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Set Realistic Ramadan Goals and Stick to Them!
Ramadan Series
6 Tips to Help Set Realistic Ramadan Goals – And Stick to Them!
by Asma MalekNo
How
often do you find yourself driving, knowing where you want to go, but
unaware of how to get there, what route to take, or what direction you
are headed in? Probably not very often.
Then
why do we treat Ramadan in the same careless manner? We know that we
want to improve ourselves throughout the month, but unless we take
proper measures to ensure that we reach our goals by the end, we are
letting a valuable opportunity slip by.
This
holy month is a special time in which the rewards for both obligatory
and voluntary deeds are multiplied exponentially as a mercy from Allah
(Glorified and Exalted be He; Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and so we aim to do
as many of both as we can. However, it is, in fact, only a month and
therefore it is important that we manage our time wisely. Many of us
find ourselves making resolutions and setting goals, but give up in the
middle of the month, or even sooner.
Taking the following measures can help us become better goal-setters both this Ramadan and in future months to come insha’Allah:
1. Before
Ramadan, list all of the things you want to accomplish. This should be
done as a free-writing exercise, meaning that you should not worry about
whether what you are writing makes sense or not, or even whether it is
attainable. Simply put down all your thoughts on paper. Afterwards, go
through the list and begin prioritizing, modifying and deleting. First
cross off the ideas that are irrelevant or impractical. For example,
trying to memorize the entire Qur’an if you have only a few surahs
committed to memory currently, and will be busy with school or work
during the month, is not realistic.
Sort
the remaining items in order of importance to you and try to estimate
how long it will take you to attain these. Of course, some goals, such
as refraining from bad language, will not be time-bound and are not
applicable, but others, such as recitation of the entire Qur’an within
the month can be measured.
2. Now
take these attainable goals and turn them into action plans by creating
a daily to-do list. If your weekday schedule differs from your weekend
schedule, you can create two; in fact, if you want to be really specific
you can even make a schedule for each day of the week. Regardless of
how many lists you create, they should be very specific. For example, if
your goal is to finish reading the entire Qur’an within the month of
Ramadan, try to read a set amount of verses at particular times in the
day. Instead of writing “Read some Qur’an in the afternoon” write “Read
10 ayaat after dhuhr prayer.” Adding a little specificity will help keep
you on track, and will also ensure that you are committed to your
goals. Once in a while you might be unable to follow the schedule
because of some unexpected events, and so you should also have a
“make-up” time when you can make up for the loss at another time during
the same day. Remember, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) loves those
deeds that are consistent, even if they are small so try your best to
take consistent actions towards your goal.
3. It
is possible that your schedule might not work for you, but that is not
an excuse for giving up completely; don’t abandon your schedule, just
modify it. Using the previously given example, if you pray dhuhr during
your lunch break at work and you cannot fit in reading 10 verses of the
Qur’an during that time, you can shorten it to 5 verses and then read
another 5 verses at another time during the day. In other words, make
sure that you are going back and revising your daily plan if you find
something that is not optimal. Instead of decreasing your deeds, though,
simply readjust them and budget your time within the day more wisely.
Keep the lists everywhere; on the fridge, your desk, the car, kitchen
table, computer, etc. Forcing yourself to read it constantly can also
help keep you on track and will serve as a constant reminder.
4. The
simplest way to make sure that you keep up with your goals is to make
it easy for yourself to attain them. If you want to wake up for
Tahajjud, keep the prayer mat, clothing, and the coffeemaker close to
your bed and sleep early at night. You will not be able to wake up if
you are up late doing work on the computer, so reconfigure your work
schedule if you have to, and make adequate preparations for your goals.
On the other hand, if you are trying not to do something, make it harder
for yourself. To keep away from backbiting, simply keep away from such
company that facilitates or encourages this bad habit. To refrain from
television and music, delete all the songs from your iPod and replace it
with lectures; listen to The Noble Qur’an. Of course it will take more
than just these precautions to completely refrain from such actions
(they need to be accompanied by du’a, sincere intentions, patience,
fighting the nafs (self), and hard work), but taking certain steps will
make it easier for you to be obedient and harder for you to relapse.
