Ramadan Diary

[north_malaysian]

27th September 2007, 1:23 PM, Kulim - Malaysia

I'm so happy that the office's admin decided to give Eid holidays from 12.10.2007 (Fri.) - 16.10.2007 (Tue.), if we would like to take extra further days for holiday, we can take our annual leave. And I have like 8 annual leave days left.... hmmm... maybe I should take anor 3 days off....

And my boss said, all annual leave applications must be handed in before next week..... so... quick! quick! quick! (where did I put my annual leave application forms? :hiding::hiding::hiding

 

[Woodrow]

September 27, 2007 Austin, TX

Last night at about midnight I went out on the patio. The sky was crystal clear and the biggest brightest full moon was shining like the noor seen in the face of a pious Muslim. Then a thought hit me. Ramadan is half over. Each night I had watched the waxing moon grow, corresponding to the first half of Ramadan, now it has reached it's peak, and for the next 14 days the moon will be reminding me that like the moon Ramadan is getting shorter.

Now is the time to reflect on my intentions I have/had.

Am I getting all I can from this time of Peace and thought and change?

Am I putting my full effort into Ramadan?

There is not much time left for me to reflect on Ramadan and what it truly means to me.

 

[Muhammad]

September 27 2007, 13:04



On the other side of the world, I, too, like Woodrow, have been watching the bright morning star shining wonderfully as I step out of the Masjid before dawn. At the beginning of Ramadhan, it was quite a new experience to have the warm summer sunlight keeping each day bright and bustling till its end, as the month has been coming in winter in earlier years. But now the autumn leaves are falling and a gripping cold has overtaken, reminding us of how it used to be.

Yesterday, I too noticed after Taraweeh prayers how the full moon shone magnificently, casting its curious light on the clouds around it. And the 15th chapter of the Qur'an was read. So half the month has passed us by and very quickly too, and now we must remind ourselves of the need to act before it's Eid, when we'll be remembering all those delightful Iftaars and Suhoors, and missing the recitation of Qur'an in Taraweeh.

 

[MaiCarInMtl]

Well, I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I am still fasting! Yes, day #15! I am quite proud of myself!

My mother now knows I am fasting and I had supper with her yesterday and again tonight. Thankfully supper time isn't too late (otherwise she would complain).

Some days are easier than others and if I miss breakfast at 4:30 in the monring, then I can get through the day, but it's that much harder.

My throat is feeling funny again (there's this cold I somewhat developed last week that is trying to make a 2nd appearance now). I wish I could just flush it out of my system but it doesn't seem to be happening. Grrr! I can't wait to be done with university because then I won't have to touch as many filthy surfaces all the time (I rather not try and guess what's touched the desks).

On the menu tonight: Trout and rice. I have no clue what else mom will be cooking. I made cabbage rolls for yesterday's dinner and desert was apple, strawberry-rhubarb and apricot turnovers from a nearby bakery - Sooo yummy!

Happy fasting!

 

[Sheba]

Sept. 13,2007 Austin Texas

we should be able to view the first crescent this evening and Ramadan will begin for us here in Austin. My grandchildren are looking forward with much anticipation. My grandson intends to fast partially during the School days and full fast on weekends. He is 8 years old. My grand daughter age 7 will fast on the weekends. The rest of us will do a full fast, health permitting.

Let us try to post a little something about what we each are doing as words of encouragement for each other and for us to share the Blessings of this Holy Month.

That's wonderful, so young and so dedicated. God willing their fast will go well.

My husband has completed reading the Quran from cover to cover in 12 days and he's started again. I am reading a book on prophet Moses currently.

 

[snakelegs]

September 27, 2007 Austin, TX

Last night at about midnight I went out on the patio. The sky was crystal clear and the biggest brightest full moon was shining like the noor seen in the face of a pious Muslim. Then a thought hit me. Ramadan is half over. Each night I had watched the waxing moon grow, corresponding to the first half of Ramadan, now it has reached it's peak, and for the next 14 days the moon will be reminding me that like the moon Ramadan is getting shorter.

Now is the time to reflect on my intentions I have/had.

Am I getting all I can from this time of Peace and thought and change?

Am I putting my full effort into Ramadan?

There is not much time left for me to reflect on Ramadan and what it truly means to me.

it seems that ramadan brings a heightened awareness - this is cool.
what isn't so cool is that you made me realize that it is half over. i decided to re-read the qur'an during ramadan and i am only 1/4 of the way!

