The last ten days of Ramadan. The final ten nights are when you give it your all. You give more of yourself than you have in the weeks before. You’re almost at the end, but you’re not there yet.

In Islam, these are the most sacred nights of the year. The barakah (blessings) are there for us to seek.

The purpose of Ramadan is to learn self-discipline, to build our taqwa, and to gain as many rewards and blessings as we can. We seek forgiveness for our sins. And through this process, we build a stronger connection with Allah. Spiritually, we recharge and renew ourselves.

But during these final ten nights, our goal is to worship Allah like we never have before, hoping to witness Laylatul Qadr and to be forgiven for all our sins.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.”

[Qur’an 97:3–5]

Imagine that if you prayed during that night, it would be as though you had spent a thousand months in prayer.

Imagine that if you read the Qur’an that night, it would be as though you had spent a thousand months doing nothing but reading the Qur’an.

Imagine that if you asked for forgiveness that night, it would be as though you had spent a thousand months asking Allah for forgiveness.

Imagine doing all of that in just one night.

This is THE night.

The night of immense value. The night in which you can seek forgiveness for all your sins, big or small. The night in which you can surrender your heart to Allah and ask, plead, and pray for everything your heart desires.

We don’t know exactly which night Laylatul Qadr will fall on, but we know that it is within the final ten nights of Ramadan.

Even writing this blog motivates me to give these final ten nights everything I can.

As a working mother of two kids, I haven’t been able to double my ibadah (worship), and that’s okay. Taking care of my family is also my ibadah. I know that Allah sees every struggle.

Not everyone is able to worship at the same level because we all have other responsibilities and commitments.

Life doesn’t stop during Ramadan. Work. Family. Grief. Health struggles. None of these things suddenly disappear when Ramadan begins. Knowing that, I can’t help but wonder: what about me? What about my spiritual health? What about my connection with Allah? Isn’t that what Ramadan is about? Finding yourself again and reconnecting with Allah.

I can’t make my daily responsibilities disappear. I end my days completely exhausted, but I still feel the need and the desire to make an extra effort to worship as much as I can during these final ten nights.

What are a few nights out of the entire year if it means strengthening my relationship with Allah, renewing my spirituality, and perhaps receiving forgiveness for my sins?

How can I continue through the rest of the year if I have nothing to spiritually recharge me?

I need this.

And I believe we all do.

We all need to be forgiven. We all need Allah’s mercy. We need understanding for everything we are going through, but we also shouldn’t forget how much effort it has taken to get to this point. Let’s put Allah at the centre of our lives again.

Ten days out of an entire year. We can do this.

I know that life doesn’t stop. Mine doesn’t either. It’s difficult, I know. But try to do a little more than what you’re already doing. If you haven’t been praying during the night, start with a few rakʿahs. If you haven’t read any Qur’an yet, read a few pages at night. If you’re able to give it your all, that’s beautiful. And if you can’t, simply try to do something.

Every effort matters.

May Allah heal our hearts and accept all of our duas.

Ameen.

With love,