Ramadan Reflection – Heaven’s Gates

The Prophet Abraham -p- says that your paradise is an empty field. It is up to you to plant what’s in it.

The gates of heaven are wide open. As we know, the first 10 days of Ramadan are a period of mercy. The second 10 days are a period of forgiveness. Now, through the rest of the month, the gates of paradise are wide open.

Of course we know that all periods are a period of mercy, and all periods are a period of forgiveness, and in all periods, we can reach out for the bounties of paradise.

So, what’s special about now?

Further, one of the worst calamities of the past year happened, not only in Ramadan, but in places called ISLAMabad and MOZAFFARabad. So….how does that work?

First, to deal with the issue of suffering and mercy, I humbly suggest that you first start with this blog: Click Here.

But, regarding the general situation: Fasting is between you and God. Nobody knows if you are fasting, save for you and God.

Ramadan, however, is between you, society, and God.

In those first 10 days, with the Devil chained up, there is nobody affecting you, save for you and society. Meaning, what’s in your mind is in your mind, helping you to connect to God.

Further, if you are fasting, you are deflating your personality down to its bare bones. Something similar happens when you are travelling for a while — you begin to discover your real self. The fluff that we may use to mask ourselves gets pulled away.

You’ll notice, also, that in this process, you may be able to think more clearly. You may not realize it, but it happens. The things which irritate you, irritate you more clearly. You begin to see your true self.

In the next ten days, now that you’ve been reduced to your true self, you are able to start the foundation of your relationship with God. It begins with this period of forgiveness. Wash all the bad out by (a) humbling yourself before God, (b) acknowledging your wrongs, and (c) seeking to clear them from your record.

Now, as you do that, you enter the next (and final) phase. You’re now beginning the next 11 months. Seek anything and everything from God.

And, when you pray for it, pray with the same conviction that you have when you pray for forgiveness. But, just as these requests for forgiveness required us to go through the 10-20 day struggle, so too — to make your prayers honest — must we go through struggles. In some ways, we reap what we sow.

Work toward your goal, and pray with the conviction that God is going to give you exactly what your heart seeks — to your satisfaction.

May God bless you.