5. Reinforcements
are also necessary for those of us who need a little bit more of a
push, especially during the middle of Ramadan when everyone’s morale and
zeal seems to wither. In order to keep yourself from backbiting or
swearing, use the classic jar trick. Keep a box or jar within easy
reach; or multiple ones if you want one at work, office; and punish
yourself by putting in a significant amount of money every time you
break the rule. At the end of the month you can donate the money to a
charity of your choice, but do not let the charity be an excuse to let
the jar fill up! The purpose of this is to give you a visual
representation of how serious your problem is.
6. The
last step is something we take lightly, though it can have a
significant impact on how efficient we are this Ramadan, and that is
‘evaluation’. Every night take out a couple of minutes to either write
down or simply think about whether you are on track or not, and how you
can improve. This way you know what you need to work on the next morning
and can monitor if you are slowing down or not doing enough to attain
your goals. There are always going to be days when you are not as
energetic as you would like to be and are not as productive as you
should be, but through evaluation you can help prevent this from
becoming a trend and save your Ramadan from being a disappointment.
How have you made your Ramadan goals? Share your helpful tips and thoughts below.
About
the Author: Asma Malek is a university student who attempts to follow
her own advice in managing her time and keeping her level of imaan high.
Why Islam?
Let’s talk frankly. Almost never do non-Muslims study Islam until they have first exhausted the religions of their exposure. Only after they have grown dissatisfied with the religions familiar to them, meaning Judaism, Christianity and all the fashionable “-isms”—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism do they consider Islam.
Perhaps
other religions do not answer the big questions of life, such as “Who
made us?” and “Why are we here?” Perhaps other religions do not
reconcile the injustices of life with a fair and just Creator. Perhaps
we find hypocrisy in the clergy, untenable tenets of faith in the canon,
or corruption in the scripture. Whatever the reason, we perceive
shortcomings in the religions of our exposure, and look elsewhere. And
the ultimate “elsewhere” is Islam.
Now, Muslims
would not like to hear me say that Islam is the “ultimate elsewhere.”
But it is. Despite the fact that Muslims comprise one-fourth to
one-fifth of the world’s population, non-Muslim media smears Islam with
such horrible slanders that few non-Muslims view the religion in a
positive light. Hence, it is normally the last religion seekers
investigate.
Another
problem is that by the time non-Muslims examine Islam, other religions
have typically heightened their skepticism: If every “God-given”
scripture we have ever seen is corrupt, how can the Islamic scripture be
different? If charlatans have manipulated religions to suit their
desires, how can we imagine the same not to have happened with Islam?
The answer
can be given in a few lines, but takes books to explain. The short
answer is this: There is a God. He is fair and just, and He wants us to
achieve the reward of paradise. However, God has placed us in this
worldly life as a test, to weed out the worthy from the unworthy. And
we will be lost if left to our own devices. Why? Because we don’t know
what He wants from us. We can’t navigate the twists and turns of this
life without His guidance, and hence, He has given us guidance in the
form of revelation.
Sure, previous religions have been corrupted, and that isone of the reasons why
we have a chain of revelation. Ask yourself: wouldn’t God send another
revelation if the preceding scriptures were impure? If preceding
scriptures were corrupted, humans would need another revelation, to keep
upon the straight path of His design.
So we should expect
preceding scriptures to be corrupted, and we should expect the final
revelation to be pure and unadulterated,for we cannot imagine a loving
God leaving us astray. What we can imagine is God giving us a
scripture, and men corrupting it; God giving us another scripture, and
men corrupting it again … and again, and again. Until God sends a final
revelation He promises to preserve until the end of time.
Muslims
consider this final revelation to be the Holy Quran. You consider it …
worth looking into. So let us return to the title of this article: Why
Islam? Why should we believe that Islam is the religion of truth, the
religion that possesses the pure and final revelation?
“Oh, just trust me.”
