helps stop the rain from hitting your head, but it does nothing to the water accumulating on the ground! I think I should try to find another mosque - there may be one behind the office. I am going to try and find a way to get there.

I came across a couple of stats in the news: according to a survey of Transatlantic Trends, 35% of Turks pray five times a day regularly, 44% pray five times sometimes, and 18% never pray five times (http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=115127). That was a bit encouraging - I thought the last group would be larger. A Global Attitudes survey from Pew had a similar number for the share praying five times a day (34%), but a disappointing one for Ramadan - only 20% fast the whole month. Still, 94% defined themselves as religious (http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/9944645.asp?scr=1). If that starts translating into Jumuah attendees, there will be a major space shortage. People are already praying in the streets on cardboard pieces.

In other notes, last Wednesday (I think), I took Maryam's suggestion and tried some Domino's, which is right by my place. She is right: it was pretty good. I had a small (YTL ~11) Italian pizza. I was a little disappointed that they didn't offer me the Ramadan/Iftar special, which I think would have brought the price down to YTL and included a drink. We usually don't get Domino's back home (either Litte Caesar's or Pizza Hut) - their menu is pretty good. I will have to sample more of it over my stay.

Within the past week, a (relatively) large supermarket opened near my place, on the way back from the office. When I got my apartment, the place was empty and I couldn't tell what would go there. They stocked it up and got it up and running pretty quick. I was impressed. I went inside for a spin, and they have quite a selection. Between all the places in the area, I should be covered in terms of needs (no Cheez-its though!). I even found pudding mix to practice with...!

Some of these stores are much bigger than at first glance. Just near the masjid, there is a store that looks like a simple corner shop, but you go in, and it has three levels and just about everything you could think of! I found these cool jewelry boxes with the basmalah on them - I will probably get a dozen or so to bring back as gifts, in sha Allah. It seems that everytime I walk up or down the street, I see new stores or offerings that I hadn't noticed before.