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A Good Day

Dear Beloved, I hope that you are feeling like the hero of your story. Today I would like to share an extraordinary blessing with you: a good day. One of the beautiful things about Ramadan is the amount of free time that you get. Today, by the will and mercy of Allah, I was able to make good use of that time. It is nearly the end of the day but Alhamdulillah, I feel like I could easily go on for a few more hours. I know that is a bad idea and a sure way to wreck myself.  But there is something that I can do. I can pass on the fire that is burning inside my heart to you. My love, my dearest friend, let your anxious heart breathe. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. You won't drown if you stay close to your creator. Allah has a plan for you but you need to take a step in his direction. He is close to you. Very close. Just say Labbayk Ya Allah - I'm here, O Allah!  You are hurt, I know. You are broken, I know. Allah can hear you. Tell him that you are hurt and he will l...
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Rainfall on a Broken Land

Dear Beloved, Assalaam o alaikum. The first day of Ramadan is coming to a close. A question that has occupied me through much of the day is if I am worthy of forgiveness. I hold on to that question gently as I write to you. I look at the long list of my transgressions with incredulity: what was I even thinking? I resist the urge to give into self-pity. There is hope. Today is the first of Ramadan and I am not dead. Not yet. And neither are you. The book of our deeds is still open. Everything that we have destroyed can be rebuilt. The pen awaits our next move. I resist the urge to give into unsustainable optimism.  I let the fear and optimism burn into each other. I pray for ease, I pray for stability, I pray for forgiveness. For all of us. I look back at the year that was with dread and hope. It opened wounds that were festering for far too long and needed to be opened. Now that Ramadan is here, it is time to gently work through them, our heads bowed in front of Allah, the source o...
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One week to go...

Dear Beloved, "Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good, or keep silent.."  This blog is a creative exercise to speak good in a world that sometimes seems overwhelmingly evil. The way we see the world is a reflection of what is going on inside our hearts. A heart that is tormented looks for peace in the torment of this world. It is drawn towards pain and ugliness.  Ramadan is a few days away. I hope to benefit from it. I hope to come out on the other side a better person than I am today. There are knots to untangle, impulses to resist, and forgiveness to be sought. I'd like this blog to be a source of khair to myself as well as to you. Love and Hope, Monib   
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