Now, how many times have you heard that
line? A famous comedian used to joke that people of different cities
cuss one another out in different ways. In Chicago, they cuss a person
out this way, in Los Angeles they cuss a person out that way, but in New York they just say, “Trust me.”
So don’t
trust me—trust our Creator. Read the Quran, read books and study good
websites. But whatever you do, get started, take it seriously, and pray
for our Creator to guide you.
Your life may not depend on it, but your soul most definitely does.
AMAZING HISTORICAL PROOF THAT JESUS WAS NOT GOD
AMAZING HISTORICAL PROOF THAT JESUS WAS NOT GOD
Watch Video
Did Adam Worship Jesus Christ?
In this episode of The Deen Show Yusuf Estes shares with us various aspects of Adam’s life. “Did Adam Worship Jesus”, is just among the issues covered in this episode.
Top 10 reason why Jesus Christ Isn’t God
By: Joshua Evans, an American, former Christian Missionary from South Carolina who has converted to Islam
Deep Thinking
Have you ever thought that the Earth you are now walking on is moving at a speed of 1,670 kilometers an hour? Have you ever thought why your hair constantly grows, while your eyebrows and eyelashes stay fixed? Wouldn’t it be bad otherwise? Have you ever thought about all the wondrous happenings in and around you? This film is an invitation to think so. Because in the Qur’an God invites us to think about the living things that He has created.
Have you ever thought about the fact that you did not exist before you were conceived and then born into the world and that you have come into existence from mere nothingness?Have you ever thought about how the fragrant and beautifully colored flowers you see everyday have come out of pitch black, muddy soil?
Have you ever thought about how mosquitoes, which irritatingly fly around you, move their wings so fast that we are unable to see them?
Have you ever thought about how the peels of fruits such as bananas, watermelons, melons and oranges serve as wrappings of high quality, and how the fruits are packed in these wrappings so that they maintain their taste and fragrance?
Have you ever thought about the possibility that while you are asleep a sudden earthquake could raze your home, your office, and your city to the ground and that in a few seconds you could lose everything of the world you possess?
Have you ever thought of how your life passes away very quickly, and that you will grow old and become weak, and slowly lose your beauty, health and strength?
Have you ever thought about how one day you will find the angels of death appointed by Allah before you and that you will then leave this world?
Have you ever thought about why people are so attached to a world from which they will soon depart when what they basically need is to strive for the Hereafter?
Man is a being whom Allah furnishes with the faculty of thought. Yet, most people do not use this very important faculty as they should. In fact, some people almost never think.
In truth, each person possesses a capacity for thought of which even he himself is unaware. Once man begins to use this capacity, facts he has not been able to realize until that very moment begin to be uncovered for him. The deeper he goes in reflection, the more his capacity to think improves, and this is possible for everyone. One just has to realize that one needs to reflect and then to strive hard.
The purpose of this book is to invite people to think in the best way and show ways of doing this. Someone who does not think will remain totally distant from truths and lead his life in self-deception and error. As a result, he will not grasp the purpose of the creation of the world, and the reason for his existence on the earth. Yet, Allah has created everything with a purpose. This fact is stated in the Qur’an as follows:
We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them as a game. We did not create them except with truth but most of them do not know it. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 38-39)
Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us? (Surat al-Muminun: 115)
Therefore, each person needs to ponder the purpose of creation, first as it concerns him himself, and then as it pertains to everything he sees in the universe and every event he experiences throughout his life. Someone who does not think, will understand the facts only after he dies, when he gives account before Allah, but then it will be too late. Allah says in the Qur’an that on the day of account, everybody will think and see the truth:
That day Hell is produced, that day man will remember; but how will the remembrance help him?
He will say, “Oh! If only I had prepared in advance for this life of mine!” (Surat al-Fajr: 23-24)
While Allah has given us an opportunity in the life of this world to reflect and derive conclusions from our reflections, to see the truth will bring us great gain in our life in the Hereafter. For this reason, Allah has summoned all people, through His prophets and books, to reflect on their creation and on the creation of the universe:
Have they not reflected within themselves? Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them except with truth and for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the meeting with their Lord. (Surat ar-Rum: 8)
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