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I miss you everyday. I miss the smell of the morning dew that fills your streets as we walk down your dark alleys to be welcomed by the Adhan that pierces the silence of dawn. I miss the sound my steps make as I walk down your pebble-stoned pathways. I miss the smiles of your people. I miss the smell of your traditional dishes that fill the air. I miss bayyan, yousef, 7mood & 7amed.

I miss running my fingers through every grain of your precious sand. I miss the fragrance in your mosques. I miss your cold morning winds. I miss the staying the stillness of the moments in your mosques.

I yearn to see you again every single day.

I miss you, Palestine.

A'qilah Saiere

Ramadhan Reflection

First and foremost, here's wishing all of you a blessed and fruitful Ramadhan Al Mubarak!

It’s only been a week into Ramadhan and some of us are already getting ready for 3eid. It’s not too bad a thing to be honest, at the very least we’re getting ready and excited for an Islamic holiday. Let’s just remember to not let it get in the way of our eebadah inshaAllah. This is a reminder for myself first, before anyone else.

In any case, it’s only been 7 days and my fingers are already itching to write up a post on Ramadhan. I’ve been spending the entire first week of Ramadhan with my days slogging for my last week of college and my nights merely for some proper quality family time and tarraweeh.We all have different reasons as to why we favour Ramadhan over all the other Islamic months. I personally particularly love Ramadhan because it’s possibly the only month alongside eid that I get to sit with the entire family to have meals together.

Other times of the year, we’re more often than always seemingly busy with our hectic lives that we barely spare time for one another. I’m guilty as charged. & wallah nothing feels as good as to share a meal and engage in quality interaction with the people you love.

On the first Ramadhan night, we spoke about the world over Iftar and I told my parents about the articles I read about the starvation crisis in Somalia and the rest of East Africa. It came across as merely a dinner topic until after Iftar when I resigned to my room to wait for my father to get ready for Maghrib that I found myself bawling my eyes out. I couldn’t help but feel horribly awful to know that I’ve just completed an entire roll of doner kebab with an ice cold glass of punch while my brothers and sisters are starving day in and out on the other side of the world.

:(

I’m setting aside at least a dua3 a day after Iftar and Tarraweeh or after every other prayer for the Ummah and the rest of humanity. May the light of Ramadhan illuminate the world and let its beauty shine in the hearts of every Muslim.

Dear Allah,

Protect my brothers and sisters in Syria, feed my people in Somalia, grant ease to my loved ones in Palestine, bring justice to my beautiful Bosnia, grant freedom to the Ummah in Libya, bring peace to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and every country in chaos. Oh Allah, I ask of You to let us live in your Love and Grace this Ramadhan!

Ameen.

A'qilah Saiere