 

[Khayal]

it seems that ramadan brings a heightened awareness - this is cool.
what isn't so cool is that you made me realize that it is half over. i decided to re-read the qur'an during ramadan and i am only 1/4 of the way!

WoW!! brother, Its seems you are going to be a muslim pretty soon, InshaAlah..

Right...:?

 

[Ummu Sufyaan]

like brothers woodow and muhmmad, i too noticed the moon. except i was thinking, omg! its going to shrink again. and then in another part of my day i was thinking. wow!! two weeks have gone, and two weeks left. what have i done?? practically nothing. but them again, i was feeling a little under the weather for the past week or so, so maybe i have an excuse. so basically i have had hardly any energy to do anything, but alhamduliah, its just been in the last 24 hours where i feel alot more better and back to normal. so inshallah, i can make the use of my remaining days.

 

[F.Y.]

28th September
Like bro's Woodrow and Muhammad, I watched the moon on the 15th night of Ramadhan too. I was actually outside, bringing in the clothes that had dried on the line. Seeing the moon full and round, made me realise there is not much time left till the end. The warm wind rustling, I trudged inside with the full basket...to find I still had to clean the kitchen and that horrible mountain of dishes. And on we go...

 

[zarhad]

Bismillah Rahman Raheem
Sept 28, 2007 01:15am Toronto canada

At work, my shifts have been changing from night to afternoon to day which has been making it really difficult to ajust. Im finding this ramadan a little more difficult then last espically with these digestion issues i have ( I blame all the chemicals in the food of the western world) at about 10 in the afternoon i already start to feel sick to my stomach, some days are better then others
otherwise all is well alhumdullah
this month always passes so quickly anyways it wouldnt feel right to complain..
this is the first year i ever realised but during this month the moon looks so much bigger and brighter much closer then normal...

 

[جوري]

sept 28th 2007

I can't believe it is the 15th day of Ramadan-- sob7an Allah... today I watched a marvelous episode by a sheikh I don't know his name but it is entitled a path to paradise.. did anyone else watch it?-- he spoke of the three suras about judgement day.. suret al ghashya, and al inshiqaq especially (84).. he covered it up to verse 10.. and it was so remarkable, he will pick up where he left off tomorrow insha'Allah--

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
إِذَا السَّمَاء انشَقَّتْ {1}
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ {2}
وَإِذَا الْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ {3}
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ {4}
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ {5}
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ {6}
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ {7}
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا {8}
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا {9}
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاء ظَهْرِهِ {10}
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا {11}​

he spoke of how the sky (heaven) will be split asunder on that great day, he spoke of it as a creature a being created, and asked by Allah if it will be compliant with its lord's commands, and reponded that it will.. hence 'azhenat le rabiha wa7oqt'... not even pickthal translates that line well and I consider him to be one of the best.. but you don't really get the full impact until you understand it in Arabic.. likewise the earth will cast out all that is in her, from fear of her creator... this is the day of resurrection, when all will stand before their lord.. he spoke that the day of judgement will come on people who don't even utter the name Allah.. but that since the birth of prophet Mohammed P, the angel Israfael took a breath to blow in the trumpet on command.. that the day of judgement is so very close even though we take for granted the major signs that are yet to happen ( when they do, will be like a bead of pearls one after the next)... He spoke of the throne, the tiny lower heaven the one that houses us, which is nothing compared to the 2nd heaven, compared to the third etc all the way to the 7th... which is tiny at the foot of the throne

What a picture of grandeur and what a great lecture.. I used to have a recitation of this very sura by sheikh no3yna3, it used to make me cry.. it was the most beautiful recitation I'd ever heard.. I am so tired of looking for it and asking people about it, because they never bring me the right one.. I used to have it on small tape and I have no idea its whereabouts..

usually each reciter is famous for one impeccable recitation, at least in my book.. I only listen to suret Yusuf by sheikh sali7 ar'rashid, or suret al qyama by khanderi.. the short suras however, were recited best by sheikh no3yna3 and I feel such a longing to hear it...

I suppose one can't explain what it means to long for Quran to another person... there was a time in my life when I'd escape a room by mention of Quran... now I am entranced.. I always always learn something new.. speaking Arabic doesn't necessarily deepen the understanding on its own accord.. there is a gradation of understanding.. there is a change from the concrete to the abstract.. and I think listening to lectures and scholars helps..

