#Ramadan Reflections

[revealingcontentment]

[hilyahkamilah]

Dan taatlah kepada Allah dan Rasul (Muhammad), agar kamu diberi rahmat. Dan bersegeralah kamu mencari ampunan dari Tuhanmu dan mendapatkan surga yang luasnya seluas langit dan bumi yang disediakan bagi orang-orang yang bertakwa; (Yaitu) orang yang berinfak, baik di waktu lapang maupun sempit, dan orang-orang yang menahan amarahnya dan memaafkan (kesalahan) orang lain. Dan Allah mencintai orang yang berbuat kebaikan.

[Qs. Ali Imran: 132-134]

Dari Uqbah bin Amir Al-Jahmy ra. Meriwayatkan bahwa Rasulullah SAW. bersabda kepadanya, "Wahai Uqbah maukah kamu aku tunjukkan akhlak yang paling baik, bagi penghuni dunia dan akhirat? (Yaitu) engkau menyambung (persaudaraan) orang yang memutus persaudaraanmu, memberi hadiah kepada orang yang tidak pernah memberimu hadiah dan memaafkan orang yang menzalimimu."

[HR. Al-Hakim]

Beberapa poin yang bisa kita tadabburi dari dua pedoman hidup manusia (Qur'an dan Hadits) di atas, ada beberapa akhlak baik bagi orang-orang bertakwa yang bisa kita lakukan:

• Berinfaq

• Menahan amarah/ emosi

• Memaafkan

• Silaturahmi

• Memberikan hadiah

Baarakallah fiikum

1 Ramadan 1444 H

[suhyla]

The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah the Almighty said: “I am as My servant expects Me to be. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”

What this means is the way we choose to see Allah is the way we will find Him. The more we invest in our relationship with Allah, the more we find. Our relationship with Allah allows us to feel loved, seen, protected, supported, and healed. But only if we see our relationship with Him in that way. Like any relationship, it grows with regular conversation. With trust. With vulnerability. With effort. With consistency. And the best thing is Allah already knows us better than we know ourselves. So why don’t we approach Him while truly internalizing that? That He already knows what we hope for, the gentleness we need, and how we feel. Doesn’t that make it easier to be vulnerable with Him?

Our relationship with Allah is one of those things we have to experience for ourselves to appreciate. You can tell others to make duaa for you. But don’t you want to experience what it’s like to make a secret duaa and have Allah respond to you? To be sad about something and have Allah Himself cheer you up in a way that only someone who knows you deeply can? To secretly wish for something and have someone with the power to help you reach it and whose nearness to you means He is with you at every step of the process? All these moments fill us with love for Him.

If you don’t know how to approach Allah with love, ask Him to show you how. Put in effort every day and show up even when it’s hard to. It will be your most rewarding relationship. It will heal you in ways you didn’t know were possible. It will fill you with love and light, and make everything easier. It will make you more compassionate. One who has someone they can fully depend on, trust, and be vulnerable with feels able to take on anything that comes their way. Let that someone be Allah 🩵

[islamicsuggestions]

Just for a few moments, be with yourself and tell yourself it doesn't matter who sees you, Allah sees you. He will validate you and reward you for your efforts. Keep going. Don't let this Ramadan slip by. Allah is aware of your efforts. Khalas, he knows. He will bless you. It does not matter what the world sees, knows or if they are appreciative. What matters is how you feel you are doing in front of Allah. For just a moment, be with yourself and tell yourself only Allah's approval matters.

[penaimaji]

Yang Terlupa dari Ramadan

Seringkali menjelang bulan Ramadan, yang kita pikirkan selain kewajiban membayar zakat, diantaranya; mudik kemana, budget oleh-oleh lebaran, budget THR orang tua, mertua, ponakan, sepupu, bocil-bocil tetangga, hampers untuk kolega juga teman, belanja kue lebaran, baju lebaran, dkk.

Kita hampir melupakan budget lebih untuk makanan, laundry, jasa beberes rumah atau kebutuhan kita lainnya di bulan Ramadan. Bulan yang penuh berkah, dimana dilipatgandakan setiap amal ibadah manusia; yang kita temui hanya setahun sekali (semoga Allah izinkan untuk bertemu Ramadan kembali, dan beri keberkahan pada umur kita).

Mengapa tidak kita siapkan dana khusus? Selama sebelas bulan kita anggarkan pos untuk Ramadan, supaya kita tidak perlu repot-repot memasak, menyuci, beberes rumah. Sehingga, kita bisa memaksimalkan waktu untuk beribadah.

Mungkin kondisi setiap individu berbeda-beda, tidak bisa kita samaratakan. Apabila kita merasa masih bisa diusahakan—setidaknya di sepuluh malam terakhir, kenapa tidak? Bukankah tujuan hidup ialah beribadah? Kenapa kita tidak tergerak untuk berlomba-lomba dalam melakukan amal shalih?

