DAY FOUR
So in the name of holding back from over-sharing ‘personal’ stories, I’m spinning today’s piece around a little bit.
Today is all about you.
We’re closing in on the forth day of Ramadan, and perhaps its time we paused all this panic about what we’re gonna cook for Iftar, how the kids will fast during final exams, how we’re already drained and why we can’t eat ‘konafa’ without gaining weight!
It’s time to direct our attention inwards
Tell me….
Are you feeling the peaceful essence of the Holy month yet?
Or are you still adjusting between what you wish to become and what you’re currently stuck at?
Do you feel like you’re involuntarily riding an emotional roller coaster, taking you up to the highest levels of spirituality and calmness and then whoooshhh down to the lowest levels of agitation, making you take your anger out on your loved ones at the slightest word?
Were you soothing everyone around you? Telling them how much you love Ramadan and how people are blinded to the immense blessings of it, only to find yourself losing your temper and defying your own theories when put in a tough situation?
It’s okay, don’t be offended. You can be honest with yourself. We all do it and we all hate to admit it.
Are you being the best you can be?
Or are you giving yourself excuses because what you’re feeling or going through?
Only you can answer this question, for this is perhaps the ONLY time of year when you need to take a closer look in the mirror. You can’t blame your faltering on the devils (Duh, they’re tied up, remember?) and you can’t blame it on the long fasting hours because hello, everyone else is fasting too.
Everyone has problems and everyone has pain and everyone is struggling in his or her own way.
It’s a hard pill to swallow; realizing how you behave in this month, is essentially the ‘best’ version of you. This is as good as it gets. And yet it’s far from what most of us aim for.
Deep down, on some level, we all know we could do better, right?
This is your task for Day Four.
Raise the bars and aim high. Try to rewire your brain and your heart to be in constant progress from this day one. And the best way to do that is to go back to basics, and relive the life of the ideal model we should all aspire to emulate, our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Listen to his hadith:
“Whoever revives my Sunnah then he has loved me. And whoever loved me shall be with me in Paradise” (Tirmidhi)
Here are some Sunnahs we REALLY need to bring back to this world:
Beginners Level: Choose at least one of the following acts with the intention of showing love to our prophets.
Advanced Level: Do as many as you can and try to cmmit to them for as long as you can
- SMILE (we know you’re cranky and fasting, but still, crack a smile every now and then for God’s sake)
- Try using the Siwak
- Eat only when hungry and never leave the dinner table full (yeah good luck with this one in Ramadan LOL)
- Try Cupping (Hijama) as a healing method
- Drink in three sips
- Drink while seated down
- Sleep on your right side
- Have dates for sohoor (dates as in fruits, I gotta be specific on this one, you know, just in case LOL)
- Always say ‘Salam’ when you enter your house, even if no one is there. The angels are, and they’d like to be acknowledged.
- Speak good or keep silent (don’t we all need this one)
- Use oil on your hair (I’m pretty sure its olive oil but let me get back to you on that)
- Brush you bed sheets three times before going to sleep
- Pray the Sunnah prayer
- Eat with your right hand
I’m sure there are many more, but now the main point is that we there’s so much we can do and yet we choose not to do it.
Promise yourself this Ramadan things will change inshAllah.
You’ll do what you can, as much as you can, whenever you can.
Good luck guys
All my love
Lilly S. Mohsen
Lilly S. Mohsen
Lilly S. Mohsen
Notes From The Heart 
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