The last ten days, a personal journey

The last ten days of Ramadhan are here, and all too soon our beloved month of fasting will be over for another year. For me Ramadhan normally passes in the same way, with LOTS of cooking and some Ibadah thrown in wherever I can fit it. This year has been no different, however this year for the first time I've been able to attend Taraweeh Salat at our masjid.

Taraweeh in the masjid was never really an option in the UK, but finally I'm living in a muslim country and our masjid is literally on our doorstep.

We set out at a little after 2am, it was so calm. There were small groups of people everywhere, either waiting outside or waling their way slowly to pray qiyyam.

We were early of course, in our excitement to pray Qiyyam we left with more than enough time to take our place in the front row of the womens Gallery. It was so beautiful watching our lovely masjid slowly filling up with quiet, sleepy muslims all wanting to pray, to give their thaks to Allah and to make dua.

I can't do justice with words how it feels to pray Qiyyam. To pray Qiyyam is a serene enough experience in itself, to pray in congregation and to share the emotion of standing and bowing and prostrating is so spiritually uplifting it moved almost all of the women around me to tears.

Ramadhan is nearly over, and many of us will be asking ourselves if we used our time wisely enough, if we made enough progress, if we were sincere enough in our worship.
Last Ramadhan our sheikh told us that "anyone of us who enters the month of ramadhan and leaves it with the same bad character traits we went in with had wasted their Ramadhan".
There is still time. The most Important days of this beautiful month are now with us and we need to grasp them tight and make the very best of the time we have left.

My month of fasting hasn't been perfect, I look back at the twenty days just gone and already wish I could have done some things differently.
 What I'm looking forward to now are using the last ten days as a catalyst for change, a way of renewing my relationship witrh Allah and the Quran. To nourish my eeman and increase my knowledge.

Last night was my first night of Qiyyam... in a few short hours I hope insha'allah I'll be fortunate enough to join those on their way to pray another night of Qiyyam for the sake of Allah ta'ala. I want to weep with my sisters for His sake. I want to find the peace and serenity that every person craves and which can only be achieved by the grace of Allah ta'ala.

Ya Rabb forgive us and bless us with goodness in the Dunya and Akhira, ameen