After 30 days of fasting, today Muslims all over the world will be celebrating Eid ul Fitr.
Ramadhan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and is a time for Muslims to purify body and mind. With Islam constantly being referenced in the media at the moment, it’s been all the more important for us Muslims to show the right side of our religion.
This year a rare glimpse into the Holy Mosque was broadcast all over the world by people in Makkah over snapchat, sending the hashtag mecca_live soaring up the popularity list, it was still trending at the top of most lists for days after! It was the most beautiful use of social media I have ever seen and gave everyone a chance to experience why we do what we do.
Here in the UK each fast has been around 18 hours of no food or water and it’s not been easy. However for the first time in years I’ve not struggled with bouts of illness and fatigue. I’ve enjoyed waking up with a smile every morning, praying and feeling blessed that I am taking part in such a wonderful experience for my faith.
For the first time in years I feel I am coming out of this month a changed person. Although I regret not having been able to spend more time praying, I’ve had time to think about the direction I am taking and to really think about the person I want to be. I know, I know… I do this a lot but I believe it can only be a good thing to stop and take stock of things happening in your life every so often.
On that note I’ve set myself some new goals:
Spend more time being charitable
For the last few months I’ve been umm-ing and ahh-ing about how I am going to make time to contribute more to charitable causes. I’ve decided to set myself a target amount of money to raise for a cause that I am passionate about and make it my primary mission to hit target. So watch this space…
Get active
Many months ago I took part in the #Earlybirdchallenge and tried to motivate myself to make better use of my time and doing more exercise. Needless to say that didn’t happen how I’d hoped it would. My sister was so disappointed in my efforts she continuously threatened to write a number of comment complaints on my blog. Ramadhan has made me appreciate how important it is to eat right and have control. If I’m going to carry on enjoying eating out all over the world, I need to make sure I have a good balance to keep healthy.
Keep blogging !
Whenever people talk about making blogs a success there’s always one thing that resonates ‘choose a niche.’ It’s been troubling me for months that I just don’t seem to have one, but I now accept that you know what, that’s ok. I started the blog purely as a way to share my experiences and to be a place for me to look back on. Taking after my mother, I have always been a Jack of all trades… so I suppose as its an extension of me, my blog will be too.
Lastly, the most important one…
Smile and Give thanks.
For everything.
Everyday.
“I never came across a person who smiled as much as Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad regarded smiling to a brother as an act of charity.”
(At-Tirmidhi, 3641)
To my friends, family and anyone else celebrating today,
I wish you all a happy and blessed Eid.
Oh and lets all try not to go too OTT on the celebratory feasting… over indulging never ends well.
