When Ramadhan Flies

If before I thought only planes, birds, and flies can fly...

Well..

They can still fly. (smiles) Of course all those things can fly. My thoughts didn't change.

They just went through minor adjustments; which is the addition of - even months can fly.

Yup.

Even things never born with wings can fly. Just look at us. Can't we fly? Hey, haven't you ever heard of Kent Clark? Yaah, the somewhat nerdy clerk who turned out to be a superhero who has incredible strength and yes, the ability to fly. There you have it - a flying man. (When you put it that way, "superman" doesn't seem super at all..haha..)

Allright2. Superheroes are fantasy. Fantasy is fiction. Something that you can make up.

But really, humans can fly.

Well, maybe not naturally, but with the aid of technology, we didn't just fly, we even shot through the atmosphere and into space! Whoa...

Now, don't you think that something not born with wings can also fly?

why not? We have proved ourselves wrong, time and time again.

Sometime ago, a bleeding person in war would have died instantly, because there was no technology or medicinal advancement to help save him. But now, even patients diagnosed with cancer can still have some chance of prolonging his life, a chance that our great-great-great.....grandpas and grandmas didn't have.

Truly, we continue to surpass our own limitations, time and time again.

(where in the world am i going with this???)

Anyway, i just wanted to say that, of course, even Ramadhan can fly.

Perhaps a better way of saying this would be; time flies too.

Starting from 30

While most muslims would count the days of Ramadhan from 1,2,3 and so on, I prefer to start counting backwards. In other words, it's a countdown.

Not that I am so eager to see Syawal that I am willing to let Ramadhan pass! Of course, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a special event all muslims look forward too. It is a festivity. It is a celebration. It is the day we have won the battle against our nafs (easy translation:lust). Our nafs of eating too much for our own good, our nafs of sleeping too much, also too much for our own good (a good example is mua/me hehe), our nafs of being angry without a reasonable cause. The list goes on.

So, when Raya finally comes, of course I too am happy, because I have managed to hold back my many forms of nafs (every human has one nafs, but it is in many forms), bi iznillah (with Allah's permission). It is something that our prophet Muhammad SAW encourages his ummah to do. To be happy and joyful after Ramadhan has ended.

But my countdown is not for this joyous occasion.

No, it is not.

In fact, I am sad.

My dear sahabahs,

I feel...sad, because I know, that Ramadhan will soon come to an end.

Perhaps some of you, my dearest sahabahs, feel that it is still early, as today is only 13th of Ramadhan 1431 H. But then again, may you share what it is in my heart and soul...the sadness that we feel together, thinking that:

"Yes, 13th. There is still 14th, 15th, until 30th insya-allah.

But then, what comes after 30th?

It comes back to 1.

1 syawal."

Syawal...

No longer ra.ma.dhan.

When will it come again?

When will it come back again?

When will Ramadhan...come flying back to me..to us again?

And if Ramadhan is indeed like a boomerang, it will surely come back again.

But the real question is...will we?

Will 'our' time become a boomerang too?

Or will Izrael a.s, the malaikah (angel) of death, visits us first, before Ramadhan comes flying back to us?

Oh Ramadhan,

I pray we will meet again

If not in this lifetime,

Then perhaps the next.

Illal liqo' ya Ramadhan. (until next time, oh Ramadhan)