The Day of Arafah: not just a regular day

So, I was waiting to meet my colleague.  I was thinking of my to-do list, that at this point I am certain it is giving birth to other to-do lists.  I patiently waited in the quiet meeting area for them to arrive. Normal day, normal meeting.

My colleague is one of the more religious Qataris, although, no one nowadays quite knows what “religious” means anymore.    

Regardless, and simply put, religion matters to him.  God matters to him.  His faith matters.  Here’s the surprising part though - he never talks about his faith, nor does he preach it, nor does he carry any sanctimonious or self-righteous airs, nor does he sport a beard or short thobe.  He’s just a normal dude, that goes about his business, but still, somehow; people feel his faith.

He came to our meeting and sat down.  We talked about work, the regular going-ons of the week, next steps, etcetera.  

Then for the first time in almost 6 months, he discussed faith with me. I had shared a very Canadian belief - which is: people should do whatever they want… and no one should care. Or better yet, people should mind their own business.

Very gently, I was corrected on that point.  That Muslims should care.  Not for the sake of judging and criticizing but to try and be conscious in our affairs and remind those near us.  He then shared this:

The Messenger of Allah (sal-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam – peace be upon him) said, “If you did not commit sins, Allah would sweep you out of existence and replace you by another people who would commit sins, ask for Allah’s forgiveness and He would forgive them.” (reported by Muslim).

Essentially, we are creatures that are meant to make mistakes, to error, and to go backwards sometimes.  But that’s suppose to be part of the journey.  We were never built to be perfect.  

Seeking forgiveness is like acknowledging you’re a work-in-progress.  All of the time.  The action requires humility and introspection.

Seeking forgiveness to Muslims is an integral part of the Islamic journey.

The day of Arafah is on Sunday, and it’s a day where Muslims everywhere on the globe seek forgiveness.  It is recommended to fast on this day as it can remove the previous year's sins. 

As I was given a friendly reminder to refocus today and concentrate on what was important, I would hope to do the same for all of you.