This Ramadan we share with you a bird’s eye view of personal Muslim stories from across the globe.

A French-Muslim states how Allah’s will and protection empowers him at every stage of his life, from teaching Judo to his recent Umrah trip.

Assalamualaikum to all my Muslim brothers and sisters,

Being a Muslim and French, the larger society is not always oriented in our direction. However, with patience and reason, I find that Allah always facilitates our life and provides us with opportunities to resolve any problem. Allah does not let things escalate. With His blessings, He has protected and guided me each step of the way.

Alhamdullilah, I have been blessed and grew up in an Islamic upbringing. My father used to take me to the mosque when I was very young, especially, during Ramadan for taraweeh prayers. I was also enrolled in courses to learn the rules of embellishment of the recitation of Al-Quran by tajwīd with my teacher, Said.

I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend Ramadan and Eid with my family and friends for the past 25 years of my life. Every passing Ramadan, leading up to Eid, I delve deeper into my faith through prayers guided by the Quran.

From the ages of 16 to 18, I spent Ramadan in Algeria, my country of origin. I cherish the unforgettable moments of laughter and galleys visiting the country in passing. Typically, the atmosphere of Ramadan in Algeria kickstarted at midnight. We would take advantage of the calm softness of the night to eat, pray and share memorable moments with friends outdoors.

In both France and Algeria, I find in one as in the other a particularly appreciable atmosphere. For example, the complete shift of rhythm of the businesses in Maghnia, Algeria and the world at night after the prayer of taraweeh at Al Taqwa Mosque.

On the other hand, for Muslims in France and throughout Europe, a very different situation exists. In spite of the difficulties of work and the circumstances led by the society, the warm feelings of togetherness of the ummah, greeting and supporting each other through all means, spiritual and emotional, throughout the days of this blessed month continue to prevail.

In parallel, by the grace of Allah, I practice assiduously, my beautiful religion: Islam.

Motivated by this momentum, a few of my close friends and I organised an Umrah trip. A wonderful trip that took place during the first week of March, which only strengthened our faith and beliefs as we embrace Ramadan this year. We often travel and organise small trips, but traveling to the house of Allah was really a liberation, since COVID has been prevalent for the last two years. This kind of experience was exhilarating!

We only stayed there for a week and did not sleep much. However, despite the difficulty and fatigue, we had the energy to do everything. It was an unexplainable phenomenon.

Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to come across caring teachers and friends who are now brothers, mentors and everyday examples for me.

A few years ago, I entered Judo with a reference teacher in this field. He put me on the rails of teaching, in which I still learn and evolve from till today. Since 2015, I have been teaching Judo and I deepen my knowledge in the sciences useful to sports performance.

Judo is defined as a way to optimally utilise the powers of both the body and mind. The purpose of Judo is to teach physical and mental discipline. However, for me, practising my religion has helped me perform in competitions and to better manage my stress and state of mind.

Barrakallah Oufikoum to all my brothers and sisters in Islam who will read this message. I am glad I could share a bit of my life experience thus far with you. 

About the Writer

Salah El Dine Bekhtaoui, 25, born in Pontoise, France, is a Judo teacher. Currently, he is also a student at the University of La Sorbonne, at the master level in the field of expertise and optimisation of sports performance.