Time for reflecting back on March and write about what I am grateful for.
I must admit it was hard to write about what I was grateful for this month. There was sickness in the house again, hubby is suffering from bad hay fever but that all paled into comparison after hearing about the terrorist attack and deaths in New Zealand. It left me questioning a lot and I wrote a post about how I was feeling unsupported by my non Muslim friends.
Then the month ended with a relative passing away and having to attend her funeral.
Reminder of death
Women in our culture generally do not attend the graveside but at this Aunt’s funeral we were able to watch the actual burial taking place from the building where the funeral prayer had been recited. I know this may sound slightly strange but a part of me was grateful to actually be able to see this.
I always hate going to funerals…not due to the grief that you see but due to the women. It seems like for a lot of them it is the perfect opportunity to get together and have a gossip. I remember recently at my dad’s friends funeral we were trying to listen to a speech the imam was doing as part of the funeral prayer over the radio, but the women were so loud in their gossiping we missed most of it until someone literally told them to shut up.
I think by not seeing the actual burial the women miss out. They do not see the place that we will all eventually end up in. They do not see the body being lifted into the grave, the prayers being said over the grave, the grave being closed and the men walking away. Leaving you alone to face your first night in the grave alone.
Because that is the reality. You will be alone.
This reminder of death and seeing the burial is what I needed. It made me come home and research the first night in the grave and helped increase my knowledge…and it has pushed me to want to be firmer in my faith and be a better person in sha Allah.
May Allah (swt) grant strength and sabr to the family and indeed to all who have lost loved ones. And may my Aunt be granted Jannah. Ameen.
What are you grateful for during the month of March. Let me know in the comments or why not join in with the blog hop?