麻豆约拍

Good morning. Ramadan has ended. Thirty days of abstaining from food and drink from before sunrise to sunset has drawn to a close. The month flew past. It seems but a moment ago I was nervously waiting for it to begin. And nervous I most certainly was. With 19 hour fasts on some of the hottest days - Ramadan is not for the faint of heart. Given the sleep deprivation that goes on as one struggles to eat in the middle of the night, partnered with what can feel like endless hours of hunger - it is a genuine test of endurance, and it goes on for THIRTY DAYS. It is this day-in day-out of fasting which is the real challenge.
One day of fasting is easy. Two or three days a small challenge, but still very manageable. Thirty days requires serious grit and determination.
Many will of course wonder why anyone would put themselves voluntarily through this. And this is the strangest thing of all, and perhaps the true miracle of Ramadan. Even though one is inviting hardship into one鈥檚 life, there is a sadness when it is gone. It is rather like many of life鈥檚 great challenges鈥攖hey often strengthen you, bring out the best in individuals, and cause communities to rally together. There is a sense of belonging within a moment of adversity, and this is surely one of the strongest bonds of all. There is a peace within the hardship, and this is perhaps one of the greatest forms of serenity. God promises in the Qur鈥檃n that 鈥渨ith hardship comes ease鈥� and Ramadan encapsulates that.
Our Lord-as you have promised, grant us ease with every hardship, and allow us to find peace in every test that you bestow on us. Ameen.