Ramadan Journal '17 | Week One
18:30
Day 1 | Hello!
Ramadan, we meet again!
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
| O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous - Holy Quran, 2:183
As always, I hope and pray that this month is as productive, if not more so than the last. I pray that we find the spiritual fulfilment to feed our starved souls, the patience to harbour our difficulties and burdens, and the faith in forgiveness that allows us to cleanse, purify, and heal. I pray that together, we evoke a sense of peace, compassion and humility, that we rediscover the meaning of brotherhood and channel our energy into striving for humanity. I pray that we find it in ourselves to purify our intentions; to reset and rebuild our lives, strengthening the foundation that has weakened with time, that is so often rocky and unstable, our fragile hearts struggling to take the weight of our mistakes and stumblings. And I wish I could pray that this isn't the last Ramadan I am blessed to experience, yet that is something that I can't pray for, not really. But if it is, I can only pray that it is a fruitful one, that I fix what's broken in places no one can see and become someone worthy of this faith I call my own.
Day 2 | Early
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| 1am prayer times (late or early...? let's go with early) |
Day 3 | Mini
The sun is a rare thing here in Great Britain so when it does take the odd moment to grace us with its presence, it's impossible to not be tempted to make the most of it. The uncanny timing of our heatwaves though...
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| Mini walks in the park |
Day 4 | List
Last year, I recommended a few books that would be perfect Ramadan reading which you can find them here and naturally, I have a couple to add to that this year so here's my 2017 list of recommended Ramadan reads:
Revive Your Heart: Putting life in perspective by Nouman Ali Khan
Revive Your Heart is a book I came across by chance; I had no idea that Nouman Ali Khan was writing and releasing a book and it came as a pleasant surprise because I absolutely love his lectures. Listening to Nouman Ali Khan never feels like a chore. He's entertaining and yet so insightful and imparts beautiful words of wisdom that always hit home. His talks are some of my favourites because he has the knowledge, and he gives it context - he relates to current events, life as a young adult, and the experience with our faith in the modern era. His book is just as good; he touches on how to spiritually connect with God, particularly on those days when our faith hits rock bottom, in this life that sees us fall down time and time again. His writing - that is so distinctly his voice - and his take on how to transform our souls coupled with his advice on living as a Muslim in these dark and uncertain times makes for a profound read. And I couldn't recommend a more perfect read for this month of spiritual growth.
Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash
Letters to a Young Muslim is such a beautiful concept that I bought the book on that merit alone. A collection of letters from the author to his young sons in their early/late teens, he tackles the difficult, controversial questions that face young Muslims in today's world. It takes a philosophical look at the Western attitudes towards Islam, the difficulties we face as our faith is twisted and warped for political gains and spiteful agendas, at the religious framework that dictates our life and is core to our identity. It asks the fundamental question: how do we bridge our faith with Western expectations? It is a glimpse into how we can navigate our faith in a world of rising fear, controversy and discord, and really, it couldn't be a more relevant read than it is today.
Three Thousand Miles for a Wish by Safiya Hussain
Revive Your Heart: Putting life in perspective by Nouman Ali Khan
Revive Your Heart is a book I came across by chance; I had no idea that Nouman Ali Khan was writing and releasing a book and it came as a pleasant surprise because I absolutely love his lectures. Listening to Nouman Ali Khan never feels like a chore. He's entertaining and yet so insightful and imparts beautiful words of wisdom that always hit home. His talks are some of my favourites because he has the knowledge, and he gives it context - he relates to current events, life as a young adult, and the experience with our faith in the modern era. His book is just as good; he touches on how to spiritually connect with God, particularly on those days when our faith hits rock bottom, in this life that sees us fall down time and time again. His writing - that is so distinctly his voice - and his take on how to transform our souls coupled with his advice on living as a Muslim in these dark and uncertain times makes for a profound read. And I couldn't recommend a more perfect read for this month of spiritual growth.
Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash
Letters to a Young Muslim is such a beautiful concept that I bought the book on that merit alone. A collection of letters from the author to his young sons in their early/late teens, he tackles the difficult, controversial questions that face young Muslims in today's world. It takes a philosophical look at the Western attitudes towards Islam, the difficulties we face as our faith is twisted and warped for political gains and spiteful agendas, at the religious framework that dictates our life and is core to our identity. It asks the fundamental question: how do we bridge our faith with Western expectations? It is a glimpse into how we can navigate our faith in a world of rising fear, controversy and discord, and really, it couldn't be a more relevant read than it is today.
Three Thousand Miles for a Wish by Safiya Hussain
The true story of a young woman's quest to find happiness.
What would you do if your whole world came crashing down?
Broken promises of love. Deceits of life. Safiya is deep in despair and nearing self-destruction. But a chance opportunity to escape suicidal misery beckons her.
Millions said 'it is the land of wishes'. Mecca - Saudi Arabia. Millions said 'it is a life changing journey'. Hajj - the pilgrimage.
England to Arabia. Thrown into garments resembling a death shroud she embarks on the Hajj and enters the spellbinding world of ancient Islamic practices. To save herself. Alongside three million foreign and unpredictable pilgrims she makes her weeping wish in the celestial palace of Mecca. She camps with Ethiopian peasants and Arab Kings, faces the supernatural in the deserts and catches a spine-chilling glimpse of the end of the world. She uncovers love for a man she has never met and hatred for a hidden enemy. She risks her life for a fleeting obsession and steps into a perilous ritual where others had been killed.
But will her wish come true? Or will it end badly?
I read this book at a time when I was truly struggling in life. Not deliberately, it just so happened that it fell into my hands when it did. And when I did read it, Safiya Hussain's struggles mirrored my own. I feel like we all go through this phase in life - and if you haven't, then you are one of the few lucky ones - but a phase in which you make mistake after mistake after mistake and instead of getting back up and trying to put it right, you just dig that grave deeper and deeper until you're falling into a void of your own making and there's no respite. All that's left is a hollow, empty feeling and you're clawing away at the inside trying to escape your own skin, trying to flee the guilt and the shame, and you're drowning in the desperate search for redemption but your hands are flailing and it's as futile as holding on to sand slipping through your fingers. It is a sick sense of self-loathing. And you realise that your soul is just a vessel of undiluted misery. I thought there was no coming back from it.
Then I read Three Thousand Miles for a wish and Safiya Hussain's journey was so painfully uplifting, so spiritually moving and undeniably inspiring and I thought "I need that". That reawakening - that was what I was searching for. It is what we all search for. Her story is an unparalleled journey, one that brought back many beautiful memories from when I performed it - admittedly quite a long time ago - and one that is excruciatingly beautiful. It reads like a novel and yet it paints the truthful picture of an existence that has no meaning, an existence that can be transformed in a single journey. It is a profound interpretation of this single precious gift that can, truly, change your life. How redemption and happiness and purpose can only be found with Him.
Love & Happiness by Yasmin Mogahed
It's no secret that I'm a die- hard Yasmin Mogahed fan; her words are beautifully eloquent and her reflections profound. Her latest release, Love & Happiness is a collection of her quotes and her insights that are short and snappy, and yet as poignant as everything else she has ever written and said. I recommend not only reading it, but also purchasing your own copy because a little food for thought never goes amiss...
Day 5 | Love
| I marvel at how humans are! It doesn’t take us long to get distant from Allah, despite the fact that we need Him more than we need air to survive. We soon realise this and come gasping back to Him, clutching our shriveled hearts in our shaking hands, begging Him to take us back. And by His mercy He never refuses us; yet soon we forget how much we need Him and again we find ourselves distant from Him. I marvel at how we can so easily forget His favours and I am in awe of the Mercy of my Allah, who still takes us back. - source
Day 6 | Today
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| 'twas a beautiful day ☀ |
Day 7 | Throwback
Sometimes, the Almighty blesses you with the opportunity to travel thousands of miles and pray in one of His most beautiful homes...
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| Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi, 2016 |
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