Up until late Friday night when the new moon was finally visible, we kept asking in anticipation. Many people were happy in Philadelphia because everyone started Ramadan on Saturday. It is nice to have some unity. On another note, this Ramadan is a time for me to think of new traditions and make some major commitments to personal development. I’m not going to take up your time during Ramadan outlining my spiritual goals or daily struggles to incorporate more religious rigor during this Holy month. While making goals public may motivate me to follow through, I believe it puts me in danger of Riya (showing off and doing acts for the sake of others). Instead, I hope to post a few articles about practical spirituality, based on a lecture I’m giving at Quba on September 6. I’m also working on a review of Sherman Jackson’s Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering.