Endi tezroq yaqinlarini sog‘-salomat ko‘rgisi, ular bilan dasturxon atrofida chordana qurib o‘tirgancha, devzira oshidan so‘ng ko‘k choyni bosib-bosib ichgan ko‘yi uzun-uzun suhbatlarga tolgisi,…

To arrive early and choose any spot on the lush red carpet with its rows of blue Ottoman domes and minarets tilted in adult-sized tiles toward Mecca; to sit cross-legged with a crisp Quran in his palms; to feel the space fill and receive gentle nods from familiar strangers; and then, after the sermon was heard and the congregational prayer performed, to feel the space clear and the red and blue of the carpet return to fill his periphery; to be alone in the hall with the renewed clarity of his own prayers.