Ramadan 3, 1442.
The Generous Month
We welcome the most generous month, Ramadan, and greet her with a warm embrace!!!
Alhamdullilah, Ramadan is here! Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. The name of the month is rooted in an Arabic word that means "to burn" or "to scorch." This evokes the idea that as we empty ourselves of everything we normally consume, we give ourselves the spaciousness & energy to burn through our sins & purify ourselves, Insh'Allah (God Willing).
The beginning of this month is mercy. We reflect on the boundless mercy of our Creator, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. For those of us who are privileged enough to fast, we reflect on the abundance in our lives. For some of us, we have so much to go around, it almost hurts.
This is why we turn to increased acts of charitable giving in order to rectify the socioeconomic disparities on this planet & lend a helping hand to those who end up fasting every day, not out of choice, but out of circumstance. Approximately 700 million people across the globe or 9% of our human family goes to sleep hungry. That is an injustice. May Allah help us end it. Ameen.
The middle of this month is forgiveness. We seek forgiveness from our Creator, The Most Forgiving One, for our heedlessness, our disconnection & our ingratitude. He gives to us & forgives us endlessly. We increase our acts of worship, striving to be more mindful of Allah in everything we do, with every breath we take. Alhamdullilah (Praise be to Allah) for each breath in and Asthaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah) as we breathe out, letting go of our sins, our negative thoughts, feelings & energy.
His forgiveness is guaranteed. We only need to ask & turn towards our difficulties & towards Him.
The end of this month is freedom. Freedom from hellfire. Freedom from the wrongdoing that gets us there. Freedom from the evil inclinations of our own nafs (self/ego) that leads us to oppress, harm & sow injustices that create needless suffering & hellish situations for ourselves & others. May we be freed from this. Ameen.
May Allah shower us with His never-ending mercy. May He forgive us for the wrongs we have wrought with our own limbs, spoken with our own tongues, heard with our own ears & seen with our own eyes. May we be forgiven for oppressing others & our own selves. Ameen.
Through the scorching burn of Ramadan, may we be purified, may the heat be replaced with coolness, the difficulty with ease, the struggle with freedom. May we be freed from consumer culture, all worldly attachments & distractions. Ultimately, may we be freed from hellfire & become the people of paradise. Ameen.
Mercy. Forgiveness. Freedom. The most generous month.
Welcome Ramadan!!! "Ramadan is the month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness and whose end is freedom from the fire." ~Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him
