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| This could be me writing this post! |
Wow, it's hard to believe that it's half-way through Ramadan already. It's weird looking back at the start in my Ramadan 2013 Post 1, and last week's post, Ramadan 2013 Post 2.
The final 10 days are approaching fast - these are special because they are the most blessed days of this most holy month. During these last 10 days, on an odd numbered day - no-one except God knows which day it is - comes Layatal Qadr. On this night whoever prays hard and seeks forgiveness will have all their sins removed, and that single night is worth 1000 months of worship. (Hopefully I haven't remembered this info incorrectly).
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| A time for more reflection than ever |
That is quite something. No wonder people try even harder in the last 10 days. Some, if they can, spend all the time at the mosque in worship. It's the best time to seek forgiveness from God, and to ask God for what you want, no matter how small or large the request is.
As well as the final last days of Ramadan, I want to talk about camels and birds.
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| "What?" |
I haven't lost the plot! Bear with me and all will be revealed...
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| I don't think their spitting is a myth... |
Tie your camel
This is a philosophy I came across a few weeks ago, I think from an Islamic teaching of the Prophet Muhammed (peace & blessing be upon him, but don't quote me on that. The concept is that yes we are to really on God for everything, but that doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing. It doesn't mean that we can leave our keys in our car, unlocked at night. It doesn't mean we can put our horses/camels beside our tent (for those on holiday or in the desert) and not tie them to something to stop them from running away. Yes we are to rely on God, but we need to do our bit too, to do all we can to keep our car/camel/horse safe, to try our hardest to show we deserve whatever we are doing/trying to do.
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| I love the vibrant colours of this bird |
Be like a bird
Another teaching I've recently read is that we should be like birds. No this doesn't mean we should eat insects (although some people do as traditional food), go make houses in trees (although some people do this as part of their culture), and lay eggs (some things are impossible for humans to do).
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| I think birds are fascinating creatures |
Birds go out each day not knowing what the day will bring - they rely completely on God to provide for them. I feel this is related to tying your camel - we need to put 100% trust in God to take care of us, while making sure that we do all we can at the same time. To have such total faith is a wonderful aim to have each day, and one I'm slowly working on.
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| It's not Eid yet - I like the picture! |
In summary, today's post has talked about
a) Why the final 10 days of Ramadan are so special
b) Why metaphorically tying your camel is important
c) Why we need to be like birds.
I've no idea what next week's Ramadan 2013 Post 4 will be about - it all depends what I end up thinking about! If you've got any questions, please do ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. As ever, all pictures are taken from the internet (not taken or drawn by me), and I do recommend checking out the finer details of the 3 topics I've chatted about, as I'm relying on my memory for info.
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| Go tie your camel and be like a bird! |
Laylatul Qadr
Laylatul Qadr
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