What are you grateful for in this first 3 weeks of Ramadan?
I think this is a nice time to take stock, look back over the last two
thirds (asharah) of Ramadan and take any learning or benefit for the last
third.
21 days of fasting in, this has been a unique time. Lockdown has had us
stuck indoors working and sometimes getting a bit down, but strangely has
perhaps been easier for us when fasting: I get an extra hour of sleep because I
don’t have to get ready and head in to work, I just go downstairs and log on.
It has been so much easier to pray and I feel like I have more time to read
Quran and make dhikr.
On the other hand sleep deprivation is still a thing. A big one. There
are days when I feel like I a zombie and can’t think straight, let alone work
sensibly from home. The biggest thing that has helped is the sunnah afternoon nap,
or qaylulah, one hour after work. A kind of power nap that keeps me going
through the evening and alert for the night prayer.
So looking back I am grateful for getting through the first three week
and not missing any fasts. My oldest three children are also keeping all of
them and because they are off school, can get the sleep they need (and then
some).
I am grateful to be able to pray at home in a leisurely way rather than
quickly at work.
I am grateful for my body clearing itself out (although it’s harder to
be grateful for the painful breakout I have had on my face, although I am trusting
that this is a sign hat my body is detoxing). I am grateful for feeling leaner
and stronger as I have been running on my machine every night after taraweeh
prayer.
The Ramadan schedule and rhythm of the day can feel punishing at times,
but it is a very rewarding one.
What are you grateful for in this first 3 weeks of Ramadan?
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