Semoga Allah jadikan hati dan fisik kita ini, kuat dalam berjuang pada momen Ramadan. Semoga Allah pertemukan kita dengan Ramadan yang akan datang, dengan tekad terus memperbaiki diri dan amal :'))) biidznillah.

تقبل الله منا ومنكم. صيامنا وصيامكم

كل عام و أنتم بخير. و عساكم من العيدين والفائزين

Jakarta, 10 April 2024 | Pena Imaji

[songofwizardry]

belated Ramadan Mubarak!

I try to do a bit of reading every Ramadan, so, for accountability, and so that when I inevitably don’t get through them I can find my list next year—here's my (extremely very ambitious) reading list for this year!

(suggestions are very welcome, with the warning that I very much may not get through them. this year, I’m trying to learn more about Islam and liberation theology and I’m trying to read more abolitionist texts, and of course my standard queer Muslim books, I’m trying to read more poetry by Muslim poets I don’t know well, and every Ramadan I try and only read fiction by Muslim authors, so there’s some sff on here too!)

non-fic:

memoirs:

We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib (reread)

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

The Colour of God by Ayesha S Chaudhry

Love is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar

A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi

other nonfic:

Islam and Anarchism by Mohamed Abdou

We Do This Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba (reread-ish? I never fully finished it)

Let This Radicalise You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba

Qur'an and Woman by Amina Wadud (which I also never finished)

The Women's Khutbah Book by Fatima Seedat and Sa'diyya Shaikh

Qur’an of the Oppressed: Liberation Theology and Gender Justice in Islam by Shadaab Rahemtulla

With Stones in Our Hands: Writings on Muslims, Racism, and Empire by Sohail Daulatzai and Junaid Rana

fiction:

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Mirage by Somaiya Daud (yes I still have not read this)

The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faisal

poetry:

Halal If You Hear Me (anthology)

If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar (reread)

Hagar Poems by Mohja Kahf

Bad Diaspora Poems by Momtaza Mehri

The Fortieth Day by Kazim Ali

Black Seeds by Tariq Touré

Postcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

[liyanshand]

Persepsi Ramadan

Ramadhan waktu SD rasanya seru, karena sekolah jadi pulang awal. Tidak sabar pakai baju baru waktu lebaran dan libur panjang.

Ramadhan waktu SMP lebih seru, karena tiap berbuka ibu sering bikin es. Tidak sabar tiap lebaran bertemu dengan saudara sepantaran dan dapat THR.

Ramadhan waktu SMA menyenangkan, karena punya teman ngabuburit. Tidak sabar tiap lebaran makan makan besar dan makan berbagai macam kukis.

Ramadhan waktu kuliah terasa hambar, jauh dari rumah dan punya agendanya masing2. Terasa mulai membosankan dan berat.

Ramadhan waktu awal bekerja, tidak jauh beda, hampir tidak ada excitement,skeptis. Hanya berharap untuk cepat libur saja.

Ramadhan saat ini. Menyadari bahwa kemarin ramadhan terasa membosankan, karena aku berjangkar dari apa yang bisa kulihat, kudengar, kukecap, kuraba, kuhirup. Ketika ada unsur yang hilang, Ramadhan terasa tidak ada artinya. 'Sama saja seperti bulan lainnya, hanya lapar dan haus saja'. Tapi, ternyata bukan hanya tentang menahan lapar dan haus. Aku bukan sedang menghadapi tubuhku yang lapar, haus dan lemas. Tapi menghadapi pikiranku. Saat ini lebih sulit menahan emosi ketimbang menahan lapar. Lebih sulit menahan apa yang ada dalam pikiranku, tentang oranglain, tentang pekerjaanku, tentang diriku. Berlipat lipat menjadi lebih sulit karena disaat yang bersamaan aku pun menahan haus, lapar dan lemas. Puasa bukan hanya memberi jarak antar makan dan minum, tetapi memberi jarak antara pikiran ku dengan diriku. Mengijinkan diriku untuk menonton pikiranku sendiri.

Kalau idulfitri artinya memang 'kembali berbuka' dan 'kembali fitri', bagiku esensinya bukan kembali ke 0. Tapi bagaimana diriku akhirnya kembali terbuka pada fitrah manusia yang dapat menyeimbangkan antara pikiran, tubuh dan jiwa.

Aku pikir selama ini aku sudah cukup paham dengan diriku sendiri. Seberapa batas tubuh menahan haus dan lapar. Tapi ternyata bukan hanya itu, tapi, seberapa jauh aku bisa mengendalikan diriku sendiri, seberapa jauh aku punya kontrol penuh atas pikiranku sendiri.

Setidaknya, ini bagiku, mungkin orang lain punya pengalaman dan persepsi yang berbeda.

