And it begins.

Asalaam Walaikum Rahmatullah Wa Barakatu,

I am a proud Muslim who has just recently rediscovered her faith alhamdulilah. This is my journey.

I was at Jummah (Friday) Prayer today, and the khotbah was not surprisingly on Ramadan. The sheikh spoke about something I am not used to hearing during this blessed month. Everyone knows about how special and sacred this month is to all of us, and all of the rewards we will get inshallah if we fast and practice proper restraint throughout this month. And we also know that this is the one month that Allah (swt) protects us from Shaytan. But what the sheikh touched upon was the fact that this month is an opportunity for change, for gradual transformation.

All of our bad habits and attributes that are prevalent during Ramadan are from ourselves. We should use this month to break our bad habits, and aspire to leave them for good. This month is an opportunity for us to transform our lives (one step at a time inshallah). We should not rush into anything, we should take steps and aim for a gradual, consistent, and lasting change.

The sheikh said it beautifully "We are not expected to transform overnight, that would be unnatural. Gradualness is key. After all, the Qur'an was revealed to us over decades, not days." 

May Allah bless us all and help lead us on the right path Insha'Allah.

-A Muslimah