The last 10 days of Ramadan

We have now entered the last third of Ramadan and, according to Muslims, they are the most blessed days in the blessed month of Ramadan, the month the Qur?an was revealed.

It is believed that although the Prophet Muhammad was promised Paradise , he used to exert himself even more in worship during these last ten days, hoping to draw closer to Allah.

During the last third of Ramadan, one should read more Qur?an and remember Allah more often, even constantly.
The last ten days are also known for i`tikaf (spiritual retreat). The Prophet used to perform i`tikaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan, barely sleeping during that time. I`tikaf requires a total devotion to Allah; it is a sort of vacation with Him. The time is spent worshiping, performing extra salah (ritual Prayers), reading the Qur?an, making dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du`aa? (supplication). One should leave behind the cares of this world, and even eat and sleep in the mosque. Those who cannot perform i`tikaf for ten days should try to do it for a shorter time, if only for one night or a day or two.

As for me, I am still fasting and as expected spending more times with friends around Iftars. No, I havent converted, nor do I intend to. As I said before, my fasting is more about cultural and spiritual experience, not religious. It is strange, once again, how time just flew by and we are almost coming to an end. After a marvellous Iftar with Hanna and her family, today we had Iftar at Sheriff's place and all I can say is that I ate more in these 2 days than in all other Ramadan days (well.. almost). Thank you so much for your friendship and hospitality. Now, I cant wait for the "american iftar" prepared by Matt's parents this Wednesday, how cool is that? :)

On another "it is interesting to tell you about it" note, during these last 10 days of Ramadan, one of the nights will be Laylat Al-Qadr The Night of Power- it is the night when the gates of heaven are wide open and Allah listens to the lucky ones who encounter it. That night, allegedly, is better than a thousand months in your life and and worshiping on that one night is better than 84 years of our worship. If you spend it praying and meditating, asking for forgiveness, you might end up having all your past sins forgiven. I have to admit it sounds pretty interesting... getting all your sins forgiven in one night?!

Interestingly enough, you dont know exactly when it is, except that if falls on one of the odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan. Apparently, Muslims believe that the Lord has concealed the exact date of the Night of Power so they would worship Him fervently during the whole month of Ramadan. I guess it worked, because I do see much more people gathering around the mosque now... :)