Winter Sonata

One of the greatest moments being in the UK is experiencing winter. It comes after autumn, somewhere between November until the middle of March. I still remember a few days before our very first winter break last year, my lecturer Samia told me once that we have to be mentally prepared. It seemed that during winter we gonna experience some kind of depression, obviously due to the lack of light. This phenomenon is known as Winter Blues. I was not being bothered by her advice, thinking that It should be exciting. Never had I seen winter out of screen before, so I waited for the snow to fall with a great degree of anxiety. With the power of The Almighty, unexpectedly I saw the falling ice crystals that we call as snow in Southampton. Subhanallah..

Happy faces getting free 'ais kepal' from the air..!!
Location: Right in front of WestQuay, Southampton

OK, back to the Winter Blues again. The usual symptoms are lack of mood, draining, being sad, and lose of energy. It’s not surprising, though because we become like a hedgehog or squirrel- hibernating. Who dares going out anyway and for what reason? Even the shops close as early as 4 pm, pretty much like a no-win situation for me. I have no other choice except for stay indoors and eat! Frankly, the displeasure is only for the weather but not for the food. Even the boring food such as a bowl of muesli with black raisins can whet my appetite. I could sense that I easily become hungry even after eating off a main course. Is it related to Winter Blues too?hurmm.. 

Whatever it is, one interesting fact about winter is that Muslims would never be affected by Winter Blues if we try to see from the perspective of ibadah. The solid reason is because the night time is longer, more than 8 hours after Isya', which can be benefited for performing night prayers without insufficient amount of sleep time.

As Iman al-Hasan al-Basri said: “The best season to a believer is the winter, its nights are long for those who wish to pray, and its days are short for those who wish to fast.” Apparently, winter is actually spring time for the believers. There is no such thing as slowing down spiritual activities just because of the conditions around us. It would be better if we do it as a good habit and keep it going after winter season al well. Thinking of this making me realise how my winter time has been wasted with unnecessary rest. Wake up! Wake up! 

Fasting is also a lot less challenging due to the short days. It's a good way to combat laziness and maintain your waist width too. Breaking fast at 4 pm makes iftar just like a delayed lunch. It would be better if we can do what is favoured by Allah which is the prophet Dawud's (pbuh)style of fasting that is fasting one day and eating one day.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that 

Allah removes the Hell Fire seventy years further away from his face"

Last but not least, winter should be the booster of our faith as we can ponder over His wonderful incomparable creation. In the midst of the cold, I could see heavy blanket of snow covering all over the area, with icicles like crystals hanging from the trees and the above sky is totally grey. All of these are absolutely a reflection of the oneness and divinity of Allah

Allah says in the Quran:

”Verily in the heavens and the earth are signs for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves, and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are signs for those of assured faith. And in the alternation of night and day, and that fact that Allah sends down sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds, are signs for those who are wise”45: 3-5

"O Allah! Wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail and make us of those who receive barakah from You"