بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
SubhanAllah Al-'Atheem. Although today Monday March 31 is Eid Al-Fitr and the first day of Shawwal 1446H here in the Philippines and we Muslims are expected to display happiness for today's special occasion, some of us may feel some mixed emotions of sadness or disappointment for various reasons - for instance, perhaps slightly sad we couldn't successfully complete reading the whole of the Noble Qur'an despite seriously wanting to complete reading all verses from the Mushaf due to extreme busyness with multiple tasks and responsibilities, or feeling a bit disappointed in the behavior of certain individuals who still haven't matured emotionally or did something which proved they aren't at all trustworthy, or having no choice but to remain patient for Allah's sake with a husband who chose to have Eid with the other wife for the nth time consecutively if a Muslimah is in a polygynous marriage, or wishing that one could've done a lot more good deeds during the blessed month Ramadan but couldn't due to being preoccupied with other brief trials and struggles etc.
In this temporary dunya, we're always given by Allah the Almighty so many options to select from and every selection has its own consequences that lead to other outcomes which we can't always prevent or control. This is why it's very important to constantly seek Allah's Guidance throughout our lifetime and to continue praying Tahajjud Qiyaam Al-Layl even if it's no longer the noble month Ramadan.
Alhamdulillah that Allah the Most Wise allowed us to witness this year's Ramadan and Alhamdulillah for the awareness that our Creator Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is the Most Merciful and the Most Forgiving Whose Mercy is far greater than a mother's affection for her child.
So even if we may have committed a number of wrongs in the past and present, and even if we couldn't complete reading the entire Noble Qur'an this year like several Muslims have (with Tawfeeq from Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) or couldn't visit our relatives as often as we liked and could've, we choose to consistently pray for Allah's Forgiveness and Guidance to do more righteous actions which make us deserving of a peaceful entry to Jannatul Ferdaus.
From our countless flaws and shortcomings, we recall we're imperfect and we're prone to getting tired now and then or making mistakes because we're humans who always need Allah's Help to thrive and succeed
Inn-sha-Allah in both worlds. When Allah the All-Knowing guides us
Inn-sha-Allah we're inspired to keep learning more about the truth Islam and aspiring to improve ourselves for Allah's sake regardless of busy schedules, occasional setbacks and different connections with the souls whom Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala destines us to meet.
Reminding each other to have the intention to make up for one's missed obligatory fasts if one hasn't yet completed fasting all days in Ramadan 1446H and then to intend to fast the Sunnah fasting of 6 days in Shawwal.
Note: Eid Mubarak decorations in one of the attached photos - designed by sister Ayse, wife of Turkish chef at Turkish Kebab Restaurant, when we visited her cozy residence MashaAllah just recently. May Allah Al-Mujeeb (The One Who responds) reward her and all the other sisters in Islam who generously gave some thoughtful gifts and contributed to this afternoon's Eid get-together and gatherings and increase the barakah blessings in their lives and ours and keep us all resilient, contented and steadfast. Ameen.
