As a child, I used to ask Allah for everything. I remember a time when I particularly asked for a scooter. Several years passed, and my parents eventually got me a scooter. However, as time went on, I began to crave something bigger, something better. So, I started to pray to Allah for a bike. I remember pleading to Allah with my hands open to the sky,
“Oh Allah, I want that bike. Please let me have that bike”.
After a few months, my mother bought me my very first bike.
As children, we tend to ask for a lot as we navigate through life. We ask questions, we aren't afraid to voice what's on our minds, and we most certainly pray for that bike.
Looking back, I chuckle and think how silly the younger me was, completely oblivious to the fact that it is exactly her that I need to be.
As we grow up, life grows with us. Our responsibilities become bigger, as our commitments and life routines flourish. It’s a beautiful thing. But the more life grows the less time we think we have. So, we rush our morning routines, fill up our calendars, and read Surah Al-Ikhlas for almost every prayer. After we’re done praying, we quickly fold over the corner of our prayer mat, get up, and change, and if you’re lucky you might remember to murmur a dua.
However, this Ramadan I just wanted to calm down, to just allow life to move without rush, and prioritise Islam. Unlike the younger me, I too found myself caught up in the trap of ‘we don’t have time’. My dua’s were sometimes non- existent, and I still found myself complaining about why things weren’t the way they were.
Whilst at the mosque, I was reminded of one of the perfect names of our creator. Al Mujeeb, meaning the one who responds.
And if that’s the case, do we ask enough? As an ummah, are we starting to neglect our dua’s simply because we’ve conformed to this temporary world? Because we’re too busy?
This holy month was a reminder that dua is the weapon of a believer. I was reminded that no matter how much we grow with our responsibilities following us, our desires and needs require just as much attention.
As I bid farewell to Ramadan, my heart feels light, uplifted by the echoes of those childhood prayers. And just like that young girl who once looked up at the sky with hopeful eyes, I continue to ask, to seek, and to trust in the divine plan.
For in the whispers of our prayers lies the strength of our faith, guiding us through every moment, every challenge, and every joy that lies ahead.
Written by Reiham Amin
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