As the beautiful, blessed month of Ramadan draws nearer, Muslims around the world are getting their Ramadan preparation in order. And at the moment – with so much happening in our Ummah, that brings great pain and sorrow to the heart, particularly in Palestine – it is all the more important to ensure we make the most of it, not only for ourselves, but for the sake of the Ummah as a whole.

Part of that preparation is knowing that Ramadan is a marathon that rewards you for doing your best and participating in it from start to finish. It is not a sprint for the first (or the last) few days. 

As the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained” (Sahih Muslim).

This, indeed, is an opportunity worth preparing for. In this piece, we look at three key dimensions of preparation that all Muslims need to consider to get the most out of the month. Spiritual Preparation

“You only get out what you put in” is relevant to Ramadan on so many levels. Ramadan rewards those who enter it with preparation, and the companions of our Prophet (ﷺ) were the best in this regard, preparing for a good 6 months in advance to make the most of it. 

Prepare for Ramadan spiritually by spending some time beforehand working on key spiritual practices that you may have neglected or allowed to get worn down in their quality. Also, remember to set your intentions for Ramadan, renew and realign your purpose, reflect on the state of your heart, and focus on the qualities you want to purify.

For instance, when it comes to Salah, encourage yourself to learn new surahs to recite during prayer to make your prayers, both obligatory and sunnah, more spiritually fulfilling.

Likewise, make finding recitation time easier on yourself by reading the Qur’an after prayer. Even if it’s looking at the translation and listening to a recitation, any effort to improve your understanding of the Qur’an will bring you immensely closer to Allah and prepare you for the month that is to come.

Ramadan fasting is both physically and mentally taxing and requires a level of spiritual dedication. All three dimensions work together to allow you to do the best you can to please Allah. As such, what we discuss in this article should be seen as a whole. 

But there is absolutely no doubt that some particular practices won’t hold you in good stead. In that regard, here’s a quick fireside of tips and well-worn examples of deeds that have been known to assist people get into the Ramadan “zone” and make the most of their deeds in this month: 

• Learn more about Ramadan! If you have an understanding of what the significance of Ramadan is, it makes it much easier to immerse yourself within it fully.
• Invest in a Ramadan planner. There are many Ramadan planners on the market that allow you to track prayers and fasting, make dua lists, and much more. Get organised – it will help immensely! 
• Fast once or twice a week in the lead up. This will get your body used to going for extended periods of time without food or drink. You could fast on Mondays and Thursdays, as this is the Sunnah, and there are still a few weeks left to do so!
• Make a dua list.  This will provide you with ready access to duas that you can recite throughout the month, a time in which Allah is more likely to answer your du’a. This du’a list is an absolute must so you can be organised well ahead of time!
• Increase Qur’anic recitation. This will get you into the habit of blocking out time for this noble purpose. Ramadan is, after all, the month of the Qur’an! Even if it starts with a few verses, make it happen!
• Understand the Qur’an. Read a translation of the Qur’an to understand it alongside your recitation.
• Get into the habit of giving charity more readily! Sadaqah (charity) is an integral feature of Ramadan, and it’s important to get into the habit of carrying out charitable acts. Give more in this blessed month, and watch your wealth increase, as the Prophet (ﷺ) promised us! 

Mental Preparation 

Ramadan is not just about abstaining from eating and drinking, but also from anger and hurtful acts. It requires focussed mental preparation to get into the right frame of mind in order to make the most of it from a mental perspective.

Before Ramadan is an ideal time to monitor and figure out strategies to help manage the stressors in our life. To reduce them, mitigate them and do our best to counteract them. 

Here are some very practical tips in our modern day and age that may help you mentally get into the right zone, as you work on your spiritual preparation and physical preparation in tandem! 

• Stop mindless browsing of social media. From the temptations this can lead to (seeing things we’re not meant to) to the sheer wastage of time, there is little benefit from mindless scrolling, and during the precious time of Ramadan, it is all the more imperative that we make the best of what we have! If you are on social media, make sure you have a clear purpose for the time you are spending.
• Practice Truthfulness. According to hadith on the matter, your fast is meaningless to Allah (SWT) if you don’t abstain from false speech. This is the time to become of the truthful!
• Patience and Anger Management.  Rasool Allah (ﷺ) advised us explicitly about what to do if triggered / angered during this month (to turn away and say “I am fasting”) – what does that say about just how important it is to get into the right mindset for Ramadan? Getting into this mindspace is critical.
• Mental health and Ramadan. With Shaytan locked up, Ramadan is a great time to work on our mental health and assess it without the noise / interference of our greatest enemy. What of our mental loads are from Satanic impulse, and what are from ourselves or need genuine outside intervention and support? How anxious do we feel? How stressed do we feel? Leading into Ramadan, we should be asking these questions so we can actively gauge how we go within Ramadan and how we baseline for the rest of the year! 

Physical Preparation

Ramadan requires us to fast from dawn till dusk, so it’s important to take care of our physical health in the lead-up to the month. Indeed, the lead up to Ramadan is a fantastic way to prep for what is to come. 
Ramadan itself can be a fantastic detox for our bodies. When our systems are less under pressure to digest the food we are constantly consuming, they work better. The positive impacts of fasting on the body are widely noted and you are likely to see immense benefit on your gut health and overall well being during the blessed month. 

Use the lead up as a chance to start preparing for this – reduce your caffeine intake and addictions, eat less, drink more water to stay hydrated, and get into a zone for the month where your worship includes intending for your body to be cleansed through the benefits of fasting. 

Make sure to eat well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, and stay hydrated. This helps us maintain our energy levels throughout the day and keeps our bodies strong.

Try to use Ramadan as a great baseline for the year ahead. Make commitments to your physical health in the lead up that you’ll maintain during and after the month. It is – indeed – the ultimate time to make “resolutions” for the year ahead for a Muslim!

If you have a medical condition that requires you to take medication during your fasting, visit your doctor to help you figure out a schedule that works best for you while fasting.

Even if you don’t have any outstanding medical conditions, it’s still important to take the steps you need to take to ensure you’ll be able to stay healthy throughout Ramadan as well as after it. 

By preparing early and allowing your body to get ready for fasting before Ramadan, you’ll get a head start on your health goals and be better at maintaining them for the rest of the year.

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Taken together, these three dimensions work together to create a synergy in our mind, body and spirit in the lead up to Ramadan. Let’s focus on each of them a little to ensure we get the most out of this incredible time. 

We ask Allah to accept from you, and from us!