RAMADHAN 1441

Ramadhan 1441AH was a different one for obvious corona reasons. It was Ramadhan during a period of lockdowns and curfew. Masjids were shutdown. I didn’t get to attend a single Jummuat prayer in congregation, not to talk of taraweeh and tahajjjud which are not obligatory. However, every cloud has a silver lining and Ramadhan during lockdown happened to be the best ever. There was so much time for worship. In the midst of all the spiritual excitement, I felt that I could have done more. During Ramadhan, a person discovers that some sins are due to our nafs since the devils are all chained up.

I am extremely grateful to Allah for enabling me witness the month in good health even though I was inadequate in some aspects. Regrets are normal when it comes to worship as a person can always do more. I pray to the almighty that this immediate past Ramadhan becomes the catalyst to my total transformation. I want to be a better person, a person that people can pray to have as a son, father, husband, brother, relative and friend. And I pray that I witness many more productive Ramadhans better than that of 1441AH. I also pray that Allah protects us from Corona virus and bring an end to this pandemic.

Ramadhan is a period for spiritual recharge and I must say that my hope is that the last Ramadhan did that for me. I pray that my iman remains high and that my nadir is so high that I don’t fall back to my regular sins. If I can achieve that, then Ramadhan was a success. In life, it is hard to balance our desire for worldly progress with the ultimate goal of attaining paradise. But we must continue striving hard to achieve such balance.

There are things I regret doing or not doing in the month but I would prefer to focus on the positives. The past is passed and we can only look to the future. Unfortunately, no one is certain of being alive to witness another chance to redeem ourselves. That is the reason my current goal is to live like everyday could be my last. I try to motivate myself and I found a video that did precisely that. The great imam of the Haramain, the oldest of the Madinah Imams, Sheikh Ali Al-Hudhayfi memorised the Quran at the age of 33. It is never too late to achieve our goals, both worldly and those of the hereafter.

Ramadhan 1441 will go down in history as a Ramadhan with a difference, literally! Many thought it would be the worst, but alas when it came, it was so nice and fulfilling, we had so much time for worship. This reminds me of Quran 2:216 that reads: ‘…perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows while you know not’. It is one of my best verses in the Quran. I especially like how it ends, telling us that we know nothing and that Allah knows what we don’t know. That is the description of Ramadhan during covid-19 lockdown. We all assumed it would be the worst but it wasn’t. May Almighty Allah continue to guide us to His path. Alhamdulillah for everything.

My desire is to leave the world in a state that Allah is most pleased with me. That desire can only be attained by the mercy of Allah. And that requires utilising all my chances including the blessed month of Ramadhan. I pray that Allah accept all our good deeds in the month and even beyond, and forgive us for all our shortcomings within or outside the month of Ramadhan.