Strategies, Tips, And Tools To Design Your Next Best Self Post-Ramadan

Ramadan ended a few weeks ago, and by now you’re probably starting to settle back to your post-Ramadan routine.

You may have been able to keep up with some of your Ramadan resolutions (fasting a bit more, praying some parts of the night, giving charity often), or you may have crashed post-Ramadan and found it really hard to pick yourself up again – spiritually, physically, and socially.

If you’re someone who wants to maintain consistent improvement post-Ramadan and win the battle of life against your Nafs and Shaytaan (which seems to come back stronger after Ramadan), then you’ll find this useful.

Begin with Next Ramadan in Mind

Fast-forward to the 29th day of Sha’baan of next year, you’re hours away from knowing if Ramadan is tomorrow or not. You’re excited. Maybe a bit nervous. Busy with typical Ramadan preparations.

Unfortunately, the Angel of Death comes and takes your soul in those hours, and you’re deprived of witnessing the next Ramadan.

How do you feel?

The reason I bring this thought up is to help frame this article in your mind: Although you’re not guaranteed to live to witness another Ramadan, this does not mean that your journey of self-development and improvement should be on hold until next Ramadan comes.

There are many things you can do in between now and then and this is what this article is about.

A Framework To Develop Yourself Post Ramadan

The Productive Muslim Company is big on building frameworks that help us tackle some of our most profound self-development challenges. And one of the frameworks that we often use in our training and coaching is the following one:

This framework simply states that if we want to design the next best version of ourselves post-Ramadan, we need to think of the Mindsets, Values, and Rituals that would help us make those changes post-Ramadan.

Mindsets: How You Think Affects How You Behave

It’s common knowledge among psychology circles that our thoughts have an impact on our actions (and vice-versa. More on that later). [“How Thoughts Influence Actions”. Psychology Today]. So how you think about your post-Ramadan period will impact how you behave. Below are 3 mindset shifts that you need to think about to help you upgrade your post-Ramadan experience.

1. Think Realistically

There’s an equation that I learned from a time management expert that helped me a lot manage my stress levels:

Expectations > Reality = Stress

Simply stated, when expectations exceed the reality, you’re only setting yourself up for stress and failure.

How do we do this post-Ramadan? Have you heard yourself say things like: After Ramadan, I’ll pray tahajjud every night, I’ll fast every Monday and Thursday, I’ll give charity every day, etc.? What happens when you don’t live up to those expectations? You fall for the classic Shaytaan trick of making you feel terrible that you didn’t live up to your expectations and fall for another psychological trap called the “What the hell effect.” [“How the What the Hell Effect Impacts Your Willpower”. Psychology Today]

Here’s how the what the hell effect works: You decide to eat healthily and stop eating sugar, and for the first few days, you’re doing great. Then you get invited over to your friend’s house, and they have an incredible dessert spread. Initially, you resist, but your friend insists, and you have a small piece of Halwa. Next think you know, you say to yourself, “What the hell, let me try everything else, I’ll restart my diet tomorrow.” Next day you feel so bad that you break your new diet, and another “what the hell” moment hits you, and you give up entirely on your new diet.

Think of how many times the “what the hell” effect impacted you when it came to your prayers, to voluntary fasting, to being present with your children. Allah SWT captures this phenomenon when he tells us about not following the steps of Shaytaan in a number of verses, like:

” O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (Qur’an 2: 208)

So how do you tackle these two traps: setting high and unrealistic expectations, and falling for the “what the hell” effect? The key is to set small, realistic expectations and then guard them with all your might until they become solid habits before you set higher expectations.

Here’s how this works: You want to pray tahajjud every night? Start by committing to pray 1xrak’ah of witr prayer after Isha prayers and before you sleep. It’s a small commitment, but you want to do it no matter what. Even on days you don’t feel like it or you’re tired. Don’t get on the slippery slope of missing 1 day and thinking “what the hell, I’ll never be able to pray tahajjud in my life.” And even if you do slip 1 day, don’t fall for the “what the hell” effect and instead pick yourself up the next day, stronger than ever. Once you’ve established this routine long enough and it has become part and parcel of your life, upgrade yourself and aim to pray 3 rak’ahs of witr, etc.

2. Think Holistically

The second mindset shift to consider is to think about your personal development journey holistically.

During the Productivity Masterclass, we help individuals and teams think of how to live the next best version of themselves across all their roles, i.e., what does your next-best version of yourself look like as a Dad/Mom? as a professional? As a neighbor? As a Muslim? Etc.

Thinking holistically removes the mind-trap that post-Ramadan self-development is only about rituals. It makes us recognize that the rituals form the bedrock and scaffolding to help us build our next best version across our roles.

To help you think holistically about your self-development, complete our Productive Muslim Self-Assessment tool to figure out where you are today – spiritually, physically, and socially and where you need to go.

Launch Self-Assessment

3. Think Long-Term

One of the primary reasons people give up their post-Ramadan resolutions is that they measure their success or failure based on a very short time frame, i.e., they measure how well they are performing in the first 2-3 weeks post-Ramadan. If they see no improvement, they give up!

Someone might say, “I tried fasting Mondays and Thursdays after Ramadan, but it was too hard, so I gave up.”

What if we expanded our self-development journey beyond these first 2 weeks instead? What if we asked ourselves – how can I develop this new habit/routine in 12 months?

Here’s a thought: We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short period but underestimate what we can do over a long period.

Yes, waking up for fajr might seem hard in those first 2-3 weeks, but if you focus on developing this habit over 3, 6, 9 months, you’ll eventually crack it, and it’ll become easy for you.

A good metaphor for thinking long-term is that of a gardener. When the gardener plants his seed, waters his garden, and works hard all day on his farm. He doesn’t expect to see a mature tree the next day! He understands that growing a tree takes time, and a lot of energy, focus, and time goes into becoming a tree. Similarly, new habits and routines take time to take root, nurture and grow, if you think of them as a long-term project, and work on it daily, you’re more likely to succeed.

PRACTICAL TIPS

1. Think of your long-term goals post-Ramadan across all your roles
2. Think of the obstacles you might face to achieve your goals (be realistic)
3. Think of how to overcome those obstacles – one step at a time.

Values: What Beliefs are driving your post-Ramadan life?

This section talks about a subtle but essential spiritual element when it comes to achieving a post-Ramadan goal. And that is to do with our Hearts and how connected we are with Allah SWT when it comes to achieving our post-Ramadan Goals.

Every day in our prayers we recite this verse →

“You Alone We Worship, and You Alone We Seek Help From” (Qur’an 1: 5)

This is a foundational concept in our faith that is critical for all our self-improvement endeavors. It involves two aspects:

1. You Alone We Worship: All your goals, all your self-improvement, and self-development, should be connected to the concept of you wanting to become the best ‘Abd’ (Slave) to Allah SWT. During the Productivity Masterclass, we speak in detail of the Islamic-psychospiritual model of the human being and how being an ‘Abd’ (slave) of Allah SWT is such a foundational concept that we need to revive in our hearts to help us live the best version of ourselves.
2. You Alone We Seek Help From: This is the recognition that as part of us acknowledging that we’re slaves of Allah, then we need to ask Allah’s permission and tawfeeq (success) in all the goals that we want to achieve.

Let’s be honest; sometimes, the goals we set for ourselves post-Ramadan can be all about developing our self-esteem and self-image. We forgot the ‘why’ that should drive these goals, and hence we give up on them too quickly. If I’m trying to wake up for tahajjud just because I see it as another milestone in my self-development journey, and not as an act of worship that would get me closer to Allah SWT, I need to revise my intentions.

So how can we practically develop these beliefs/values in our lives:

1. Set Good Intentions: When you set any post-Ramadan goal, ask yourself – why am I doing this? Who’s this for? How can I become a better ‘Abd’ to Allah through this goal?
2. Always Ask Allah To Help With Your Goals: Make your goals as spiritual quests. Ask Allah SWT to help you stay physically healthy post-Ramadan, to fast regularly, to pray tahajjud, etc. Don’t be arrogant and rely on your means – you need Him. Ask Him.
3. Work Hard: Good intentions and prayers don’t work on their own. Allah SWT would like to see the effort from you and He’ll take care of the results.

Rituals: What You Do Impacts How You Think and What You Believe

Earlier I mentioned that just like our thoughts have an impact on our actions. So does our action have an influence on how we think?

Here’s a simple experiment: Let’s say you’re upset, or in a bad mood. Grab a pencil and bite it between your teeth, forcing you to smile. Notice how your levels of happiness will increase, and you’ll feel better.

What does this mean for us, post-Ramadan?

This means that whether we feel like it or don’t feel like it – we need to commit to some rituals post-Ramadan that’ll help us improve how we think about ourselves and what we believe is possible post-Ramadan.

There are 3 key concepts to keep in mind though to ensure that you stick to your rituals post-Ramadan:

1. Choose To Focus on Not More Than 3 New Rituals Post-Ramadan: It’s so tempting after graduating from Ramadan to feel that you can change your life 180 overnight and introduce so many new routines in life. Although it is doable, it’s tough and I’d rather you focus on a winning strategy instead. The winning strategy is to focus on 3 new rituals post-Ramadan, and once they become part of who you are, add some more.
2. Start Small: This is critical. The smaller the change in your life, the longer it lasts. Start small but have the intention that you’ll want to grow this ritual over time.
3. Celebrate Progress: When you do your small ritual – celebrate it. Feel good about it. Thank Allah SWT that he enabled you to make one small step towards the next best version of you and being His ‘Abd.’ Celebration will reinforce this ritual in your brain as something pleasant to be done again.

What should happen when I make the above shifts in my Mindsets, Values, and Rituals?

Fast forward your life to the 29th of Sha’baan next year, it’s a few hours before Ramadan might be announced. You’re excited and giddy and can’t wait to find out.

You’ve spent the entire year, slowly but surely, upgrading your mindsets, values, and rituals and living the next best version of yourself: spiritually, physically, and socially.

You feel more ready than ever for Ramadan and for the next spiritual boost.

However, the Angel of Death comes to you in those hours before Ramadan and takes your soul away.

Do you have any regrets?

Or do you feel that you’ve done all you can to be a true Abd of Allah SWT throughout the year and you are ready to meet Him?

The post How to Pick Yourself Up Post Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Ramadan is an exceptional month where every high-performing Muslim wants to be at their best: spiritually, physically, and socially. However, it can also be a very challenging month with lack of sleep, lack of focus, and lack of energy.

Since the start of Ramadan 1443H, I have partnered with Mohammed Faris, founder of The Productive Muslim Company, to test out a few biohacks and measure their impact on our levels of energy, focus, and overall wellbeing, while if you have issues with your productivity , you can get a mental toughness coach that will help you grow out of it and make you stronger and more productive.

