Selamat Datang Kekasih...

...was the title of the sarahan after the first terawih at Al-Khair. I forgot that terawih on Saturdays are truncated from 20 (raka'at terawih) + 3 (raka'at witir) to 8 + 3 to make way for the sarahan. But I stayed on anyway to listen to the sarahan.

First terawih of Ramadhan is always quite an experience for me. The atmoshphere, the feeling of brotherhood, being amongst a lot fellow muslims, the start of a special month...I remembered during 1st Ramadhan 1425 I cried during terawih...There was this guy to my left who obviously had very very great difficulty even standing up - he had some motor neurone disease I think - and he took great effort in following the imam every step of the way even though he was slow. He was struggling and trying to balance himself. But he did it, the whole 23 raka'at...I lost it and couldn't control myself. Here's a guy who was not as healthy as the majority of us and he made it a point to come for terawih...and I remembered that I always looked out for him all the way thru Ramadhan.

Anyway, certain surahs affect the imams in certain ways and majority of them lost it one time or another especially towards the end of Ramadhan. Some will try to control by pausing and getting hold of themselves while some will carry on in between sobs...the latter can affect the congregation quite a bit as some of us will also do the same...

My takeaway from the sarahan is to always set targets for oneself. In Ramadhan and everything else in life...To know whether our Ramadhan has been mabrur, we just got to look at its impact on our lives after it leaves us...It is our duty and responsibility to 'tegur' our fellow muslims if they are doing something which is 'mungkar'...No more the "kubur dia, dia jawab, kubur aku, aku jawab..." attitude. When we tegur someone, come from the angle of giving him/her the benefit of the doubt. No accusations, no pointing-fingers, "Kenapa kau tak puasa? Aku puasa tau!". Embarrassing people will only make them rebellious. Rebellious folks are not receptive to any inputs! If we are 'shy', start with our kids first, then our cousins, nieces, nephews...then strangers...Do not allow non-muslims to think, "Poor thing, he is suffering, he is like that because he is fasting...'. Do not use fasting as an excuse for poor performance...

This Ramadhan, I will aim to do the following (Insya Allah):-

1. Solat Terawih 20+3 EVERYNIGHT! No more discounts i.e. 8+3. I will solat at mosques as far as humanly possible.
2. At home, I will solat jema'ah with my BH more often, if not all the time.
3. I will not procrastinate my solat.
4. I will be more patient with people around me.
5. I will read the Quran and religious texts more.
6. I will remain focus on tasks at hand and not be distracted.
7. I will continue exercising 3 times a week as normal.
8. I will carry on my golfing as normal. (To prove this, I will be playing at Palm Villa on Tuesday...Insya Allah!)
9. I will not waste food during berbuka.
10. I will only buy food that is healthy and non-fried.
11. I will eat in moderation during berbuka.
12. My eyes shall not glaze when it sees all the food at Bazaar Ramadhan. I shall not be tempted to buy every single good-tasting food!
13. During sahur, I will eat more carbohydrates to give me the energy to go about my daily activities and go thru the 6-pill regime as recommended by my BH!
14. I will not be hanging curtains, cleaning up the house on the LAST day of Ramadhan. My target is to get EVERYTHING ready when 1st Syawal strikes after Maghrib. No more of that staying up way past midnight to get the house ready thing. On this note, we shall be coming up with a timeline of things to do, things to buy, places to go in the lead up to 1st Syawal.

I guess it is really a reflection of one's maturity and understanding when one looks forward to Ramadhan much more than one looks forward to Syawal. One should be sad at the departure of Ramadhan because one doesn't know if one should meet it again next year...

I came away from the syarahan greatly inspired, greatly invigorated...that Ramadhan is here...it is a chance for me to excel in all areas of my life and to overcome my worldly and humanly desires...

Selamat Datang Kekasih...