Saturday 16 May 2020

Ramadan 2020/1441: Ramadan Gratitude Journal Day 23

What change are you grateful for (now)?
I’m pleased that this challenge focuses my attention to a change happening now, I like that I can look back over Ramadan and think about what I might have changed or improved.

There is one thing that has been different this time. Most years I wake up for suhoor and head for the kitchen, my in-laws need their breakfast and the kids need multiple trips to wake them up. This time, my in-laws haven’t stayed with us due to the coronavirus situation and the kids all have phones, so I can just keep calling them from downstairs until they get up 😊

This has freed up time for me to wake up and pray the tahajjud (night) prayer. I have been stressing about the older kids as they become teens and worrying about their behaviour and schooling. The boys can get lazy and argumentative and my oldest daughter is rebelling against a lot of what we raised her with (an attempt at an Islamic lifestyle). Basically, normal teen things that I hope they grow out of, but worry about nonetheless (it’s in the mum job description).

I have always believed that the answer to all of our problems lies in tahajjud:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may give him? Who will ask Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?" (Al Bukhari and Muslim).

But I have struggled to get up consistently ever to pray it (I have been blessed with sleep like I’ve been KO’d, by the time I had my youngest, her cries wouldn’t wake me, so my husband gave up trying to get me up and started getting up every night himself).

This is the first time in a long time I have been able to get up every night for tahajjud. I am wary of sharing that, because I don’t want to lose my reward for showing off.

Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Whoever calls attention to himself, Allah will call attention to how he really is.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

However, I am sharing because it has been life-changing in some ways and I would encourage everyone to take benefit of this solution. I have asked every night for what I need, but especially for my children to be pious and strong on their faith, to be sincere, kind to one another and us and to serve this ummah and humanity insh’Allah. As the days go by, I have found them getting better in their behaviour, more helpful to me (if not to one another) and especially my oldest, somewhat less acerbic.

I pray that I can hold onto this prayer, that I can continue to hand my worries and concerns and wishes over to Allah (SWT).

What change are you grateful for (now)?

You can find the original Ramadan Gratitude journal challenge here and my take on it here.

“And some part of the night awake for prayer, a largess for thee. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee to a praised position.” ~ Quran – 17:79

Lo! Those who keep from evil will dwell amid gardens and watersprings, taking that which their Lord gives them. For, lo, they were doers of good. They used to sleep but little of the night and before the dawning of each day would seek forgiveness.” ~ Quran 15:15-18

Amr ibn 'Abasah said, I asked: O Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in which part of night the supplication is more likely to be accepted? He replied: In the last part: Pray as much as you like, for the prayer is attended by the angels and it is recorded till you offer the dawn prayer ..." (Sunan Abi Dawaud).

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