The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “On the first night of Ramadan, the devils and rebellious jinn are bound in chains; the gates of Paradise are opened until not a single gate remains closed.

All praise belongs to Allah the Most High, who created both life and death as a test to see who is foremost in deed.  Through His infinite mercy He blessed mankind with selected times and seasons in which the best deeds are made obligatory and the reward for good deeds is multiplied.

Allah, the Most Wise, prescribed the third pillar of Islam, fasting, in the second year after the hijrah of the final Messenger (peace be upon him). Fasting is obligatory upon every sane Muslim adult, Allah the Most High says, “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwa.”^[1] Taqwa is defined as “the consciousness of the soul to fulfil what Allah the Most High has commanded and abstain from what He has prohibited”^[2]. Fasting is therefore a means towards achieving a level of self-restraint. The scholars of tafsir (exegesis) mention various behaviours that are restrained by fasting including eating, drinking, fulfilling one’s desires, being angry and disobeying Allah the Most High in general. Sufyan Al Thawri said, “The reason for the title muttaqin (those who have taqwa) is that they leave that which is not left”. Ibn al-Qayyimsaid “The objective behind fasting is to restrain the soul from desires (for food, drink, and sexual relations), divert it from its normal circumstances, tame the strong desires, prepare it to attain the happiness and benefits (from fasting), and purify it from its untamed state. By experiencing the intensity of hunger and thirst, one is reminded of the condition of the hungry stomachs of needy people.”^[3]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “On the first night of Ramadan, the devils and rebellious jinn are bound in chains; the gates of Paradise are opened until not a single gate remains closed. The gates of Hell are bound shut until not a single gate remains open. Then a caller calls out, ‘O desirer of good, go forth! O desirer of evil, restrain yourself! Allah is emancipating people from the Fire every night’.”^[4]

On the last day of Sha’ban, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave a sermon and said, “O people! A great and blessed month has approached you, a month containing a night better than a thousand months. Allah has made fasting in its days an obligation and prayer in its nights a (recommended) voluntary act. Anyone who seeks nearness to Allah in this month through any virtuous act will be like one who carried out an obligatory act at another time (outside of Ramadan), and whoever performs an obligatory act in this month will be like one who performed seventy such acts at another time. It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise. It is the month of equality, the month in which the wealth of the believer is increased…”^[5]

With the reward for obligatory acts multiplied, one must exert to perform them in the best of manners, and with the reward for voluntary acts multiplied one must hasten to perform good deeds. Ramadan is without doubt a golden opportunity for the one who seeks to be absolved from the Hell fire and the one who yearns to dwell in Paradise, wherein they will have all that they desire.

Many Muslims assume that when Ramadan comes they will endeavour to become obedient Muslims and do the maximum possible good deeds for the whole month. If you imagine the reality as a graph, what happens is that you start off with a peak and then the influx of deeds becomes difficult for so many reasons, so you trough or lull for much of this precious month. You then try a bit harder at the end to try to catch laylat-ul-Qadr (the night of decree), but even then you may sleep some nights and even miss some obligatory prayers! This approach to Ramadan is not correct will repeatedly fail. The Messenger (peace be upon him) and his companions would pray, fast, and be obedient to Allah all year round. In Ramadan, like other special times in the year, they would maximise their efforts to excel in good deeds.

Ramadan should be used as a platform to change lives, every day should get increasingly better, the case being even more so each and every year. Allah the Most High loves those deeds that are done with consistency, because they represent a Muslim’s personality, and they are the deeds that will pave the path to Jannah (paradise). Prior to Ramadan, Muslims must perform the obligatory acts, otherwise they will be punished for their negligence after this life. The obligatory acts should be supplemented with voluntary acts that are part of one’s daily routine. Once Ramadan arrives then that is the time to exceed beyond your normal deeds with more voluntary acts and increase them in a gradual manner. Then whoever can perform i’tikaaf (confinement of oneself to the mosque) they spend all of their time in good deeds until the end of Ramadan, while those who cannot, exert themselves to spend their days performing good deeds and their nights in prayer. After celebrating Eid al Fitr, the six fasts of Shawwal should be performed and good deeds should remain part of our routines until the following Ramadan.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would perform various good deeds in Ramadan. Some of the deeds that have been mentioned in association with fasting and Ramadan will now be mentioned, all of which are highly recommended acts of worship to be performed.

