The
Exercise
Yard

Well, here we are again,

back at a Thruway for the Exercise Yard,

but this time we're at the start of Level 3

And it almost seems like

as soon as you get to the end

you're starting again at the beginning.

But it's not quite the beginning,

it's just the way it is

in a Creation in which the more you learn about it

the more you realise there is to learn.

No matter how much you learn,

you are always at the beginning

of all the stuff you don't know.

And learning is something we do in different ways.

You may know how to ride a bike

because you've seen how other people do it,

but that's very different from

knowing how to ride a bike

because you ride it yourself.

Or like walking a tightrope,

you can see what you have to do,

but that's not the same thing as being able to do it.

Some things we learn with our heads,

some things we learn with our bodies,

and there are some things that we can

never understand until we feel them,

like the things that make us laugh and cry,

the things we learn with our heart.

And so it is in the muslim way of life.

There is always more to learn in every way.

And so it is in the Exercise Yard.

To make the Shahada we really need no more than our heads,

but for the Sala we also need to involve moving our bodies,

which we discipline even more during Ramadhan.

And we learn to weep from all the tragedies of the struggle in our lives,

and we have the love of the Messenger in our hearts.

And those are just some of the ways we can look

when we want to understand more of our way of life,

and no matter who we are there is always going to be

something to interest us.

After all, your way of life is about the life you are living,

and everyone is interested in their own lives aren't they?

Can we split the Shahada into different parts?

How do we get ready for prayer?

Are there different kinds of prayer?

How is Zakat different from everyday Charity?

Just what is involved in Fasting?

Is there more than one kind of pilgrimage?

Is there more than one kind of Jihad?

Can non-muslims be good and muslims be bad?

What was at the heart of Muhammad's character?