Wow! Is it actually that time again? Mash’Allah!  Please do make the time and effort for this auspicious night, as it may or may not come again.

It’s surely unbelieve how quickly Ramadan has almost come to an end this year once again. It feels like the month just began and we were all preparing ourselves for it. Rather now, we are preparing ourselves for Eid ul Fitr instead. Even though at the start of the month, it seems as if we have so many weeks ahead of us to fast and it will take quite a bit of time before we come to the end. I must honestly admit that I miss this beautiful month of blessings once it is all over and done with. And of course, how can I forget to mention all those sehri’s and iftar’s and looking forward to eating dates, fruit chaats, pakoras, dhai baras, paratha’s, etc., etc. on such a regular basis. Foods we hardly pay attention to during the rest of the year, yet they taste so good and we look forward to enjoying them during this blessed month 🙂 It’s kinda funny though, isn’t it?

So most of us are only a night or so away from that ever-powerful and blessed night. The greatest nights of all nights during this month of fasting before the ‘ actual ‘ end rolls around. I would just like to take a moment and convey the message to all, that it is one of the most precious nights of all nights, this night of Lailatul Qadr. Let’s all please pray together as much as we can and remember Allah SWT and his graciousness and mercy that he bestows upon us every day of our lives. Let’s all pray for forgiveness of our sins from the Al-Mighty and request that he accepts repentance for all our mistakes whether made intentionally or unintentionally. Let’s pray that ( as Muslims) we may try to unite and assist one another as much as we can in times of desperation and despair. I don’t feel that anyone should feel helpless and hesitant going to another fellow Muslim brother or sister ( in Islam ) in times of need or urgency. Let’s pray that may Allah SWT always gives us that rank and capability to help one another whenever possible instead of turning our backs and walking away. Whether it be financial, moral, spiritual, or emotional support, we should be there for one another, as that is what Islam and being Muslim is all about. It’s something we should learn from practice not only during this one-month time span but rather all year round.

I don’t think any practice is impossible or difficult if we are just willing to at least give it a chance and seek a reward from Allah SWT only for it at the end of the day. He is the Supreme being that will surely listen to our hearts and know what is on our minds.

Also please do pray for the well-being of Pakistan (as a whole) and our countrymen. Even if you do not directly have family, friends, or relatives living there, I am sure that there would be some sort of connection that your parents or grandparents would have with their roots being attached to Pakistan in one way or another.

Aside from that, I would request that you all remember those women in your special of special prayers that recently died during the dreadful mishap, whilst the distribution of flour (atta) was in progress. It was deeply saddening and disturbing to hear about and view on television the incident that happened with these women and some children of theirs, that was only struggling for the most needed commodity of commodities in order to keep their families fed and alive. After all, isn’t it extremely shameful and disgusting that something like this had to happen over such a commodity of flour? We are not even talking of an item of luxury here people. For the love of God, it was an item of necessity, and something as pathetic and tragic as this had to happen.

It really didn’t have to all happen the way it did and it is unfortunate. Just hearing about it all brought a few tears to my eyes only because of the thought of those children that these deceased women left behind that were needing to be fed. What will happen to them now and where will they go to receive that maternal love and care that they always had and lived for? Will there be a replacement for that unconditional love that they lost within minutes? Someone, please tell me, how fair was that to them and their families? Why did the poor and needy ( who have challenges and struggles in life of their own already) have to be punished for all of this nonsense? And of course, as I write about all this, I tend to get teary-eyed and emotional once again myself.

Last but not least, I would simply request from all of you ( not only during Ramadan) but rather all year round and in all seasons and times to come to try and lend a hand to one another. Even if that means sparing some of your precious time for someone that needs your advice or undivided attention. It doesn’t always have to be financial assistance, even providing moral support may mean a lot to someone. You would never know how they would be benefitting from all that you would be doing for them. Do keep in mind that we often ask others to remember us in their prayers and they expect the same from us, so then at any given time each of us is either praying for someone or someone is praying for us and our good health and happiness. That is how it should be. As the Holy Qur’an and our religion of Islam dictates brotherhood and generosity towards mankind, we should surely be on top of that first and foremost if indeed we are practicing Muslims.

May Allah (SWT) always allow us to be led on the path of goodness and justice. May he also allows us to live a life that safeguards our dignity and self-respect and keeps us away from all evils & sins…Insh’Allah. Beyond all that, Allah swt is well aware of what’s best for all of us.

Thank you all for your time and consideration.