In the name of Allah, the most Generous, the Wise
As we get closer and closer to Ramadan, I am grateful to have reached this time of year again but admittedly I’m a little nervous as well! For the past 3 years, each Ramadan has taken place in a different season for me. The Ramadan of 2018, I was pregnant with our son after having 2 back-to-back miscarriages, so I wasn’t able to fast. The Ramadan of 2019, I was a brand new mom and breastfeeding our newborn son, trying to increase my milk supply and again, wasn’t able to fast. This Ramadan, I have my little toddler I’ll be keeping up with and thankfully I’m able to fast this year.
I can’t believe we only have about ten days left until Ramadan! Though I knew it was coming up and have been very excited to see it again, I have been procrastinating on some of the things I’ve been wanting to do before the month. I’ll have to put in a bit of extra effort and make sure to get at least the most important things done in the next week or so.
Last week, I wrote about getting ourselves ready for Ramadan and one of the points I mentioned was setting Ramadan goals. That is one of the things I’ve put off until now and I’m feeling a little nervous about doing because I’m a little nervous of how it’ll turn out. Obviously I’m going to be putting in my best effort and I pray this year is better than last but I don’t want to set big goals (which I’m often prone to do) and then feel defeated when I can’t reach them!
With that said, I have decided on a couple things and put them into motion to do as I get ready for Ramadan with my family. Here are 6 tips I’m utilizing to help get things organized and make sure my family is ready as we prepare to welcome in the blessed month of Ramadan:
1. Meal plan & grocery shop for the entire month!
Outside of Ramadan, I go back and forth between meal planning for a month or just doing two weeks at a time. I find meal planning to be an awesome way of staying organized, saving time, keeping on budget and it cuts back on some of the work because you can prepare things ahead of time. Meal planning for the whole month of Ramadan is a great activity to have the whole family participate in. It is likely that you’ll have to go to a shop at some point throughout the month but it is ideal if you can get the bulk of it done ahead of time! This allows you to spend your time in a more productive way and also allows you to relax a bit more during the month.
2. Learn how to spot the moon and make it a family tradition.
This is probably the thing I’m most excited about starting with my family this year and I really look forward to making it a yearly tradition! As a Muslim, I believe it is important to know at least a foundational level of information about the cycle of the moon…since the Islamic months operate on a lunar cycle. Take the time and make the effort to learn what you are looking for to welcome in the blessed month and go out with your family to see the crescent with your own eyes. It’s as if you are welcoming Ramadan and Ramadan is welcoming you.
3. Make a homemaking routine and delegate tasks!
You probably already have a homemaking routine but if you don’t, leading up to Ramadan is a great time to establish one! During this month, we want to really take most of our time to prioritize worship (although homemaking and taking care of your family is definitely a form of worship) and resting as well since we may not have as much energy without food and drink throughout the day, so having dedicated days for cleaning certain parts of your home will come in very handy! Whether or not your homemaking routine is a new thing, you’ll want to get the whole family in on the tasks involved! Everyone can pitch in on something and many hands make the load a bit less.
4. Prepare some activities to do with the kiddos!
For the children that aren’t old enough to fast, preparing activities for them to do throughout the month of Ramadan is not only a way of keeping them busy but it’s also a great opportunity to get them involved despite not being ready to fast quite yet. For the children who are just beginning to fast, having activities prepared ahead of time will help them stay engaged throughout the day, focusing on something other than how much they want to eat and it could be a perfect way to learn and interact with Ramadan a bit more! In preparing these activities, you want to get as much done as possible before Ramadan – that includes instructions, materials, and perhaps even an actual slot in a calendar?
5. Make a Ramadan challenge or initiative activity for your family!
This is especially fun with children but it can be fun with just adults as well! Choose a challenge or a good deed initiative project for the whole family to work on throughout the month. You could also encourage everyone to write out their goals for the month and see who is able to complete the most from their list of goals. You can do it just for fun, as a competition between family members or anywhere in between! You’ll want to make sure whatever the challenge or initiative is, that it is selected and agreed upon by all family members so that nobody feels excluded.
6. Decide on and commit to a weekly family study time!
Seeking knowledge is an important act of worship and it is crucial to spend time learning together as a family. Ramadan is a great time to build in this habit if you don’t already do it. You don’t have to take hours every day, 30 minutes or an hour each week gradually builds up without being overwhelming or difficult! The important thing here is that you are studying together and learning something that will bring you closer to Allah. Some ideas could be learning more about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, going over the life of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and/or choosing a surah or a hadith to look deeper into.
These are 6 things that we are doing to get ready for Ramadan in our home! I pray that Allah allow us to reach this blessed month and to take from all the fruits that it bears and I pray that He accepts our intentions and our deeds and makes them weigh heavily on our scales of good deeds. Ameen
Next week is the third post in this countdown series and we’ll be talking about getting our home ready for welcoming Ramadan!
Question for the comments: What is your favorite Ramadan family tradition?
P.S If you’re looking for ideas for Eid gifts for your little one’s, I just put together an Eid gift guide for toddlers! It has 50 gift ideas for little Muslims ages 1-3!
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