Alhamdulillah!!! We are blessed to have enjoyed the most Holy of Months, Ramadan, in 2024. Yet this one was a month with so many tests and challenges daily beyond what we have endured in the past.
I wanted to share my thoughts with you so that you can gain some insight into my own feelings and thoughts that challenged me during this Holy Month of Ramadan.
والله أعلم"Each time I woke up we were greeted with the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters who endure so much more than we have imagined here in Australia. Each time I sat with my wife and children to prepare for our day ahead with sahoor as I watched my family eat in preparation for the day fasting my heart was heavy with the pain suffered by many of our brothers and sisters.
The images that were put before us at every step of our day served as a reminder of why we fast. As we worked through the heavy Australian summers I could only see the images of children embracing the coldest winter without warmth, Allahu Akbar. Still, then when I joined my family at the end of the day. We sat around our table I was reminded that breaking was never about feasting with family or friends it was about nurturing the wellbeing of your family, friends and ones self enough to see the next day. I can not be the only one who ate less knowing that every crumb on our table was more, so much more, than our blessed brothers and sisters had to enjoy who were reduced to foraging for wheat ears in the dirt.
Yet through it all, I saw strength... that I can only pray for, I saw deen in a child who cried for the loss of his whole family but knowing that Allah is Great and Allah knows best. Then I saw the father holding his children Martyred at such young ages and it was confronting as a father to experience. I saw a mother caressing her child's lifeless body all the while calling her name as only a mother can do... I questioned myself whether I would hold the same composure or stand tall with such strength and then I prayed to Allah for guidance.
I found myself talking openly to my children about the importance of understanding the loss experienced by others with every YouTube short, each Twitter statement and all news articles posted. To better arm them with the knowledge to be a part of the next generation to stand up against the evils around us. To never forget what history has shared with us and to not stand idly by while others banter ignorant comments or remarks. However, as each discussion grew I realised my children were teaching me so much more...this generation is aware of the world around them Online and how the older generations turn to twist or lie through the Social Media of this world to put a "spin" on the facts. They see through these lies and have access to so much more information and facts than my generation ever had.
Times have passed fleetingly.
In the 1940's news and facts were always delayed by days as everyone hung on every theatre news release.
In the 1970's news and facts were down to being several hours behind the truth
In the 1980's things started to pick up the newspapers were becoming a thing of the past as more information was available in News Portals
In 2023 every phone, every tablet was a live feed to our growing hunger for the truth. We were looking for a glimpse of something other than the pain suffered, something that would give us hope and light that the path travelled by our Brothers and Sisters and Children was worth it.....
So I share these thoughts with our members and friends, sharing with you that the same challenges you may have had through this most Holy Month were experienced by me and many others here. I took a deep breath at the end of Celebrating Eid with my family and friends but even then it was so much less than we had experienced in the past. Why? Simply, I wanted to do so much more for our brothers and sisters and the Children and have felt a sense of failing them in their time of need."
The team at Halal Food wanted to share our thoughts and prayers with everyone.
We wanted to give our prayers to all our brothers and sisters at this time who are enduring challenges. We know that Allah will only put a test before us that will push us but not break us as only Allah knows what we can endure. We pray that strength will be given to pass each test put before you no matter what it is that each test will be a step closer to Allah.
Alhamdulillah,2024, has seen our family continue to grow and we wanted to say thank you to our brothers and sisters who have worked tirelessly to assist in our role to support many overseas and locally within Australia. JazakAllah Khair to you all for everything done, no task is so small and proven that no task is too great. We are grateful that each task is embraced as a challenge and completed with a smile no matter how enduring it is. We look forward to sharing the next exciting path that falls before us
Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala isAl-‘Aleem
Ya Allah Ya Rabb we pray that each day is not wasted but rather seen as a gift to allow us to hear the little things that make a difference in our day.
Eid Mubarak to all for Eid 2024 from the team at www.halalfood.com.au