Allah the Most High combined fasting with eight other deeds when He described the successful believers “(The believers whose lives Allah has purchased are) those who repent to Allah (from polytheism and hypocrisy, etc.), whoworship Him, who praise Him, who fast (or go out in Allah’s Cause), who bow down (in prayer), who prostratethemselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for Al-Ma’rûf (i.e. Islaamic Monotheism and all what Islaam has ordained) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds and all that Islaam has forbidden), and whoobserve the limits set by Allah (do all that Allah has ordained and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden). And give glad tidings to the believers.^[6]

Ramadan is also the month of Quran as Allah the Most High said “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)”^[7]. Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah said “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for a slave on the day of judgement, the fasts will say, ‘my Lord I prevented him (or her) from food and desires so let me intercede’, and the Quran will say, ‘I prevented him (or her) from sleeping at night so let me intercede’, then they will intercede”^[8]. It was said that the salaf would spend the days of Ramadan reading the Quran^[9], and the importance of studying the Quran cannot be emphasised enough. A single ayah recited with contemplation (tadabbur) may be better then reciting many ayaat (verses) of the Quran without contemplation. Scholars differed regarding whether it is better to recite more or recite less with contemplation. Although as isolated deeds they both may be equal, the latter will benefit you for the rest of your life and thus the effects of understanding the Quran will elevate you further in the Hereafter. Abu Jumrah once said to Abdullah ibn Masud ‘I am fast in my recitation and perhaps I would recite the Quran once or even twice in a single night’, Abdullah (ra) replied ‘For me to recite one surah is more pleasing to me than if I did that which you do, if you do so then make sure that you recite so that your ears hear what you recite and your heart pays attention.’^[10]

Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) narrated “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was the most generous of people and he was the most generous in the month of Ramadan, when Jibreel would meet him. Jibreel used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Quran.”^[11] This hadith emphasises the need to be generous in giving all kinds of charity in Ramadan, in addition to studying the Quran. It is also important to feed others, especially those with less. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “whoever gives a fasting person (food or drink to break their fast), they will have similar to the reward of the one who fasted, without any decrease for the one who fasted.”^[12]

It is upon us all to fear Allah, and direct our best efforts in and out of the month of Ramadan towards obeying Him. Allah the Most High commanded us “So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can; listen and obey; and spend in charity that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, then they are the successful ones.”^[13] No one is burdened with more than they can take, however it is through the performance of good deeds and the attainment of taqwa that we will earn the reward prepared for the muttaqeen.

Notes:

Source: http://www.islam21c.com

[1] Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183

[2] Mu’jam al-lughatul-fuqahaa, Dar An-Nafaes

[3] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Zaad al-Ma’aad, Maktabah Al-Risalah, Volume 2, pp27-29

[4] Sunan al-Tirmidhî 618 and Ibn Maajah 1632; authenticated by Sheikh Albaani

[5] Sahîh Ibn Khuzaymah 1887

[6] Surah At-Taubah 9:112

[7] Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185

[8] Ahmed 6337

[9] Muhammad ‘Arif, Siyaam As-Saaliheen, pp30-32

[10] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Zaad al-Ma’aad, Maktabah Al-Risaalah, Volume 1, pp327-329

[11] Saheeh al‐Bukhari 1716; 3290, Muslim 4268

[12] Ahmed 16419; Tirmidhi 735; Ibn Maajah 1736; Ad-Daarimee 1755,

[13] Surah At-Taghaabun 64:16

Recommended Readings:

