"There is a gate of Paradise called Rayyan through which only those will enter on the Day of Judgment who are regular in observing the fast and no one else."
(Bokhari and Muslim)

Today is the first day of Ramadhan. Betapa terujanya untuk memeriahkannya in my own humble way. Suatu kisah menarik untuk dikongsi: In my neigbourhood, there is this one Indian lady whom my Ibu and her friends recently helped in converting into Islam. Yesterday she called Ibu asking about puasa Ramadhan: niat, masa, larangan dan suruhan. How her heart was opened to Islam is, Subhanallah, kuasa Allah Yang Maha Kuasa. She had an accident and was in comma for few months. Apabila terbukanya matanya, the first phrase she uttered was the Kalimah Syahadah, which shocked the nurse who attended her, as in record, she was a Hindu. She asked where she was at, as all the while, she believed she was in a mosque: iktikaf, solat, mengaji dan berzikir (when she was actually in comma in reality). Dipendekkan cerita, dia kemudiannya menjejaki Masjid committee, untuk memeluk Islam. Betapa untungnya dia dibantu Allah, diberi peluang, laksana being reborn. The thing is, she is currently staying with a non-Muslim friend whose husband recently died in a car accident: the friend blamed the fact that she converted as the cause of her husband’s death. Betapa sukarnya wanita ini ingin menjadi Muslim yang baik di dalam keadaan itu: lack proper guideline, lack Muslimah’s circle of support, tekanan dari sahabat, berada di dalam rumah yang tidak mengamalkan Islam; and yet, she is determined to be a good Muslim. MasyaAllah, kagumnya. I am going to leave you guys to get on with your puasa and amalan, but not before sharing this Doa Kumail which I encountered, a doa Imam 'Ali gave to one Kumail ibn Ziyad when he asked for a way to approach Allah:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

O Allah, I ask You by Your Mercy which embraces all things,
By Your strength, through which You dominate all things,
towards which all things are humble, and before which all things are lowly;
By Your Invincibility, through which You overwhelm all things;
By Your Might, which nothing can resist;
By Your Greatness, which has filled all things;
By Your Power, which towers over all things;
By Your Face, which subsists after annihilation of all things;
By Your Names, which have filled the foundations of all things;
By Your Knowledge, which encompasses all things; and
By the Light of Your Face, through which all things are illumined!

O Light! O All-Holy!
O First of the first and Last of the Last!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which tear apart safeguards!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which bring down adversities!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which alter blessings!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which hold back supplication!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which dash all hopes!
O Allah, forgive me the sins which bring about tribulation!
O Allah, forgive me every sin I have committed
and every mistake I have made!
O Allah, verily I seek nearness to You through remembrance of You,
I seek intercession from You with Yourself, and I ask You through Your Munificence, to bring me nearer to Your Mercy, to bless me with gratitude to You and to inspire me with Your remembrance.