How to Prepare for Ramadan
Ramadan - a month that Muslims around the globe look forward to each and every year. For those of us who get to cross paths with Ramadan once again, we should be truly grateful. This means that we have been blessed with another year to live, another year to worship, another year to do good, and another year to repent! Before the start of Ramadan, it is important that we reflect on the month of blessings that is to come and determine how we can make the greatest use of it!
Before Ramadan begins, do your research! What is Ramadan? Why is it important? What does it entail? It's vital that you seek answers to these questions and truly understand the importance of Ramadan. This way, you can ensure that you do everything that you are required to do, and refrain from anything that you are discouraged/prohibited from doing throughout the month. By reading articles or books, and listening to videos or podcasts, you can ensure that you have the correct mindset and intentions before the start of Ramadan.
2. Make a Plan
For those of you who like routine in order to get in the habit of doing things, creating a plan is essential. Your plan could look something like this:
3 am - Wake Up, Read Nafl, and Have Sehri
4 am - Pray Fajr & Read Qur'an
5 am - Sleep
7 am - Wake Up for Work
1:30 pm - Lunch Break: Pray & Read Qur'an
6 pm - Reach Home, Pray, Read Qur'an
7 pm - Rest
8 pm - Prepare Food for Iftari
9 pm - Open Fast, Maghrib Prayer
9:15 pm - Eat, Clean, Prepare for Tomorrow
9:45 pm - Go for Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque, Pray Ishaa
10:00 pm - Read Qur'an, Sleep
In order for a plan like this to be fruitful, you must keep it at the forefront of your mind at all times. If you don't intend to wake up for Sehri or go to Taraweeh prayers, it is likely that you will not! Our minds and bodies need to follow a schedule to successfully get things done. And the first step in getting things done is setting intentions!
3. Set Goals
With "Making a Plan' comes 'Setting Goals'. Some goals consist of:
- Finish Holy Qur'an x1
- Read 5 Islamic Books
- Keep All Possible Fasts
- Read Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque
When you set these goals, incorporate them into your daily schedule to ensure that you achieve them! If you plan on finishing the entire Holy Qur'an, you cannot do so unless you have daily short-term goals as well. This could mean finishing 1 Part of the Holy Qur'an per day! But how can you ensure that you finish 1 Part per day? Well, you can read 4 pages after each of the 5 Prayers. By setting goals that are achievable but also push you to your limits, you can ensure that you benefit from this blessed month! If you know that it will not be possible for you to read 100% Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque, set a goal that is realistic, but also an improvement from last Ramadan. Perhaps reading 5 Taraweeh Prayers out of 7 in a week? Whatever your goals may be, make sure they work for YOU!
4. Prepare Spiritually
We all know that Ramadan is a month of fasting, praying, reading the Holy Qur'an and increasing our knowledge, but it is important to you begin these good deeds early! You cannot expect to easily fall into the habit of waking up early, or praying all of your prayers on time, if you are not already in the habit of doing so. Get your body in the habit of doing these things now, so that when Ramadan begins your body is not in the adjusting phase, rather already in the routine phase.
5. Rid Yourself of Bad Habits
During Ramadan we must distance ourselves from bad habits such as, lying, using foul language, wasting time on movies, listening to explicit music, etc. Although Muslims should try to avoid such habits in their daily lives, it becomes even more important to do so during Ramadan. As stated above, try to get in the habit of distancing yourself from these poor habits now, so that it only becomes easier during Ramadan.
6. Stack Pantry Items
If you can, stack your pantry with items that won't go bad. This way, you won't have to go out in the heat, while fasting, to grab your groceries. Instead, you will have many pantry items, which can make your trip to the grocery store much shorter!
7. Meal Prep
Before Ramadan begins, cook staple foods and freeze them for days when you have little time or energy to cook a huge meal for either Sehri or Iftari! Freezing certain foods early will definitely help you throughout the month!
I hope that these tips are helpful for you as you prepare for Ramadan. May this Ramadan be a blessed experience for all of us, and may we extract all of the blessings that this month brings with it. May we be better Muslims by the end of this month than we are at the start, Ameen!
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