That was the Eid that was - whenever that was

Subhan-Allah. May Allah grant this experience of Itikaaf to all those lovely brothers and sisters out there. I think, it was the opportunity to make as much du'a as possible at all the right times that did it for me. The beginnings were a but rough, but come the 25th night (after the guys finally decided that 14 kids staying with us was perhaps a bit distracting from the main purpose
of being there) i think we as the group of itikaaf people finally were in tune with our objective. Suddenly people mellowed who were finding the routine challenging. I actually believe that the 25th was perhaps the night. And many agree. Though i can't reconcile it with the opinion that it is the same night every year. How can the night of revelation of the Qur'an change? I think scholars differ.

[This is an after-thought/correction inserted after the blog was originally published: The way it is reconciled is that the Night of Decree exists independent and prior to the revelation of the Qur'an. As the verses of Surat-ud-Dukhaan read: Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter - [44:4]. And so it can vary every year]

Anyway, Eid was a bit of a funny one this year. Had to leave the Mosque while they were still praying Taraweeh! But they were such nice people and i think they had to do that as it was the right thing.

The majority were doing it on Sunday. Though this whole formula of considering international moon-sightings only when there is a possibility of local moon-sighting was the strangest thing i ever heard. [Another afterthought: though people on the international dateline would need some sort of mechanism to ensure they don't have to wait till the last hours of the first day of fasting to find out if its Ramadan or not in Saudi.]

I think many of the Jama'ah voted with their feet though. O Allah! Forgive us our sins and be easy in our affair and purge us of our enimities and jealousies... indeed Your Affair is to reach its stated conclusion... include us in the victorious and do not us try us on account of the Sufahaa (foolish) amongst us. You are the best of the Forgivers.

I came out to witness what we are being led to believe were the closing scenes of Fallujah. Ahhhhhhh. One remembers the ayah: "Until even the messengers despaired and they
thought that they had definitely been belied, then came to them Our Victory and so delivered are whom We Wish, and Our Punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are criminals/ disobedients to Allâh". (12:110)

Why do these people not accept the Creator of the respiratory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the One who decides you will have milk teeth and then you will have permanent teeth, the One who has subjected gravity in favour of man, the Positioner of the stars, the Measurer of the orbits of the Sun and the moons and especially the moon of the Earth which allows man to calculate years and months IS ONE AND THE SAME as the Author, or the Speaker of the Qur'an?

Then will they not desist from their mischief and their running away from the reality of return to their Creator?

Life has deluded them and their fear is that they will not be able to cohabit freely (whatever the sex, or species!!); they fear that the disease of alcohol will be taken away from them; they perhaps subconsciously feel that people who are not as beautiful as them or as philosophically engaged (in confusion) or intellectually tuned (into confusion) as them cannot possibly be their guides. How often was denying the truth after knowing it and belittling the people a cause of grave straying? They said, "Should we believe two men like ourselves while their people are our slaves?" [23:47].

Will they not even fear The Great Ally & Helper of those men who lay down their lives seeking His Face; though when the filter of sincerity is applied they may well be the few among those many bodies? Allah will show them. And may Allah forgive us and keep us upon the straight path to Him.

"Say: Do you await for us (anything) except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory); while we await for you either that Allâh will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait... we too are waiting with you..." (9:52)