22 Days to Ramadan

Ramadan is fast approaching. So, why am I not feeling the "vibe"?

I haven't fasted for a while and thought today would be a good day for a "warm-up" fast. A trial run before the actual fasting period.

As always, when you haven't done something for some time, the first step is always the most difficult. I kept thinking, "Does it have to be today?" "Will I survive the whole day?" "You know, teaching can be exhausting, am I sure about this?"

Nobody has ever died of fasting, so I wasn't sure what I was worried about. hahaha

Alhamdulillah, I made it to the end but the day was full of temptations. Time seemed to be passing sooo slowly. I kept referring to my watch, thinking "When will this class end?!"

Then, Wee Na offered her Tat Nenas. My favourite Raya cookies! I declined with a heavy heart. Then Kak Paridah offered her Kuih Sepit. They looked delicious too... (Why do they have to bring the Raya cookies today??!!)

Right about then, my stomach started to growl. The funniest thing was I was seriously contemplating whether or not to break fast. It was a puasa sunat after all. But common sense prevailed. I stuck to it and completed my first fast in this month of Sya'ban.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a tazkirah I heard a few years back. The topic was "Ramadan Warriors". The speaker talked about how people get over-ambitious in Ramadan. There's nothing with that of course. Without a doubt, we SHOULD strive to make the best out of the holy month. We should set targets with regards to Terawikh prayers, Quran recitation, Sedeqah, Iktikaf, etc.

But what's wrong with these "Ramadan Warriors" is that they want to completely change their habit/practice overnight. This is of course impossible. An example was given: High-performance athletes will spend around 30 minutes doing warm-ups alone before they delve into their actual training.

Likewise, if we want to make the most out of Ramadan, we should start way before the 1st day of the month. That way, we can get used to waking up early for sahur, fighting the lethargy while working, reciting at least 1 juzu' a day, waking up for qiamullail, etc.

If we don't start now, then we'll waste precious time getting adjusted in Ramadan itself (which is such a waste).

It's also good to keep a Ramadan journal like this one which I found in school. I have no idea who it belongs to. A bunch of them were lying around in the office last year.


The journal is meant for school-going children but I really like it because it's so cute and practical. There's a page for each day of the month. There's a checklist of 13 items that should be completed daily:

1) I am fasting
2) I prayed Fajr
3) I prayed Zohor
4) I finished my schoolwork
5) I read the Quran
6) I prayed Tarawikh
7) I gave charity
8) I prayed Asar
9) I did not gossip
10) I prayed Maghrib
11) I smiled
12) I helped someone
13) I prayed Isya'

There's also a section where you can reflect on the good and bad things you have done on that day:

"Alhamdulillah, I had good day because ____________________. But I shouldn't have ____________________. O Allah, forgive me.

And each day, there's a reminder at the bottom of the page in the form of a Quranic verse or a hadith.

I'm not sure who the publisher is but this address was printed at the back: Muslim Professionals Forum.

I guess it's time to set our Ramadan resolutions for this year and start planning how we are going to achieve those lofty targets!

"Whoever fast during Ramadan with purity of belief and with expectation of a reward (from Allah SWT) will have his previous sins forgiven" [Bukhari, Hadith 37]