Islam, the second biggest faith or religion of the world has a large number of followers that are spread across numerous countries in different continents. This monotheist religion is based on the five important things that form the pillars of Islam and are the basic foundations of any Muslim life. These five pillars are known as Shahada (Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (Charity), Sawm (Fasting normally associated with Ramadan) and the final Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). All these pillars are an integral part of different sects of Islam and are religiously followed by Muslims around the world.
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Ramadan also known as Ramazan or Ramadhan is the sacred month which falls during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The holy month is observed as fasting (Sawm) by the followers of Islam around the world and commemorates the first revelation of the Holy Quran to Muhammad as per the Islamic beliefs. Ramadan is obligatory for adult Muslims and lasts for 29-30 days based on the sightings of the crescent moon during the holy month. People who are excluded from committing fasts during the holy month are persons who are suffering from illness, travelling people, elders, pregnant and breastfeeding woman, diabetic patients and woman having menstrual bleeding. During the whole Ramadan month, Muslims observe fasts from dawn to dusk and are permitted to eat only before sunrise and after sunset. It is a way of purifying the soul and paying penance to Allah for absolving the individual from all the previous sins. The Ramadan month for the Muslims living in India for the year 2017 begins on the evening of Friday 26th May till the evening of Saturday 24th June.
If you are thinking about observing the fast for the holy month, here are the few tips that can help you in preparing for Ramadan in a better way.
- Follow the right intentions- Ramadan is not just a spiritual practice of observing fasts for the entire month but it is more an effort to improve your daily life to make it more aligned with the righteous path of Allah. You need to listen to Quranic verses, lectures and refrain from doing anything unholy. Keep away from backbiting, lying, cursing, false speech, smoking and other sinful activities for the entire holy month. You need to maintain the right attitude and behaviour to be in the sync of the Ramadan month.
- Train your body for the fasting- As you need to observe fasts for nearly one month, so, you need to plan the same in a better way. Start regulating the quantity of food before the arrival of Ramadan month to ensure your body can easily adapt to the changing nutritional requirements. You should also avoid the intake of tea, coffee or other caffeine based drinks as they increase your food cravings and could create problems during the fasting month.
- Check your medical conditions in advance- Observing fasts for a month is a rigorous activity and requires the individual to be medically fit. If you are on medications, talk with your doctor whether it is safe for you to observe fasts or not. You can also talk about changing the duration of your medication to non-fasting hours if possible. Further, people with other types of illnesses need to undertake fasts under the proper medical supervision only.
- Practice voluntary fasts- To prepare your body for the month-long fasting, you need to observe voluntary fasts according to Islamic texts. Muslims can undertake voluntary fasts (nafilah) on the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, Arafa, Ashura, 13th, 14th and 15th days of every lunar month which are known as Ayyam al-Beed, the month of Rajab, 15th of Sha’ban month and other such occasions. These voluntary fasts will give you mental strength to observe fasts during the entire holy month of Ramadan. Further understanding the importance of voluntary fasts in Islam, check out this holy inscription as stated in Islamic hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will keep his face seventy years’ distance from Hell,” (al-Nasaa’i, 2247; classed as Saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, 2121).
- Recite Quran and other holy texts more often- It would be really good if you can develop the habit of reading Quran on each day of the holy month. If it is not possible for you to read the entire Quran daily, you need to read few verses of the Quran daily to get blessings of Allah. Inculcate the habit of increasing the recitation of Quran that can help in building the spiritual environment that can help you in observing the fasts for the whole month.
- Spend extra time in prayers- It is said that prayers, fasting and charity done in the holy month of Ramadan are suitably rewarded by Allah by multiplying the good deeds of the person. You need to offer five times obligatory sunnah prayers during Ramadan so as to attain spiritual boost and strength to carry out your fasting for the whole month easily. Stressing on spending extra time in prayers, the inscription of Hadith Jibreel says, “My servant draws near to Me by nothing more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory on him.”
- Engage yourself in charity activities- You need to keep yourself busy in performing charity activities during Ramadan to please Almighty Allah. You need to give money, food, clothes and other desired items to the poor and needy people as religious alms or charity. Moreover, zakat or charity is one of the prominent pillars of Islam, so engage in the good act of charity and you will be rewarded by the Allah in terms of His blessings.
- Perform community service (khidma)- To get into the spiritual mood of Ramadan, you need to perform community service for the welfare of the larger population. It will be a wonderful warm up for you to prepare your mind, body and soul for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
So, it is time to grab this holy opportunity and observe fasts for the holy month of Ramadan by following these important tips. You can further use this sacred occasion to increase bonhomie with your friends, neighbours and office colleagues by inviting them for the Iftaar party to enjoy the food in a spiritual manner.
