Ramadhan Diaries

27 June 2017

With my little niece at the mosque during one of the Terawih prayers.

Alhamdulilah this has been my most fulfilling Ramadhan. Last Ramadhan I sooo wanted to do terawih and tahajudd prayers on all nights but my back pain was occasionally too painful to bear. On some nights I had no choice but to lay down straight on bed. On other better nights, I did prayers while sitting down. Waking up slightly earlier for tahajjud was also difficult because the back pain was affecting my sleep. At the end of Ramadhan last year I felt that I had wasted the month.

This year I was determined to do all that I missed last year. And I did. It is sad that we only learn to appreciate our ‘convenience’ only when it is taken away from us. But I guess He is the best of Teachers and only during those difficult and dark times, we learn to turn only to Him. Was it difficult to cultivate the habit? No… because I was healed by His mercy, so much that I was able to perform umrah with ease less than 2 months after the much needed surgery.

MashaAllah, His plans and His timings for me are truly the best. Everything that happened was like a miracle.

So if you slacked this Ramadhan, make dua to do slightly better in the next. If you practice restraints such as not speaking negatively, not doing anything hurtful to others, or if you successfully cultivate good habits such as eating healthily, not smoking, reading the Quran, doing prayers on time, practice sabr, I hope you still continue to do the same in the months to come. Let this Ramadhan be your turning point. The basis of it all is to do it with the best of intentions (niat), take necessary actions and leave it to Him ( tawakkul).

How can a believer not shed tears at the departure of Ramadhan, when he doesn’t even know whether he’ll be alive for its return or not? – Ibn Rajab, Lataif Ma’arif (Pg 217)

May our deeds be accepted, our sins be forgiven and our journey to being better people be eased inshAllah.