Fatawa on Fasting, Zakat & Taraweeh  By: Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaimeen & Al-Jibreen

Nature of Fasting  By: Imam Ibn Taymiyyah

RAMADAN Excellent Merits and Virtuous Deeds  By: Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

RAMADAN Rules and related Issues By: Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Treaties on Zakat and Fasting By: Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz

Understanding Ramadan By: Muhammad Muhsin Khan

Fast According to Quran & Sunnah   By: Professor Muhammad Zulfiqar
الصوم – في القرآن والسنة

Related articles

• Ramadan Preparation Tips (muslimahramblings.wordpress.com)
• The virtues of Ramadaan
• Night Prayer during Ramadhan (Al-Qiyaam or Taraweeh)

A single bird graces the inside of the immense dome – circling three times before it lands in a recess fixed with a lamp cord.  A cat sleeps in the mihrab that indicates the direction of Kaaba in Mecca.  Another begins to climb the minbar.

On clear days the sun brands even more gold onto titanic calligraphic roundels -  among the world’s largest examples of font decoration.   The indigo and ochre of this former home to both Christians and Muslims dulls to smoke and ink as the sun fades. Naves and narthexes are once again left to their Dark Ages.

Not all of the stories embedded in Hagia Sophia’s walls are sacred.   Amid the buried tales are buried bodies, including scores of fratricidal murders. Sultan Mehmed II alone executed all nineteen of his younger brothers and buried them here the moment he took power.  Constantine V apparently defecated in 718 while being baptized in Hagia Sophia.  His enemies employed the trivia, calling him Copronymus, one “called from dung.”

During the 76 year Latin conquest of Constantinople, “a common harlot” was enthroned in the patriarch’s chair who hurled “insults at Jesus Christ and sang bawdy songs,” wrote 12^th century Greek historian Niketas Choniates.

Hagia Sophia is now safely a museum, freed in one sense of its century-laden past, its minbar a perch for cats, its ponderous dome wreathed with the graceful flight of a swallow.

_________________

Related:   Turkish airlines offers new non-stop service from Los Angeles to Istanbul
Nosing around Istanbul’s Egyptian Spice Bazaar 

Gazing up from the Imperial Gates.

The four faces of Seraphim were covered when Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque in 1453. This is the only one that has been revealed.

Giant roundels were added in the mid 1800s, inscribed with the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs and Mohammed’s two grandchildren.

View from the Loge of the Empress.

The Deësis mosaic, 1261.

© Photos R. Daniel Foster 2011

Today is the last day of the Ramadan fast, and the Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Breaking Fast) will start at sunset, so I thought this an appropriate time to talk about Ramadan.  Firstly, though, I should point out that there are still some blogroll links for charity donations to your right – I’ve added the American Red Cross (who, among other things, are offering help for those affected by Irene) and to UNICEF (if you haven’t heard, there’s a very severe famine in Somalia at the moment).  Again, I’ve tried to focus on groups that can do a lot with a little money – as it’s the end of the month, if you did just get paid and do have a fiver to spare, consider spending it to make someone’s life better.

So, what is Ramadan?  As probably many are aware, Ramadan is a month of the Muslim calendar (a lunar month, so about 28 days), in which Muslims fast from both food and water from sunrise to sunset.  The fast was revealed in the Qur’an, during the Medinan period, in which the early community of believers were living in Medina and at war with the polytheists in Mecca.  Before the revelation of the Ramadan fast, the Muslims used to participate in the Jewish fasts, and are still allowed to do so.  There is also an optional fast, which a Muslim can make as often as they like.  However, out of concern for one’s heath, a Muslim is not allowed to fast for more than one day less than half a year (so 181 days).  In addition, those on long journeys and pregnant women do not participate in the Ramadan fast, although in the case of those traveling, they are expected to make up the days they miss.

