Terawih in Istanbul: More action than the NYPD

My Ramadan expat article

A Critique of Ramadan in Istanbul

Miralem’s expat article

It’s a small world after all!

Cool story:
So I met this sister via facebook who’s from the town of Bursa (a city near Istanbul). We met up once when I got to Istanbul when she was making a day trip to the city, and we had fun times. She decided to leave to study English in the US, where she arrived [...]

moving

Today was moving day. In the morning, my current roommate, Lauren, and I got up, packed (most of) our stuff and took a taxi out of Sultanahmet to Yenibosna, where the apartment I’ve rented is located. We dropped our stuff out then went to Koctas (Home Depot-type place) to get cleaning supplies and [...]

Sunday Night ‘Teravih’

I went to my first taraweeh in Istanbul tonight. I went to the Sulemaniye with Lauren (roommate), Katy (roommate’s friend in town for a coupla days), Faruk (co-worker) and Miralem. We drank tea until the adhan for isha came, and then Miralem, Faruk and I went in to pray. What’s taraweeh like in Istanbul? A [...]

gel gör beni aşk neyledi

Istanbul is such a beautiful place to be for Ramadan!
Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it [...]

Niçe bir besleyesinBu kaddile kametiDüştün dünya zevkineUnuttun kıyameti
Düriş kazan ye yedirBir gönül ele getirYüz Kâbe’den yeğrektirBir gönül ziyareti
Uslu değil delidirHalka sâlûsluk satanNefsin müslüman etsinVar ise kerameti
– Yunus Emre
Translation:
Why and for how long will you keep feedingThis tall, this overgrown body of yours?You probably forgot there is Doomsday,For you steep yourself in worldly pleasures.
Toil, earn, eat, [...]

It’s about 12:45 a.m. in Istanbul and it’s raining. I can see the Sultanahmet mosque from the window of my apartment, and the sight of bolts of lightning cracking through the sky behind the minarets of Sultanahmet is just beautiful.
He it is Who shows you the lightning causing fear and hope and (Who) brings [...]

Ramadan approaches, insha’Allah.

Ramadan is almost upon us. What an opportunity, what a risk, what a blessing.
wa alhamdulillahi rabbil `alameen.
I’m writing up a list right now of things I want to accomplish — I have such high expectations, hopes, and fears for this Ramadan subhanallah. insha’Allah I’ll emerge from this month much closer to Allah swt and His [...]

Çarşamba

It’s around 1:30 a.m. in Istanbul right now, and I’m covered in mosquito bites — I lost count sometime after 20. I really need to update this more often, for my own sake; life seems to move very quickly here, and I’m afraid that I’ll just continue on, day by day, without evaluation or [...]