What am I Impacting here? — Ramadan 2024 Reflection 2

As I continued my time in the masjid for Itikaf, one question that came back to mind a few times was what did I miss about the outside world while being here. Was it my family, the time I spent with time, or all the other things that came to mind? And with that thought, I realized I was looking at the situation in a different, and probably the wrong way. But the way to look at it was to ask what the world missed because I was not there.

What did my wife miss because I was not home? What did my family and parents miss? What did the world miss because I took a pause out of it? And the answer I got back was the world would not miss a whole lot. But again, you have to see this answer from a positive view. It means that I have now come to a realization that there are a lot of opportunities and chances I have when I get back into the world by the will of Allah to do something more to make people around me better because I was a part of their lives.

This is not in any way diminishing whatever little impact there is, but to see the opportunity and chance that lies therein with every next opportunity I get to be with my wife, family and friends. It is this reflection that makes me realize one of the values of Ramadan. In your withdrawal and seclusion from daily life, it helps you focus on what is important in that moment, and also helps you realize what you need to focus on when you get out. And the idea that I have to get out and do something comes from the end of Ramadan itself. If it was to always stay secluded, maybe Ramadan itself would not have ended.

And so, as the Ramadan reflection continues, I realize that the goal at the end is to keep the worship of Allah the main thing, in every situation. That has to be the first thing, and through that, also be impactful to everything around you. The few days off for Itikaf are like a temporary practice of how the world would be when we permanently live it. Our impact on the world would keep following us, we want to keep that. And also our actions when we were on earth would also follow us. So we need to keep that balance and keep pushing to be better.

And so I have learned the following quote through this reflection:

My most expensive words would be my angry words, and my most cheap words would be my kind words.

My most expensive words I would keep with him for all my life, and my most cheap words I would give away with every chance I get. And I hope this helps you the reader take this reflection into your life and make the most of it. We are how we serve Allah and how we impact the people around us. So, Impact with care.