The 29th Day of Ramadan.
We go to the masjid for the usual Taraweeh. The Imam prays the Isha prayer and suddenly there is an announcement after the prayer. The Moon Sighting Council has announced the sighting of the crescent. Shawwal has descended. Ramadan is over. Heart skips a beat. A sudden sense of loss and regret.
The last minute of the last day of Ramadan.
Did I make the best use of this Ramadan? Were my prayers sincere enough? Did I listen to the Qurán recitation in earnest and not let my mind wander during Taraweeh? Did I utilise the last ten days well? The time of answering duas – during the time of breaking fast/ last middle third of the night – Did I make earnest sincere duas? Or was I busy updating my social media and making my Instagram feed pretty?
Was I mindful every minute of every day of Ramadan? Will I live up to see another Ramadan?
Regret takes over me as I hear the announcement, masking the excitement of Shawwal. An alternate of emotions from one extreme to another. Happiness on being able to experience this Ramadan, remorse on not being mindful enough, the joy on being able to finish the Khatam Al Quran, regret on not learning the Tafseer and finally the sense of peace on reaching Shawwal.
I promise myself I will do better next time if any InshaAllah. I shall take the Shawwal 6 fast and other Sunnah fasts – my internal ‘mind-voice’ goes on and on. I shall be consistent in my Ibadah from my now own, I say to myself.
The intense feeling of regret makes us to better our self and becomes an impetus for our improvement. The sense of regret makes us ponder of our habits and day-to-day activities. It reminds us of the fleeting nature of this Dunya.
Now I divert your attention to an Ayah from the Holy Quran: Surah Maryam Verse 39
‘And warn them, [O Muhammad], of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded; and [yet], they are in [a state of] heedlessness, and they do not believe’
الحسرة يوم – Yawm Al Hasara – referring to the Day of Judgement – Day of Regret.
Hasara – The word means deep regret and remorse that we would want to cease to exist.
A detailed description of this day in another verse: Surah Al Furqan Verse 27
And the Day the wrongdoer will bite on his hands [in regret] he will say, “Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way.
Imagine the regret we will be feeling on that day? The regret of not having enough khushoo in our prayer. The regret of wasting our time in unnecessary acts. The regret of talking disrespectfully to our parents. The regret of charity undone. The regret of not learning the Qur’an. The regret of not understanding its beautiful language. The regret of not giving Zakaah on time. The regret of every second that we didn’t spent in the remembrance of Allah. On this day, it is not only the people who wasted their time in useless activities that will regret but also the people who have done good – for all the good that they haven’t done. An intense regret indeed.
The regret we feel on the last day of Ramadan would be a minute fraction of the intense regret of Yawm Al Hasara.
Allahumma, save us from the evils of our nafs and make us amongst those whose faces will be light on the Day of Judgement
To get ourselves out of Ghafla/heedlessness, a few points :
1) To revive oneself with the Dhikr of Allah.
2) Another manifestation of Dhikr of Allah is the recitation of the Holy Qur’an
3) Establish prayer at its appointed time
May Dhikr, Tilawah and Salaah be the corner-stone of our days this Ramadan and hence forth.
Author Bio:
Dr. Shahira is a dentist by profession. Currently on a clinical break and is a stay-at-home mum to her 1 year old daughter. She blogs at ByShahira (https://drshahira.com) She is passionate about creative writing, faith, dentistry and of late, attachment parenting and the likes. She can be contacted on Instagram (https://instagram.com/dr_shahira), facebook (https://facebook.com/drshahirablog) and Twitter (@iihahs)
