Ramadan // Starting Strong
As I write this, you and I are preparing our hearts and homes for Ramadan. Maybe you're setting up Ramadan corners and reading baskets for your kids. Maybe you’re meal prepping in advance to save energy during the long fasting hours. Maybe you’re making du’a lists and creating goals for yourself as the month approaches. In all the ways we are preparing, I wanted to share a few ideas that may be fresh perspectives for you as they were for me as I get ready for another Ramadan.
Reflection & Writing
Have you noticed the benefits of journaling in Ramadan? From all the journaling I do throughout the year, its’ my journaling in Ramadan that helps me see most clearly. I recently went through my notes from last Ramadan and I could feel the difference I experienced in my fasting state, just by reading my writing. Taking time to journal even for 10 minutes about your Qur’an reflections, musings, and inner changes as you go through Ramadan can leave a lasting imprint on you for the months ahead. Maybe you have some new perspectives budding inside, or personal challenges to work through, or plans for the future you want to flush out. Journaling during a fasting state can give you clarity that otherwise isn’t achievable outside of fasting.
Go deep instead of going wide
I have fond memories of completing my reading of the Qur’an from cover to cover each Ramadan since I was in 8th grade. It’s a ritual my sisters and I shared and continue to do each year as we get to travel through the hills and valleys of the Qur’an together. Alongside this practice, I want to personally focus on one particular Surah of the Qur’an and go deep. Al Huda Institute does an extraordinary job of going deep with each Surah and Juz through detailed root words, tafseer, tajweed, and discussion. Another way to do this at home is to pick one surah and immerse ourselves in it with exploration, studying, and memorizing. You can do this on your own or better yet, share the process with children and family.
Slowing down
In our fasting state, everything slows down as our blood sugar level dip and we feel an unavoidable sense of humility. We speak less and try to do more good deeds. In the process of slowing down, consider going into Ramadan with the intention of slowing down your thoughts and noticing what’s happening up there in your mind. What kinds of thoughts are crossing your mind most often? What are your automatic thoughts? What meanings do you make of things? What kinds of thoughts are helpful and which ones aren’t? Slow down and take notice.
Noticing the dark spots
Our hearts can become speckled with dark spots over time from habits and thoughts that go unchecked. What a blessing to have Ramadan as a boot camp for cleaning those spots and renewing our resolve to come closer to Allah (swa)! Instead of feeling let down by our shortcomings in the months since last Ramadan, we can choose to be brave and notice the dark spots, get curious about the causes, and take steps to clearing them away for good. Ultimately, the only thing we can control is our heart and our efforts.
May you and your family have a blessed Ramadan ahead!
