RAMADAN: Tips on how to utilize the holy month without burnout
Hello Reader,
It’s been a minute! Ramadan Mubarak to you and your family, and I pray you and i are amongst those that will reap the benefits of this holy month, Ameen.
To be honest, I have been lazy to write for a while now because I thought I was going through a lot. Apparently, after a conversation I had with my elder sister I realized that was not the case. She gave me many reasons to realize that I am in-fact lucky; I have a shelter, food to eat, means of transportation, good health, I am with my family unlike other orphans that are separated, and I receive love from above & beyond. I was just overwhelmed by my desperate need to get a job which is totally the will of Allah. This made me think about this present generation and how we’re obsessed with feeling like we are going through a lot. In any slight case of discomfort, brokeness, stress, heartbreak or misunderstanding, we tend to scream we are going through a lot, thereby increasing the stress, anxiety and overthinking in us. Quick assessment? Count your blessings and be grateful.
Nonetheless, that is not what I’m here to discuss, because I could go on and on about contentment and gratitude. I want to give a few tips on how to utilize Ramadan without burning out.
1. Salat: Asides the five obligatory prayers that we must offer diligently and at the right time, there are other voluntary prayers that will be beneficial to you in this month. Raka’atanul fajr which is two raka’ats at fajr, just before the start of fajr prayer. The Salatul Duha nafl prayer which is offered after sunrise, ranging from 2 raka’ats. The Taraweeh prayer which is 11 to 13 raka’ats preferably in congregation, and the Tahajjud prayer which you can pray at the third part of the night till fajr. These prayers are immensely rewarding and you should try and get used to it so that it becomes a habit for you after Ramadan for the rest of your life insha Allah.
2. Avoid Riya: Riya in islam means showing off. Avoid doing any act of ibadah for the sake of getting praised by others. If possible, find a sacred place, far from people for your ibadah so that you don’t mistakenly commit riya.
3. Dhikr: There are adhkars that are simple in the tongue but weigh huge on the scale. We should all get used to adhkars in whatever we are doing, when cooking, when on queue, when driving, etc. You could decide to choose one each day and recite as many times as possible with sincerity. Some of these adhkars include;
· Subhanalllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar
· La haula wala quwwata Illa billah
· Hasbunallahu wa ni’imal wakeel
· Laa ilaha ilallah, wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamd, wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadeer
· Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanallahil azeem
· Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wa zinata arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi
· Salatun nabiyy, e.t.c.
4. Recite Qur’an daily: This should be a natural instinct for you in this holy month. Recite the holy Quran as much as you can. However, do not overwhelm yourself as it is not a competition. Move at your own pace. It is not compulsory to finish the Qur’an, just read as much as you can with sincerity and beware of riya. You can also learn Qur’an daily and try memorizing some parts. Especially the last 2 verses of suratul baqara, the first and last ten verses of suratul kahf and suratul mulk. Again, do as much as you can, move at your own pace and beware of riya.
5. Read Hadiths: The process of learning new things every day is so beautiful. There are so many hadiths such that you wouldn’t know where to start from. You can start by getting the Sahih Al-bukhari from volume one, either hard copy or by downloading it free off the internet. Read, comprehend, share and try to apply what you learn in your daily life.
6. Read Tafsir: Knowing how to recite the Qur’an is not enough, you should try to know the meanings, circumstances that led to the revelation of those verses, and commentary from notable scholars. This leads me to introduce you to this app I’m currently loving, Al-Qur’an (Tafsir & by word). Download it and read as much as you can. You can do 10 or 15 mins per day, you would like it.
7. Give Charity: Give out as much as you can, ranging from food to money, smile, kind words, advice, correction and knowledge.
8. Call Loved ones: Time to time, make it a habit of calling friends and relatives to check how well they are doing, make them smile & laugh and leave them in a good mood.
9. Consistent and sincere Du’a: Make Du’a for family and friends, acquaintances, your country, the muslim ummah and yourself. The best time to make du’a in this holy month is during tahajjud, and the hour before breaking your fast. You can also make du’as during sujud at the last raka’ah of witr or taraweeh prayer, during rainfall, and the hours between asr to magrib on Friday. Etc.
I saw on twitter last week that Allah doesn’t refuse to accept your Du’a (prayer), for truly the fact that he guided you to make a supplication to him means that he would choose the best way to accept your du’a. Remember that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accepts du’as in three ways:
You should know that Allah always wants beneficial for you, and will give you whatever He, Al-Hakeem sees will be in your best interest.
The second thing we must understand is that Allah does not just answer your Du’a with what you asked for, Allah answers your du’a with what you want, but far more importantly what you need which may come after some delay.
If you make Du’a for something which is bad for you and you don’t know it, then Allah will withhold it from you and Allah will give you that which is good for you.
Hence, if you make du’a for something and it’s not coming to you immediately then be patient, don’t allow shaitan to make you believe that Allah will not answer your du’as. If you begin to have negative thoughts and expectations of Allah, Allah will give you what you expect.
Sometimes we begin to have a negative spiral of thoughts such as ‘maybe you are not good enough’, and so you begin to have bad thoughts about Allah, that ‘Allah isn’t answering your du’a, he answers everyone else’s du’a and all your friends are progressing effortlessly, why doesn’t he answer yours’. These thoughts are common with so many of us. If you have this, you’re not alone.
However, it’s important to recognize this problem and stop yourself. You will always get what you expect in life and death. So have good expectations, especially good expectations of Allah.
May Allah make this Ramadan beneficial for each one of us, and may we build beautiful consistent habits for the rest of our lives, Ameen. Ma’assalam.
A preacher of love as always,
Benazir.
