Your Ramadan Travel Map
April 15 | Sabiya Nashurdeen
Ramadan is here! It's a monthly spiritual journey that Muslims look forward to each year - a time of spiritual rejuvenation, physical cleansing, and mental refocusing. Whether you consider yourself a devout Muslim, fairly practicing, or struggling to maintain your faith and/or mental health—especially in the midst of this pandemic era—Ramadan is the perfect time, at any spiritual stage, to reconnect with our ever-watching Lord. If you are looking to recenter yourself during this month, keep reading as we discuss ways to make the most of Ramadan.
1 - Set Your Intention
Ramadan is an experience that is individual to each one of us. We are each coming into this month with a different set of circumstances, and very likely, our own set of struggles. Take the first few days of Ramadan to make a connection with Allah by asking for this month to benefit you in the ways you need it most - by elevating your Iman, physical health, and/or mental wellbeing.
2 - Identify Your Spiritual Personality
Which ways do you best connect to Allah and your Islamic values - through helping out at community/Masjid events, by seeking knowledge/reciting and reflecting on Quran, or by teaching/assisting your students/clients at work? Do you find spiritual purpose in finding ways to nourish your body with healthier foods, or by reflecting/meditating regularly?
Every aspect of our daily activities, self-care, and interactions can be a means of worshipping and strengthening our relationship with Allah. Dr. Zohair Abdul-Rahman, a Senior Fellow at Yaqeen Institute, discussed the concept of spiritual personality in his 2018 publication, Souls Assorted: An Islamic Theory of Spiritual Personality. He described this idea as “a person’s natural disposition that influences what aspects of Islamic practice, belief, and virtues naturally appeal to them” (Abdul-Rahman, 2019). Each of us may be inclined to different avenues of worship and values; we may each embody them in different ways that uniquely shape our spiritual personality. Take the Spiritual Personality quiz through Yaqeen Institute to find yours.
3 - Make 1-3 Goals to Aim for on Your Ramadan Journey
Decide on a few small, achievable goals you want to strive toward this Ramadan. You may find it helpful to reflect on what type of goals you would like to start with or expand on. Use your spiritual personality type to determine what types of activities you may feel most drawn to - activities that help you to work on yourself, improve your relationships with family/close friends, and/or interact with and help out your community. Below are a few non-exhaustive examples:
Self: Learn 3-5 Quranic ayats each day with translation, ease up on swear words, unkind language and gossip. Prepare healthy Iftars & meals, meditate and listen to Quran after work, before Maghrib or before bed). Follow Juz by Juz recitation on YouTube, you can follow along in English & Arabic with the reciter.
Family/friends: Make and eat Iftar together, clean the dishes or the kitchen to give parents a break, listen to a lecture together, do a children’s storytime about the Prophets or kid-friendly Iftar prep. You can find story time and craft videos on the masjid youtube page.
Community: Volunteer at an event, distribute meals or prepare the Masjid for prayer. (See volunteer opportunities at NIA Masjid.)
Whichever activities and goals you choose, reflect on the ways they serve you spiritually, physically, and mentally. Whether you are engaged in a “self-care” type of activity or interacting with others, you can always make it a spiritual goal as long as that is your intention.
4 - Find Ways to Increase Your Connection with Allah
What better way to strengthen our relationship with Allah than by knowing Him? By learning about His attributes (e.g. the All-Knowing, the Most Merciful, the Most Loving), we can connect and relate to Allah during every moment of ease, gratitude, and hardship throughout the month. Find 3 (or more) of His attributes that you can reflect on and connect with the most during this month - use them to call on Him while making dua, or to reflect on His blessings and guidance when you’re in need of a reminder.
5 - Prepare for the Last 10 Nights: Dua Journal
Find a small notebook or notepad to keep close by during this month - nothing fancy needed. Jot down or print out the Arabic and/or English translation of duas you remember from when you were younger, are already using daily, or are hearing for the very first time. Exchange duas with a friend or family member. For now, use at least one of these to make dua with after prayers, or at night before bed. Pro-tip: keep this journal handy for the last 10 nights - use them to jot down & recall attributes from Step #4, and to expand your prayers/supplications for each of those coming nights!
As we chart our course for this month of Ramadan, we are using the above steps to 1) Rejuvenate our bond with Allah and 2) Refocus our purpose as Muslims—servants of God and the conscientious caretakers of our communities. Stay tuned for our next blog post for ways to carry this out of Ramadan and through the next year, InShaAllah!
References:
Abdul-Rahman, Z. (2018). Souls assorted: An Islamic theory of spiritual personality. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/souls-assorted-an-islamic-theory-of-spiritual-personality.
Sabiya Nashurdeen is a speech-language pathologist, with a background in mental health and early childhood development. She is a preschool therapist in Long Island, NY. She spends her time exploring the implications of early relationships, faith, and mental health, especially for Muslim parents and children, often with a cup of tea in hand and a new recipe in mind for later.
