Ramadan Preps.
Countdown. Drumrollllllllllllllll.
As-salaam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh beautiful peopleeeee. How have you been? How are you all preparing for Ramadan?
I hope this letter meets you in a better state of eemaan than it leaves me and that Ramadan itself meets you in an even better state.
This letter is me finally acknowledging that Ramadan is upon me and moreso, that I have to prepare for it.
Story time, bismiLlah…
In recent years, I never really understood the concept of 'preparing' for Ramadan and I used to watch, baffled as, seemingly, e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e got caught in the excitement of preparing for Ramadan.
I, of course, used to also get excited about Ramadan as a child. The novelty of the rituals of sahur, the grownup-ness of being among the fasting peoples😂, the rituals and elaborate meals of Iftaar…no way! I loved every bit of it.😂😂
But it all began to wear off the first Ramadan I observed away from home. I mean, ATMS did what they could but there was no way Ramadan in boarding school could compare to Ramadan in my mummy's house. No way!
Then, I lost my excitement for Ramadan because it no longer came with the things that made me excited to meet it. So I decided to find my excitement again and finding it from that point has been a long journey that I'm still not done with. It's a different story every Ramadan. But I'm so grateful that I lost my excitement because losing it has helped me find the genuine reasons I should be excited to meet Ramadan.
For the first couple of years, I would just do my thing and watch everyone gush about their excitement for Ramadan and how they could not wait for it and I would wonder if there was something wrong with the air I was breathing because, why on Allah's own earth did it seem like I was the only person not excited??
Then everyone went on and on and on about ‘preparing’ for Ramadan and it just left me wondering, what exactly I was supposed to be preparing? What exactly was I supposed to be doing?
So I would do nothing. I would just wait for Ramadan to come, do what I could do and watch it go again, until the next time it would make it's not-so-grand entrance. It isn't a nice feeling, I tell you.
Sha, I'd like to share with you some reminders about your excitement for Ramadan and how you should prepare for it.
First, I'll remind you of why Ramadan is so special. You already know it, I know, but humor me please, will you?
Ramadan is Ramadan (sorry, that was just the first thing that came to mind😂). But really, Ramadan is Ramadan.
Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may have Taqwa.
[Al-Baqarah(2):183]
In the Tafsir Ibn Kathir, attention is called to two salient points in this verse, and these two points are the points ;
That fasting is enjoined upon Muslims so that they may have Taqwa (piety).
“This is because fasting purifies the souls and cleanses them from the evil that might mix with them and their ill behavior.”
That Allah makes mention of the fact that He also prescribed it to those before us. According to the Tafsir, “Allah mentioned that He has ordained fasting for Muslims just as He ordained it for those before them, they being an example for them in that, so they should vigorously perform this obligation more obediently than the previous nations.”
The Prophet was also reported to have said:
By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allah [Subhanahu wa Ta'ala] than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The Saum (fast) is for Me.** So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times.' " [Sahih Al-Bukhari, 3/1894 (O.P.118)]
So, in essence,
Ramadan is a month of abundance and competition, with oneself, with friends, with family, with those who have come before us—to see who would be able to gather more weights on their scale before the end of the awoof period.
Ramadan is the month of striving for Taqwa, to purify our souls and cleanse them of evil. To draw closer to Allah, to renew our intentions, to return back to Allah, to make new resolutions, to surrender completely. To recenter.
Now, this is what Ramadan is about.
But Ramadan is really also about family and community as well as love and friendship for the sake of Allah. So while it is totally okay to be excited about sharing the beauties of the month with your loved ones, there's also the awoof part to not forget and to be excited about as well. Bonus rewards flying around in the air for whoever would as much as stretch their hands to pluck them.
So, how do you prepare for Ramadan?
The Ramadan bonus is just 30 days, 30 short days that would pass in the blink of an eye, literally. You really just have to take a deep breath and Ramadan is over again. Really.
To make the best of this month, you need to prepare yourself, physically and mentally for this month before it comes.
Here are a few things you might want to prepare before you meet Ramadan:
Your Health.
You’re about to send your body on a 30 day spiritual and physical work-out, try and be nice to it, ehn? Go for a check-up, treat underlying health conditions and just remember to treat your body nicely so it doesn't break down midway through the journey.
Your Mind
Those new resolutions you're planning for Ramadan, your Ramadan goals…are they ready yet?
The types of actions, speech and dressing you’re planning to ditch in Ramadan, may Allah ease it for you, why don't you start with those now?
Enter the Ramadan spirit already babyyyyy. Don't wait until the moon is sighted, start now, say that adhkar. That hijab you're waiting to wear in Ramadan, wear it already.
It'll help you meet Ramadan in a better state of eemaan bi idhniLlah.
The Qur’an
Start getting yourself comfortable with that pace you’re planning for your Qur'an goal habibi. You’ve not opened your Qur'an in six months and you want to finish the Qur'an six times in the thirty days of Ramadan, naashaAllah. May Allah make it easy for you.
Salah
Again, don't wait till the moon is sighted. Don't make the Tarawih the first Salah you’re observing in months. Start with Fajr today. If your Salah has not been constant, start doing better now. Up your tahajjud game.
Just don't wait till Ramadan before you bring your A-game. Bring it on now habibi. May Allah make it easy for you. This will also help you meet Ramadan in a better state of eemaan bi idhniLlah.
The Dua List
This is one suggestion I have found very helpful, given that I do not know how to word out my prayer requests on the spot. Last, year, my friends made these Dua lists that were so helpfullll. SubhanaLlah. May Allah reward them. Everything you wanttt, write it down. Make a comprehensive list. Everythinggggg. Don't be shy, this is your Lord you’re talking to, not some person that would judge you. It helps you put your thoughts in one place when you're making Dua. Think of it like those compilations of adhkars, only difference is, they’re more personal.
In the meantime, here is your reminder to start preparing for Ramadan if you're yet to start. May Allah preserve us till and beyond then in the best state of health and eemaan. May Allah accept every good deed we put forward before, during and after Ramadan. Aameen.
Allahuma ballighnā Ramadan.
Allahuma ballighnā Ramadan.
PS. Kindly drop whatever else you're doing to prepare for Ramadan in the comments please? I'd really like to know🥺 And you might just be helping someone prepare for Ramadan too.
As-salaam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh 💜✨
Thanks very much for this. May Allah make it easy for all of us. Jazakumlah khayran 🙏
Thanks very much for this. May Allah make it easy for all of us. Jazakumlah khayran 🙏