The end of Ramadhan and The Unrelenting Haze

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The current haze seem to have this lingering attitude and it's not showing any signs of relenting at all. In fact, it is probably the worst so far in this coastal town of ours. Everyday, for the past couple of weeks, the poor atmosphere is being shrouded with thick, dense and smokey blanket of air that is wrecking havoc to our ecological system. Visual span is so limited that I can't make out the sea horizon near my house. The sea and sky seemed to have merged together and adopted the same hue of greyish white. Eventhough, the poor air quality doesn't physically cause you to immediately suffocate, psychologically you are being overwhelmed with great anxiety that's enough to throw you to the brink of emotional suffocation! And the list of medical conditions generated from contact with the particle-laden air is endless: Asthma, Bronchitis, Skin Allergy, Eye Allergy etc.

It is said that during the night of Power (lalat ul qadr) , Gibrael a.s. and endless numbers of angels will descend down on earth. The night is said to be barmy and peaceful. And the next morning the sun appears white and without rays (beamless). Well, with the thick haze blocking our visual field, this might prove to be a bit difficult.

Tonight is the night of 27th Ramadhan, one of the probable night of Power (laylat ul qadr). May Allah swt give us the strength to be more vigilant in our night prayers during the last days of this Ramadhan. To quote Nusayba's (23) dad : "Cry if you can. Force to cry if you must" . Yes, the night prayer is the perfect time to communicate with Allah swt. In the quietness of the night, one hopes to attain khusyuk and deep self-reproach.

Last night I thought the sky was clearer and the stars were visible. And this morning, the sun was starting to creep through in between the slowly dispersing haze, raising my hopes of seeing the clear blue sky with its fluffy white clouds once again. Alhamdulillah, this afternoon, I am already able to discern the sky horizon above the sea and also beginning to see the outline of clouds in the sky. I hope it is not too much if I make a symbolic comparison or anecdote of the haze and our sins. That the haze symbolizes our sins. And that the receding haze denotes how Ramadhan has washed away our sins through our multiple ibadah of fasting, night prayers, etc, as we approach its end. Insyallah!

I recieved Has's email linking to Datuk Haron Din's Tazkirah here. One of the salient point :
Sampaikah kita kepada apa yang nabi sebut kepada isteri-isterinya dan kepada sahabat-sahabatnya iaitu “Faya ‘ajaban liman adraka ramada na fala yukh farulah”, iaitu maksudnya “Alangkah hairannya (ajaibnya) bagi orang yang telah sampai umurnya kepada menjelang Ramadan, apabila habis Ramadan hairan kalau dia tidak mengambil kesempatan untuk Allah mengampunkan semua dosa-dosanya”.

Many will embark on the balik kampung exodus including yours truly. To Pycnogenol and Bea, and everyone else, drive safely and may we fill Syawal with lots of Takbir and Tahmid. Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir Dan Batin!