We experimented using different combinations of what I’ll share below and used the Whoop 4.0 fitness tracker (affiliate link) to measure how each experiment impacted our sleep, strain, and recovery and recorded voice notes on how we felt throughout the day.

Before I share our top recommended biohacks for Ramadan, a quick introduction to biohacking and what it means for Ramadan.

What does biohacking mean?

When you think of a biohack, you probably think of a pill you take that’s supposed to alter your biology. However, biohacking covers a spectrum, from aligning ourselves with nature to technology and supplements.

The best approach to biohacking is to start with self-awareness and mindfulness about your energy/focus levels and what works and doesn’t work for you—followed by tapping into nature and life rhythms to make the most of how your body interacts with nature. Finally, using supplements and technology to help you ‘mimic’ our ancestors’ fitra (natural disposition) lifestyle before modern electricity, internet, work schedules, etc. 

A few points related to biohacking for Ramadan:

1. The purpose of this article is not to ‘cheat’ fasting or make fasting Ramadan ‘easy’. Instead, it is to help high-performing Muslims manage their energy and focus throughout the fasting month, especially those in critical roles like doctors and pilots.
2. Before trying any of the hacks below – especially those that use supplements – we highly recommend that you speak to your doctor to confirm that it is safe to adopt them. Myself and The Productive Muslim company will not be held responsible for any harm caused by following these hacks without prior consultation with a medical doctor.
3. Even with these hacks – you’ll still feel the difficulty of Ramadan. So following these hacks will not turn you into a super being. However, they can make your Ramadan much more high-performing than usual.

Alright, bismillah, here are the top 10 biohacks I recommend for Ramadan.

10 Biohacks for Ramadan

1. Wear blue light blocking glasses at night 

وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًۭا

And made your sleep [a means for] rest

Quran 78:9

Blue light blocking glasses help mitigate the damage that post-Maghrib light exposure causes. This is a critical circadian rhythm hack.

Screen lights and most overhead lighting in the evening hours are proven to disrupt our natural sleep cycles. Evidence shows that our natural sleep hormones are suppressed, and our natural daytime stress hormones get boosted every time we expose ourselves to screen light or overhead lighting at night. This leads to poor quality sleep for almost everyone on the planet, 365 days a year! As a result, we are not getting the restorative sleep essential for good health. 

During Ramadan, we will sleep less given the late iftars/Taraweeh prayers and waking up early for suhoor. So we need to optimize our sleep cycles to get better quality sleep while getting less quantity of sleep. 

Blue-light blocking glasses can block up to 99% of the harmful blue light in the evening and ‘hack’ your sleep cycle to experience greater levels of deep sleep and REM.

Practical Tip: I know this might sound weird, but wear blue light blockers in the last hour before your designated sleep time (yes, including at the masjid at Isha/Taraweeh), and notice the greater energy and mental performance you have the next day during fasting hours. 

2. Expose yourself to sunlight early in the morning

إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding –

Quran 3:190

This is another essential circadian rhythm hack. Getting outside and witnessing morning sunlight (as close to post-fajr (dawn) as possible) causes us to make more of our sleep hormone (melatonin) at night. This practice resets our hormonal rhythms every day.

Furthermore, the full spectrum of light that the sun provides has also shown positive results in impacting the damage and strain that artificial light causes during the rest of our day. 

Lastly, more interesting evidence is becoming available regarding the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of seeing the sunrise and sunset. Positive human genetic switches get activated when we witness the alternation of night and day, which Allah has mentioned in the Qur’an as a sign.

Practical Tip: Get out for 10 minutes in the morning as soon as possible and let the natural light of the morning enter your eyes. You will further improve your sleep quality, and you can experience greater biological system functioning. This doesn’t require looking at the sun. The sun’s light is powerful enough to register in our eyes without directly gazing at it. 

3. Move More 

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to go to the Quba’ mosque, sometimes walking, sometimes riding [Sahih Bukhari]

Note: The distance from the Prophet’s mosque to Quba’ mosque is roughly 7 km.

Movement is essential for a human being’s physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual health. We all generally know that exercise is essential for good cardiovascular and metabolic health. We now know that it is a much bigger story than that. Not only is it essential for hormonal health and balance (and hormones drive almost every process in our bodies), but it also directly impacts our nervous system, cognitive functioning, and emotional state. 

Sedentary living is one of the greatest contributing factors to nearly all chronic illnesses and even some degenerative mental diseases. Furthermore, deep down in the nervous system, a body that doesn’t move is perceived by itself as sick, weak, potentially incapable, and therefore in danger. What does our body do in response? It provides us with an abundance of stress chemicals to get us up and back in action! This daily dose of stress chemicals leads to a chronic inflammatory state that impairs our biological systems, leading to poor metabolic health, digestive issues, cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health problems, endocrine system imbalance, depression/anxiety, etc. Can we truly show up as our best selves with high spiritual focus and performance levels under these conditions?

Ramadan is not a time to stop moving or continue our sedentary lifestyle. I’m sure we all can imagine how our righteous predecessors didn’t have the luxury of sitting all day, driving between locations, and ordering anything they needed at the touch of a button. The way for us to holistically improve our health during Ramadan and beyond is to mimic the way of our predecessors. And there is great news! It all can be done at home, and it takes a lot less time than we might think it will. 

Practical Tip: Here are three main movement lifestyle hacks to implement this Ramadan: 

• Walking. Walking is free medicine, period. A day without walking is not a typical human day at all. Walking activates our largest muscles. This, in turn, benefits our blood glucose levels, bone density, metabolism, serotonin/melatonin production, sleep quality, and more. Twenty minutes a day should be the minimum. Any walking you can do directly after your iftar/suhoor is even better.
• Sit / Stand. Standing more often while working will activate the largest muscles in your body and save you from back/neck pain, unwanted fat storage, and stress chemical release. Try to stand for at least 10 minutes after every 30 minutes of sitting. Use an alarm to remind you.
• Move heavy objects. Like all of our human predecessors, we are designed to pull water out of wells, carry various objects, lift and stack, pick up animals, squat for multiple purposes, etc. Find a way to grab a safe but heavy object (it can be weights of course) and prioritize time daily to mimic the old ways! For extra help on this, look up farmer carries and functional movement patterns. That should get you started, and all you need is a few minutes per day! This practice helps to increase our glucose sensitivity, which many of us will want during Ramadan. 

4. Eat Real Food

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَـٰلًۭا طَيِّبًۭا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌ

O mankind, eat what is good and lawful from the earth, and do not follow Satan’s footsteps, for he is your sworn enemy.

Quran 2:168

We might get tomatoes thrown at us here! Nutrition can be a sensitive subject. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, as we all have different genetics, ages, goals, etc. The real food approach is the best starting point to create a new relationship with food. It goes a little something like this:

• the more ingredients it has, the less real it is 
• If it comes in a box, package, or wrapper and has words you can’t pronounce, steer clear!
• The closer it looks to its original source, the better (from the animal, tree, ground etc.)
• More refined = Less real
• The longer it is designed to last on a shelf, the worse it is for us.
• Lastly, implement the 80/20. Try to live like this 80% of the time and forget about the rest if you want to. 

At the end of our fast, we are open to receiving. The cells in our bodies will take in what we choose to consume, especially at iftar time. What we eat becomes our physical tissues and hormones, and enzymes that drive our systems. In many ways, we are what we eat! Fasting is perfect for us, but not accompanied by an inflammatory diet and lifestyle. 

During Ramadan (and the rest of the year), our food choices will determine much about our daily health and well-being. Digestive issues (bloating, gas, cramping, heartburn, constipation, etc) are signs that what we are eating is likely not suitable for us as an individual. Furthermore, our gut health dictates our mood and sleep quality, which I’m sure we all want to improve. 

The well-known “happiness” hormone/neurotransmitter serotonin is mostly produced in our gut. An inflamed compromised gut directly impacts our mood, but since serotonin is a precursor to melatonin (our sleep hormone), it also affects our sleep! 

This Ramadan (and beyond), let’s commit to achieving better moods, focus, sleep, and energy through food. 

Practical Tip: Ask yourself a couple of questions before you decide what to eat for iftar/suhoor: 

1. Is this food “real”? Is tofu halal or haram?
2.  And is this food from the tayyib category that Allah mentions in the Qur’an?   

5. Nature mimicking nutrients/supplements – Vitamin D, Celtic Sea Salt 

Human beings need vitamin D. Vitamin D is not a vitamin; it is a hormone. It is a master hormone in many ways, and all of our other hormones don’t function well without it. Insufficient vitamin D levels compromise us both physically and mentally. The best way to get it is sun exposure, but that isn’t always easy for everyone. Getting sufficient levels from our diet is very difficult. Test yourself rather than guessing, and make sure you supplement if needed. 

We are likely spending too much time indoors during Ramadan (and all year long). That is why mimicking nature through vitamin D supplementation can be extremely important.

Another mimic that can be essential for many of us is related to minerals. Much of the water we are drinking is depleted of minerals. For that reason, prioritizing good quality water and adding a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt can be very beneficial. There are other mineral supplements, of course, but sea salt is an easy go-to, and it has over 70 essential minerals in it!

This can be very important during Ramadan as we tend to be minerally depleted at the end of a fast. Making sure that we restore minerals will help us ensure better biological functioning during this month. 

Practical Tip: If you have time, go get tested for vitamin D levels in your body and other minerals. Otherwise, get a vitamin D supplement and throw some Celtic sea salt in your water to tap into this biohack.

6. Temperature Hacks – Cold and hot

As uncomfortable as this truth might sound, human beings are not meant to be comfortable all of the time. We harm ourselves by not getting enough beneficial stress. Our entire being is designed to grow stronger and become more resilient through small doses of various stressors. This is known as hormesis.

There are many types of hormetic stressors. Exercise and fasting are among the more familiar. One that doesn’t get enough attention however is temperature. Human beings were not created to sit in perfectly temperature-controlled rooms. When we never get hot or cold, we lose resilience in our health. This is why saunas and cold plunges are the craze. For now, we’ll keep it simple by just laying out some of the benefits. 

• Heat exposure benefits immune function, reduces inflammation, improves brain function (through BDNF), detoxes the body, etc. 
• Cold exposure lowers body fat, improves blood sugar, boosts immune function, leads to better sleep quality, reduces inflammation, etc. 

A little of either can go a long way! 

Practical Tips:

During Ramadan, and depending on where one lives, it might be challenging to get extreme temperature exposure. We don’t recommend sauna use during Ramadan, but if you are in a hot city, you might want to spend 10 to 20 minutes outside during the day. It can be in the shade if the air temperature is hot enough. 

