Ramadhan Is Here
Self Reflecting
Ramadhan is here. It’s the best month for a Muslim like me. During this blessed month, the gate of heaven is open and the gate of hell is closed. We believe that every good deed will be given multiple rewards. Isn’t it amazing?
For non-Muslim, you may ask, why we fast?
It is because fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. It’s obligatory to fast unless you are sick, breastfeeding, elderly, chronically ill, and menstruating. We also believe that by fasting, we feel what the underprivileged experience every day. It’s one way of instilling compassion towards them. I’m grateful that I have food to eat because some people don’t have that. That’s the beauty of this month. I reflect on everything.
Sometimes, we just don’t realize how blessed we are. You reading this now also means that you are blessed. You get internet access. There are so many people out there who can’t afford it.
At one time, we feel awful when we see other people. We feel terrible and miserable comparing our lives with others. We tend to do that a lot without us realizing it.
Why we are miserable? It is because we always compare ourselves with people that have more than us. Whenever you start feeling like that, compare yourself to people who have less than you. Doing that will make you feel grateful. There is someone out there wishing to live like you and there you are miserable and being ungrateful about your life.
We might not appreciate what we have until we lose it. There was one guy who always complained about his work. One day, the company he worked for had some issues and they had to lay off employees. Guess what, he was one of the employees who had been laid off. He lost his job and source of his income. Then, he realized that the job helped him pay off his bills all that time but it’s too late now, is it?
There are people out there who apply for jobs and still don’t get one while this guy had a job but always complained about it.
Always appreciate what you have. Life is full of unexpected things. We can lose everything in a blink of an eye.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey
Be grateful for everything that you have starting from your life. You are waking up today is a blessing. You are healthy is a blessing. You are walking is a blessing. You are working is a blessing. The list goes on and on. Every morning when you wake up, list 10 things that you are grateful for. That’s one of the things that I did every morning and it helped me a lot.
It’s the first day of Ramadhan in my country today. For Muslims around the world who reading this, may this Ramadhan be as meaningful as it should be to all of us.