During Ramadan, apart from worship and concerns of how to spiritually improve oneself, a lot of people get preoccupied with what they will cook or prepare for iftar and suhoor for thirty straight days. The numerous shopping trips start a week or two before Ramadan. During the first few days of Ramadan, some people prepare the most
Read article
Get Rid of Your Distractions Before Ramadan: How to Achieve the Spiritual Focus You Want
Imagine Ramadan at your doorstep. The long anticipated first taraweeh prayer will take place tonight. You desperately want to feel the spirit. But you just aren’t into it. You’re overwhelmed with something else: distractions! You’re drowning in deadlines for work;you need to catch up with family issues that you’ve been postponing for ages. On top
Read article
Ramadan: a Month of Self-Indulgent Iftar Parties or Self-Restraint?
Ramadan is just around the corner. What are the signs that I see around me? By far the most important of them all is the cleaning of the Haleem (meat and lentils) cooking cauldrons, repairing of the tandoor ovens and the painting of signs screaming that the Haleem of that particular establishment can’t possibly be bettered in this
Read article
How to Get Your Kids to Look Forward to and Love Ramadan
Ramadan is nearly upon us In sha Allah, and for those of us who are parents, the month brings with it a desire to imbibe a love and excitement in our children for fasting and the unique ibadah that comes with this month. In this article, I share my tips and advice on how to prepare
Read article
[Aiming for an Awesome Ramadan Series – Part 5] From Planning For Ramadan to Planning Your Entire Year
If you have been following along, you would have by now a list of goals for this Ramadan (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3) and a list of duas (Part 4) to make throughout the month. Without noticing, you have already made a subtle yet decisive shift in your mindset. You have begun using Ramadan as a springboard
Read article
[Aiming for an Awesome Ramadan Series – Part 4] Awesome Duas For an Awesome Year
Some believe Ramadan is special simply because it contains a night that is greater than 1,000 months, but what makes that night so great? The truth is, during that night the qadar (decree) for the coming year is sent down from the preserved tablet. As Allah says what can be translated as: “On that night
Read article