Maghrib came rather fast today.. we had spinach and cheese pies...
unfortunately, they no longer forecast the prayer from Mecca like they used to.. I used to complain that they did away with the sheikh with the melodious voice and now there is no prayer all together... :-[

lol they give so little time for prayer or lectures.. but there is at least 6 soap operas back to back.. anything to keep people away from worship I suppose? There is one that comes while you break fast now instead of prayers.. really awful episodes where everyone is so angry and mean to their women.. it is rather upsetting to watch especially in Ramadan.. what can one do? :-\

I must say the saddest thing about the day is I yelled at my niece for trying to put her fingers in the fan, and her lips were quivering as she was holding back her tears.. but they eventually fell on her cheeks-- she is only two.. I write this here because I can't take her cute sad face out of my head--imsad.. I don't think she expected that from me.. but I love her so.. don't want to see her little fingers chopped off .. what is an aunt to do? ^o)

 

[north_malaysian]

28th September 2007 - Kulim, Malaysia.

Hey.... I've seen the full moon too...

Last night, after Taraweeh prayers (around 10.30 PM), I walked home with my mum from Musolla. My mum said "Look at the sky, the full moon is so bright!! We're in the middle of Ramadan already?".

I looked up and both of us gazed at the sky.... the full moon was so bright ... and the sky is so clear (usually it's cloudy!)

It's been 15 days.....

 

[Sheba]

it seems that ramadan brings a heightened awareness - this is cool.
what isn't so cool is that you made me realize that it is half over. i decided to re-read the qur'an during ramadan and i am only 1/4 of the way!

That's a wonderful statement. God's wonders can surely be seen in the heavens.

 

[InToTheRain]

On the way to Terawi I caught a glimpse of the full Moon and it was amazing...almost lost focus of what was ahead of me as I drove. My little bro couldn't get enough of it and started cursing the urban enviroment in which we live that blocks it's view. I didn't really gaze at it or want to after that for even if I were to climb the tallest building to watch it I feel its granduer can only be fully appreciated in some rural area away from this artificial sarrounding.

Went straight to sleep after Terawi resisting the urge to listen Mufti Ismail Menks "Reasons of Revelation of Verses of The Noble Quran" (I would recommend it to everyone, his oratory style is similiar to Sheikh Suliman Mula...Just brilliant!) as he says some deep stuff and really gets emotional at times which means my sleep before sehri goes out the window. I needed the sleep anyways as I felt I was burning the precious few braincells I have left Got up a bit later then usual for sehri but had enough time for Tahajud. After Tahajud thought I would spare my Mother from trying to wake my little bro who sleeps on the floor yet is unable to wake up in time for anything . Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to establish that part of the sunnah :/ Poor fish he is. As I called him he just mumbled, so I tried a couple more times in order to verify whether he was fully awake or just making natural fishy noises he usually makes at sleep...looking up at the time I realised I only haave 10 MINS TILL SEHFRI IS OVA!
I rushed to prepare my sehri meal which consisted of tortilla wrap with Spinach and honey in hot water (whilst at some points I heard the "ready steady cook" shows time up music theme in the back of my head :muddlehea (Astaghfirullah).

Recited the Qur'an after the fajr Adhan before making the prayer...didn't feel like I can sleep after the prayer so I stayed up reciting some more till I yawned (Astaghfirullah). For some reason I took a long hard look at the Mirror to see if there was any Noor on my face LOL...hmmm...all I saw was some big eye bags.....

My older Sister came by before Jum'aa the next day. We were discussing our Mothers GP and at some point she burst out laughing. Seeing the expression on my face she explained how the other day she somehow phoned up their usual fastfood takeaway instead of their GP and said , whilst still occasionally bursting with laughter about what she was Reminiscing, "Can I book an appointment with Doctor Badreha for me and my husband please?"

Iftar time and as usual someones a critic. We had Pizza on the menu which didn't please my little sister who had no choice in the matter due to being at work ;D nonetheless she helped prepare it and set the table. As usual she had her tortilla wrap with Tuna and kept expressing her strong deslike for the Chicken nuggets on the table saying for the time how its made out of the worst contents of the chicken. As I reached for the Nugget she asked me If I have lost any weight this Ramadan, before I could even finish saying "yes" she shot me down saying "No you haven't!"... LIES I SAY! LIES...though I appreciate her concern.

:X

 

[InToTheRain]

Isn't it amazing how we can do so much more during Ramadan...What was seemingly odious before such as reciting the Qur'an, praying Sunnat, Nafl prayers and other forms of Ibadat are know activities one looks forward. Alhamdulillah, this month is truly for our benefit and out benefit alone...Fabi Ayi Allah Irabikuma Tukazziban...
How before this month started I dreaded the changes I would have to make in my daily routine but now that more then half of it is over (I thought we still had a good 16 days to go for some reason...) I am depressed at how fast it's has passed...

