Eid Mubarak!
All praise and thanks are due to Allah SWT* for allowing us to see another Ramadan and another Eid al-Fitr! As the celebrations of Eid continue worldwide, we ask Allah SWT to allow us celebrate in a way most pleasing to Him. May Allah SWT accept all we have put forth this Ramadan and reward us. May He AWJ* bless us with consistency in servitude.
With Ramadan comes an invigoration and livening of the spirits. A marked zeal to please Allah SWT, typically unmatched by any other point of the year. A lot of promises -- both to God and to ourselves -- to become better, in every sense. Better Muslims, better children, better parents, better siblings, better spouses, better students, coworkers etc.
Goals, plans, structure, priorities.
Now, Ramadan our honoured guest, has gone. Ramadan is over. Eid is here, and our hearts are stuck in a dichotomy between sadness and joy. The passing of Ramadan -- each year seemingly shorter than the last -- and the happiness that fills the heart with the joyous welcoming of Eid al-Fitr. A perfectly normal juxtaposition that recurs year by year.
In the passing of Ramadan, we take solace in knowing that Allah SWT, the Lord of Mercy and Joy, is Ever-Constant in His Omnipresence. Allah AWJ in His infinite mercy has made Himself accessible to us with every passing second. Allah is not limited to 29/30 days a year. He SWT describes Himself as :
"Closer to him than [his] jugular vein." [50:16]
and being:
"With you wherever you are." [57:4]
Allah AWJ says to our Beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW*:
"And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided." [2:186]
"When." Allah AWJ says "when My servants ask you concerning Me." They will ask, and when they do Allah SWT informs us "indeed I am near." This is the promise of Allah AWJ. Let us take a pledge to ourselves to respond to Allah by way of obedience and belief. Let us take a pledge to ourselves to try our best to remain steadfast and continue forth with the same zeal to please Allah SWT.
Allah SWT has blessed and honoured us with receiving another Ramadan, let us honour ourselves by way of humility unto Allah AWJ:
"And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds." [29:6]
Unsure how to keep the fire going? Our beloved Prophet SAW told us:
"Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days from Shawwal it is as if they fasted the entire year." (Sahih Muslim)
One realization I have every Ramadan is that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for (as are most of us). Set goals and believe in yourself. All the while remembering in the difficult times, Allah SWT is near and responsive! Draw close to Him through obedience and gratitude.
This was originally posted on Wordpress
SWT: Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala - Glory be to Him, The Exalted
SAW: Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam - may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him
AWJ: Azza wa Jal - Mighty and the Majestic