The time to argue about the moon comes back
yet again! The time where everyone knows the exact time when Maghrib prayer is
has come to greet us once again!
Ramadan is just around the corner! Yes I
know we hear the words Ramadan Ramadan Ramadan so many times! But WAIT! Lets
just stop there! Let us understand what Ramadan really means.
What does the word Ramadan mean?
The word Ramadan comes from the word Ramadh
in Arabic which means severe heat. This heat kills all the negativity within
us, both physically and spiritually.
Ramadan is like a school, just how we go to
school from year 1 to 12 and graduate with a diploma. The school life in
Ramadan is only 30 days and you either pass or you fail. Those who pass are the
ones who not only fast from dawn till dusk but those refrain from using bad
language and bad behavior. And must importantly whose who use this month to
rekindle their relationship with their maker.
What does God say about Fasting?
The almighty God says whatever you do in
life that is good, you are doing for your own benefit, everything except
fasting, fasting you do for me and I will reward those who fast.
Is it true that one of the days of Ramadan will
equal to 83 years?
YES! Long ago before the prophet, the life expectancy
of a human was about 400 years or even more, but at the time of our prophet God
gave us this month and in this month there is a specific day in which whatever
good deed we do it is as though we’ve been doing it for 83 YEARS!
Why you may ask?
We could argue that long ago people lived longer;
therefore they had more years to do good! So God gives us this month to be fair
to us, so that even though we live for about 60 years we can be rewarded just
as much as people who lived before us.
Why do Muslims Fast in Ramadan?
Ramadan is a “Training” month, it is
scientifically proven that in order to change a bad habit or adapt to a good
one, one must practice doing so for around 30 days, by that time it will be part
of the person’s lifestyle. And so we abstain from all desires (Food desires,
Sexual desires etc.) for 30 days. From doing so after the month is over we
appreciate what we are blessed with (food, spouses etc.).
We also rebuild our connection with God, we
read Quran more, we pray more and we ask forgiveness for any sin we might have
committed. Therefore after the 30 days are over we will have changed for the
better.
So Muslims are only religious in Ramadan?
No. We live in a world where we are being
controlled by negative vibes. As a baby we come into this world innocent. But
as we grow we sometimes adopt bad behavior from our surroundings. All humans no
matter what religion believe in the devil. We all know that there are devils
around us that make us commit sins. We don’t realize this, but once we look
back at our past we say
“Why on earth did I do that?”
In Ramadan we Muslims take advantage of
this month, as the devil is locked up, being religious and close to God becomes
effortless which is why we try to increase our connect with him. Using the
example of Mufti Menk he explains this month as a stone thrown with a catapult.
In this month we use all our energy to pull, to absorb our religion so that
when the month it over and we let go the stone keeps gliding for the next 11
months.
Advise to those who are fasting <3
1. Plan your Ramadan:
Get a paper and pen and jot
down anything you wish to change about yourself, maybe you don’t help around
the house, maybe you don’t interact with your family ( yes I blame instagram
too lol)
Ramadan in known for the month
of the Quran, give yourself a goal even if its something small because for each
letter you read you get 10 deeds rather than 1.
2. Pray More:
Pray because you want to, pray to build that relationship with God. Sometime you’re on the phone with a loved one, and then you look up at the time and notice that its 3am! Why is it that time goes by so quickly? Simply because you’re in love. What about when a child is sick and mother stays up all night beside her child, soon enough she’ll look at the time and see that its 4am why? Simply because she’s in love. So why is it that when it’s time to pray, time goes by so slowly? I’ll let you think of that answer.
Pray because you want to, pray to build that relationship with God. Sometime you’re on the phone with a loved one, and then you look up at the time and notice that its 3am! Why is it that time goes by so quickly? Simply because you’re in love. What about when a child is sick and mother stays up all night beside her child, soon enough she’ll look at the time and see that its 4am why? Simply because she’s in love. So why is it that when it’s time to pray, time goes by so slowly? I’ll let you think of that answer.
3. Don’t stuff your face lol!:
Did you know that eating a lot in suhor (before morning prayer) doesn’t make you less hunger it actually makes you more hunger during the day. Take my advice and eat 3 dates as it contains large amounts of iron, which help oxidize your body! They give you so much energy during the day! I know you love your brinj w mreshk ( rice & chicken) lol but trust me this will help you a lot!
Did you know that eating a lot in suhor (before morning prayer) doesn’t make you less hunger it actually makes you more hunger during the day. Take my advice and eat 3 dates as it contains large amounts of iron, which help oxidize your body! They give you so much energy during the day! I know you love your brinj w mreshk ( rice & chicken) lol but trust me this will help you a lot!
4. Don't waste food:
Sometimes we are so hungry we start preparing so much food because we think we’ll eat it all! But once we break our fast we can’t even finish a portion yet alone the 50 other dishes lying on the table untouched. So try not to prepare too much even if you do because I know 99% of you won’t take this advice because you love your food, but at least take the remaining food and give it to the poor on the streets.
Sometimes we are so hungry we start preparing so much food because we think we’ll eat it all! But once we break our fast we can’t even finish a portion yet alone the 50 other dishes lying on the table untouched. So try not to prepare too much even if you do because I know 99% of you won’t take this advice because you love your food, but at least take the remaining food and give it to the poor on the streets.
5. Reach out to other people:
Ramadan isn’t about you you you its about being generous. With a click of a button we see so many disasters occurring in different parts of the word, there are so many people out there homeless, with no food or water or even shelter. 1 pound/dollar may seem like nothing to you, but it means the whole world to someone else. <3
Ramadan isn’t about you you you its about being generous. With a click of a button we see so many disasters occurring in different parts of the word, there are so many people out there homeless, with no food or water or even shelter. 1 pound/dollar may seem like nothing to you, but it means the whole world to someone else. <3
*The Prophet says whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast will
have a reward like his without decreasing his reward in the slightest way*
*The Prophet says a person who is fasting
experiences two points of happiness, happiness on opening the fast and the
second is when he connects with God*
And that concludes the end of this
post ! I hope it helped make things a bit clearer and I wish you a very blessed
Ramadan! <3
