Surah of the week

" The originator of the heavens and earth! When He decreeth a thing,He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.
(2:117)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Preparations for ramadan

As salamu alaiykum sisters, ramadan is approaching with lightening speed! We are already in the month of shaban,alhamdullilah. I would like to start preparing myself for this wonderful spiritual cleansing we are blessed to participate in alhamdullilah. I have been muslim for a year and so when ramadan rolled around last year, I hadnt quite embraced all aspects of islam such as hijab and modesty. Since then I have come very far and I now observe hijab although I can admit this summer hasnt been easy. School starts for me in a few weeks and Im nervous how I will be received. There are a lot of muslimahs at my school but only one wears hijab. However, insha'allah I can overcome my fears and do whats right to please Allah (s.w.t). I will start preparing for ramadan by fasting twice weekly until it actually begins. This way I can feel how long an actual day of fasting is since ramadan falls in the summer months. Secondly, I will visit the muslim bookstore/all purpose store. I want to buy many things that remind me of islam and decorate the house. I have a den which I use as a office but I will put out my prayer rugs and turn it into a prayer room. I will research a masjid to attend for some of the taraweeh prayers and insha'allah get a friend to join me since I admit I dont feel all the way comfortable in the masjid, you can read about my last experience here. I know we are suppose to read the whole quran doing ramadan and I am looking for suggestions on how best to do this. Sisters, do you devise a plan, or do you just read a little every night in sequential order? Im not sure how to tackle this but this is why its important to start preparing for ramadan now. Get all your ducks in a row. My future SIL and I are planning an Eid sleepover at a hotel. We plan on getting a suite, and having a Eid celebration and halaqa all in 1. There will be quran reading,lots of good food, henna, and scarves and accessories for sale and to practice with. Im excited because I didnt quite get in the spirit last ramadan. I wasnt around any other muslims, I didnt wear my hijab all day (just when praying) and I didnt attend a single iftar! Hopefully, insha'allah this ramadan will be much different. I will start getting together recipes and ideas that I would like to try. I will also try them out in advance so that when ramadan is here, I dont spend all my time in the kitchen experimenting and can spend more time praying insha'allah. Other preparations include planning my very first iftar here at my apartment. I know a few sisters who I can invite and Im looking forward to doing this! I will have to plan very well for this ramadan, as it falls during a really tough block in school. However, school would not be possible without Allah and fasting and participating in ramadan is the least I can do but also is mandatory as it is one of the 5 pillars of islam. I plan to post actively during the month of ramadan to share my experience with others and document what an amazing spiritual revelation Im having. Im sooooo excited subhanallah!!

7 comments:

Fati said...

That's awesome, I can tell that this Ramadan will be a completely different experience for you. For me, when I go to iftars, have iftars and go to taraweeh prayer, I really feel the spirit of Ramadan. And an Eid celebration is a must after all of that hard work!

I'm a little nervous about how it's gonna be bc i will just be starting grad school so I will already be going through a lot but Inshallah it will just make the experience that much more rewarding.

Anonymous said...

Sister, it is awesome that you are preparing this way. I have embraced islam 2 years ago and this Ramadam for me will be much different than the last inshallah. I also didn't attend any iftars, tarweeh prayers etc. But plan to do so this year. Keep us updated about how things are. I also look forward to others comments about how to go about reading the entire Quran during this time. Subhanallah!!!!

Behind my Veil said...

Aww sister I'm soo happy reading this!
mASHALLAH and u r planning to read the whole Quran!
Ok so let me tell u about how I read the whole Quran last year..
My book has a total pages of 727.. Wat I did was divided it wit 30 : 727/30= appro. 25. So everyday I read 25 pages. Don't read them all at once wat u do is for ex: 4 pages every prayers and lil in between...
or read 3 pages every prayers then read the rest after & before the tarawih prayers..that way u'll have more energy and its better to read inside the masjid - that's where I get peace of mind :)
At first u will find it hard especially when ur hungry and thirsty not to mention the words are really hard to say since its in deep type of Arabic..but DON'T worry or give up! u will find it EASIER everyday!! U just have to get used to it and try to read the meanings in English too, It's just beautiful and u will find things that are scientifically related...
Gudluck to u sister and all the blessing to u and ur family inshallah Allah will make everything easier for u and guide u through the right path :)

Love
Jumana

Inspired Muslimah said...

Fatimah: yes sis I can tell you from personal experience that is a bit harder. School being so rigorous and all,and not being able to drink coffee and stuff like that is hard but insha'allah we will both be fine! Im in school too and I will make dua's for your.

Anon: Thanks for encouragement and yes Im feeling a lot more stronger and excited for this upcoming ramadan, alhamdullilah. And I will definitely keep you posted with my progress,insha'allah.

Farasha: Thanks sooooo much for the tips sis!! I needed to hear those things. I love the idea of breaking it into pieces like 4 pages every every prayer. Thats seems doable and it doesn't overwhelm me. Thanks so much sis and Im excited too!

Yasemin said...

Hi sweetie, I'm tying to start reading 10 pages a night in sequential order as Ramadan approaches.

The idea of the Eid sleepover just sounds fabulous. Your sil sounds so sweet, and I'm excited about your iftars and dedication. I hope you have the best Ramadan ever and Happy Anniversary! Love you so.

Jasmine said...

Salaam Inspired! Wow, I've got all excited just reading this post!
Hint's and tips for getting through the Quran erm...I find that some people read and really connect with what they are reading, and others just read aloud and don't remember a thing they read: this is because of attention spans which dip up and down. So on a day in which you are really connecting with the text and understanding: keep going. On on the days when you are not connecting: take smaller chapters or re-read what you have already read to warm you up. A mistake to avoid whilst reading is to omit the "tone of voice" - it's funny how many people assume that God speaks in a large, loud, booming, monotone lol! If you add tone of voice to your reading, in recognition of question marks and exclamation marks, commas and full stops - the voice comes alive in your head and helps you to engage.
All of the above works for me: but as always, not for everybody!
Love, peace and smiles to you Jasmine xx

Inspired Muslimah said...

Yasemin:Thats a great idea sis, like a head start sort of. I love it!I love you sis and I hope you have great ramadan too!

Jasmine:Salaams sis, yeah I dont want to get through it just to get through it. I want to really connect with what Im reading so on days that Im not, I wont read as much. I dont to miss anything important and since the entire text of quran is SOO major, I have to show it more appreciation and give it and ramadan the attention it deserves.

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