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9 Tips To Help You Prepare For Ramadan
Ramadan, a month beloved by every Muslim in the world, is also the month Muslim s look forward to the most. It is a high time for Muslim s and is celebrated with zest and fervor. The purpose of Ramadan is to become a better Muslim and a better human being. It is the time when Muslim s pray, worship, and share their food and love with the rest of the community.
There are 29 or 30 days in the sacred month. Muslim s are required to abstain from food, drink, and lawful sexual intercourse during the duration of the fast. Muslim s start their fast with sehri and break their fast at the iftar time. The ideal way to break the fast is to eat a date. This is also in line with the prophet's sunnah.
The essence of Ramadan is not only to remain hungry. Instead, it is to teach Muslim s patience, kindness, and responsibility towards their fellow beings. All in all, fasting in the month is mandatory for Muslim s and they do it with love and passion.
Needless to say, you will not see a single Muslim not smile at the announcement of it.
Preparation for Ramadan- Why is it Important?
Old habits die hard! This is why you should prepare for Ramadan beforehand. If you want to make the most out of your experience, you should prepare well before Ramadan. This includes making schedules, learning about Ramadan, and following an exercise regime.
Learn about Ramadan:
Every Muslim, child or adult, claims to know a great deal about Ramadan. But there is often little truth to this claim. Muslim s are told stories regarding Ramadan when they are growing old. It is part and parcel of every culture. However, as adults, they tend to forget the essence of this beautiful month. Their activities are derived from habit rather than a love for the month.
It is hence incumbent upon every Muslim to get acquainted with both the concept and logic of Ramadan. It is important to understand that Ramadan is a blessed month, one in which Allah grants wishes and prayers. Moreover, as Muslim s, we also need to understand the do's and don't of the month so we don't transgress.
Make Quran Reading an Aim:
Following a schedule can come in handy for people who aren't very firm in their intentions. Quran is an integral part of Muslim 's day-to-day life. However, its importance becomes twofold in the month of Ramadan.
In this month, you should make a proper schedule and try to recite the Quran once in this holy month. If you are a proficient reader, you can easily recite one para (one chapter) of the Quran each day. In this way, you will be able to recite the full Quran in a month.
However, if you are an amateur or haven't recited the Quran in ages, you should start slowly. You can read only a couple of verses every day. Moreover, you can also try to read the translation of the verses. This will ensure you become a good Muslim in the long run.
Regulate Your Eating Habits:
Muslim s around the world, and especially the ones living in South Asia, tend to eat a lot of unhealthy food items during the month. This includes oily bread in the sehri and fried foods like pakoras, samosas during iftar. Moreover, they also tend to eat a lot of junk food and snacks late at night. This not only makes you lazy but also creates additional problems like high cholesterol and high blood pressure for you.
So before Ramadan, you should not only aim to eat healthy foods, but you should also stick to a diet plan. This doesn't mean you don't enjoy your sehri and iftar meals. It simply means that you try to research and make a list of the healthy foods that you can eat during Ramadan. Make sure these are slow-absorbing foods so you don't feel hungry throughout the day.
Furthermore, try to add as many vegetables and fruits to your diet. This will definitely help you feel fresh throughout.
Schedule Exercise in Your Routine:
Making big plans can make you feel good, but in most instances, these grand plans don't come into play during Ramadan. Many people make grand schedules of following a workout and exercise regime in Ramadan, but they are unable to follow it. This is because they don't build up stamina before Ramadan.
A great way to stick to your routine is to start early. You can start with some light exercises one month before Ramadan. This will help enhance your blood circulation, tone down your muscles and build your stamina. Combined, these benefits will help motivate you to exercise in Ramadan too.
Sharing is Caring so Don't Hesitate:
The purpose of Ramadan was never to eat a lot of food after staying hungry for the entire day. Allah does not have any shortage of food and HE can grant everyone a plethora of riches. However, the reason there are rich and poor, hungry and blessed people is that Allah wants to test the privileged.
The essence of Ramadan, therefore, lies in sharing food and resources with the ones less privileged. It is an idea rooted in every aspect of Islam. So before Ramadan starts, make sure you allocate a significant amount of your wealth and distribute food and money among the poor.
The above is a common practice in countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Muslim s not only give a lot in charity but also distribute food among the destitute so everyone can enjoy a blessed Ramadan.
the hadith of the Prophet (SAW) says:
"Whoever helps break the fast of a fasting person, he will have the same reward as him without decreasing anything from the reward of the fasting person."
Have Realistic Goals:
The human psyche is a complex one. It tends to be overwhelmed when faced with too much burden. In your lives, you must have noticed that every time you make grand plans or decide unrealistic goals for yourself, you tend to lose any motivation to work. Similarly, keeping unrealistic goals for Ramadan will have the same effect.
A person who has never completed the Quran can not memorize it in a month. Similarly, a person who needs to lose 20 kg can't expect to lose all the excess weight in one month. This is why you should always stick to realistic goals. Having small but manageable goals will help you stay motivated and encouraged throughout the month.
But it doesn't hurt to try a little harder. Allah certainly blesses and helps His followers who aim big to please HIM.
Good Habits go a Long Way:
Many people delay doing good because they want to do good in Ramadan, but that can be counterproductive. If you have been planning on reading more duas, praying regularly, or giving more charity, you should start doing it right now. You can start small, try one dua every day, or 5 verses of the Quran every day, and then gradually build on those habits.
Change requires time, determination and strenuous effort. Good habits, like everything else, aren't built in one day.
If you have been thinking of doing something good, you shouldn't wait for the month of Ramadan to start it. Life is uncertain and you never know when yours will end.
Take care of your worldly affairs
Ramadan is a month that should help you keep your priorities straight. Juggling work and worship in Ramadan can be quite a challenge. But it doesn't have to be as hard as it seems.
One month before Ramadan, you can start taking care of your work and job-related assignments. If need be, you should work twice as hard so you don't have a lot of workload in Ramadan. This will help you free your time before Ramadan. This way, you will have plenty of time to worship, pray and do other good deeds without worrying about work all day.
Deep Clean Your House:
This may seem like an unnecessary thing to do, especially in context to the holy month. However, the benefits of deep cleaning your home are immense. Many people, especially the ones who don't have house help, tend to spend a lot of their precious time cleaning their homes in Ramadan. This leaves very little room for proper worship.
Deep cleaning your home, including arranging your cabinets, kitchen, and ironing your clothes beforehand will leave you with ample time in Ramadan. Completing these chores will also help you avoid any stress during the blessed month.
