Diary of a convert: Seeing someone embracing Islam on a Friday

I am noticing how Allah has made this fasting practice so beneficial for us that we feel so light and energetic as we fast.

I am excited to go for the afternoon prayers on Fridays with so many Muslim brothers who always boost my level of Iman (faith).
I have noticed that when you have something planned for the day and you stay busy or you have something to look forward to, the fast goes on very well. I felt great, energetic and motivated as I woke up thinking about the Juma day (Friday prayers). I feel that just lying at home in bed or taking power naps just cause you are fasting just make it more difficult. Therefore, we should get on with the day and do things as scheduled.
I was out with my fiancé as we were busy getting our paperwork from our country's embassies done, as we are shortly looking forward to getting married. I am happy to let you know that our required papers have come through and we are all set to tie the knot, maybe during this Ramadan Inshallah.
To check out the court timings, we headed to the Dubai Courts to see what time we can come here during the week. After that, we headed to Juma prayers at the mosque in Meadows area, Alhamdulillah, and every time I go the mosque especially on Friday, the welcome I receive is so heart warming. The brothers there really appreciate the fact that I am fasting for the first time and they ask me if I was comfortable or facing any issue. Their concern just lights up my day because living in a new country away from your family can be a bit tough, if you don't have social support.
The Juma prayer sermon was read out both in English and Arabic and we both understood and enjoyed the prayer at the mosque, Alhamdulillah.
After the prayers, we headed towards the Islamic Information Centre In Satwa, where we have classes for new Muslims every Friday. This class was so informative and introduced us to what the holy month of Ramadan is really about. Another touching incident that we witnessed at the class on Friday was a brother take the shahada, Alhamdulillah. It was an emotional moment as we got reminded of our shahada moment and how we had felt at that point.
I congratulated the new convert and then headed out from the class to the mall, where we intended to open our fast together.
Also, I've learnt a lesson from my first day of opening the fast, when I ended up eating too much. I plan not to eat too much today because I got quite sick on the first day.
I am noticing how Allah has made this fasting practice so beneficial for us that we feel so light and energetic as we fast, but it's only our gluttony and greed in the end that leads us to stuff ourselves and make our bellies bloated and uncomfortable. I mean, we should give our bodies some rest and take it easy when it comes to eating after a whole day of fasting.
So, Alhamdulillah, the second day was good and I am feeling great and energetic. I look forward to maintaining this for the rest of the month.
(AS TOLD TO SAMAN HAZIQ)
saman@khaleejtimes.com
Luis Carreno is a 36-year-old from Colombia who embraced Islam in January 2018.
He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt coach for the UAE armed forces in Dubai.

• Ramadan 2021