Knock knock.
Who’s there?

You know who.

That annual visitor,
who comes around
to remind you of how strong you really are.

Who brings with him
an abundance of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Whose presence marks a period
of tremendously increased reward;
where each good deed counts many times over,
and every bad one brings more guilt than it would at other times of the year.

You think you’re weak,
and your actions
over the last 11 months
certainly attest to that perception.

Yet it’s nothing but an illusion –
a figment of your imagination –
which you’ve made real
by letting yourself go,
because you no longer had the motivation
to keep up the pace you set when this visitor was last here.

But now he’s back;
and you’re ready for him:
you’ve made your plans,
and you know he holds the key
to bringing you out of your helplessness.

With his presence,
you can bring forth the best of what’s inside,
and discard that which has poisoned you for so long.

It’s time to reset yourself:
to admit your failures,
and move on to a new chapter;
a training period which –
you hope –
will see you emerge
stronger,
better,
more able to cope,
with the barrage of temptations and traps
that await you in just 30 days’ time.

Make the most of this blessed time,
and strive now –
for this limited period –
because although this visitor will be back next year,
you never know if you’ll be around to see him again.

Ramadaan mubarak to you all, and your families. May this month be the greatest of your life, and the one which will set you forth on a an unshakeable path to Allah’s Pleasure – the ultimate success in this life and the next.