Many Muslim thinkers have understood the fast as a statement about sin, meant to demonstrate for Muslims that if they can give up what they need and what God has made of their provisions (that is, food and water), how much easier to should be for them to avoid sin and wrongdoing, which is not needed and distracts from life.  It’s also often described as a statement on our essential humanity, meant to remind Muslims that all humans are the same, and need the same good things to live.

In addition to Eid al-Fitr, the festival that ends the fast, the other major holiday during Ramadan is Laylat al-Qadr[1], the Night of Revelation, which commemorates the night of the first revelation to Muhammad (peace be upon him).  According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad (s’lm) was alone mediating in the mountain cave outside of Mecca, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him, telling him he was to receive a message from God.  Muhammad (s’lm) responded that he couldn’t receive a divine message because he was illiterate (a topic I’ve talked about here), to which Gabriel replied, “Iqra!” (meaning “Recite” and also the root of the term Qur’an), at which, the Prophet spontaneously recited the first received verses of the Qur’an, verses 1-5 of sura al-alaq (number 96):

“Recite: in the name of thy Lord who created.  Created man from a clot.  Recite: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.”

The night is normally celebrated with Qur’anic recitations, as well as the eating and general merriment that go along with evenings during Ramadan.  Many Muslims also spend the night as a night vigil in prayer (a tradition called isha’a).

If you do know any Muslims (or just like shouting things at strangers), there are several standard sayings for celebrating Eid, including “eid al-mubarak!” and “eid al-sa’id!” (both meaning “happy eid” – incidentally, ‘eid’ is usually pronounced eed, and the apostrophe in ‘sa’id’ signifies a glottal stop, meaning it’s pronounced as two syllables, ‘saw-eed’).  An important part of the celebration is providing food and well-wishes to your neighbors, as well as giving to the poor (and generally having a really big party).  You can also send eid ecards, as well as donate money for an eid celebration for disadvantaged families around the world.  So basically, there’s a big party starting tonight that’s all about our shared humanity, it’s a pretty fun time, you might want to check it out.

[1] The term ‘qadr’ is difficult to render into English, and is sometimes translated as ‘power’, ‘probability’ or ‘value’.  I tend to render the phrase ‘laylat al-qadr’ as the night of revelation since that’s what the holiday commemorates.

August 28, 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (New York, NY)

“As a lifelong New Yorker, I personally welcome the day off and think that the stress levels that this city emanates are quite high for people; although I wish it didn’t have to come at the expense of our safety and the city’s infrastructure” says Arman Rousta, CEO of Blueliner Marketing, whose headquarters are in the vulnerable Wall Street area.

Interestingly, the vast power outages along the East Coast coincide with what is known in the Islamic (lunar) calendar, as “The Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr) whereby the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, first received the revelation of the Holy Qur’an.  The Night of Power comes in the final five days of Ramadan, the highly Spiritual month where Muslims fast from dawn to sunset in remembrance of God and in order to take a break from the responsibilities of the mundane world.  During this special night, Muslims meditate on the mystical revelations bestowed upon the Prophet and pray for the channels of divine blessings to continue pouring through to reach all of humanity, who are God’s vessels of Love on Earth.

This will henceforth be remembered as the year when the Night of (Spiritual) Power was followed by the Day of limited (man-made) power.  The eye of the storm can see things which we cannot, and may have a message for us to heed.  Whatever lesson God has for us, as communicated through his Beloved Mother Nature, let us tune into our hearts and absorb it!  Be in awe of the fact that anything can be given or taken away from us in an instant.  Use this respite to appreciate all that we have been provided, down to the little details that we take for granted – like running water, electrical power and shelter from the elements.  Reconsider our place in this world and what Life is all about.

