My handphone rang when I was just about to lunch at Amirah Grill today. Together with colleagues we hosted a farewell lunch for a friend who will be leaving Singapore for her next foreign service posting at Colombia. I immediately answered the call, when I saw Muslim's (my son) name flashing on the phone - somewhat unusual for him to call me at this hour particularly because he is in Tekong commanding a platoon, for his NS.
I was relieved when he asked me whether I can get him the prayer and iftar (breaking of fast) schedule to organise meals for his Muslim recruits come Ramadan. The few seconds interval between our first hellos were filled with suspense. Given the recent death of NSmen during training, and the injury on his left eye during his OCS training in Thailand, I wasn't sure what to make up when the phone rang. Alhamdulillah, it was just about Ramadan schedule and nothing serious or shocking.
Interestingly, that call triggered a series of thought processes including my performance last Ramadan. Firstly, it is now apparent that we are just about less than 2 months away from it - and even if we pretend it is still a long time to come, the days will come and go in a flash and very soon before we know it, Ramadan will come knocking at our door. Secondly, I started thinking what I need to do to prepare myself adequately for Ramadan to gain its highest reward. And since Ramadan is a madrasah (school) to strengthen faith and intellect I begin to work out a plan to complete the reading of the Qur'an as well as other reflective readings for both spiritual and intellectual nourishments. Almost in a typical Kiasu Singaporean fashion, I listed all the things and tasks I intend to do, in preparation for, and during Ramadan. InsyaAllah.
My performance last Ramadan was far from satisfactory, and I could not really understand why and how it happened. Alhamdulillah, although I managed to fast the entire month and performed the night prayers during the last 10 days at the mosque to seek and hope for Laylatul Qadr, I did not finish the reading of Quran or put simply, I did not khatam Qur'an. And it was the first time in years that I failed to do it. For some years in the past, I even managed to khatam Quran twice in Ramadan. Even if this was not a good and accurate measure of the quality of my Ramadan, I felt last Ramadan came and went in a blink of an eye, without a significant impact on me. This time round I intend to savour every second of it and experience its magical effect, I promised myself.
Ramadan is very special for the blessings it bring.
It welcomes those who seek it but wait for no one.
Countdown Ramadan has begun.
May Allah give us life to meet and live through this blessed month.
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I was just thinking of Ramadhan too...and I ended up du'a-ing that Allah allows me to meet this next Ramadhan before He calls me home.*sobs*
Not being able to khatam the Quran made me feeling incomplete the last Ramadhan. I set an ambitious target to read the Quran as well as the translation in the early stage of Ramadhan. Though slow, it value-added my reading but then again the pursuit of khatamul Quran in Ramadhan, an only-once-a-year opportunity, shifted my focus to read the Quranic text in the remaining days of Ramadhan. For the coming Ramadhan, I still hope that I can achieve both khatamul Quran and its meaning.
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