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Every year before Ramadan, I’m tasked with talking to a group of youth about preparing for Ramadan. Every year, I give the same exact advice. [Thread]
Often, people’s plans for Ramadan include a ton of enthusiasm. They plan to overhaul their entire lifestyle, from all facets, and treat it like a fresh start. The problem here is that Ramadan is 30 days long, and when the enthusiasm leaves, the “resolutions” leave along with it.
One of the problems is that when speaking about Ramadan, the examples brought up are often out of reach. People bring up stories of individuals who finish reading the Qur’an every three days, completely unaware that they’re talking to an audience that hasn’t even done that once.
So, when talking about Ramadan goals, I make sure to emphasize to that the examples people are hearing about are a result of individuals working on themselves over a period of 10-20 Ramadans, and they haven’t had those 10-20 Ramadans yet to achieve that lifestyle.
The goal is to insert one thing, only one, into your daily routine during Ramadan that will be sustainable enough for you to continue with it after Ramadan ends. With every Ramadan that comes, you add another act of worship or lifestyle change to your “spiritual toolbox”.
For example, one of the kids I spoke to has a daily routine that consists of school, video games, Netflix, sports, etc. When I asked him what his Ramadan plans were, he said he planned on giving up video games and Netflix. He noted that he’s tried this multiple times and failed.
I had to explain to him that, in metaphorical terms, he was trying to run a marathon even though he’s never exercised before, so him failing was not surprising at all. So, we worked together on seeing what singular habit he could work on this Ramadan.
Him: “I’ll pray Sunnah with every prayer.”
Me: “Do you think that’s sustainable? Be honest. What happens if you're feeling lazy?”
Him: “I’ll probably end up skipping it.”
Me: “How about only focusing on praying Fajr Sunnah and Witr?”
Him: “Okay, sound too easy, though.”
Me: “Do you think that’s sustainable? Be honest. What happens if you're feeling lazy?”
Him: “I’ll probably end up skipping it.”
Me: “How about only focusing on praying Fajr Sunnah and Witr?”
Him: “Okay, sound too easy, though.”
Yes, it would be easy, but when you’re fatigued and unmotivated during the middle ten days of Ramadan, these “easy” tasks are at much less risk of being abandoned. Anything extra you want to do is a bonus, so if it’s ditched, your initial goal for that Ramadan is still achieved.
Many people won’t agree with this approach, since we’re supposed to “aim for the stars”, but if we neglect the long-term, we end up being the same exact individuals 30 Ramadans in as we were on our very first Ramadan.
May Allah put barakah in our time and efforts.
May Allah put barakah in our time and efforts.
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