![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/27\/2014\/06\/Ramadan-meme_non-fasters.png\" "\\"Ramadan")
<\/a>By Siraj<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019m all for uplifting messages that inspire us to put forth our best effort in worshiping\u00a0All\u0101h\u00a0\u00a0during Ramadan. \u00a0However, in lands where people do not have the luxury of time and sleep post-suhoor, getting maximum benefit out of Ramadan requires a bit of doing before entering into the month full force. \u00a0With this in mind, the following is a series of posts covering:<\/p>\n
Part 1 \u2013 Training Season: \u00a0<\/strong>The month of Ramadan can be as physical as it is spiritual, and the body needs time to adjust. \u00a0How can we \u201ctrain\u201d ourselves for the physicality of it beforehand? \u00a0What\u00a0practices can we take from the Sunnah of the Prophet\u00a0 Part 2 \u2013 Goal Setting:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0While we certainly want to push ourselves above and beyond our normal spiritual limits, we also want to be careful of making unrealistic goals, as this can set up unrealistic expectations for what will get done and can cause a rapid loss of momentum, resulting in functioning on a \u201cbare minimum\u201d mindset. \u00a0How can we set realistic goals that make sense not only for ourselves personally, but as well in the context of the needs of others around us.<\/p>\n Part 3 \u2013 Calendaring:<\/strong>\u00a0This goes hand-in-hand with Goal Setting \u2013 how will you schedule your week, given your Ramadan goals and still-running commitments? \u00a0This article will show you an easy way to do that, and why it\u2019s important to do so.<\/p>\n Part 4 \u2013 Miscellaneous Stuff:\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019ll cover clearing your schedule, working out, and other items of concern to keep in mind during this month.<\/p>\n Personal and time management articles have a tendency towards coma-inducing detail. \u00a0I will make every attempt to keep these brief and prescriptive, but beware of conflating simplicity with ease \ud83d\ude09 Parts 1 and 2 are covered here.<\/p>\n Part One: Training for the Ultimate Spiritual Triathlon<\/strong><\/p>\n An Ironman Triathlon\u00a0involves 2.4 miles of swimming, followed immediately by 112 miles of biking, and again followed immediately by 26.2 miles of running. \u00a0Can you imagine showing up to compete with no preparation, no training, and not even so much as a warm-up before starting? \u00a0Can you imagine thinking, \u201cI\u2019ll do this event to kickstart swimming, biking, and running more regularly\u201d?<\/p>\n You\u2019d never do something like that. \u00a0If you wanted to compete, you\u2019d train ahead of time, build up your strength and endurance, and then push yourself to the extreme during the event. \u00a0Once the event is done, you\u2019d return back to maintenance and training.<\/p>\n Ramadan is the ultimate spiritual triathlon of siyaam (fasting),\u00a0\u1e63al\u0101h\u00a0(prayer), and Qur\u2019an. \u00a0We fast all day, pray throughout the day, attempt to complete the Qur\u2019an during the month, and pray late evening \/ pre-fajr early morning prayers. \u00a0To truly take this month on and reap its full benefits, we have to contend with the sheer physicality of it if we\u2019re to maintain the consistency required to reap the full reward that awaits us.<\/p>\n Ramadan is when you show up with your game face on. \u00a0Let\u2019s start training for it now.<\/p>\n Fasting<\/strong><\/p>\n The Prophet\u00a0 The Five Daily Prayers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The five daily prayers are the second pillar of Islam and required. \u00a0Most people are not lazy in and of themselves, they just don\u2019t see the importance and priority of this habit[6]. \u00a0If you\u2019re one of those who skips the five daily prayers but goes crazy to get to taraweeh, realize that the amount of religious zeal you have towards Ramadan taraweeh vs the five daily should be switched around. \u00a0If you skipped all of taraweeh forever and just did the bare minimum five daily prayers for the rest of your life, that would be better for you, if you had to choose, as nothing brings you closer to\u00a0All\u0101h\u00a0 Next year before Ramadan starts, you can begin with the easiest prayer for you to fulfill in its proper stated time in the first week. \u00a0From there, start doing two prayers daily in week 2, then three in week 3, and finally four in week 4. \u00a0By the time Ramadan starts, you should be hitting all 5 every single day, and this will likely be the most singular important habit in your life that you must maintain post-Ramadan, no matter what.<\/p>\n 12 Daily Sunan<\/strong><\/p>\n There are more than 12 Sunan prayers one could complete in a day, but a good starting point is to get 12 sunan prayers in daily with consistency, and these are:<\/p>\n Tahajjud \/ Qiyam ul-Layl<\/strong><\/p>\n Since there are likely few masjids performing any type of qiyaam style prayers at night, it\u2019s up to you get started on this. \u00a0It\u2019s a great time to gather your family, if you live with them, and pray together. \u00a0I would recommend attempting to complete 1\/4th to 1\/2 a juz (5 \u2013 10 pages, respectively) within 8 or 20 rakaat (your choice).<\/p>\n If your level of memorization is less than a half juz, don\u2019t sweat it, just recite the same surahs multiple times in each prayer, and recite them in multiple prayers. \u00a0The point is to stand and pray to\u00a0All\u0101h\u00a0 Finally, you can do it on evenings of the nights you fasted if you\u2019re already in spiritual beast mode from fasting, or you can do it on non-fasting days to because you\u2019d like to relax on days you fasted\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s your call to make.<\/p>\n Quran Recitation<\/strong><\/p>\n The Prophet\u00a0 When Ramadan itself starts, there are many different ways to go about completing the Quran, depending upon your time constraints, and in part 2 we\u2019ll review some techniques that can be used to make completing the Quran easier in Ramadan,insh\u0101\u2019All\u0101h.<\/p>\n Make a Calendar<\/strong><\/p>\n I consider prayer and Quran important, \u00a0so they are given their own appointment time and schedule. \u00a0Prayers are given a full half hour for\u00a0wu\u1e0d\u016b\u02bc\u2019, the <\/span>fardh<\/em>, and the <\/span>sunan<\/em> prayers. \u00a0I place Quran reading after Fajr because it\u2019s generally a good habit to get the most important matters done first. And, while reading the Qur\u2019an is spiritually uplifting, knowing there\u2019s one less item to complete is less worry in your mind. \u00a0Besides, it\u2019s a great way to start the day \ud83d\ude09 \u00a0But if post-Fajr is too much for you, make sure you choose a time when you\u2019ll have mental energy to put in the effort to read.<\/span><\/p>\n Another reason to put it in your calendar is because you can set up alerts that sync with your smartphone (if you have one) and can track your day and religious habits right from there,\u00a0insh\u0101\u2019All\u0101h.<\/p>\n Part Two \u2013 Planning and Hitting Ambitious Goals Easily<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s great to have ambitious goals for Ramadan, but in order to achieve those goals, one must be able to deal with the challenges of Ramadan which include decreasing energy levels (from a combination of lack of food and sleep), decreasing enthusiasm in the middle of the month, and maintaining the rest of your commitments (work, school, kids, etc) while increasing the time commitment of your worship; and since you don\u2019t live in a vacuum, you have to reconcile your schedule with others who may depend on you for supporting them in their goals and vice versa.<\/p>\n In Part Two, I will cover\u00a0some\u00a0<\/em>common goals. What is important is that you have a means by which you can determine which goals are sensible for your situation and how to make them happen.<\/p>\n For goals that take time and occur daily, the methodology is as follows:<\/p>\n For goals that do not require time, or they require one-time efforts that take time, I will highlight some strategies to consider.<\/p>\n Five Daily Prayers with Sunan<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Time Commitment<\/strong> 2. Technique to Complete<\/strong> On the job, block out the time in your Outlook calendar, get a conference room if you can, and get praying. If you\u2019re under tight time constraints, such as in a factory, then make your manager aware of your situation and let them know you\u2019ll take a short amount of time. In this type of an instance, a mad dash to completion might be necessary.<\/p>\n 3. The Bare Minimum<\/strong> Completing the Quran<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Time Commitment<\/strong> 2. Technique to Complete<\/strong> 3. The Bare Minimum<\/strong> Nightly Tarawih<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Time Commitment<\/strong> 2. Technique to Complete<\/strong> 3. The Bare Minimum<\/strong> Beyond this, try to get at least four rakaat in tarawih. If it becomes too physically taxing, sit down for part of one raka\u2019ah and then get back into it \u2013 do this only as needed to deal with exhaustion, not as a habit for each and every two rakaat.<\/p>\n Family Time<\/strong> 1. Time Commitment<\/strong> 2. Technique to Complete<\/strong> 3. The Bare Minimum<\/strong> I\u2019tikaf \u2013 Seclusion in\u00a0masjid\u00a0for Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Time Commitment<\/strong> 2. Technique to Complete<\/strong><\/p>\n 3. The Bare Minimum<\/p>\n Try to at least come in Friday evenings to your\u00a0masjid\u00a0of choice and leave Sunday evening.<\/p>\n Other Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0Du\u2018\u0101\u2019\u00a0List<\/strong> 2. Charity<\/strong> 3. Help Others Achieve Their Ramadan Aspirations<\/strong> For example, if your wife wants to attend tarawih, but the\u00a0masjid\u00a0doesn\u2019t allow kids in the women\u2019s area, it\u2019s not practical for both of you to attend tarawih, but is it possible for the husband to attend the fardh and then take the kids after to allow the wife to pray? Can you work out a schedule alternating days, or maybe weekdays vs weekends? Neither one of you will get to pray all 29 or 30 days in tarawih in this set up, but you\u2019ll both get good quality \u2018ibadah from worship, and time with the kids otherwise, which shouldn\u2019t be underestimated.<\/p>\n 4. No Arguing<\/strong> It\u2019s almost like before the shayateen are chained up, they leave with one last parting shot to get everyone angry and disunited. What follows is the calm frenzy of intense worship, which ends with\u00a0\u2018\u012ad\u00a0moonfighting.<\/p>\n Remember two pieces of advice from the Prophet\u00a0 That\u2019s it. Don\u2019t argue about anything. If someone starts asking your opinion, tell them you\u2019d rather not talk about it. If they insist you talk about it, you insist you\u2019re not talking about it. If they start telling you about others and their wrong opinions, smile (because it\u2019s sunnah), and politely walk away.<\/p>\n The original and expanded version of this Part One post appeared in Muslim Matters<\/a>. The original version of the Part Two post also appeared in Muslim Matters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n By Siraj I\u2019m all for uplifting messages that inspire us to put forth our best effort in worshiping\u00a0All\u0101h\u00a0\u00a0during Ramadan. \u00a0However, in lands where people do not have the luxury of time and sleep post-suhoor, getting maximum benefit out of Ramadan requires a bit of doing before entering into the month full force. \u00a0With this in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":5700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[271],"tags":[273,840,303,828,838,34,836,319,839,837],"class_list":["post-5698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ramadan","tag-fasting","tag-goal-setting","tag-prayer","tag-preparation","tag-qiyaam-ul-layl","tag-quran","tag-ramadan-ready","tag-salat","tag-schedule","tag-tarawih"],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a0to help us?<\/p>\n\u00a0was known for fasting Mondays and Thursdays[1], recommending fasting the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the month[2], and increasing his fasting during the month of Sha\u2019baan more so than any other month apart from Ramadan[3]. \u00a0With this level of consistency, it\u2019s a safe bet he didn\u2019t have the caffeine and fasting detoxification withdrawals that occur with many of us when we return to Ramadan. \u00a0With this in mind, let\u2019s consider how we can ramp up our fasting this month. Click here<\/a> to learn more about how to build up your fasting before Ramadan (since we are already nearly upon the start of the month, this may help you next year):<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0than obeying Him in the duties He\u2019s required upon us. \u00a0If you don\u2019t have the five daily prayers down, this is where you start, nowhere else.<\/p>\n\n
\u00a0with whatever you have, and\u00a0insh\u0101\u2019All\u0101hit will be accepted and rewarded.<\/p>\n\u00a0would revise the Quran every Ramadan, so all of us should have a goal of completing the Quran as many times as possible. \u00a0While it is normally recommended to read with understanding, during Ramadan some scholars recommend focusing on attaining the reward for reciting alone. \u00a0Minimally, that would entail reading 20 pages \/ day on average to complete the Quran. \u00a0In order to shake off the cobwebs if you\u2019re out of practice, start with the lower number and ramp to the higher number by the end of the week. \u00a0So if the recommendation is 2 \u2013 4 pages for that week, start with 2 pages a day, then go to three, and end the week with 4 pages a days:<\/p>\n\n
\nWhile the five daily prayers are often said to consume at most 5 minutes per prayer, averaging 30 minutes a day, this is a poor way to get even people who don\u2019t pray thinking about it. In reality, praying often entails making\u00a0wu\u1e0d\u016b\u02bc\u2019, drying off, praying the fardh and the sunnah prayers, and possibly\u00a0du\u2018\u0101\u2019. Additionally, by setting the bar low on time, we effectively make the\u00a0\u1e63al\u0101h\u00a0a timed dash + aerobic workout, which complete defeats the idea of having khushoo\u2019.<\/p>\n
\nSince we\u2019re in summer, we have at best two prayers to complete while working (if we\u2019re not telecommuting), and the other three at home or in the\u00a0masjid. That said, we should put aside 15 \u2013 20 minutes at work for the complete act, and 30 minutes outside of work. If you have the luxury of time on your job, you can complete the sunan prayers as well over here, otherwise you can make them up at home or in the masjid.<\/p>\n
\nIf on a particular day you\u2019re crunched for time, the bare minimum is always to complete the five daily prayers. Make sure it\u2019s always taken care of. If you\u2019re someone who has not previously prayed the five daily prayers consistently (or at all), this is your #1 habit to develop and keep. Maintain it and never let it go thereafter.<\/p>\n
\nDepending on how quickly you complete reading 1 juz (20 pages), your time commitment might be anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours.<\/p>\n
\nA number of good methods exist to complete the Quran:<\/p>\n\n
\n\u2013 Method 1: Pick a time block during which you\u2019ll read all 20 pages (e.g. after fajr, during lunch break, commuting home from train, etc)
\n\u2013 Method 2: Break up the daily reading into smaller chunks throughout the day (e.g. read 4 pages after each prayer).<\/li>\n
\nIf for some reason you find that completing the Quran is out of your reach, that\u2019s ok. Set an easily achievable daily amount (e.g. 3 pages) and if you feel like you have more energy on some days, read more, and if you\u2019re out of sorts on other days, stick to your daily minimum.<\/p>\n
\nTarawih can be anywhere from 1 \u2013 2 hours after \u2018Isha prayers.<\/p>\n
\nYou may be tired from all that\u2019s gone on the previous day before getting to this point. Standing for 8 \u2013 20 rakat of 20 pages of Quran recitation is unbelievably physically taxing, you may experience a post-iftar food coma, and your mind might be wandering hither and dither. If that\u2019s the case, treat yourself to a cup of chai or a strong brew of coffee.<\/p>\n
\nMore important than tarawih prayer in the\u00a0masjid\u00a0is \u2018Ishaa at the\u00a0masjid. If you must get one prayer at the\u00a0masjid\u00a0at night, make sure you get \u2018Ishaa, don\u2019t time things so you show late for tarawih and miss \u2018Ishaa as that was the most important prayer of the night to get in congregation.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I say family time, I mean time you spend with your family (kids, spouse, parent) hanging out, doing stuff together \u2013 playing games, reviewing Quran stories, relaxing and talking about the day, whatever brings you together. This time is crucial and for those who are so \u2018ibadah-focused, consider this your daily dose of daw\u2019ah for your family.<\/p>\n
\nDepending on your circumstances, can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours (or more).<\/p>\n
\nSpending time with family may be the last thing you want to do after a long day of fasting, but remember that some of the best memories, positive associations with faith, and more good are during those times when the whole Muslim community is engaged in extra worship and good will towards one another.<\/p>\n\n
\nTry to get at least 30 minutes each day with your family, where they have access to you and can spend time with you during this month.<\/p>\n
\nGiven the modern work day, many will not be able to do the full ten days without taking paid time off on the weekdays.<\/p>\n\n
\nBefore Ramadan begins, record a\u00a0du\u2018\u0101\u2019\u00a0list (in a note taking application like Google Keep, which syncs with smartphone and desktop web app). You may have some Prophetic du\u2019aas that you\u2019ve memorized in Arabic, so remember to say those often, but also remember du\u2019aas related to:<\/p>\n\n
\nBesides Zakat al-Fitr, there are many opportunities to donate and it can seem confounding deciding where to send money. I would recommend the following:<\/p>\n\n
\nWhile you should be busy with your Ramadan worship, you should also keep in mind others in your home may be making life easier for you by taking care of certain shared responsibilities. You should likewise proactively approach a parent, spouse, sibling, or child and see what their Ramadan goals are and how you can help them achieve them.<\/p>\n
\nEvery single year, arguments about the start and end of Ramadan reach a fever pitch as to which opinion is correct, what methodology some group is following this year as opposed to last year and the politics underlying why all those decisions were made, and then some.<\/p>\n\u00a0about argumentation:<\/p>\n\n
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