RAMADHAN KAREEM!!!!!

Ramadhan is finally here - YAY!

I love Ramadhan. Absolutely LOVE it. I love everything about it: the cooking, the late nights, the stressed out people, the long night prayers, the hunger at lunch time, the thirst in the afternoon and above all the joy, the pure elation of that first sip of milk at sunset.

I love Ramadhan.

I love the atmosphere of being part of a nation across the globe united, all doing the same thing. Knowing that people from Kabul to California, from Stockholm to Sydney are all fasting from sun-up to sun-down, and trying to take advantage of the blessings of this month. Knowing that when I break my fast and feel that sense of accomplishment (a day without food and drink to please my Lord) others feel and know it too.

Being a part of a 14 hundred year tradition, taught by the prophet Muhammed (may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) makes me feel that - for once - I really am following in his footsteps. That I can be a good Muslimah. That I can do it!

So, yeah, I love Ramadhan.

And I would have written a Ramadhan post earlier except that: our internet connection is dodgy at best, I've been busy trying to adapt to the new Ramadhan routine and I didn't know what to write. You see, it's my ambition this month to try to keep up a Ramadhan reminder for myself, by blogging every day something to strengthen my faith.

I really want this Ramadhan to be my most successful so far. This is a month of worship where good deeds are worth more, and I want to make sure that I take full advantage of that. So having watched a very interesting program by Dr. Tariq Suidan (a Saudi Daee') last night about being defining your ambitions in life (and especially for the next life) and really going for it, I am going to list my Ramadhan goals:

- Read the entire Qur'an (it's on the list every year).

- Revise all the Qur'an that I have memorised

- Purify my intentions and make sure that when I'm cooking and cleaning I'm doing it to please God, therefore transforming it into a way of worship.

- Pray Tarawih myself at home (I normally go to the mosque, but the Imams aren't great so it works out as a bit of a waste of time - Inshallah I'll concentrate better praying myself).

- Fast without feasting. This is a big one. Every Ramadhan I put on weight. Why? Because when I break my fast I figure I've eaten nothing all day, therefore I can eat whatever I want and plenty of it. Alhamdulillah, last year wasn't bad, but Inshallah this year will be better.

I was also hoping that I would be able to workout this Ramadhan. That's really not happening. Uh-uh. There's no time. I have to read my Qur'an!

Ok, so I know that this isn't much of a reminder, but, it is in a way because it's to remind me of my goals this month. Inshallah, I'll get 29 or 30 posts in (I'll do multiple posts in a day when necessary) by the time the month is out. I'm a bit behind on my Qur'an, but Inshallah I'll catch up today.

Ramadhan Kareem!