Diary of a Convert: 'Learning Arabic is tough, but will help me understand Islam'

Darren Streete

Last night, I took up an Iftar invitation with a family. This was my first such invitation throughout Ramdan, from someone else's home. So far, the others have been to restaurant buffets where it tends to be a celebration of ending a fast, rather than feeling the importance of why we are fasting.
In both environments, it is a great experience of opening the fast, and in all cases, it brings you closer to those around you.
The first thing I noticed is the tender care put into preparation of the meal, with a plentiful array of meats, supported by a host of dips and bread. The smell was amazing, which was only beaten by the taste. It seems to me that the time of eating, with a family, is also a time of reflection.
Reflecting not only on the day's events, but that of Ramadan in general. We had the obvious conversations about how each of us are coping with the physical aspects of fasting, such as the hunger, thirst and tiredness.
Then, the conversation turned to how I am developing as a Muslim since I converted and my experience during Ramadan. It is a good question and one to really reflect on.
When it comes to practicalities, the hardest part for me is learning Arabic. I have never been good with languages, starting with learning French back home. I tend to find it difficult to associate words with the actions.
As far as prayer goes, I found it easy and quickly learnt all the actions and positions. What is difficult is reciting the lines in Arabic.
I find this even in my Islamic classes, where I am learning wonderful things and understanding a lot of the concepts of Islam. The challenge is in building my Arabic knowledge and how intrinsic it is to the religion. It is great to have the translated versions of everything on Islam, as it gives me an introduction, but now is the time to cement this by understanding the language it is rooted in.
In the end, I am committing to this way of life and starting Arabic classes after Ramadan will cement this commitment.
At the end of the Iftar with the family, I left with thoughts that part of me would find this hard, but also realising it's importance. With the help of my friends, learning Arabic is a task that will get me closer to Allah.
(AS TOLD TO SAMAN HAZIQ)
(Darren Streete is a 39 year old British national who came to the UAE two and a half years back. He works as an HR manager with a company in Dubai and embraced Islam in December 2017 at the Islamic Information Center, Satwa)

• Ramadan 2021
• Dubai