[ynx1]

✨ SubhanAllah how life is constantly changing. Day by day things are changing but you don’t notice it until you look back weeks/months/years later and you realize nothing is the same. Priorities changed. Relationships with people changed. Responsibilities changed. You changed✨

[lightup0nlight]

There is a huge difference between someone who can forgive, and someone who loves to forgive. We probably know a few individuals who can easily forgive others, but is there anyone we know who simply loves forgiving others?

And the ones who easily forgive — if people make mistakes ten times, twenty times, thirty times — are they still going to keep on forgiving? If people steal from you repeatedly, disrespect you repeatedly, betray you repeatedly — as normal human beings who are not prophets, it’s literally impossible to keep on forgiving those who keep wronging us.

But our Rabb, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, loves to forgive. LOVES!

🌺 ❛Allahumma innaka ‘Afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘Afwa, fa’fu ‘anni.❜ 🌿 Allahumma, You are Most Forgiving, You LOVE to forgive, so forgive me.

And to Allah belongs the best example. So know that no matter how much we’ve erred, no matter how many sins we did, we have Al-’Afuww Who is ready and loves to completely forgive, erase and wipe our record clean, as long as we return to Him in sincere repentance. On the night in which our supplications are most accepted, where we can ask absolutely anything from Allah, He wants us to prioritise in seeking His Forgiveness — of which He loves to grant.

Have you been supplicating the Laylatul-Qadr du’a every night? This is a reminder to keep on supplicating the du’a as much as we can, in shaa Allah. Keep this beautiful supplication close to our hearts and lips, and have husnu-dhan billah (think well of Allah) that He will grant us His ‘afuww.

Earning Allah’s Forgiveness will earn us His Rida. And earning Allah’s Rida is our ultimate success.

Your sister in Deen, Aida Msr ©

[j4jml]

"Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life." ― Rumi

The Gratitude 12/03/2024 © All Rights Reserved by Jamil Hussain

[revealingcontentment]

“You don’t need to force yourself into happiness. Instead resort to Submission.”

-Sh. Omar Suleiman, Why Me? Ramadan 2024

[ferritin4]

I would give @neil-gaiman fifty thousand dollars to make the one-off bonus episode for season two ("season two") be 'Ramadan' in the full style of P Craig Russell... though I am well aware that it would cost a lot more than fifty grand to put that together.

How boss would Tom Sturridge look, though. Cooler than he ever has.

[suhyla]

At the height of his calamity, after losing two more sons upon the already painful loss of Yusuf, Yaqoub makes a conscious decision to exercise patience. Not just any patience, but beautiful patience. A patience that made him expect only the best from Allah. A patience that made him say, perhaps such a painful calamity is happening so that Allah can reunite me with all my sons. Perhaps behind this tragedy is what I have longed for all these years. Perhaps this is the beginning of my relief. Allah is the Most Knowing, the Wise. This cannot be happening without a purpose.

It does not befit a servant of Allah to know the vastness of His mercy and assume that anything other than tremendous good awaits in the most seemingly tragic moments. Allah does everything for a reason. But we need to practice beautiful patience. We need to assume only the best of Allah because whoever knows Allah knows that He is the Most Merciful. So surely, every pain will be followed with great relief. Every sadness only exists because an even greater happiness will come out of it. Everything we go through is to prepare us for the good that will inevitably come. It is part of the process. When you know Allah, you hear patience knowing that what is to come out of your calamity is greater than anything you could dream of.

Yaqoub was so sure of Allah’s mercy that he not only expected only good from Allah, but he told his sons to go look for Yusuf, whom he lost decades ago. The sons were focused on the brothers they just lost. Imagine their incredulity when Yaqoub tells them to look for Yusuf and his brothers. Not just the brothers in Egypt. They did not take him seriously.

But what followed Yaqoub’s great expectations of Allah and his certainty in Allah’s mercy? Allah soon gave him glad tidings of Yusuf not only being alive and a Prophet, but becoming the Aziz of Egypt. His son, who was overpowered by his brothers, has been given power over a kingdom by Allah. His son whom he lost in the most heart-wrenching way was under Allah’s care and achieved even more than he would have had he remained in his father’s arms. Every little detail was accounted for. Every harm was followed by an even greater reward. Every pain was followed by an even greater happiness. The generosity of Allah was manifest. Allah gave Yaqoub more than he expected of Him.

instagram

[noblemarriage]

Whoever does not give up false statements, and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink.

[erdameikeyana-blog]

4 Steps to Elevate Your Ramadan:

1. Revive your heart (focus to intention)

2. Clean your heart (forgiving and seek forgiveness)

3. Illuminate your heart (with quran, connect yourself to Allah)

4. Shield your heart (with taqwa)

-Ustadzah Dunia Shuaib, 24-02-2024-

[membranedecors]

✨ Let the spirit of this sacred month fill your heart with peace, your soul with joy and your life with blessings. 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐬! 🕌