Today, I’m thankful for flexibility. Rigidity has its place, of course, and I’m grateful for it too, but today, it’s flexibility.My work schedule and location is flexible: I can come in an hour early or two hours late, I can leave early or stay late, I can work from home, from the office, from pretty much anywhere, and everyone is more or less happy, if they’re even aware.
Cooked pasta is flexible, and therefore easy to eat. Have you ever tried to eat uncooked macaroni?
Timings for neighborhood dinner parties are flexible… it’s a huge bother to me: you say “after Maghrib” and look dismayed when I show up directly after Maghrib, and then everyone eats after Isha’a. And Alhamdulillah: virtually all of my other neighbors are perfectly happy with this arrangement. Allahu Akbar.
Film is flexible… it has to be to wind into canisters or onto spools and then move through cameras, and the image at the top is Kentmere 400, pushed to 1600. It looks just fine pushed a bit, methinks.
Almost everything in this beautiful religion is flexible: Salat is mandatory, but timings can be wiggled around a bit, prayers can be combined, and you can pray standing, sitting, or lying down; Fasting the month of Ramadan is mandatory, unless you’re too young, temporarily or permanently ill, or traveling; Zakat is mandatory, as long as you meet the requirements (and I haven’t met the burden, yet, though I pay something every year); Hajj is mandatory, if you’re physically and financially capable. The only completely rigid pillar is testifying that there is nothing worthy of worship, except for Allah, and Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the final messenger of Allah. And that’s not too hard, since there is nothing worthy of worship except for Allah, and Muhammad is the last and final messenger of Allah.
Allahu Akbar.
So, flexibility. Alhamdulillah!
