Ramadan 2012 – the Final Days

Getting that cold got me a bit behind on the work, so I had to start coming back in the evenings after Iftar just to get caught up. I'm going on vacation so had to get the outstanding stuff off my desk. Was annoying to have a few days that went: wake up, go to work, and go home and sleep, eat Iftar, go back to work.

With it being the last 10 days of Ramadan and many Muslims engaging in extra prayers in the evenings most of my Muslim friends really looked tired. One of them told me his sleep now consists of five naps that he manages to get in-between the various prayers, meals, etc. Another of my friends is now averaging 4 to 5 hours of sleep a day, stretched over 2 to 3 naps. Sounds exhausting.

So between work and most of my friends being busy with Laydat Al-Qadr prayers I haven't really been doing much this week. Thankfully my friend Murat and I both agreed to meet every evening after tarawih prayers to go for an hour-or-so walk on the Corniche for exercise. So far we’re up to 7 km a session. If I can keep the meals light I will probably lose a pound or so a week. Of course it's really hot out so by the time we finish walking we look like someone threw buckets of water on us. It'll get easier when the weather starts cooling down.

So reflecting on this Ramadan it was not as active as I planned. In the beginning I did stuff: saw the artillery shot, ate at a couple of ghabgas, saw the car display on the Corniche, iftars with friends, Garangao, but once the Olympics came on I got caught up with the Games and didn't go out as much. Getting that cold and having to put some extra hours in at work didn't help the final week.

Shame, I'm sure there was more I could have done for my 2012 Ramadan experience.

Anyway Eid approaches, and with it a vacation. I'll save the destination as a surprise for my next post.


------------------------------


The final Hadith of the Day


Abu Hurairah narrated that in Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the Satans are chained." (Sahih Muslim, The Book of Fasting)