àjjuma

àjjuma: Friday

On Friday, class ends at 1pm. As I walk home, I realize I need to stop by a boutik (store) to buy some things. Yet, as I make my way down my street, I realize—all the boutiks are closed! Their intricate gates locked, the long shutters pulled down. Why could this be? The boutiks are always open! Then I realize—for Muslims, it is obligatory to go to the mosque for the Friday afternoon prayer. And surely enough, after the prayer, all the boutiks open back up, the empty streets suddenly full again. This Friday routine is one of the little things that surprises me—one of the many opportunities to learn.