As of about 8:30pm CST here in DFW, the blessed guest has arrived. All praise and thanks be to God!
Ramadan is such a blessing: the devils are chained, so we can’t blame any of our sins on them; the doors of forgiveness have been thrown wide open, and so there’s no excuse for us not to earn His mercy; for thirty full days, we don’t have to worry about eating or drinking during the day and can focus more on remembering Allah.
Alhamdulillah!
In keeping with my Ramadan tradition, InshaAllah I’ll post something every day durning this blessed month. This year, InshaAllah, instead of random photos or lengthy screeds, I plan to do something different.
I sometimes worry that I’m receiving all my reward in this life, and consequently all punishment is accruing interest for the next life. I am so blessed, really, yet so ungrateful most of the time.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
And Allah is full of bounty to the people, but most of the people do not show gratitude.
But I’m trying, and InshaAllah my efforts will be accepted. For several years, going back to 2010 or 2011, I’ve kept a journal of sorts that I call the RantBook. I wrote a short paragraph almost every day for several years, but slacked off a bit starting in 2014 or so. Recently, in an attempt to put the book to better use, I’ve converted it to a sort of Gratitude journal, rather than a RantBook. Each morning, or at some point during the day, I scribble down 3 things for which I’m grateful. It’s a good exercise, if sometimes difficult.
So. During Ramadan this year, InshaAllah, I’ll count my blessings, and share with you one of the things I’m grateful for every day.
للَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّيْ عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
Ya Allah, help me to remember You, and give thanks to You and worship You in the best possible manner, Ameen.
Be forewarned, some of the things I give thanks for in my RantBook are rather abstract/esoteric.
Just as I was finishing this post, the time for Maghrib came in, marking the beginning of Ramadan. As I stepped out the door to walk to salat, this site greeted me.
MashaAllah. Allahu Akbar.