Cold is often easier to come by. There are ice vests, ice pits, cryotherapy, and just regular outdoor cold air and water for some of us. One way to get started is to do a couple of minutes in the shower of 10 seconds of warm water, followed by 20 seconds of max cold. This isn’t optimal as we will have the potential of wasting water, so as soon as you get used to it, try to shower only in cold water a few times per week! Focus on your breath and control your gasp response. This is an excellent Ramadan hack, as we can boost many of the benefits of fasting through this protocol. 

7. Grounding – Touch Nature

A man from the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) traveled to Fadaalah ibn Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was in Egypt. After a brief conversation he asked him: “Why do I not see any shoes on you?” Fadaalah replied: “The Prophet (ﷺ) used to command us to go barefoot sometimes”.
[Abu Dawud].

When was the last time you touched a tree or stone? When did you last have your bare feet on natural earth? When we ask these questions, people often are shocked when they realize it has been ages! 

By now, you may have heard of grounding or earthing. It is the practice of connecting with the natural earth and the earth’s natural magnetic frequencies. This leads to an ion exchange that has many benefits, such as reducing inflammation, realigning our circadian rhythms (improving sleep quality), lowering stress chemicals, and more. 

This is such an easy hack, and definitely, we can get 10 to 20 minutes here and there throughout the week during Ramadan. Once again, some of the benefits are similar to the benefits of fasting. Therefore this hack is an excellent way to get a boost.

Practical Tips: In your next morning walk (see Hack #2 above), take off your shoes and socks and walk barefoot on the grass/sand, and touch a tree with your hand and really connect with the tree as a spiritual being that worships Allah just like you do.

8. Quality Fasting 

ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

… But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.

Quran 2:184

As we already touched on, fasting is a beneficial (hormetic) stressor. All biomarkers improve in a fasted state, such as blood sugar, lipids, blood pressure, etc. Fasting has also been shown to promote detoxification and balance our gut microbiome. How we Muslims do it, dry fasting (i.e. without water), is even more powerful. 

Most importantly, fasting sharpens our spiritual faculties. When we hold ourselves back from food, drink, and our natural drives while at the same time guarding ourselves against actions and speech that we have been guided to avoid, our true virtuous nature can rise. 

With this opportunity to work on ourselves during Ramadan, we should do our absolute best to get out of our way. How can we do that? By not pairing this time of fasting with lifestyle practices that lead to less than optimal performance, brain fog, digestive stress, and fatigue.

Practical Tip: Take the quality of your fasting and Ramadan to the next level by combining the hacks you’re learning in this article with your fasting for maximal spiritual and physical performance.

9. Breathwork

وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ ١٨

by the dawn that softly breathes:

Quran 81:18

Breathwork is our superpower. We take about 20,000 breaths per day, and each sends a direct message to our nervous system that determines much about our current mental, emotional, and physical state. 

It is known that the vast majority of people alive today have an inverted breathing pattern, meaning most of us no longer breathe from the diaphragm, inflating our belly when we inhale and deflating our belly upon the exhale. Most of us do the exact opposite and from the chest rather than the diaphragm (abdomen), which causes the release of stress chemicals as it is a breathing pattern that mimics the fight or flight response. This causes inflammation, impedes digestion, and leads to many other biological system imbalances. 

We can reconnect with our diaphragm while taking deep, slow breaths in our tradition. This is done through the slow recitation of the Qur’an. Watch videos of the well-known Qaris as they slowly recite and count how many inhales they take per minute. Interestingly, slowing down our breaths to about four or five breaths per minute has been shown to give us the benefits we need.

Practical Tip: This Ramadan, let’s try to connect with ourselves through proper breathing while reciting Qur’an and even in our dhikr practices. We also recommend using the Breathwrk app for guided practices on breathing.

10. Supplement with Nootropics (safely)

A simple definition of nootropics is natural or synthetic substances that can be taken to improve mental performance in healthy people (Healthline). The most common nootropic is caffeine. Caffeine from high-quality sources and in the right doses can increase energy, boost mood, and have neuroprotective properties. 

There are so many other nootropics (some referred to as “smart drugs”) ranging from simple and natural to synthetic and, in some cases, dangerous. We are not promoting the use of any nootropic substance without the consent of a medical professional. Also, some people can tolerate them, while others cannot, which is often the case with caffeine. 

For those who are interested in experimenting with the cognitive benefits of nootropics, we have listed a few of the common ones used by the average person to the more avid bio-hacker below:

• High quality Coffee OR Bulletproof Coffee
• Time-release caffeine tablets
• Qualia, 
• Ginkgo Biloba, 
• Maca, 
• Yerba Mate, 
• Lion’s Mane, 
• Modafinil (by prescription)

 If taken safely, you may find that supplementing them before starting your fast can help. This approach could be considered by those of us living in areas of the world where the fasting days are long, the work schedules don’t change, and you have high determination to accomplish the performance of ‘ibadah through the night. 

These supplements can give you the cognitive functioning and mental focus you might need to seize the early part of your day with higher performance levels. 

Practical Tips: We recommend that you don’t experiment with nootropics that you haven’t tried before during Ramadan, especially the synthetic ones. However, after Ramadan, you can experiment with some of the above after researching what works best for you. If you’re keen to experiment with one of the above, we recommend starting with Bulletproof Coffee, but of course in combination with a healthy approach to nutrition.

And that’s all! 10 Biohacks to help you maximize your spiritual, physical, and mental performance during Ramadan. 

If you found this useful and want to share your biohacking experiments with fellow Muslims, join our Slack community and check out the #biohack channel.

The post 10 Biohacks For High-Performing Muslims During Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

As tough as it was – For many of us, this was a unique opportunity to experience a more meaningful Ramadan, focusing on our relationship with Allah SWT vs. the traditional socially-intense Ramadan experience that makes us feel spiritually-socially high, yet busy and overwhelmed.

As many communities are planning a more traditional Ramadan with social-distancing and reduced operations, another opportunity emerges: defining a “new normal” for Ramadan, which focuses on being more vs. doing more.

We call it a Mindful Ramadan.

Mindful Ramadan

One of the purposes of Ramadan is to emerge more mindful, more aware, and more present of Allah SWT.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“O, believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become Mindful of God.”

[Al-Baqara 2:183]

Mindful Ramadan is not just doing a lot in Ramadan and then returning to your past self post-Ramadan. Instead, it is about utilizing your Ramadan to go beyond all the incredible blessings and rewards of this month and transform yourself to be a better version of yourself. Mindful Ramadan is not just about doing more but also being more. It is finding your focus on who you want to become and aligning everything you do to fuel that transformation.

Therefore, Mindful Ramadan is about being present and intentional and rooted in Ihsaan – worshiping God and showing up with your best self as if we can see and experience God. If we think about Fasting, the primary obligation of Ramadan, it is more about not doing something (i.e., restraining from food, drink, and desire) than doing apparent, outward worship. Fasting in its very nature then is an act of the heart as we are restraining ourselves from feeding our body, and we are cultivating our soul even when no one is watching. Even a conscientious child would not drink a gulp of water in the shower when no one is watching because he or she knows that God is present and aware.

And this awareness, presence, or Mindfulness of God is the very foundation of a Mindful Ramadan and its reward? Allah SWT says: الصِّيَامُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ “Fasting is for me, and I (personally) gives its reward. [Bukhari 1795]” The scholars of Hadith opined that one meaning of God Himself giving the reward means that God Himself will be the reward. The reward of a Mindful Ramadan is nothing short of the presence and proximity of God and His pleasure on the day of judgment and in Jannah. And, what better reward and joy than the privilege of meeting our creator on that day? May God not deprive us of meeting Him in a state that He is pleased with and from being among those who frequently visit Him in our final abode.

Cultivating Your HEART this Ramadan

The Prophet SAW was the most Mindful of Allah in this month – both the quality and quantity of his actions in this month exceeded all bounds. Yet, the most important thing he showed up with Allah, his family, and his companions was a beautiful heart. This Ramadan, as we try to show up to Allah SWT with our best selves, let us remember that Allah SWT looks at our hearts most of all.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ

 وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ

“Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, Rather He looks at your hearts and actions.” 

[Muslim: 2564]

And how do we beautify our hearts? Through the examples of our beloved Messenger of God (SAW). And, when describing the Prophet SAW, Aisha (RAD) said:

فَإِنَّ خُلُقَ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ الْقُرْآنَ

“Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the Quran.”

[Muslim: 746]

That is why we propose the HEART model of Mindfulness, a Quranic framework for Cultivating Your Heart this Ramadan. It is built upon the presence and awareness of Allah. It focuses on building the defining characteristics of the Prophet’s heart to become more Mindful, Purposeful, Grateful, Patient, Humble, and Compassionate. 

As the Productive Muslim team emphasizes: Approach this Ramadan through your intention rather than a long list of goals. Use the HEART model to set your intention on who you will become post-Ramadan, which of these traits you will focus on to become the better version of yourself, and what will you take with you post-Ramadan to continue your journey of soul-transformation?

Download the HEART model here

Emerging More Mindful Post Ramadan

As you reflect on the guiding question on the HEART model above on how to emerge more Mindful, Purposeful, Grateful, Patient, and Compassionate post-Ramadan, here are some examples of how to continue to live our best self even beyond this beautiful month:

Mindfulness Masterclass – Ramadan Edition

This year, How will you plan to transform yourself through a more Mindful Ramadan? Let us know what resonated with you the most in the comments below! Please join a beautiful community of practice for our Ramadan Edition of the Mindfulness Masterclass starting Tuesday, 11th Sha’ban 1443H (15 Mar 2022) at 6:00 pm Central Time at www.productivemuslim.com/mindfulness.

Wadud Hassan, co-founder of the upcoming Muslim Mindfulness app: Muraqaba)

Sign Up for Our Mindfulness Masterclass and Get 3 Practical Mindfulness Tools for this Ramadan

The post Mindful Ramadan: Being More vs. Doing More appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

It is hard to blame anyone for being completely confused with the rapid pace at which new nutritional recommendations are being made. It seems like everywhere you look there are new fad diets circulating in the news, social media and celebrity Twitter feeds.

For Muslims in particular, this trend may elicit even more head shaking. After years of having to defend against skepticism and backhanded comments from incredulous individuals in dismay about our backward fasting practices, everyone is talking about fasting like the concept never entered the mind of a human being ever on the face of the earth.

Frustration aside, there is a lot we stand to gain from the advances in understanding nutrition and fasting through a Western lens. Even the most traditional non-Western urban societies are much closer in resemblance to Western culture than their predecessors 1500 years ago.