 Q 97 In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficient,

1 Verily We sent it (the Qur’an) down in the Night of Power.

2 And how canst thou tell the Night of Power?

3 The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

4 The Angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the leave of their Lord, with every command.

5 Peace it is until the break of dawn.

Ibn ‘Abbas on 97:1: that is, We sent Gabriel with it (the Qur’an) to the scribes of the nether heaven, on this night of judgment and decree, on this night of forgiveness and mercy.

on 97:4: with every command, that is, every measure ordained, between this night and that of the year following.

Ibn ‘Abbas and Jalalayn on 97:5: Peace it is, that is, due to the profusion of angelic greetings of peace to those who fast and those who pray. The night’s merit and grace last until the rising of the dawn, when the angels return.

Tustari on 97:5: Peace it is, that is, safety against being cut off (qat’) from the time (lit. moments, awqat) of gnosis; in this night, better than a thousand months, is safety, perhaps through supplication, from being separated from the moments of gnosis, onward into the year to come.

These last ten days of Ramadan, culminating with the Night of Power/Decree but extending until the birth of the new moon, are our ten Days of Awe, our Days of Repentance, a neat parallel to those beginning with Rosh Hashanah (this year, because of rabbinic intercalation, falling a month later than Ramadan), the days in which teshovah, tefilah, and tsedakah seek to alter divine decree. Sound familiar? Through tawbah/repentance, salah/prayer, sadaqah/charity, to seek “a good inscription”, to be “sealed for a good year”, much as the Prophet taught that supplication can change what is apparently inscribed, even while the pen has been lifted and the ink has dried.

As we search for Laylat al-qadr this year, i’d like to note the intimacy of the Abrahamic bond that marks this month. Weak narrations relate that the Torah, Psalms, and Evangel were revealed in this month just as was the Qur’an; al-Tabari and al-Tha’labi even relate the occasion of revelation of this sura itself to a moment of Semitic fraternity, as the companions of the Prophet marveled at the striving of an Israelite (identified as Samson) who took up arms in the way of the Lord for a thousand months – and the companions were saddened, for they knew they could not reach similar heights…whereupon this sura was revealed, and in it a confirmation of Islamic in-dependence from that prior dispensation. The Qur’an and its revelation, as spiritual/poetic event, exceeds historical symmetries, just as the text cannot be contained by its reading. Here, the four modes of tafsir (echoing pardes) show themselves to be further refracted also through the theologico-political lens of the Abrahamic. Tradition and genealogy, together – and ending with the dawn, hatta matla’ al-fajr. In this case, then, and for this laylat al-qadr, two du’as: the Prophetic supplication of the Night of Power, Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-’afw fa’fu’anna/O God, verily, Thou art forgiving and love to forgive, so forgive then us”, and k’tivah v’chatima tova to all, a good final sealing and inscription.

Anyway, so tonight we really wanted to go to the mosque since we were really bored at home. But in order not to impose, we had dinner at Kabob Palace and then went later on to the mosque. We hadn’t really thought of Laylat al-Qadr or the fact that the Taraweh prayers tonight had a Khatum-ul Quran. So MashAllah we just got lucky that we ended up there. There was a long prayer at the end. We have quite a few University of Virginia (UVA) students at the mosque. Later on when we were driving out, we saw quite a few UVA students including women with very few clothes lined up outside a club, on the UVA Corner, to drink and party away. It is just interesting to draw a comparison between these two groups of UVA students. Religion does make a person more responsible and mature; there is no doubt about that.