Woke up for Tahajud and had ample time to prepare prepare sehri and get it down. Only my Mother's up and one of my bros whos been up all night posting on another Forum ^o) else Im sure he'd be sleeping like the rest. We discussed Athiesm but I will spare you from the details
Sat down watching "Dawn pearls", show which comes on just before Fajr Adhan. After the Adhan I recited some Qur'an because for some reason I don't trust the timing on some of these calenders as all of them are diffrent :-\ . Prayed fajr after 1/2 hour I then started reciting the Qur'an again...I felt especially inspired to read on today...Is this Qur'an going to defend me or be against me on the day of judgement? Am I going to of those that the Qur'an bears witness against because I have read it and not implemented the guidance from that particular verse or chapter into my life?...
I went on reciting till dawn.

My Sister came around with my niece and nephews as expected. Poor bro in law sis uffering from shoulder aches, it's been happening for the last 3 years and only happens during winter he says ^o)
Was invited for Iftar at my oldest Brothers place today, so my sisters wanted to go "Dhaka Biraney" to get some somosas and sundries. At some point we had to take some cash out but what was supposed to take 5 mins took 30 due to them stalls with Burqas and Jilbabs :uhwhat it didn't end there as the "just 5 minutes (15-30mins)" chorus started to occur and we hit Arabian nights,East and West and Tescos :uhwhat

 

[Woodrow]

Sept. 29, 2007 Austin, TX

Spent much of the day just reflecting over the past two weeks. Each day has been such a miracle. There is such a high awareness of the small daily events that occur unnoticed in other months. Small things that would normally go unnoticed and without thought suddenly become bright and miraculous. The small pleasures of life are truly great when we reflect on the source.

 

[Intisar]

Sept 29,

This was by far one of the easiest days of Ramadan for me, almost as easy as the first day of Ramadan. Time went by so fast, one minute it was noon, the next it was 2pm, then 4:30, then it was afuur. oh: Went it came to 6pm I decided to listen to some Quraan recitation tapes my Dad bought me a couple of days ago so that I can re-memorize the Quraan. I've forgotten so much subhanallah. I followed the Sheikh with my copy of the Quraan and it started reciting some of the ayaahs I remembered. I'm planning to attend Taraweeh during Leyal-tul Qadr and I can't wait. :statisfie

 

[snakelegs]

Sept. 29, 2007 Austin, TX

Spent much of the day just reflecting over the past two weeks. Each day has been such a miracle. There is such a high awareness of the small daily events that occur unnoticed in other months. Small things that would normally go unnoticed and without thought suddenly become bright and miraculous. The small pleasures of life are truly great when we reflect on the source.

beautiful.

 

[sevgi]

sunday 30th september 2007



last night i realised that i had wasted much of the last two weeks.i have been so cooped up with worldly things, that i have forgotten to sit back and remember who I really am.my uni work has taken over my 'me' time.

all humans needs 'me time'.what is me time?

we need to sit down and just think...what the hell are we doing? what the hell is this world we live in?why are we here? for Gods sake, why am i so important that i needed to be created. why was i made? why am i in sydney? why arent i in some other land? why is everything constructed around me the way it is...?

everything seems to be handcrafted for me, my personal needs and wants.even the problems i encounter seem to be perfectly crafted for me to retrieve the greatest message and meaning out of them.why? really...i ask why? why have i been given the capacity to ask why?

so do i just live? then die?
do i, a being above all beings, higher than animals, rocks, flowers, birds, bees, just live...then die?

if so, why dont i just live as tho im going to just die? why study? why make money? why family? why friends? why anything?

it seems to me that every situation we are put in, every moments means something,,,and there is more to living and dying.my study? it must mean more than books and classes...

if i dnt have me time...i cant remember these things. if i cant remember these things, i forget who and what i am. i become a robot. a slave to life as we see it. if this happens, i forget God.if i forget God, i forget Islam, if i forget islam...the cycle becomes inescapable....they lead eachother on....

differnet ppl are stuck on different steps of this cycle...some believe in God, bt dnt see islam as the valid way of life. some see islam, bt become slaves for live...

its amazing.its coz we are human.and crap ones at that...we use all our power, to self consume.even in ramadan...it is rather upsetting.

peace and blessings in this gracious month...may it bring serenity and 'me time' for all.

 

[^..sTr!vEr..^]

wooww u people are doing so much to avail this month!! ..mashAllah