Let me tell you the story of one of the brothers and his experience in Ramadan last year. He talks about how Ramadan affected him and how it was the best moments in his life.
He says: "The beginning was six months before Ramadan. I have just started my way to Allah Al Mighty last year. I graduated from college and I was waiting badly for Ramadan because it was the first Ramadan after Allah's guidance. Luckily, I had plenty of time especially after my graduation. My father was consistently praying but at home, not the mosque. He rarely went to pray at the Masjid. My mother too used to pray consistently but unfortunately they both didn't pray Fajr on time.
When Allah blessed me with guidance and I repented, I started to pray Fajr on time and they started to wake up and pray with me". He says: "How perfect is Allah, without any preparations they started to commit without I even ask them so. I used to read the Quran in my bedroom closing the door on me. Then I found them doing the same together in the living room.
One day, Ramadan came and my life story started all over again. I was waiting for this month. My friends told me I was ignorant of this month. They told me I was ignorant of the taste of faith in Ramadan. What does the taste of it mean? I never felt the meaning of these words before.
The first night of Ramadan was when I was visiting one of my aunts where on my way back I heard some of the Mosques starting to pray Tarawih. I felt that I wanted to cry. One of my friends told me how the feeling of submissiveness in Tarawih prayers is different".
He says: "I went straight to the mosque and when I entered, I felt that the Imam has a distinctive beautiful voice as if it was the first time I enter the Masjid. I didn't even realize when I started the prayer and when I finished and when I left.
I could swear that I was in a different life, a life I didn't realize until this night. It was a weird feeling by all measures. I have never cried like this before. For the first time I know Allah this way. In this night only, I realized the meaning of the word Ramadan.
I realized the meaning of getting close to Allah Al Mighty. From that moment, my life began to change. Ramadan was for me like a dream I never dreamt of.
I swear by Allah that I have never ever felt this way in my life. I organized and divided my time to wake up before noon prayer. I went early to a distant Masjid to pray and of course never missed the IHRAM TAKBEERA. I lengthened my prayer in Sunnah because I loved to pray in Ramadan.
I dedicated a Masjid for each prayer. I read some of the Qur'an after the noon prayer then I read a book about Islam to review one of the meanings. I used to pray Asr at Hadi Masjid and I did the same by reading Qur'an and a book after I prayed.
I prayed Maghreb in a close Masjid to go home fast and break my fasting. After breaking my fasting, my mom and I used to listen to one of the lectures. I used to pray Isha'a and Tarawih in a further Masjid where no one knew me. I used to pray after the Imam who read a whole part of the Qur'an and I didn't want to finish praying.
I felt that I was swimming in a dream. I cried submitting to Allah. When the Imam was reading the Qur'an, I felt that his reading was going through my blood. A life that is full if serenity. The Death Angel was behind me and Allah before me and I felt that the prophet peace be upon him was watching me.
I used to watch one of the religion lessons on my computer after finishing the Tarawih prayer with my parents. Then I read Qur'an and I sleep. I used to wake up two hours earlier before Fajr time. I prayed and invocated Allah at the last third of the night then I ate my Suhur.
Twenty minutes before Fajr, I used to sit on my bed, turn off all the light and ask Allah forgiveness. I felt the pleasure as if I am being thrown in a warm chest "And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins (i.e. John) and he was righteous". Maryam, 13.
My brothers, this is the beauty of faith. This is the meaning that we need to feel in Ramadan this year. He says: "I used to go to a far away Masjid to pray Fajr; I sat until sunrise to anticipate it as Hajj and Ummrah.
I used to learn Qur'an recitation with the Masjid's Sheikh. When I went home, I read some of the Qur'an explanation then I slept and the day starts again.
He says: "One day, something weird happened. The first day of Ramadan, I broke my fasting and took some dates and asked my parents to allow me to go to Maghreb prayer at the Masjid because I wanted to pray it in congregation. I felt that they were sad but still went ahead and prayed the Maghreb. I ate by myself when I came back. I did the same in the next day but I was surprised to see my father praying next to me. We went back home and found my mom preparing the dining table."
She prayed Maghreb and prepared the table. Look at the happy family. He didn't do anything. It is like this: once the believer becomes righteous, all his affairs will be right and when the slaves corrects the relation between Them and Allah Al Mighty, Allah will correct their relation with the others. He says: "And because of that Ramadan last year was the best Ramadan in my life".