Qur'anic Reflections

R'17 Day 1 : Be conscious

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu! 

Hope Roza no.1 has been awesome for you all!

Here goes Day 1 of our Amal Journal :) 

I first thought of this journal as a collection of few qualities I'd want to imbibe or build stronger about myself. This journal for me is a 15 day guide to being a better Muslim and a better human being. 

So this is not just limited to Ramadan or 15 days of any month. It is, and I hope I continue to make it a reminder every 15 days. (in sha'Allah)

I came up with this idea  because not too long ago, I did something stupid. I said something to someone that I shouldn't have said and at that moment I identified this huge flaw in myself. 

I am very impulsive. 

I do not think of the implications of my words or my actions before I speak or do something and I land myself in embarrassing situations. 

Alhumdulillah, nothing major has happened as of yet, but I want to get a hold on it before I screw up real bad. 

So with that (unnecessary) piece of info, comes the thought for day 1. 

Stay conscious. 

I realise that the less I become aware of my surroundings and my own heart and deen, the more I make mistakes. 

And staying conscious of what you do is a very important part of Taqwa. 

And guess what is the real goal of fasting? 

Let's hear it in Allah's words Himself : 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

(Sahih International)

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -

(Or in other words, so that you attain Taqwa)

-Sura Al-Baqarah, Ayah 183

Coincidence much? 

That the first thing I wanted to write about, on the first day of Ramadan also happens to be the essence of Ramadan and fasting? 

Brb going to sit in a corner and cry 💞

This led me to another realisation that when I stop being impulsive and take a moment before I speak and before I do something, I automatically start to think of what Allah would want me to do and thus I'm more likely to do the right thing and take the right decision. 

You get me? 

And that's what Ramadan trains us to do. 

It trains us to become more conscious, both physically and spiritually. 

Let's break that. 

Physically : 

It makes us conscious of the pain and hunger that the less fortunate go through. 

Spiritually: 

While you're fasting, you're extra conscious of what is going on in your mind. 

You get more conscious of what you speak and think and feel and that's the reason why you save yourself from sinning in Ramadan. 

I took it up as a day's exercise but this is something we all need to make sure we revisit everyday. 

Taking a minute to process our actions will help us take the right path that would please Allah.

Staying conscious also makes you alert, it helps you catch yourself the moment you make a mistake and helps you turn back to Allah. 

That reminds me of this verse that I read recently : 

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ

فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

(Sahih International)
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins -  and who can forgive sins except Allah ? -  and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.

-Sura Aal-E-Imran, Ayah 135

Allah promises Jannah for those who hold themselves up even after they trip and that can only happen when we stay conscious of what we do. 

When we constantly examine ourselves before and after we do something, it increases our Taqwa and makes us better Muslims. 

So today's exercise is that before you do something, hold yourself for a moment and think if this is what Allah would want you to do and when the day's done, sit for a while and think of all the times you've messed up and ask for His forgiveness. In sha'Allah then we won't make the same mistakes again.  

I genuinely hope that I can carry this out and hope that you too find some benefit through this. 

It's not an easy task for an idiot like me, but what's life without a little challenge? :)

Here's to being more mindful of Allah's commands. 

Here's to becoming a better person. 

In sha'Allah!