And that means as much as we recognize, for example, the negative impact of a Standard American Diet (SAD, the most fitting acronym in the history of the English language) we need the same framework that produced that lifestyle to understand how to address it.

Modern science may even shed light on the past to address these problems in ways previously unimagined.

I have taken this all to heart, leveraging my background in medicine and a predilection to self-experimentation to develop a plan that incorporates the best of both worlds and times.

This year for Ramadan, I have a very specific goal: to be in a state of nutritional ketosis for the duration of the month.

Now, before you tune out what may sound like a fad diet approach to the holy month, let me add that I believe that this is completely in line with our deen (religion/way of life), the Sunnah of our Prophet , and an integral part of the journey to self-actualization; living the best version of ourselves.

We can benefit from an exciting field of research without getting sucked into the hype and misinformation that inevitably arises from the commodification of a “new” discovery.

Instead of struggling to focus, beating back hunger pangs and crushingly heavy eyelids, I propose we can approach this month in a way that improves our focus on worship and self-discovery, the depth of our connection with our Lord, and our resilience to engage this world and meet its challenges.

A good place to start this conversation is the current state of affairs when it comes to the average Muslim and Ramadan.

Misinformation on Muslims’ Health & Ramadan

It is a safe bet that we will hear at least once during this month about the negative impact our contemporary Ramadan culture has on us.

I have heard prominent figures lecturing on this topic, and already during one khutbah (sermon) this month, quote statistics that the average Muslim gains 5-10 pounds during Ramadan. But in a recent review of the medical literature, I have not found many high-quality studies that support this claim.

In fact, a recent systematic review [1] from earlier this year that included 70 different studies and almost 3000 participants showed a statistically significant drop in weight and body fat percentage in Muslims fasting around the world.

This is despite the fact that 11 of the 25 most obese countries in the world are Muslim-majority countries [2]. If anything, this is reassuring that despite our worsening problems with overweight, obesity, and associated health conditions, we still have the capacity to realize positive change in relatively short periods of time.

It is also evidence that our Creator has endowed us with a “physiologic fitra”; that is, an inclination for our bodily functions and processes to trend towards health under the right circumstances.

Our worldview is one of an integrated human being, without the distinctions between mind and body that is inherent in contemporary mainstream Western thought.

Our view holds there is a primordial nature to our being, and that would necessarily entail a physiologic aspect. More on this later.

It is quite natural to approach this month from the health angle. However, this approach is flawed because our imperative is to worship God , not to be beach ready.

Any objective other than fulfilling a commandment dilutes our sincerity in the act, and, at our peril, risks the rejection of an act of worship for being directed to other than God .

Rather, by utilizing our current understanding of metabolism, and approximating the physiologic states expected from the descriptions found in our tradition, we bring ourselves into closer alignment with the Sunnah for the sole purpose of perfecting God consciousness and worship.

With this in mind, let us reacquaint ourselves with examples from the tradition, but first a tiny bit of human metabolism.

Understanding How Your Body Functions

Most of us subsist predominantly on the burning of carbohydrates for fuel. We do this by eating or drinking a form of carbohydrates every day.

It is safe to say the vast majority of people in wealthy nations do this every single day, multiple times a day, for all of their lives (when was the last time you truly had nothing to eat for more than a day. If you can think of a time, usually it’s a major life event).

When our brain and muscles take their share of what is needed for their purposes, the rest of the sugar in our blood has to be stored in some way. That is either in the liver or as fat.

Our liver functions much like a savings account and our body fat much like a safety deposit box to store fuel in a different form of currency.

As long as we continue to use carbohydrates as a dominant source of energy, we have little incentive to use this stored energy. What’s more, the hormone used to signal excess-sugar storage (insulin) has to be sent out at higher levels to keep up with the increasing resistance of the body to dealing with all the excess supply.

This is the basic, highly simplified, start of metabolic syndrome (think: diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and obesity).

Even if it has not gotten to that point, if you can’t have a snack without crashing, you get hungry almost as soon as you stop being full, and your mood and level of focus throughout the day is highly dependent on having eaten, you may be struggling because you are completely dependent on this metabolic pathway to function.

The metabolism of a person who does not regularly have large sources of carbohydrates is quite different.

When carbohydrates are scarce, either because calories overall are limited, such as during times of food scarcity (intentional, as in time-restricted eating AKA intermittent fasting, or circumstantial, like famine), or because carbohydrates specifically are limited (think keto diet, very low carb diet, Atkins diet, etc), the body needs to use other sources of fuel.

When in need of energy, and dietary fats are available, fats are broken down into their basic parts, called ketones, which can be used throughout the body for energy.

When there are measurable levels of ketones in the blood, this is a state of nutritional ketosis.

When this happens regularly, the body, through a complex mechanism of gene signaling and activation will build the cellular apparatus to make use of ketones.

This process becomes increasingly efficient over time, and the body goes on to be adapted to ketosis, or “keto-adapted”. This source of energy does not require insulin to be available for your brain or muscles. As such, mental clarity and alertness is increased, the crash after sugar spikes is avoided, and a whole host of other beneficial cellular pathways in the body are activated.

In addition to weight loss, people frequently report better energy levels, focus, and relief from hunger.

When the consumption of food is time-restricted, such as fasting from sunrise to sunset, a whole host of physiologic processes come into play. These seem to play a major role in protection from obesity, cardiovascular disease, and endocrine dysfunction [3].

The immune system, for example, is directed towards the cells of our body that are malfunctioning to be broken down for energy.

Inflammation throughout the body decreases. This seems to be particularly important in the gut, which needs time to recover from the highly inflammatory activity of digestion. These two approaches to nutrition taken together may be a key to unlock some of the body’s most powerful tools for healing and health promotion [4].

So how do we reconcile this take on nutrition with the common recommendations to track all calories as the same, to eat small frequent meals, and to never skip a meal (especially breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day)?

Essentially, most of what you have heard and what continues to be perpetuated about nutrition is, at best, misguided and outdated by about 20 years.

At worst, it has been heavily influenced by the food industry [5].

Eating multiple small meals a day does not help you lose weight, and skipping meals is not the worst thing that will ever happen to you (especially if it’s processed sugar for breakfast).

Eating fat is not what causes you to gain fat, and not all calories are the same. Restricting calories alone can help in weight loss for a short while, but study after study has shown that it almost always comes back because of the adaptive slowing of our metabolism [6].

The Prophetic LifeStyle & its Impact on the Body

Compare this with the example of the Prophet and his companions from the Seerah (biography of the Prophet ) and Shama’il (virtues and noble character of the Prophet ).

During that time the majority of people were not faced with the problem of excess. Indeed, hunger was the norm, as described in a hadith in which the Prophet would spend many consecutive nights and his family did not have supper, and most of the time their bread was barley bread. [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi].

The hunger would be so extreme at times, he and his companions would sometimes resort to tying stones to their stomachs to quell the pangs [Sahih Muslim].

On days there was no food in his blessed abode, the Prophet would declare himself to be fasting [Sunan Ibn Majah].

The Prophet stated “A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one-third of food, one third for drink and one third for air.” [At-Tirmidhi]

That is, the expectation is for a few morsels. The division of filling the stomach in thirds is to limit the most that should be consumed.

He was also reported in hadiths to be muscular and have toned physique. “His chest and stomach were in line, but his chest was broad and wide. The space between his shoulders was wide. The bones of his joints were strong and large (denoting strength).” [Shama’il Muhammadiyah, The Noble Features of the Prophet].

If we were to guess which forms of metabolism were predominant in that community, which is more likely? If we add on top of that a regular practice of fasting, all while continuing the vigors of an active pre-modern lifestyle, there is little doubt in my mind that our predecessors spent a significant amount of time in a ketogenic state.

One last bit of evidence to consider is the hadith on the breath of those who are fasting in which the Prophet was reported to say:

“By Allah in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the observer of fast is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i].

There is no doubt that dry mouth contributes to bad breath, which is common during fasting, and this hadith is usually taken to mean that despite our perception of bad breath, God is pleased by the act of worship that produces it; thus it is sweeter than musk.

However, ketosis also has an effect on the breath. One of the ketones made is acetone, which is released in the breath and has a very distinct fruity smell. I find that be a much more compelling explanation for what is being referred to in the hadith.

So, What’s The Point?

Now, it may appear that I am advocating for a keto diet. It’s not quite that. What I am advocating for is a cyclic ketogenic state that can arise by a combination of caloric restriction, time-restricted eating (the least of what we do in Ramadan), significantly reducing carbohydrates and getting most of our nutrition from healthy fat.

Ramadan is a time where most of these things can happen, especially the first two, and the duration is limited.

The body very likely needs a balance between these different states of metabolism, and there isn’t a one size fits all. It also can’t be done haphazardly.

Reducing our intake to the extent described in our tradition rapidly for someone starting from a SAD diet (which is generally unhealthy) is unwise as it would ignore some harsh realities. Those include the fact most of us are not physically prepared or adapted to do this because of our modern lifestyles, and our food itself is far different in nutritional density than previously.

Our soil is depleted and we have less variation in our diet. We have also lost a lot of the diversity of our gut flora that likely plays an essential role for physiology (something called the “disappearing microbiome hypothesis”).

This is essentially another disclaimer that, despite the potential benefits, this is not a casual affair; a game plan, including consultations with a nutritionist familiar with this diet, is of the utmost.

Done correctly, I believe, this has the potential to transform Ramadan for many of us who are motivated to excel in all dimensions of life.

Ramadan is an opportunity to engage in a process of self-discovery and deep introspection with predictable regularity, fueled by the powerful realization an entire ummah is engaged in the same process.

Our first responsibility in the fulfillment of the trust our Creator places upon us is the mind, body, and soul on loan to us. It is with and through them that we engage the Divine will.

Speaking from personal experience, the focus in worship and sense of connectivity I have found in a state of ketosis is nothing short of a gift from our Creator . That we have exchanged the traditional lifestyle for a modern one means having to use the tools of the scientific method to understand how the average Muslim can use their physiologic fitra to help them on their spiritual journey.

Our integrated vision of the human being, not a separated mind and body, means one cannot benefit from an act spiritually without benefiting physiologically and cognitively. The inverse, I pray and trust is also true.

Anything true and of correct guidance in this is from Allah , any faults are my own. If you suspect I am wrong, please let me know as I continue to learn from my mistakes. If you are certain I am wrong and take a strong objection to this, I would ask, only partly in jest, to show me your six pack.

