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Ramadan 2024 Reflections: First Third

We’ve already made it through a third of Ramadan!

Even though it’s far from my first time fasting Ramadan, I always have a slight twinge of apprehension before the fast starts.

How thirsty will I get?

Will I be able to manage alright breastfeeding, working, running errands and a household and watching children?

Am I going to reach maghrib each night hanging on for dear life?

Doubts pass through my head as the month approaches, but I also place my trust in Allah that this is a month of mercy and that He will make it easy upon us all. And thus, without fail, I complete (almost, a couple of days were still hard) each fast easier than I thought I would, alhamdulillah. There were some big transitions in our family that happened literally the same week of Ramadan starting that made me a little more nervous as well, but again, Allah helped us through.

Something that helped me get most of everything done at work and home while keeping my energy and spirits up is to try and slow down. I’m the type of person that approaches each day with a plan and idea of what I want to accomplish, and I’ve realized how much importance I place on seeing this plan through, that sometimes it can deeply affect my mood and well-being if I percieve that my day didn’t go to plan. I needed to shift this mindset for this month because I knew I would drive myself and others crazy trying to do all the things while fasting. I told myself that it’s to be expected that you may not be able to get absolutely everything done that you normally would at work or at home due to your energy levels and the extra ibadah you’re filling your time with, so I’m trying to remember to accept that I’m operating on an alternate mode — Ramadan mode — for these 29-30 days.

With that let’s enter into the second third of the month in high gear, settled in our fasts and our ibadah, and ready to continue making the most of each day and night!

Ramadan 2019 Takeaways

Alhamdulillah, another Ramadan fasted and completed.

I’m always amazed at the end of Ramadan as I reflect upon all of the activities I was able to do while fasting. It’s quite a physical feat for all of us and it’s truly special to able to experience the strength and patience Allah grants us during this special time.

However, Ramadan is not only a physical challenge, but mainly a spiritual and mental one and hopefully we’ve all come away from it with some good habits. Here are the ones that I aim to keep long after Ramadan, inshallah.

     Intentional Eating

This is an obvious one. After fasting the whole day, even the first drink of water is heavenly let alone everything that follows after. But besides the taste, you can appreciate what food and drink does for your body, how it affects your emotions, and the social aspects of sharing a meal. I want to continue making mealtime a ritual that is shared and savored.

    Patience

Abstaining from food and drink for the whole day can make even the most mild mannered of us irritable, short tempered, and moody. I had to reign in my emotions and calm down when I found myself getting frustrated at life. There’s nothing like trying to hold and calm a tired, crying baby while preparing iftar after a long day of fasting to make you learn to go inward and focus on the task at hand without letting the external conditions affect you. I had to surrender my expectations of how I thought someone should act, or how I wanted my plans to play out, and find peace in knowing what I could control and not letting what I couldn’t control fluster me.

     Remove the Noise

Throughout the month, my social media activity was nearly zero. I wanted to disconnect myself from everyone. I knew that this Ramadan was going to be the most difficult one for me thus far because I had a lot of conditions up against me: breastfeeding, sleep deprived, working full-time, and caring for an infant. I made the decision to stay off of social media  to keep to myself and rest whenever I had a rare moment, instead of inviting any negative emotions that can arise from mindless scrolling. An unintentional side effect of this was a sense of clarity into what was important to me and not because someone made online made it look appealing. When I started to let myself decide what was worth my time, I started feeling more content, decisive, and confident. That’s why removing myself from the noise of social media and allowing myself to think for myself is a key habit that I want to keep.

There you have it. Those are habits that I gained this Ramadan that if I can continue, will positively affect my relationship with Allah, others around me, and myself. I wish you all a happy Eid and another year filled with sustained, positive habits!

Were there any experiences this month that opened up your potential to be a happier and better Muslim?