I. Hadrat Anas ibn Malik reported that when Ramadan came, the Holy Prophet said, “Indeed this month has come to you, and in it is a night more virtuous than a thousand months. So, whosoever is deprived of its blessings is deprived of all blessings. No one is kept deprived of its blessings, but only those who are unfortunate.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Page 119]

II. Hadrat ‘Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah has said, “Seek Lailatul Qadr on an odd numbered night (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and the 29th) among the last ten (nights) of Ramadan.” [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 270]

III. Hadrat ‘Aishah reported: “I asked the Messenger of Allah: tell me what should I say (pray) on Lailatul Qadr if I know which night it is?” He said: say,

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّى
“O Allah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.” [Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Page 191]

IV. Hadrat ‘Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah used to strive hard in devotion in the last ten nights more than at any other time. [Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, Page 372]

V. Hadrat Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah has said, “When Lailatul Qadr comes, Gabriel comes down with a company of angels who invoke blessings on everyone who is standing or sitting remembering Allah the Great and Glorious. Then when their festival day comes, i.e. the Eid day, He (Allah) speaks proudly of them to his angels saying, “O My angels, what is the reward of a hired servant who has fully accomplished his work?” They say, “Our Lord, his reward is that he should be paid his wages in full.” He says, “O My angels! My male and female servants have fulfilled what I have made obligatory for them, and then have come out raising their voices in supplication. By My Might, Glory, Honour, High dignity and Exalted Station, I will certainly answer them.” Then He says, “Return, I have forgiven you and changed your evil deeds into good deeds.” The Messenger of Allah said, “Then they return having received forgiveness.” [Mishkat, Vol. 1, Page 182]

VI. Hadrat ‘Aishah reported that when the last ten days began, the Messenger of Allah used to prepare himself rigorously for devotion; remain awake at night and (also) keep his family awake. [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 271]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq “Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi” states under the commentary of the above Hadith that:

“Shadda Mizarahu” (tied his lower garment) is a metaphor that the Messenger of Allah used to devote himself completely for the worship of Allah, more than usually in the last ten days of Ramadan. Or, this is metaphor that the Messenger of Allah isolated and secluded himself from his blessed wives. [Ashi’ah al-Lam’at – Vol. 2, Page 115]

We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:
And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the angels and the Spirit (Jibril, or Gabriel) by Allah’s permission, on every errand: Peace!…This until the rise of morn.   – Qur’an, 97:1-5

Laylat al-Qadr, (also known as Shab-e-Qadr), the Night of Destiny, Night of Power, Night of Value, the Night of Decree or Night of Measures, is the anniversary of the night the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Muslims believe that revelation of the Qur’an occurred in two phases, with the first phase being the revelation in its entirety on Laylat Al-Qadr by Allah to the Archangel Gabriel in the lowest heaven, and then the subsequent verse-by-verse revelation to Prophet (pbuh) by Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic). The revelation started in 610 CE at the Hira cave on Mount Nur in Mecca.

Because of the revealed importance of this night, Muslims strive harder in the last ten days of Ramadan since the Laylat al-Qadr could be one of the odd-numbered days in the last ten (the first, third, fifth, seventh or ninth)

The Night of Destiny will be, inshallah, on August 25, 2011 for those countries that started fasting on July 31st, and August 26, 2011 for those countries that started Ramadan on August 1st.

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever prays on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and sincerity, shall have all their past sins forgiven.”   -  Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with them).

Ya Haqq!

24 Ramadhan 1432

Sadness and joy mixed in my heart. I remember every memory has been my life’s coaching. Some are bitter, some sweet, but all are my memory. Each experience has taught me to be myself today.

For the love of my Lord, I find the path of regret. Regret extremely to this day I am very longing for my Lord.

For the love of my prophet Muhammad, I am sad because I failed to love him wholeheartedly.

For the love of my father, I find the happiness every time I pray to God for strengthen my spirit.

For the love of my family, I found the Nur (light) to remain resilient because as a child I find the place to hold.

My God is my Lord and I am forever His servant, I am who are dependent on Him.

For the love, whom I loved most? At a time when I felt sad, I prostrate to Him, and when I felt happy I never stop reciting the words of Syukr (gratitude).

At no haven to vent my feelings, Doa (prayer) is a relationship between my sanctuary with my Lord.

Verily, He is listening to my heart and to every heart that I had never heard.

.. Lord.. I miss Thee.