References:

1. Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2019 Feb 24;11(2). pii: E478. doi: 10.3390/nu11020478. Review. PubMed PMID: 30813495; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6412279.
2. http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/most-obese-countries/
3. Melkani GC, Panda S. Time-restricted feeding for prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disorders. J Physiol. 2017 Jun 15;595(12):3691-3700. doi: 10.1113/JP273094. Epub 2017 Apr 25. Review. PubMed PMID: 28295377; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5471414.
4. Longo VD, Panda S. Fasting, Circadian Rhythms, and Time-Restricted Feeding in Healthy Lifespan. Cell Metab. 2016 Jun 14;23(6):1048-1059. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.06.001. Review. PubMed PMID: 27304506; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5388543.
5. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/how-marketers-invented-the-modern-version-of-breakfast/487130/
6. Fothergill, E. , Guo, J. , Howard, L. , Kerns, J. C., Knuth, N. D., Brychta, R. , Chen, K. Y., Skarulis, M. C., Walter, M. , Walter, P. J. and Hall, K. D. (2016), Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity, 24: 1612-1619.

The post Spirituality & the Keto Diet – A Prophetic Link appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

We recommend that you start with our free Productive Ramadan Online Course (which will only take few days to complete) and once you’re done, come back to this page and enjoy the rest of the articles, worksheets, and infographics!

1. Watch Our Productive Ramadan Online Course for Free

2. Dig Deeper into Ramadan Productivity with our Top Ramadan Articles

[Aiming for an Awesome Ramadan] Did You Set Your Goals Right?

5 Tips for Balancing Work, Home and Spiritual Obligations During Ramadan

Ramadan Daily Dua Plan: When, How and What to Ask For

6 Tips to Worship More Consciously This Ramadan

Open Your Heart to the Qur’an this Ramadan: Recite, Memorize and Internalize

3 Steps to Supercharge Your Health, Energy & Productivity this Ramadan!

Master Your Sleep This Ramadan

The Ramadan Workout Plan for Success

7 Tips to Tackle Hunger and Fatigue in Ramadan

[Ramadan Series] Are You Ready to Serve this Ramadan?

Exams and Ramadan: How Can You Make the Best of Both?

3. Impress your colleagues with our Ramadan Infographics

Top Ten Tips to ProductiveRamadan!

[Doodle] Workplace Productivity: Facts and Advice for Ramadan

4. Prepare for Ramadan with our Worksheets and Planners

The Ultimate Ramadan Tools Review: Worksheets, Planners, Apps, and Doodles!

The Fasting and the Fit: 30-Day Ramadan Meal and Fitness Plan

5. Did we mention that our Productive Ramadan Online Course is now free?

We can’t stress the power of this course, please do watch it and enjoy :)

The post The Ultimate Guide to Living the Best Version of Yourself in Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

1. Hack Your Way to Productivity: These are tips, systems, and apps that make it “automatic” for you to be productive without giving it much thought. They are meant to hack the way your brain works and ‘trick’ you into doing things you’d normally not do if you didn’t have them.
2. Manage Your Physical Well-Being: These are the tips that focus on improving your health – eating well, sleeping well, and getting enough exercise. The basic premise here is that if you take care of your body, you’d be in a better shape to be productive and deal with life stresses.
3. Manage Your Environment: This school of thought focuses on how the space around us help us be productive. They look at noise, distractions, colours, furniture, and other factors that might affect our productivity and try to optimize our environment to boost our productivity. You can find high end furniture pieces here at a reasonable price.

All three categories have merit and are backed by years of research and scientific experiments. Yet the more I read and explored productivity research and all the latest tips, techniques, and apps that promise us to lead efficient and productive lives, I felt that there’s something missing in this discussion that’s fundamentally human but rarely do productivity experts engage in.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about – I’m talking about the soul. That neglected side of our lives that’s always present but we never seem to care about it as much. My contention in this article is that we’re not giving due attention to our soul when discussing the science of productivity.

The soul is the essence of the human being without which he/she loses their value. Think of a person who today is alive and kicking, has a character and personality, and people who love him/her and respect him/her. The moment that person dies, it’s as if it’s not him/her anymore. We rush to bury the person and only keep lingering memories of them in our photos and minds. We even refer to the dead person as “the deceased” and not even by their first name anymore.

Just like we know that our bodies need nourishment, sleep, and exercise, have we ever thought about the needs of our soul? And what would happen to our productivity if we understood the needs of the soul and started tending to them?

But first, let’s deal with the elephant in the room.

Why don’t we talk about the soul anymore?

I was inspired by the work done by Professor Malik Badri in his book “Contemplation” where he challenges the way modern psychology (and by extension, social sciences) have discounted the spiritual elements of the human being in the name of science. He argues that in the interest of emancipating Western societies from the grip of religion and in order to mould something as complex and variable as a human being into a scientific cast, modern human sciences tried to “dehumanize” the human by explaining human behaviour in one of three ways:

1. Behaviourism: Human beings are mere machines that, when exposed to specific stimuli, would react with responses which the researchers could control and predict.
2. Freudian Analysis: Human behaviour is fully determined by one’s unconscious sexual and aggressive impulses
3. Biological determinism: Any human behaviour is fully governed by our inherited genes, nervous system, and inborn biochemistry.

Because of the above categorization, all human sciences –  including productivity – has been drawn from the above sciences. For example, when we speak about “How to arrange our environment to make us more productive“, we are essentially subscribing to Behaviorism. When we talk about the foods and exercises we eat and their effect on the brain and our ability to focus, we’re drawing results from Biological determinism.

I am not saying that these sciences aren’t helpful in explaining some human behaviour, yet my contention is that these sciences are not the ONLY way to explain human behaviour since the human being is a complex creature that cannot be reduced to a chemical or physical data in a lab experiment. Moreover, modern science may have mastered how the body works, and how our brains function, but they don’t give a satisfying answer to how the soul works and what its needs are that if fulfilled – can help us lead meaningful and productive lives.

Understanding the needs of the soul

It is true, that it is hard to define the soul and it is hard to “touch it” or “feel it” or “smell it” or “taste it” or “see it” But just because it’s hard to define what the soul is – do we deny its entire existence and ignore such a hugely important element of our lives that we all intuitively feel exists?

In Islam, we are taught that the Soul is the matter of the Unseen and we would not really understand the soul:

“And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind has not been given of knowledge except a little.” [Quran: Chapter 17, Verse 85]

However, we are taught to recognize its needs and desires and to feed the needs of the soul regularly. Just like the body and brain needs food, water, and a distraction-free environment to get its best work done.. the soul has needs as well and if we don’t fulfil its needs we risk leading meaningless, purposeless lives.

So what are the needs of the soul and how can these needs boost our productivity?

Essentially, there are four main needs of the soul that we can draw from an Islamic perspective:

1. A clear/well-defined purpose that gives meaning to everything we do:

You’ve probably heard about the importance of finding meaning at work and how it makes us more productive. But even though finding meaning at a micro-level and our day-to-day work is powerful, we need to go a step further and find an all-encompassing meaning and purpose that integrates our entire lives together and not just meaning and purpose at work. What’s the point of only having meaning and purpose at work when our family lives or personal lives don’t have a clear meaning?  The link to productivity is that meaning and purpose drive our intrinsic motivation. A study by Yale’s Amy Wrzesniewski and her team concluded that “Helping people focus on the meaning and impact of their work, rather than on, say, the financial returns it will bring, maybe the best way to improve not only the quality of their work but also – counterintuitive though it may seem – their financial success“. Our souls yearn for meaning, an all-encompassing meaning that covers all areas of our lives. In Islam, this all-encompassing purpose is worshipping Allah , not only in terms of rituals but in everything we do, we are supposed to be conscious of Allah from the moment of waking until we sleep. Allah says in the Quran: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”  If we feed our soul with meaning and purpose, it’s amazing what it gives back in terms of motivation, sacrifice, and hard work for the meanings we truly believe in.

2. A belief system that helps us interpret the world:

Secularists and people who don’t believe in faith, will cringe at the notion of a belief system when discussing productivity. However, whether we like it or not, as human beings, we are deeply spiritual beings that have a continuous longing to be connected with an inner experience or our Creator. Religions or a belief system provides the necessary nourishment to the person’s soul and helps the person tap into their spiritual being more regularly. Moreover, a belief system provides the soul with a unique set of lens to help it deal with life events such as death or illness and improves relationships with people around him/her. On the contrary, not having a belief system makes one feel confused, lost, and not able to comprehend how to react when “bad things happen”. Another powerful positive reason for religions, in general, is that they provide a community and a personal identity for the person following the religion thus making the person feel more valued and grounded in values and principles that add to their positive mindset and thus their productivity. As a final Divine message for mankind, Islam provides that coherent and complete belief system that helps a person connect to Allah and understand the world around him/her from the perspective of the Quranic message and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This by itself is a blessing that helps us lead productive lives if we truly internalize its meanings and outcomes.

3. Spiritual/meditative rituals that are done on a daily basis:

Rituals ensure that our soul gets a daily healthy dose of feeding just like our bodies get a healthy meal every few hours. That’s why in Islam, we’re required to pray 5 times a day, as a way to continuously feed our souls as well as remember Allah often throughout the day. It’s been proven that rituals and meditative practices have immense benefit to our productivity – even though at the outset, they seem like a “waste of time”. Studies have shown that meditators for example report having fewer headaches, chronic digestive disorders, chest pains, and other psychophysiological symptoms after engaging in their meditative practices. All of these positive symptoms, help boost our productivity. Moreover, for us as Muslims, these useful activities are religious duties, and even though we enjoy their positive psychological and physiological benefits in this world, their true benefit will be the pleasure of Allah in the Hereafter.

4. Ethics and values that help us make better soul-driven decisions:

With a large purpose, a belief system that helps you fulfil that purpose, rituals that remind you of your purpose consistently, you can live an ethical lifestyle with values and principles you believe in. Moreover, by being reminded of these ethics and values through the stories of the Prophet or great companions or scholars of the past, the soul is always reminded of living a higher, more disciplined life, and avoid the downward spiral of living a hedonistic “dog-eats-dog” life. In my book “The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity“, I argue that “The pursuit of productivity without a clear set of guidelines or ethical values can destroy the human being – either literally through physical illness and fatigue or mentally and emotionally through depression, stress and anxiety. Islam comes values and guidelines that are not imposed by an external force, but self-applied out of a person’s own will and submission to..Allah”  Imagine if you don’t have an ethical system to lean on? how would you make decisions that make you feel comfortable that you did the “right things in life”?

I urge us all – as modern global Muslims – to start thinking about this topic more often, to have more discussions about it in our workplaces and schools, and come up with meaningful ways as individuals and organizations to boost our productivity by feeding our souls.

Lastly, next time, before you feed your brain with the latest hack, or feed your body with the next fortified energy bar, ask yourself: What does my soul need? How can I feed it to boost my productivity?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above? Do you think we are doing enough to promote the needs of our soul in today’s society?

