Wow! It's actually the last sunday of ramadan. Next sunday is Eid. Not sure if I'm thinking more about the prayer service or what I'll eat for lunch. :)
Taqwa. I have been thinking about that quite a bit this past week. It's something I have had on my mind during this ramadan. I wanted my experience this month to be more than just fasting, even though fasting is quite an accomplishment since I have never given myself completely to it. But in my class for new muslims, we were taught that taqwa is happiness that means between hope and fear.
I can get the hope part. I have lots of hopes for my spirituality. That I can be closer to Allah. That I can remember Him more often than I do now.
Fear I didnt understand at first. Christians and muslims both talk about being God-fearing. I guess
I never really understood that. I feel that Allah loves humans very much. I dont know, maybe it's the
whole thing about going to hell. But I heard another definition of fear regarding Allah. Not that you fear some great punishment but that if you were standing before Allah, you would be awestruck.
Just how magnificent Allah is. I can get that.
For me, the fear part is more like an overwhelming feeling. I had the feeling after salat this afternoon. Like I could not say thank you enough to Allah for all the blessings that I have.
Just the fact that I'm alive, the human body has to have so many things operate correctly
just to stay living.
Peace and blessings to all
I think the result of Taqwa is more important than the literal meaning. People define fear of Allah in different ways, but the important thing is that whatever it means, it inspires us to be grateful, to do good deeds, and to basically have faith in God. I think it's a lifelong journey to maintain this.
ReplyDeleteI think you're probably looking forward to both the prayers and the food on Eid. ;-)