Ramadan Reflections - Days One and Two

Posted under hadith, lecture, ramadan by rahma

 Alhamdulilah, after months of obsession, Ramadan is here!   Several bloggers out there have excellent Ramadan diaries.  Sis. Organic’s is one of my favorites.  I love her format, so I’m going to borrow (ehm, steal) from her a bit for my own ramadan reflections diary.

Feeling good health-wise, just a bit of a headache this morning when I woke up.  It really does help to do the sunnah fasts throughout the year, so when Ramadan comes, it’s not a big shock.  I did have a brush with an asthma attack yesterday though.   After work, I was walking to my bus stop when my bus pulled away.  I didn’t want to wait the 10 minutes for the next bus, so without thinking, I took off in a sprint after the bus.  Now, I’m a runner, but I’m a slow runner.  Sprinting in sandels and a skirt is not my idea of a good run.  Two blocks later, I finally caught the bus.   I staggered on board, wheezing, and collapsed into an empty seat.  I focused on my breathing, made dhikr, and alhamdulilah, didn’t need to use my inhaler.  However, I was very thirsty, blah.

Lessons

inshaAllah I’m planning on listening to at least one lecture each day.   Last night, while making iftar, I listened to In the Shade of Ramadan 1 - Taqwa, Good Deeds and Character.  Because it was so short (and making iftar took so long), I listened to it a few times, so that the message really stuck in my head.  The lecture reflects on this hadith by ibn Hanbal from Mu’adh ibn Jabel:

Have Taqwa wherever you are. Do good immediately after a sinful act to erase it, and always be well-mannered in your relationship with people.

Goals

Read one Juz of the Qur’an in Arabic and English.  Pray taraweeh at the masjid on Friday

Menu

I decided to go all out for the first iftar.  Unfortunately, I forgot that going all out requires time, so my ibadah time was severly curtailed.  However, the food was yummy, and now we have enough left overs for a few days.   I made Lesan al Asfor,  Bechamel, Tagin Firakh and Jello Cheesecake from a box.  Alhamdulilah, did well to remember this hadith of our Prophet (saws), which is good advice for all who are fasting.

It is enough to eat few morsels of food to keep one’s back straight.  If you must eat more, be sure that only one third of your stomach is filled with food, one third is left for water and the remaining one third for air.