The post The Missing Soul of Productivity appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

However, now that the blessed month of Ramadan has passed and the Eid ul-Fitr festivities are over, here are 9 tips for maintaining the incredible health benefits and habits that you worked so hard to gain in Ramadan.

1. Fast Twice a Week

Try fasting two days a week after Ramadan. Scientific research has shown that intermittent fasting is beneficial for the body and mind. Studies have shown that periods of intermittent fasting speed up the process by which the wastes left by dead and damaged cells are removed from the body. Scientists believe the failure of the body to get rid of this excess waste regularly results in an increase in the appearance of chronic diseases, especially those associated with aging, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Fasting has also been shown to result in physical and mental benefits, such as improved memory, sleep, concentration and increased energy. Occasional fasting has also shown to accelerate the activity and growth of nerve cells.

To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet , try to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “Deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday, and I love that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.” [Tirmidhi]

Also, try fasting the 6 days of Shawwal. There are enormous spiritual benefits to fasting in Shawwal.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari narrated that the Messenger said: “Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal will be (rewarded) as if he had fasted the entire year.” [Muslim]

2. Have 2-3 Meals a Day

Make a habit of eating 2-3 regular meals a day (similar to Ramadan), rather than 6 small ones. The sensation of hunger between meals, contrary to popular belief, can be of great benefit to our physical health. According to a study published by PLOS ONE, the sensation of hunger may actually protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

The feeling of hunger can also have spiritual benefits too.

Ibrahim ibn Adham said: “Anyone who controls his stomach is in control of his deen, and anyone who controls his hunger is in control of good behavior. Disobedience towards Allah is nearest to a person who is satiated with a full stomach, and furthest away from a person who is hungry.”

3. Eat Dried Fruits

During long days at work, it can be easy to snack on chocolate or crisps, but why not swap those snacks for dried fruit?

Dried dates and figs are both excellent sources of iron, fiber, and antioxidants that protect against harmful free radicals, which are associated with aging. If you have a sweet tooth and must have dessert after meals, have three dates instead of a dense, nutrition-deficit piece of chocolate cake.

Allah’s messenger said “Al-‘Ajwah is from Paradise and it contains a cure for poison “ [Tirmidhi]

4. The 80/20 Rule

Practice the 80/20 rule and eat only until you are 80% full. A good way to do this is to eat slowly, so you are aware of your satiation level while you eat. Eating on the go or whilst working are surefire ways to overeat and hinder your body’s ability to properly digest what you consume.

During Ramadan, the ritual of fasting allowed us to consciously recognize our body’s hunger and satiation signals. Therefore, avoid returning to mindless eating habits and most importantly beware of overeating, as the Messenger of Allah was reported to have said:

“The people who most eat their fill in this world will be the most hungry on the Day of Resurrection.” [Ibn Majah]

5. Use the Rule of Thirds

Ramadan was an excellent opportunity to learn how to plan our meals carefully and avoid the after-iftar slump that hindered our ability to pray taraweeh comfortably. We can use that same structure to avoid feeling lethargic after our lunch break. After Ramadan, use the rule of thirds to keep your daily energy levels up and prevent the sense of heavy-headedness that often follows a heavy meal.

Our wise Prophet Muhammad once said: “A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one-third of food, one third for drink and one third for air.” [Ibn Majah]

6. Take a Probiotic Supplement to Maintain Digestive Health

The excessive consumption of sweets that followed the long days of fasting in Ramadan and that were a big part of Eid celebrations may have taken its toll on your digestive system. Try adding a probiotic supplement to your daily regimen to replenish the levels of good bacterial flora in your intestines. Studies have shown that probiotics can also help keep colds and infection at bay as well as improve women’s health and metabolism.

7. Nurture Your Emotional Health

Do not neglect your emotional health; rather, look to continually strengthen it. One of the things we miss the most when Ramadan is over is that feeling of well-being and satisfaction after days and nights dutifully immersed in soulful supplication, night prayer and reading the Holy Qur’an. Meditation has been proven by researchers to be highly therapeutic for individuals suffering from depression, anxieties, phobias, and addictions. It is no wonder then that a month spent in spiritual ‘spring cleaning’ has such a calming and restorative effect on our state of mind and level of contentment.

One way to rekindle the feeling of spiritual well-being is to wake up 10-20 minutes before Fajr for night prayer and dua (supplication).

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” [Muslim]

Also, do not forget to make the practice of reading the Qur’an and performing dhikr an intrinsic part of your day.

8. Keep the Sadaqah Flowing

Keep the sadaqah flowing and reap the mental health rewards of giving. If you were supporting disadvantaged families in Ramadan, continue to do so after Ramadan. The act of giving, whether of your finances, skills or time, is extremely rewarding not only in the Hereafter but also here on Earth. Evidence has shown that small gestures of kindness or more significant ones, such as volunteering in the community, can substantially increase your overall sense of happiness and satisfaction.

“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 261]

9. Abstain From Smoking and Make Exercise a Priority

For smokers intending to quit, Ramadan was an ideal time to gradually stop smoking and eventually curb the harmful habit altogether. Once Ramadan is over, if you are a smoker, do not give in to the temptation of having a cigarette after meals. Continue to replace this addictive and toxic habit with healthier ones such as exercise.

Stay motivated with positive self-talk, pat yourself on the back for making good food choices and make exercise a priority by sticking to your workout schedule. During exercise, your body releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine that together improve your mood, keep you feeling healthy, fit and strong.

The Prophet Muhammad said: “There are two blessings in which many people incur loss. (They are) health and free time (for doing good).” [Bukhari]

Finally, always remember that great health maximizes productivity in all areas of your life. Make your health a priority, treat it as a blessing and you will begin to see amazing benefits, In sha Allah.

Share your post-Ramadan health benefits in the Comments section below.

The post 9 Easy Tips to Maintain your Health after Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Whilst this may be the case, like in any battle, the soldiers must prepare themselves to win. Our battle in this instance is to maintain a relationship with the Qur’an and continue to build on whatever we have accomplished this Ramadan. Even if it was not as productive as you would have liked, to learn from the mistakes made in Ramadan and kick-start a solid relationship with the Qur’an in the coming months is important.

Abdullah ibn Masud said:

“The house in which the Qur’an is not recited is like a derelict (forsaken) house that has no one to maintain it.” [Al-Musannaf]

Never let your home become forsaken; so long as you have breath in your lungs, you are able to hold tight to the Qur’an and its teachings. Regardless of whatever deadlines we have, our souls need to be taken care of. We all take time to ensure we smell nice, look good and eat well. So, give your soul as well the food it requires by nourishing it with the Qur’an, and never neglect it. Our bodies are finite entities, so feed the soul that will hold you up when your body is no longer strong. Feed the soul to keep your heart awake.

Here are 10 tips to help you start, develop and maintain a strong relationship with the book of Allah after Ramadan, no matter how busy you are in sha Allah:

1. Treat every month as if it’s Ramadan

“And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.” [Qur’an: Chapter 16, Verse 89]

While the blessed days have passed, our mentality towards worship should not change. This verse applies to every day; Ramadan is a special time to spend with the Qur’an but that does not mean we should neglect it outside of this month. Try to shift your perception of Ramadan from being a once a year peak performance demonstration, to seeing Ramadan as a glimpse of what you’re capable of doing every day. Think of all that you were able to achieve whilst fasting, and now imagine what you can do outside of Ramadan.

Sometimes, with all the hustle and bustle of daily life, the Qur’an can seem like an added burden to make time for. Allah says:

“We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed” [Qur’an: Chapter 20, Verse 2]

Adjust your mindset to see the Qur’an as something that you need, that will undoubtedly bring you peace and contentment. The truth is, any day could be our last and it’s what we invest into the next life that is worth more than anything this life can give.

2. Set your goals

Set a target for yourself. Do you want to complete the entire Qur’an or focus on particular surahs? Is there a portion you want to successfully memorize? Whatever the case may be, setting yourself realistic and measurable goals will help keep you focused to achieve it insha’Allah.

This is a personal goal for you, your abilities and what you are in need of to boost your iman. Not what someone else can do. Write it down in your diary, phone or wall – keep it around you before your eyes so you always remember what the goal is. Make it a tangible goal where you can see real progress.

Your goals don’t have to be massive, they can be small. They just need to be consistent.

“Is any one of you incapable of reciting a third of the Qur’an in a night? They (the Companions) asked: How could one recite a third of the Qur’an (in a night)? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: “‘Say: He is Allah, One’ (Qur’an. cxii) is equivalent to a third of the Qur’an.” [Muslim]

The Qur’an is full of so much barakah that even just Surah Al Ikhlas has a reward equivalent to a third of the entire Qur’an? So what’s stopping you from spending just a few minutes with His book?

3. Set a time for Qur’an

We can set as many goals as we like, but without being prepared or planning the journey to that destination, it can be extremely difficult. On a weekly basis, work out when you will have the time to read the Qur’an and associated activities that you are focusing on.

Are you able to have a set time? Maybe during your commute or in the morning when you wake up? Or perhaps before you sleep? It is great if you can but if not, do not panic. Use whatever time you have to do as much as you can. Some days may be busier than others and you may not be able to read whatever portion you had planned for. Hold yourself accountable for this and ensure to catch up with what you have missed on top of the planned activities for the next day.

This is important in ensuring you have a regular habit in place that you try to maintain to attain the goals you have made for that month. Even better, create a post-Ramadan Qur’an group with your friends to help you stay motivated and connected to the Qur’an even when you feel your enthusiasm dipping. Remember that whatever time you spend with the Qur’an, it will come back to help you in a way that you can’t even imagine.

“Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: O Lord, I kept him from his food and desires during the day; let me intercede for him. And the Qur’an will say: I kept him from sleeping during the night; let me intercede for him. And they will be allowed to intercede.” [Musnad Ahmad]

4. Don’t let Shaytan undermine you

We procrastinate with excuses as to why we cannot regularly recite and ponder over the Qur’an.

• You might “lack time” – but you are reading this which means you have time to surf the net! Cut out idle activities or wake up 15 minutes earlier.
• You feel bad because “you don’t understand” what you read – find a Qur’an teacher, read translations and tafsir or start learning Arabic.
• You may think “you’ll do it on the weekend” – give yourself the reality check of life. You may not have tomorrow so do what you need to today!

Sadly, it may just be a case of “I don’t know why, I just can’t get in the habit” – In order to make a habit, you must strive. The climb up the mountain is never easy but if you stop midway you will never reach the top. Small steps are better than no steps.

