Ramadhan

Assalamu'alaikum! All praises to Allah the Almighty, the ar-Rahman, the ar-Rahim. =)

It is finally the month of Ramadhan, and alhamdulillah, Allah still gave us the chance to live in this

moment and celebrate Ramadhan and chase His blessings. MasyaAllah... We are indeed in loss if we don't

take this Ramadhan as a way to go back to Him, clean and new.

Ramadhan is indeed awesome! =')

This is the third year I'm spending the first day of Ramadhan away from my family. Other people might find it sad that I'm not together with my family on this very day, but to me, I find it as a blessing. I might be far away from my family, but that doesn't mean that they are not close to my heart (sounds so very cliché, doesn't it? Typical.). Being far away from them means that I get to (finally) learn how to live independently. It gets lonely, but then again, sooner or later, baby birds have to leave its nest too. And I think, studying far away from home really helps me a lot. It was sad at first, but as time goes by, being away from home doesn't sound or looked as scary as it used to be. In fact, I feel ever more ready to face the world head-on! (Well, exaggerating a bit, but hey, can't a girl have a positive say about herself? Meh!)

To me, the month of Ramadhan is a month to learn about tarbiyyah dzatiyyah. We are in control of our desires, our nafs. And we should take Ramadhan as a day to really put our hearts, our desires, our needs, our cravings only to gain His satisfaction, only to gain His heaven. Jannatul Firdaus! If we fail in this month, surely, we will fail in the other months. It sounds scary to me. Sigh. (T-T) Tarbiyyah dzatiyyah, tazkiyatun an-nafs, mujahadah, istiqamah and most importantly, niat (intentions). These elements are essential in the month of Ramadhan, because it is up to US to make the changes that we want happens -- slowly.

When talking about change, what someone used to tell me, change happens slowly, and with perseverance, change will happen. IT WILL, with patience and effort. That is what the month of Ramadhan is for. A month where Allah gives us the chance to repent, to go back to Him, put the world aside and put Him first in everything. A month where we learn to go back to our core, go back to our Creator. A month of gaining eternal tranquillity and a month to learn about how to maintain that tranquillity until death do us part. The beauty of Ramadhan is indeed HUGE and it is all thanks to Allah for giving us this chance to still be alive to celebrate this month. I just hope that I can make a change in my life as well.

# Let us all work hard to stay istiqamah, to be engaged with the efforts of tazkiyatun an-nafs, commit ourselves cleanly in tarbiyyah dzatiyyah, and learn the true meaning of mujahadah in this holy month. Indeed, the light of Allah is not gained just by sitting down or just praying for it to come, it is WE who have to go look for it and chase for it. Allahua'lam. May Allah accept our pure intentions towards change, and may Allah bless us in this holy month. Biidznillah!

Before that, I wish you all a blessed Ramadhan al-Kareem, and may Allah shines each and every single one 

of us with His light and hugs us with His love and mercy. Indeed, He is truly the Most Loving and the Most Forgiving! Allahu akbar! =')

Patience.

Lately, whenever I feel down or problems just get into my head and I just want to clear it all out, I always go to the beach. I used to be someone who dislike beaches. USED TO. But now, the beach is the place where I want to be all the time. There's something calming about it, and I just figured it out. It is because nature is a gift from Allah, and only when we let nature devour us with its beauty and tranquility, only then we began to realize that all this while, Allah has given us everything that we need and MORE, and yet, we seldom appreciate it.

To think back, I'm actually running away from problems rather than facing them, but to be honest, there are just some problems in which solutions just doesn't exist, EXCEPT to go back to nature, be alone, and cry to Allah. Every problem has its solution, and I do believe in that. Maybe at the moment, I can't see the solution yet, but I truly believe that Allah holds every single key to every problem that I am currently facing.

Stay strong. A simple yet cliche advice, so cliche that it is sometimes easier said than done. Strength to me now is not acting strong, but to me, strength comes in vulnerability too. At times like this too, I always listen to Sami Yusuf's song (Make Me Strong) and Allah Knows (I can't remember the singer's name, though). It reminds me that whatever befalls me, Allah is always there, He knows, and I know that strength only comes from Him, and from Him I shall ask for help, guidance and strength.

Usually, when problems or tribulations hits us, we always fall into deep depression. Some people becomes

ali imran, 3 : 139

even more stronger with every hit, but some are still weak and so they stayed on the ground. But, whatever it is, we often forget about Allah. It is not us that is strong, but it is because of Allah that gave us the strength. Allah is the Most Gracious. When we are feeling weak, it is not because Allah did not gave us strength, but it is because He wants us to learn and only by learning, and understanding the hits, problems and so on, only then He gave us the strength. Be patient.

Patience. Patience. Patience. Remember that, Mar.
The product of the patience that you're committing now will be beautiful. Internally and eternally beautiful.

Why write?

The month of May has passed, and now we can welcome June! Alhamdulillah. The month of Ramadhan is getting near, and let's ask ourselves every single day, are we REALLY prepared to greet Ramadhan to gain its full barakah (blessings)? May Allah accept. =)

Today, I am intrigued to make this post on why I write. Or in other words, why do I even bother to

Here's a quote that I love and practice. =)

create a blog where hardly anyone ever visits? Erk! *Runs away and hide*
Eheh. To be honest, the only answer that comes up in my mind is : I have absolutely no idea. Maybe it's because of the thrill and happiness that I find when I write. Maybe it's because that I had always have a passion in writing ever since 7 years ago -- the first time I started blogging! Or maybe because I felt challenged by the encouragements that people had given me to begin writing again. Or is it probably because blogging is trending again? There is no absolute answer. It might be any one of those, and personally, I really don't know.

I remember, around 4 or 5 years ago, there was an incident where promptly after it, I vowed and promised myself that I will never go back to the blogging world. But, I guess, once you are passionate about something, no matter how far you want to go just to avoid it, you just can't. The desire to write was overwhelming, so I start blogging again, and then I'll stop again, and then I'll start again. That was how I was for 2 or 3 years, and now, in 2014, I vow to not stop ever again. Why? Well, as someone who only knows how to express herself by writing, I think that this is the passion that I will not let go and this is the potential that I know I can improve with time, more reading and with perseverance. Eh?

Other than wanting to be a psychologist, it has been a long-time desire and dream of mine to engage myself in the field of journalism or to be a part of the writers' community. I may be an amateur and a beginner in this, but I know, with hard work, and with patience, I can make it to the top. Though, honestly speaking, I don't think popularity and fame are really my goals, but rather, I find this space, this writer's space is a place where I can and WILL share goodness, give out benefits and spread awareness to all humanity. With the wills of Allah, of course. Biidznillah!

I truly believe that, though reading isn't a trend anymore for most of us, I still believe that, if I try harder in this, I will make people see that the world of writing (and reading) is essential, especially in self-development and growth. And especially IMPORTANT for the betterment of our Ummah!

Then again, if I were to ask myself now again, why do I write? My answer still is the same. I really have absolutely no idea. But I still do it anyway! Out of interest, passion and fulfilling my own desire, I guess. May Allah accept this little, small bit of deed I'm trying to do.

"Start small but think BIG."
Biidznillah. =)