It is the twenty-third day of Ramadan! Umme and I were discussing how quickly the days had flown. As I shared with her that I felt I had done too little regarding my lessons and ibadaah, Umme smiled at me and squeezed my shoulders. “You can never do too little or too much for Allah, bethi. If you do it with sincerity, then Allah will accept even your smallest effort.”

“But also remember that you must keep this same spirit throughout the year and not just for Ramadan, in sha Allah.”

Umme, always dispensing wise advice to me. May Allah bless her, aameen. And that is precisely the lesson I needed to hear today. I must strive to make each day as meaningful as I have in Ramadan. No more complaining about not being able to pray but rather making a conscious effort to pray every prayer on time, daily. I needed to make some drastic changes to my diary and even my journal. 

Islam teaches us balance and moderation. With that in mind, I knew that I had to plan to ensure that my time was spent pursuing Islamic knowledge and making sure I earned well to provide for Mum and me. Umme once told me that work is an ibadaah, too, especially as we provide for the wellbeing of others and ourselves.

As I sat mulling over the conversation we had, Umme peeked into the living room and cheekily said, “And remember not to waste time! Time, bethi, is a precious blessing from Allah, and He reminds us not to waste it.

Today’s lesson to myself:   Allah is Al Rasheedu. He will make us see the light if we seek it; Allah guides us provided we supplicate to him and understand that our eternal goal is Jannah.