Remember that Shaytan comes for you when you take a step towards Allah . Now that he’s out after Ramadan, he’ll use all sorts of mental games to stop you from becoming a better version of yourself, and make you come up with a million excuses to delay spending time with the Qur’an. Catch him whenever he gives you an excuse.

In a world of information overload, our brains are used to idle easy useless information being the easiest to focus on. But with anything in life, what you get out is what you put in. If you haven’t given the Qur’an importance in your daily life, then how will you get any barakah from it? In the beginning, it may feel like a struggle, and easy to just change the app on your phone and play a game instead. However, it’s in those moments of discomfort that you become stronger and build good habits whilst letting go of negative ones.

Whatever is worth having, will not come easy. So especially in the beginning, invest in the Qur’an and stay committed, and after that beginning hurdle of difficulty, the Qur’an will become something that you cannot go without.

5. Give yourself a reward

“[Whoever recites a letter] from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi]

Allah has given us innumerable rewards for reading His book, but with any habit in life, rewards make them easier to keep. Think of bad habits for example. The reason they’re so addictive is that they have a short-term immediate reward. It’s what keeps us drawn to them. However, good habits can be as addictive as bad habits. Think about what reward will you give yourself for time spent with the Qur’an. Maybe it’ll be your milestone before you make that new purchase. Maybe your reward will be your favorite meal. It doesn’t matter what it is, but you’ll savor that reward knowing the hard work that you put in for it.

6. Take time to understand the Qur’an

As well as reciting the Qur’an, make time to read the translation and tafsir. This could be by reading them on your own, or by attending classes at a local masjid or institute. This is really an important part of developing an understanding of the Qur’an; many of us fall out of the habit of reading it because we fail to understand what it is that we are reading.

Allah says that the Qur’an is “a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 185]

We should not miss out on obtaining this guidance because we do not understand the language. Make it a goal to learn Arabic, however in the meantime, utilize the translated works available to understand, absorb, and implement the message of the Qur’an in your daily life. There is so much available out there already, so take advantage now.

“But which one do I follow? There’s so many out there.”

Come to the Qur’an with sincere intentions, and Allah will guide you in the best way. Have no doubt about that. He will put the people in your life that you need to give you the answers you’re looking for.

7. Recite out loud

The Qur’an was made to be recited out loud. Can you remember a time where you heard a Qur’an recitation that was so moving, that it had you in awe?

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Make your voices beautiful when you recite Quran.'” [Nasa`i]

I was once sitting with 2 friends where one of them was frustrated that she wasn’t getting a spiritual experience from reciting the Qur’an, so the other one asked if she was reciting out loud or just reading silently. She explained that Allah’s book was sent down orally to be recited out loud and that you miss out on a significant part of the spiritual experience if you only ever recite silently in your heart.

But what if your pronunciation isn’t that great? Or you don’t know your tajweed rules? What if you don’t have a nice voice?

Practice, practice, practice! Every master was once a beginner. Every reciter you listen to has put endless hours of practice into beautifying their recitation. Thinking that you’re going to be perfect with no practice is a self-sabotaging form of procrastination. Not only that but the struggle you go through to read means you get double the reward.

“He who finds it hard (to recite the Qur’an) will have a double reward.” [Muslim]

8. Implement what you learn

The stories in the Qur’an are full of lessons. Take time to ponder over them and ask yourself how you can implement what you have learned into your life? The Qur’an highlights for us the imperfections we have, whilst giving us the ideas on how to change for the best. Listening to the Qur’an can be healing and soothing, however, the fundamental reason for the verses to be revealed is to guide a person to the straight path. Whatever portion you read, ask yourself how you can change your life based on it. Keep a journal with the points you have learned and how you will work towards developing a personality complementary to the Qur’an. Remember the hadith of Aishah :

“The character of the Messenger of Allah was the Qur’an.” [Abu Dawud]

9. Beautify your salah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “It is a bad thing that some of you say, ‘I have forgotten such-and-such verse of the Qur’an,’ for indeed, he has been caused (by Allah) to forget it. So you must keep on reciting the Qur’an because it escapes from the hearts of men faster than camel do.” [Bukhari]

With anything in life, the moment you stop practicing, you become weaker at it. The same goes for Qur’an. Without taking regular time to practice, what you’ve learned will leave you. When we take a shower, it doesn’t mean we never have to take a shower again. When we eat lunch, it doesn’t mean we won’t become hungry again.

One of the best ways to retain your Qur’an is by reciting it in your salah. Salah can sometimes feel like a repetitive ritual if we only stick to the same short surahs at the end of the Qur’an. So when you read Qur’an, make an intention to recite what you’ve learned in your salah. It’s an easy and effective way to retain Qur’an and make your salah more meaningful.

10. Make Dua

Lastly, but by no means least – always ask Allah to help you in your quest to understand His words. We are unable to achieve anything without Allah granting us the ability to do so. The beauty of this is that Allah can help us achieve that which everyone else thinks we are unable to do.

Never let the words or actions of others put you down; whatever your goals are concerning the Qur’an and understanding it, put your trust in Allah that He will make it possible. Whatever rocks, boulders, or mountains come in your way, never forget that Allah knows your soul can handle the struggle. Break down whatever blocks that try to prevent you from grasping the Qur’an by always turning to Allah and asking Him to make the Qur’an the light of your life and heart!

Be an orange

A believer who recites the Qur’an is like an orange whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet; a believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste; [Muslim]

Qur’an is one of the few things that never decreases or takes away from your time. It has so much power to bring you contentment and ease in every part of your life if you welcome it. So let’s make a goal from now to build and strengthen our relationship with His book.

What are your tips on maintaining a close relationship with the Qur’an post-Ramadan?

The post 10 Easy Tips to Keep a Relationship with the Qur’an After Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

This article is to tell you: “Do NOT give up, and do NOT get overwhelmed!” You can still make your best of the remaining nights- even if it’s just one night left.

Our Prophet says:

“Make things easy and do not make them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them and do not repulse (them).” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The fact that you are living and witnessing these nights now in-and-of-itself is a MAJOR blessing from Allah to you. Remind yourself of that. He  chose you to be among those who witness these nights, receive the major multiplied rewards and nearness that come with seeking Him earnestly, humbly and sincerely during these nights.

This is not to tell you to relax completely or settle for less. Rather, this is to encourage to do your own sincerest effort and to know that Allah appreciates all efforts done mindfully and sincerely for His sake.

So, if you feel that your busy schedule or distracting lifestyle have left you with a sense of regret about Ramadan and the last nights so far, then here are some manageable tips to help you find your heart, revive what’s left of Ramadan and graduate this Ramadan with a sense of joy and gratitude instead of regret.

Refresh the Prerequisites of Success: Intention, Faith, and Hope for Rewards

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan” and according to the Hadith of Qutaibah, the Prophet said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan in prayer (Qiyam) out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgiven his previous sins, and whoever spends the night of Lailat Al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgiven his previous sins.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]

This means we need to be conscious of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. This means that both the heart and mind need to be active. Allah wants to see our hearts desiring His rewards, not see our bodies mindlessly performing actions.

A tried and tested tip: if you sincerely want to do something for the sake of Allah out of faith in Him and desire for His rewards and closeness, then Allah will surely facilitate this thing for you. Guaranteed. So, if you sincerely desire and have the intention to take action in the remaining nights of Ramadan, then Allah WILL facilitate for you the action.

“It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” [Qur’an 1: 5]

There is no room for giving up now. Seek the help of Allah , He never turns away anyone who seeks Him, and He will open doors for you to make the best of these nights in a way that fulfills you spiritually in Ramadan and beyond and fill you with gratitude.

Eliminate Distractions Wisely

Engage with the Qur’an Mindfully as Per Your Capacity

“Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree.” [Qur’an 97:1]

But we need to be reminded here of a few things. The Qur’an will give you what you intend. If you’re reading it for guidance, you’ll get guidance. If you’re reading it for relief, cure and light, you’ll get relief, cure, and light. If you’re reading it for closeness to Allah , you will feel more connected to Him. If you’re mindlessly reading it to gather rewards (and there is nothing wrong in seeking rewards), but this is what you will get without having a meaningful, transformational experience with the Qur’an. The key here is to humbly carry the Qur’an with gratitude knowing that it’s the means of all khair (goodness), and let Allah guide you through His Book. He is the Best teacher.

 “The Most Merciful. Taught the Qur’an.” [Qur’an 55: 2]

Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]. [Qur’an 50: 37]

The Best & Easiest Dua Has Been Announced. Maximize on Using it!

Do you see people around you making long lists of dua and you feel like your own duas are insignificant next to what they’re doing? Do you find that making dua in Arabic is hard and you envy those who masterfully make elongated duas? Do you fear that maybe you didn’t ask Allah for everything you want or that you may forget an important dua that you need?

If so, then know that the Messenger of Allah -as the genius, merciful and deeply knowing of our conditions as he is – has already advised us with the BEST dua to make that will bring us the best in this life and the next. And it is easy. And it is simple. And you can do it comfortably and get the best rewards.

‘A’isha narrated, ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah ‘O Messenger of Allah if I know what night the night of Qadr is, what should I say during it?’ He said, “Say:

O Allah, You are the Pardoner and You love to pardon, so pardon me. (Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni)” [Related by the five Imams]

There are many blessings in making this dua:

• First of all, it is a sign that you love Allah because Allah says in the Qur’an “Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur’an 3: 31]
• You get rewards for reviving a sunnah and following the Messenger of Allah .
• You follow the right etiquette of making dua. Many people start making their duas right away asking Allah for what they want, while the best way to make dua is to send peace and blessings upon the Messenger , then praise Allah , and then ask for what you want. This dua shows that you’re following the Messenger which is a form of gratitude to Allah, and it reminds you of praising Allah and calling Him by His Names and Attributes. So, it is a beautiful form of worship that gathers many blessings and rewards at once in just a few eloquent words.
• Pardoning has a vast meaning that many people might not be aware of. If Allah pardons us, we will not carry the guilt of sin or the feeling of regret or the worry of not being accepted. If Allah pardons us, He removes the bad deeds and replaces them with good ones. If Allah pardons us, He facilitates for us the best routes to take in this life and the best results in the next. If Allah pardons us, we become among those who are nearer to Him. If Allah pardons us, He blesses us more generously in this life and the next.

Aim for Doable Nightly Prayers

If you can, try to make the last hour before Fajr (or at least a portion of it) for a special time between you and Allah . In this hour, pray even two light units of prayer and the witr (single prayer) if you can. Then, make a lot of istighfar (asking for forgiveness) it is a very recommended and praised act by Allah Himself to do at this time, you can make tawbah or pray the tawbah prayer if you feel you have intentionally wasted more time than you should in Ramadan and those last nights. If you’re sincere in regret and repentance over what you’ve missed, then Allah can replace your bad deeds with good ones. There is still so much hope.

