We’re at the very beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the month of spirituality and healing for the mind, body, and soul. This month is just not about fasting and praying, but it is a great opportunity to slow down and reflect on habits you want to change, new habits you want to build, and to get yourself in check. While there are several habits associated with the month that we need to stop doing, there are others that we need to build and keep doing all year round.
1 – Taking Ramadan as a ritual: For many of us Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual than a form of worship. We fast from morning to night like a zombie just because everyone around us is fasting. We forget that it’s a time to purify our hearts and our souls from all evil….we forget to supplicate, forget to beseech Allah to forgive us and ask Him to save us from the Fire. Sure we stay away from food and drink, but that’s about all.
2 – Too much stress on food and drink: For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about food, instead of concentrating on the prayer, Quran and other acts of worship. All they can think of is FOOD. So much so that they turn the month of fasting into the month of feasting. Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with the multitudes and varieties of food, sweets and drinks. They are missing the very purpose of fasting, and thus, increase in their greed and desires instead of learning to control them. It is also a kind of waste & extravagance. “…..and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste by extravagance” [Surah al-Aa’raf: 31]
3 – Spending all day cooking: Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh or Tahajjud or even read Quran. This is the month of mercy and forgiveness. So turn off that stove and turn on your Imaan!
4 – Eating too much: Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and others eat at Iftaar like there is no tomorrow, trying to make up for the food missed. However, this is completely against the Sunnah.Moderation is the key to everything. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then (fill) one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.”(Tirmidhi) Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless.
5 – Sleeping all day: Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) sleeping away their fast. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month? These people also are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot bear to be awake and face a little hunger or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend most of the day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part.
6 – Wasting time: The month of Ramadan is a precious, precious time. Before we know it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over. We should try and spend every moment possible in the worship of Allah so that we can make the most of this blessing. However, there are some of us who waste away their day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music. Subhaan Allaah! Trying to obey Allah by DISOBEYING Him!
7 – Fasting but not giving up evil: Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in Haram, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc. and all kinds of impermissible things without realizing that the purpose of fasting is to not stay away from food and drink; rather the aim behind it is to fear Allah. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious” [Surah al-Baqarah: 183] The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and ignorance, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Bukhari)
8 – Skipping Suhoor: The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.”(Bukhari, Muslim). And he (pbuh) said: “The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.” (Muslim)
9 – Missing the golden chance of having your Dua accepted: The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Three supplications are not rejected: the supplication of a father, the supplication of a fasting person, and the supplication of a traveler.” (Al-Bayhaqi). Instead of sitting down and supplicating at this precious time, some people forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy frying samosas, talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Think about it….Is food more important than the chance to have your sins forgiven or the fulfillment of your supplications.
10 – Fasting but not praying: The fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because not praying constitutes kufr as the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” (Muslim)
11 : Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th: Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights, although the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.”