Post-Ramadan

Eid Mubarak everyone!

Now that Ramadan is over, it's a good time to reflect on what we have done and how to navigate the times ahead.

Ramadan typically provides the stage for our finest moments as Muslims. Sadly, this wasn't the case for me this year as I was too distracted by the Olympics.

I read an article recently about how the coverage of the Olympics was designed to be addictive. It can even make you engross with seemingly "boring" sports like archery and road race (cycling).

"[The crew] prepared hours before the event. They checked out the stadium for the best camera spots... to capture that iconic shot that would convey peak action, tears and cheers, power and intensity."

As a consequence, we viewers were riveted to the screens; watching shots of the beautiful venues, close-ups of the athletes' facial expressions, replays of crucial points and the commentators' sound knowledge of the games.

So yeah, I was sucked right into the hype, kind of like the blokes in the video below. Haha.



Only when the London Games finally ended did I realise how much time I'd wasted - time that could have been better spent in light of Ramadan. Like all other amusements, all that euphoria proved to be fleeting and I was left only with regrets.

So, on the second day of Eid, feeling spiritually starved (but physically full from all the rendangs), I perused Quran Weekly's page and came across this video:



I highly recommend it to everyone. The lecture focuses on verse 186 of Surah Al-Baqarah:

"[Prophet], if My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to me, and believe in me, so that they may be guided."

The above translation in itself is beautiful but the lecture gives you a better understanding of the verse, by explaining its connotations that are lost on us, non-Arabic speakers.

Now when I read the verse, I am reminded that Allah knows my troubles specifically and will respond to my invocations. I just need to keep the faith.

Do watch and share the video!