There is so much to be grateful for at the moment – my faith, my family, my home, work, my health, the more you think about it, the more you realise that you cannot even begin to understand how much you have to be grateful to Allah (SWT) for, every small and big thing and so much we take for granted or are not even aware of.
This Ramadan, I am grateful for the opportunity to earn reward, to have my sins forgiven, I am so grateful at this opportunity to make dua knowing the dua of the fasting person is accepted and to ask for everything I need:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three prayers that are not rejected: the prayer of a father for his child, the prayer of the fasting person and the prayer of the traveller.” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi; see Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2032; al-Saheehah, 1797.
When it comes down to it though, at the moment I am so very grateful for two basic things: sleep and food.
People often say Ramadan is not about eating and that we should stick to simple food that doesn’t require too long to prepare or eat. But at the end of a 19 hour fast, I don’t begrudge myself something I enjoy and I certainly don’t turn my nose up at the delicious food the neighbours sent round:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 128)
This Ramadan, I am grateful for the opportunity to earn reward, to have my sins forgiven, I am so grateful at this opportunity to make dua knowing the dua of the fasting person is accepted and to ask for everything I need:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three prayers that are not rejected: the prayer of a father for his child, the prayer of the fasting person and the prayer of the traveller.” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi; see Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2032; al-Saheehah, 1797.
When it comes down to it though, at the moment I am so very grateful for two basic things: sleep and food.
People often say Ramadan is not about eating and that we should stick to simple food that doesn’t require too long to prepare or eat. But at the end of a 19 hour fast, I don’t begrudge myself something I enjoy and I certainly don’t turn my nose up at the delicious food the neighbours sent round:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 128)
The last picture, apart from the fruit salad, is entirely food my neighbours sent round, leftovers or food made from leftovers (lamb mince curry turned into lamb mince pasta and pasties). We barely managed to make a dent in all of that food (apart from the strawberries which nearly caused a riot).
Regarding sleep, I was always a very light sleeper until I had children, with each child I seemed to have become a deeper sleeper. Little Lady once remarked that she has never seen anyone that is already asleep by the time that their head hits the pillow until she saw me fall asleep after a long day. The broken sleep and long days of Ramadan coupled with early mornings for work and the school run means I am quite sleep deprived, on one occasion I fell asleep on my prayer mate and woke up close to suhoor (the morning meal before you fast) wondering if I made it to the end of my witr prayer or not. So when I finally get into bed after a long day of work, fasting, cooking and cheeky children, I cannot even describe the utter pleasure of finally letting the day go, my body and mind unwinding and it is something I am deeply grateful for.
Regarding sleep, I was always a very light sleeper until I had children, with each child I seemed to have become a deeper sleeper. Little Lady once remarked that she has never seen anyone that is already asleep by the time that their head hits the pillow until she saw me fall asleep after a long day. The broken sleep and long days of Ramadan coupled with early mornings for work and the school run means I am quite sleep deprived, on one occasion I fell asleep on my prayer mate and woke up close to suhoor (the morning meal before you fast) wondering if I made it to the end of my witr prayer or not. So when I finally get into bed after a long day of work, fasting, cooking and cheeky children, I cannot even describe the utter pleasure of finally letting the day go, my body and mind unwinding and it is something I am deeply grateful for.
So very true sis. We should never forget for one single moment how blessed we are :-)
ReplyDelete