Haroon Moghul: This Ramadan, Myself and God, Before I Was Born.
It is the Muslim belief that the memory of this moment is buried inside of us. Though we do not inherit sin, though we are each born innocent, though no one can be tried for the errors of another, still somehow this memory courses through each of us. It may appear as a flash, a moment of sudden transcendence, as when we see a fantastic landscape, a marvelous setting sun, a beautiful face or take in a rousing and unforgettable score. We are reminded of something higher in us, not that elevates us arrogantly over others — that is a very different emotion — but a memory that unites us and frees us of pains, desperations, worries and anxieties: We were made somewhere better, and have the potential to return there. Our condition here is temporary.