Remember Allah Standing, Sitting or Lying on Your Sides

Allah has made His remembrance easy for us. We can engage in the worship of remembering Allah in any position. As He says:

And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. [Qur’an 4: 103]

If you’re tired of prayer or cannot pray, then keep thinking about Allah and speak to Him. This act of worship will not only give you great rewards, but it will also give you clarity and help you re-assess your life, regain your sincerity and focus you need in your life.

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire – You have disgraced him, and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers. Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous. Our Lord, and grant us what You promised us through Your messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You do not fail in [Your] promise.” [Qur’an 3: 190-194]

Remembering Allah , even though it is easy and convenient, but it is a highly rewarded form of worship.

For example:

Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Purity is half of iman (faith). ‘Al-hamdu lillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth.” [Riyad as-Salihin]

So saying ‘AlhamduliAllah’ fills the scales. Imagine saying AlhamduliAllah repeatedly and filling up your scales all night or saying ‘subhanAllah and alhamduliAllah’ and filling what is between the heaven and earth with good deeds!

So, do not waste time sitting silently, engage in the remembrance of Allah, speak to Him, praise Him, seek His forgiveness, and get the spiritual cleansing and immense rewards of these effortless, yet therapeutic acts.

Purification of the wealth helps purify the self

The word zakah carries the same letters for the word tazkiyah (purification). Giving out in charity is a means of purification. Allah says:

“[He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself. And not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded. But only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High. And he is going to be satisfied.” [Qur’an 92: 18- 21]

So, do give out in charity as much as you can with this intention. There are many trusted causes that you can donate to even online (but remember point 2 of not wasting time online except for what’s necessary), or you can feed an orphan or someone who’s poor, needy or fasting… the doors of charity are many, and the rewards of charity reflects on your spiritual and physical health.

Additionally, of course, do not forget to give out Zakatul Fitr before Ramadan ends, before Salatul Eid!

These are all manageable actions, insha’Allah, that you can incorporate within your capacity while being sincere and hopeful.

So, to recap, what you can do is:

• Have faith and hope for rewards
• Eliminate distractions and aim for “Me and Allah” time between Maghrib and Fajr
• Engage with the Qur’an mindfully and with an open heart
• Maximize on making the best and easiest dua for these nights
• Pray night prayer within your capacity
• Remember Allah standing, sitting and on your sides
• Give zakat and give in charity with the intention of purification

If you are overwhelmed with regret over what has passed you of Ramadan, then pray the tawbah prayer and renew your intention to do your own best in the remaining nights –even if it’s just one night left, it could, in fact, be Laylatul Qadr and Allah can give you unlimited rewards and open the best doors for you in this life and the next. So keep going with hope.

The Plan Ahead

Most importantly, do not intend to relapse after Ramadan, this might actually negatively affect everything you’re doing. Allah knows and sees our intentions. We’re opening a new page with Allah these days, the rest of the book should not be empty! It is not about making a temporary superficial commitment, but an eternal one. Ramadan is not an event or a season. The Night of Qadr that you might witness actually decides what will be decreed for you for the rest of the year. So, show Allah that you want to transform your life to the best. Doing our best should be a lifetime endeavor. So, make the intention of continuing whatever progress you make after Ramadan as well. This is the whole point: to get the right motivation to keep going for the rest of the year.

There are many opportunities all around you. Take any that suits you. But by all means, keep making consistent actions even if small. The Prophet says that Allah says, “If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.’ [Sahih Al Bukhari]

We urge you not to give up or lose hope or waste a wide-open opportunity in these nights to ask Allah to help you transform your life and aim for the best in this world and the next.

Now tell us, which acts are your planning to continue after Ramadan? Let us know in the comments. 

The post Graduating Ramadan Without Regret: 7 Realistic & Manageable Tips to Help You appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Okay, change of plans.

Instead of focusing on how to gather up your energy to make the best out of the last third of Ramadan, let’s focus on how to absorb energy from the last 10 days of Ramadan to make the best out of the whole year!

What do you think, sounds good?

Don’t worry; this isn’t another cliché article on ‘How to Maintain the Ramadan Spirit’. I know your time is very precious so let’s get real….

Expectations Vs Reality

Many of us wonder how we can reach unprecedented spiritual levels in Ramadan, and yet scrape the bottom of the ‘sinning’ barrel for the rest of the year. Even though it’s become a yearly pattern, it remains completely unexplainable!

How is sincere worship during the holy month a common goal for us and yet it slips the minds of many for the rest of the year?

How do we find serenity and peace so easily in Ramadan, but lose our breaths chasing them outside of it?

Okay, let’s put it this way. Have you ever come across that little drawing of a tap pouring water into different pots and the riddle asks you to figure out which pot would fill up first?

You’d expect the top pot to fill up faster; since it’s closer to the tap. But as we take a closer look, we realize the real answer is actually the one with blocked holes, the pot that doesn’t dissipate water. Well, it’s the same with our lives too. Think of the year as twelve different pots, and while 11 are constantly emptying out the water being poured into them, only the Ramadan pot fills up, because, we try to seal its four cracks as much as we possibly could:

1. The Eyes: We guard them by lowering our gaze.

2. The Ears: We block them from listening to gossip and stuff.

3. The Tongue: We control what we say. Backbiting, sarcasm, lies, profanities, curse words… It’s the biggest crack of all actually, for sometimes one hurtful word can destroy someone’s whole world.

4. The Hands: We make sure we cause no harm to each other nor do we touch what’s not lawfully ours.

For the most part, like the 11 remaining pots, many of us feel empty inside until Ramadan arrives to fill us up. It’s not only because we seal the four cracks of the eyes, ears, tongue, and hands, but also because in Ramadan, we give our translators a chance to talk.

(Ummm yes you come with an exceptional, state of the art built-in translator. What, you didn’t know?!)

Listen To Your Heart

Your heart understands and sees things differently because it has a mind and a pair of eyes of its own. Your heart’s reasoning is very different from your brain’s way of thinking. It’s like a translator that speaks a unique language, giving you the keys to many closed doors.

You think I’m exaggerating, don’t you?

Would I lie to you?

In Ramadan?

After years of being your virtual friend?

Alright fine, here’s the undeniable proof:

Allah says

“So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.” [Quran, Chapter 22: Verse 46]

Your heart is like a famous public figure, it has so much influence, it can completely turn your life around!

Prophet Muhammad says

“Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.” [Bukhari] 

So listen to it. Let your inner translator speak its mind.

Because when your eyes see the pages of the Qur’an, your heart sees the guidance.

When your eyes see the wealth, food and family, your heart sees the blessings in having them.

When your eyes see the obstacles, the hardships, and trials, your heart sees the meanings behind them.

And when your eyes see the month of Ramadan as being tiresome and difficult, your heart understands it’s a yearly Boot Camp. It’s the chance to start over, to charge up and shield ourselves from the sins that stain our hearts.

Listen to this:

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous” [Qur’an, Chapter 2: Verse183]

Shhhhhh did you hear that?

Someone just mumbled ‘We’ve been lectured about this ayah a thousand times! So much for cliché articles girl!’

Okay, who said that? It was you, wasn’t it?

Well, I must admit there’s a certain power in clichés and repetition. Sometimes you can read the same thing over and over and you know, nothing! Then you read it again and it suddenly hits you. Your heart finally speaks….

The Real Winners

Who do you think wins the race in Ramadan?

Those who read the most Qur’an or those who go out of their way to help others?

Those who pray all night or those who work all day?

Those who struggle to learn or those who teach with ease?

Well, the answer is really simple: the winners are the ones who do good from the heart…..

You know those articles we call ‘clichés’? Someone took the time to research ayahs and hadiths and then spent hours trying to frame the information as eloquently as possible, to remind themselves and the rest of us of Allah’s words.

These articles were written from the heart…

And the persistently recurring lectures about how to make the best out of Ramadan? Someone stepped out of their comfort zone, stood in front of a camera or an audience, to spread the message of Allah , hoping to be even one person’s wakeup call.

You know those lectures? They were spoken

from the heart….

And you being here, leaving everything behind to search for answers on how to fuel up for the last few days. You know this time you’re spending reading this article. That’s time spent from the heart.

You know this panic? This guilt? This need to seize the opportunity to ‘become righteous’?

That’s a feeling Allah put in your heart because He loves you. Because He’s more Merciful to His slavess than a tender mother is towards her only child.

Even the people who have gone astray, Allah waits for them to come back. And He’s more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds his lost camel in the desert [Bukhari and Muslim]

I mean, imagine a life without the month of Ramadan where all our past sins are forgiven? Imagine a world without the Holy Qur’an, where Allah literally talks to us, telling us over and over, that no matter how many mistakes we make and sins we fall into, He will always be Compassionate and Forgiving when we ask Him?

Imagine a world where no one cares about you. No one cares to slowly bring you back to the straight path. No one bothers to help you heal your aching heart or even listen to what you have to say.

Imagine a world where the Divine commands were straightforwardly given to us, like a set of instructions in a manual. Or where guidance and advice is cast upon us harshly like rocks knocking us down.

You know what would happen? No matter how beneficial the loveless reminders are, we’d build walls against them.

Love is the essence of Islam.

When your heart is filled with love, it’s almost impossible to enjoy anything without sharing it with your loved ones.

It’s almost impossible to find pure pleasure in a sin because your love for your Creator will fill your soul with sorrow.

Love makes it easier to forgive. It makes you find bliss in caring for others, in building them up even when you feel broken inside.

The Messenger of Allah [saw] said,

“By Him in Whose Hand my soul is! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another….” [Muslim]

I think we tend to separate our religion from our lifestyle. Then struggle with this tug-o-war between spirituality and worship on one side and practicality and daily needs on the other. We forget that the Qur’an was sent down to fix this life we’re living right now, as well as our hereafter. It was sent to fill our minds with answers, our hearts with love and our souls with peace.

Alright here’s a pop quiz: Do you know why the devils are tied up in Ramadan? Because they keep trying to harden your hearts with whispers of doubts, anger, and selfishness.

They try to mute your inner translator and get it sick with temptations, laziness, and jealousy.

But in Ramadan, this self-discipline pours into your self-esteem and so you fill your pot with spiritual achievements. You’re free to dream of your future self; that role model inside of you that you’re yet to become.

You owe it to yourself to charge up your heart and invest in your relationship with Allah , with your loved ones and with yourself

And if you haven’t yet, there’s still time

You deserve this chance to start anew

Just open your heart and listen….

The post Are You Charged Up for the Last 10 Nights Yet? Here’s How To Master Your Mind in Ramadan – Part 3 appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.