A Conversation...

Usually at home, I'd have dinner together with my Chinese housemates. Though not being able to consume their meat dishes, yet their vegetable dishes were of no problem, and they are welcome to have a pinch of whatever I cooked, meat or no meat.

However, since early Ramadhan, I've succumbed to dining on my own. As Maghrib is around 5.40 pm (as of 1 Ramadhan)...heading towards 6 pm and beyond as the days head closer to spring season, I usually start cooking at 4, and start eating immediately when the time comes.

This is because I'm rushing against time. I have to catch the 6.37, or 6.57 train to Newport to join the Tarawih congregation, which begins after 'Isya prayers, currently timed at 7.15 pm.

My housemates usually have dinner between 7 to 8 pm.

Anyhow, yesterday as I was tending to my cooking, my housemate came up to me,

"Err...Karim, are you doing anything on Saturday? I think I want to go to the IKEA in East Melbourne."

"No. I don't think I'm doing anything on Saturday. Should be OK," I said.

"Owh, OK. Are you still using the oven?"

"Just another 10 minutes. I'm cooling it down. By the way, you realised of course that I did not eat with you and Jared these last few days. You know I'm fasting, so I have to eat early when the time comes."

"Err, ya I know. Maybe someday we can go and buy Halal meat and we can all cook and eat together."

"Hmm...sounds good."

I have to admit that I was touched for a moment. Here I am with an individual with no religion beliefs (refer to China's Cultural Revolution effects), yet he knows my religious obligations.

However, this chap is seeking religion knowledge. He knows a bit about Islam in terms of prayer, fasting, and Halal meat. He kept asking me about Islamic lectures programmes. So far, I know none that would suit him. Those at Newport Mosque are in Arabic...one heck of a problem if I were to translate it to him in real time.

I'll have to check with ICV for any Islamic programmes. In the meantime, I'm trying to find a Quran volume with Chinese translation for him to read. It's the best method for understanding Islam. He knows about the Quran, only that he doesn't know the name, and only refers to it as Islam's text book. Hahaha.

So far, I've found none. ICV only has translations in Albanian, Urdu. I'm not in the mood to get him an English translation volume, as he is himself having difficulties conversing smoothly in English. Furthermore, the English translation uses Shakesperian English. Very classic, I must say.

Maybe I should go to Sydney Road in Brunswick. There are Islamic bookshops there. I've been wanting to go to Sydney Road for weeks now. It's been 2 years since I last went there. Owh, how I missed the fresh arabian delicacies (baklawah) the sell at Balha's Patisserie shop down Sydney Road (this is not due to the fact that I'm fasting!). I used to buy a boxful of them for mum last time.