How is your Ramadhan?

Ramadhan is that time of the year when fasting Muslims go through purification of the body and soul.

When fasting one is surrendering to Allah who ordered Muslims to fast so they can feel the suffering of those who are less fortunate and spend some time reading the holy Quran and reflecting in its meaning.

The extended prayers allows us to strengthen our spiritual life and ask God for forgiveness.

Ramadhan is also time for family gathering and trying different food cuisines where we reward our self after a long day of fasting with different food items. While many people eat with moderation we often hear about those who spend lots of time and money in preparing and purchasing food which ends up being wasted because it’s beyond their ability to consume.

The different advertisements about iftar buffets that we see in social media platforms may also encourage people to over eat especially with the variety of food offered most of which containing high amount of sugar and carbohydrates.

Therefore one should not be surprised to hear that certain people gain weight during Ramadhan despite fasting from dawn to sun set. Alongside chasing food offers some of us get distracted with television series which for some reason uses the holy month to broadcast different programmes and drama series.

These are prepared in ways to capture viewer’s attention and keep them glued in front of their TV wasting time which could have been used for prayers and reading Quran.

Since Ramadhan is followed by Eid which is a festive season it is understandable that we would need to prepare for Eid and buy clothes, food items and gifts for our loved ones. This can be time consuming and also financially exhausting to the family with young children especially when shops compete with each other’s in displaying the latest items and tempting consumers to overspend.

Therefore, one has to plan his financial situation well before indulging in excessive shopping. The last ten days of Ramadhan are believed to be the most time Muslims get rewarded for their good deeds so it is worth planning your time well to get the most of these precious days.

Avoid the distraction described above and give yourself a break from social media which is, in my opinion is the main distracter. Switch off your notifications to avoid interruptions and if possibly keep your mobile away when your are not expecting important calls or texts.

Some Muslims choose to spend the last ten days inside the mosque and dedicate his or her time for prayers, reading the holy Quran and asking God for forgiveness.

Some mosques offer regular lessons to strengthen one’s understanding of the meanings of Islam and how to gain positive behaviour and continue to live the spirit of Ramadhan all year long.

One of the challenges most fasting Muslims face is maintaining the spiritual behaviour after Ramadhan when life return to its previous rhythm. The long working hours may stop some of us from performing all prayers in the mosque.

Finally, I hope you can make the best of the remaining days of the holy month and that you are able to maintain the spiritual journey when it ends.