Ramadhan Detox

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Ramadhan, the noble guest, is just around the corner. When we talked about Ramadhan, the first thing that comes to most minds is fasting for 29 or 30 days and because this is summer, perhaps the next thing that comes to mind, is fasting for very long hours. Some Muslims are getting very anxious about fasting a whole month in the summer while non-Muslims asked, "How would you manage not eating and drinking for such long hours?"

Fasting this Ramadhan should not scare you because whatever the circumstance is, Allah will make it easy for you, inshaAllah.

Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. So this is the month when we should spend most of our time with the Qur'an, the guidance for us in this life, not thinking about iftar, not shopping for Eid, not planning for vacations, etc.

Allah Almighty says,

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّـهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿١٨٥﴾ وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. (185) And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. (186)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:185-186]

So complete reciting the Qur'an as many times you can this Ramadhan, and learn, understand and memorize some verses of the Qur'an everyday in Ramadhan. You should try do this with your family. Ramadhan is a special month in which doing all these things would be easier. But you have to get off your devices, especially your wifi/iPhones/Androids. Don't waste Ramadhan on Facebook statuses, text messages, social network, watching TV or world cup. Make Ramadhan a time to detox yourself and your family of all these.

One of the biggest problem in our life is materialism/consumerism. People are going for the latest this and that, and they are spending most of their time working to acquire the latest this and that, and thus they never get the chance or have very little chance to study the Book of Allah. The real solution to materialism/consumerism is personally understanding the Book of Allah. The more you start understanding the Book of Allah for yourself you will no longer be interested in materialism because it does not fulfill you and you feel empty. So, don't miss this opportunity to get close to the Book of Allah.

Make lots of du'a (supplication) this Ramadhan. Memorize some of the Prophetic du'as and know their meanings. Know that you are not just anybody to Allah and that you can't reach Him. You are a specific person to Allah and He is near. Allah told directly to us this in the Qur'an ... "فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ Indeed I am near." And He responds to invocation. Allah told directly to us this as well in the Qur'an ... "أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me."

We may at times have turned our backs on Allah through our disobedience or our wasting of time all year with all our devices and quests for material, but Allah never turns His back on us. He is always near. When someone is near, you can talk to him. So, you can talk to Allah. When you realize that Allah is near, you become different forever. What better conversation to have other than with Allah, Mighty and Majestic? Allah has blessed us with Ramadhan so we can train ourselves to jump the hurdles and talk to Him. So spend the bulk of your time this Ramadhan with the Book of Allah by reciting, memorizing and learning it. InshaAllah the peace and tranquility you experience this Ramadhan will carry over after Ramadhan and for the rest of your life.

Make the intention now that you will get off your devices this Ramadhan and you will bring your family to complete reciting the Qur'an, memorize and learn it. InshaAllah, you and your family will experience the best Ramadhan ever.

May Allah make us reach Ramadhan and make it the best Ramadhan for us and our families. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam