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Awaiting an augustly September

August is still here. Yet another three days. It is my least favourite time of the year. The world only just re-discovering its verdant self, reborn after a cruel winter finds itself pummelled by a merciless wind. Great gasps of moving air find the earth docile, whipping it up, demanding that it move with it, leaving a gritty footprint everywhere I look. I’m left feeling antagonised, disconcerted, unsettled. August, contrary to its Latin etymology, nothing noble, venerable or majestic about it.

 

I used to be the kind of person who, no matter how busy, no matter deadlines looming, no matter a house full of guests, no matter the books burying me within their loving covers, no matter the place, I would take the time to say ‘Hi’ or ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘Me misses you’ or ‘Here’s the recipe you asked for’ or ‘Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy’ or ‘I’m doing great thanks how are you..’ I was derisive of people who claimed not to have the time to call back or reply to a message. Surely there were two minutes free in a day of twenty four hours for one to make that call or thumb out a message of less than 140 characters. Of course there is. But lately I find myself paddling the very excuses, previously the object of my derision. I’m just so busy. I don’t have the time. It’s as I though I’ve suddenly developed a shield against everything I mean to do. I appear to have landed myself a distorted hierarchy of priorities. I haven’t congratulated a school mate on the birth of her baby boy even though her number has been decorating my desk these past three weeks. At this rate it’ll be quite an achievement to congratulate her before her next child is born. I haven’t been to wish a former colleague luck at her new post. Another friend and I have been meaning to do lunch since January this year. There’s no time. We are too busy. And yet I’m not.

 

Just another three days and then it’s September. A French mate always ridicules the South African habit of celebrating Spring on the first of September each year. In France it’s celebrated on March 20 so a French kind of know-how would rather we celebrate our southern hemispheric Spring on September 20. Bleh! Just another three days and then it’s Spring. Just another three days and it’s Ramadan.

 

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‘When my heart was hardened and my courses constrained, I made my hope a stairway to Your forgiveness, my sin burdened me heavily, but when I measured it by Your forgiveness, Lord, Your forgiveness was greater.’ Al Shafii

 

 

15 replies on “Awaiting an augustly September”

>:)) I didn’t take the picture, my brother took it on a recent trip to saudia, in khaibar methinks. (And he was quite miffed that his picture didn’t garner any comment heretofore)It really is a great picture, like you, the mat at the angle is a favourite, just the artlessness of it all, yet the art…

>Nice words by Imam Al Shafi..

I love the peaceful photograph. The prayer mats, different colours.. the three men in the shade, the shade line and my absolute favourite touch: the prayer mat at an angle.

Did you take it? Where is this?

>ren, you are right, in ramadan there seems to be so much of time subhanallah!

tazeen, and to you too!

crimson, I worry that it may be as Samuel Butler said, ‘Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it.’ please, please let consciense be socialised so that it never stops talking to any of us. 🙂

>it makes me glad to see there are a few who still contemplate this. its important in todays degenerating world. what would become of us when we lose it altogether.
so good on you!
and love the al shafii quote:
most powerful 🙂

>I’ve always had a personal feud with Time. There never seemed to be enough time for anything. I should be the last person to say this, but sometimes we have to take some time out to stay in touch with the people who matter the most to us. And what better way to do it than in ramadan.
Ramadan kareem ^_^

>waseem, I agree. As we grow older, our priorities change, what worries me is that I’ve become too self-centred. I love these words from Mark Twain: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”

global, kel aam w inti b5air!

nooj, secret secret *not telling* lol kidding. I read the new edition of munaajate maqbool with an into, translation and commentry by khalid baig. drop me your address and i’ll send you a copy. The dua i posted on your site I found on a website somewhere (I’m not sure where) that had all sheikh al ghamdi’s duas of last ramadan.

I too, have taken to calling instead of sms. certainly another sign hehe

To everybody,Ramadan Kareem.
May we live this month within the shade of the mercy of Rabbena, may He make easy for us all that we undertake, save us from difficulty, forgive us our sins and grant us respite from the Fire. Amin!

>workinprogress, indeed! there are two plusses, have car can drive and have self-funded debit card can swipe ;p

8bitsofcoffee,perhaps i should send over my to do list and you can make a few calls and send a few messages on my behalf ;p
Allah ysilimak yakhti. am humbled.

aasia, bienvenue, glad you enjoyed the quotation 🙂

oops I’ve gotta run will get to the rest of you a plus tard (later)

>i love your du’as, where do you find them? very bonfire effectish

like aasia, i like september. it feels like the thawing out of frozen cobwebs to be dusted and blinked. the air smells really good and when dawn approaches i sort of smile instead of burrowing my face into my blanket. i have become a terrible replier of sms’s lately. it seems so much easer to phone. yet another sign…:P

>As we grow older I think sometimes stuff we thought we would never do, we find ourselves doing. Like now Im reading the news! I dont like the news cos its too depressing, but for some reason feel like I need to be informed now.

>And Ramadaan Kareem to you love, thats a lovely saying to end off with, Im going to copy that last bit and print it for my desk as a reminder

>It seems like time has shrunk. Never on a constant state, either too much time (as it is the case now for me) or not enough of it to pick the phone and take 2 minutes to pay regards to someone.
I hope you get around to calling your school mate before she has another one!
I truly love your way with words msh’Allah 🙂 Reading your posts seem to make me smarter 😀 Sorry it’s not evident at the moment, but it’s true!

>That’s exactly how I feel. I used to be that same person who always had time to do people favours, call friends and catch up on what’s going in their worlds. And now I literally can’t find enough hours in the day to get through the work piling up on me, let alone make time to study and read the books that are collecting dust on my bedside. I can’t remember that last time I really watched TV. Maybe I need a holiday. Hmmm after exams. I guess priorities change as you grow and evolve and enter the big, bad working world. On the plus side we get paid!

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