Last Ten Days of Ramadaan

The last rep of a workout is always quite difficult, it’s a struggle as your body refuses to accept your mind. Your mind says carry on yet your body wants to give in. At that moment you pull on inner strength, you know the harder you workout the more rewarding it will be in the end and if you have a coach, they push you even further. At the end of the workout, you feel good, the pain you endured almost becomes a distant memory. 

This is how we are with Ramadaan. Initially we were excited, we prayed to find the blessed month and when we did, we clutched on to it like a long lost friend. We embraced Ramadaan with an open heart, fasted the whole day joyfully and spent the night in humble prayers. But as we draw near to the end of Ramadaan, somehow our enthusiasm has dampened, we started to slack in our goals and plans we designed many days before Ramadaan started. 

It is now time to renew our intentions, refresh our goals and plans, rekindle our spirit, rebuke our nafs and repent to Allah. Within these last ten days we are blessed with the Night of Qadr so let’s push forward and ensure we don’t lose out. Let’s try to end Ramadaan by being from amongst those who Allah forgives in this blessed month.  

Why People Shout When In Anger

A wise man from the Sahara who was visiting found a group of family members shouting in anger at each other in the village square. He turned to his disciples, smiled and asked, ‘Why do people shout at each other when they are angry?’

The followers thought for a while. Then one of them said, ‘Because we lose our peacefulness, we shout.’

‘But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.’ asked the saint.
Followers gave some other answers but none satisfied the other followers.

Finally, the saint explained,’When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either non-existent or very small…’

The saint continued, ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, they only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally, they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’

He looked at his followers and said:
‘So, when you argue do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return!!

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

My boss drove a luxury car everyday and it was my duty to greet him and to open the gates for him, as I worked as a watchman in his villa. But he never responded back to my greetings.

One day he saw me opening the garbage bags outside the villa in search for any leftover food. But, as usual he never even looked at me, it was like as if he never saw anything!

The very next day I saw a paper bag at the same place, but it was clean and the food inside was covered well. It was fresh and good food like someone had just brought it from the supermarket. I didn’t bother as to where it came from, I just took the paper bag and I was so happy about it.

Every day I found this paper bag at the same place with fresh vegetables and all that we needed for home. This became my daily routine. I was eating and sharing this food with my wife and kids. I was wondering who this fool could be?! To forget his paper bag full of fresh food everyday.

One day there was a big problem in the villa and I was told that my boss has died. There were too many guests coming to the villa that day and I didn’t get any food that day, so I thought that one of the guests must have taken it. But the same thing happened the 2nd day, the 3rd day and the 4th day.

The Cookie Thief

A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. . .grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”