RAMADAN?!

Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, a blessed time, a peaceful time, a forgiving time. Many people think that Ramadan is solely about fasting (being unable to drink water or eat from sunrise to sunset), and though it does revolve around that, it is also about much more. It is about finding your strength to forgive people and yourself, it is about strengthening our bond with God and your faith, it is about helping those who are less fortunate than you, whether that is by donating money, providing shelter and warmth, providing food, or just helping them in any way, shape or form.

There are many people in this world, always, who need more help than you, and this month, of Ramadan, should give you that extra push to do what you can and to help them out even if it means donating a mere £1 to charity, because honestly, every little help. Two charities that I would like to mention because I have previously nought from them. Last year, my brother bought a box of dates for £10 from The Date Project who send you a tin box (colour of your choice) of dates and the money would go to either Syria or Palestine. This year, I have ordered a cake from The Cake Campaign who sell big fudge chocolate cakes for £10 and the proceeds go to charity (I will leave a link of these charities below). This sort of charity work, I believe, is the most popular type because you are receiving something from the money you donated which will help a starving family in a deprived country. The concept of these charities is so heart-warming and to think most of it was popularised through social media is amazing.

A common question about fasting by a non-Muslim is usually “Are you not allowed to drink water too?!” Trust me I know it seems super difficult and some struggle more than others with this lack of food and water, but the more you struggle and find it difficult to keep going, you will make it and you will be rewarded by Him in the future and the afterlife. Another question that is often asked is “Do you lose a lot of weight?” Honestly, this is a question that is different for everyone, but is typically a no. If you think about it logistically, you are eating two meals in the span of 5/6 hours, which is terrible, then you pray and go bed (typically) which is also bad because the food isn't digested properly. Furthermore, the food you consume is important because if all you eat is greasy, oily food, you are more likely to gain a few pounds and then potentially break out with spots because of all the oil and the lack of water.

Something I reckon more people need to understand is that during the month of Ramadan, there are people who pray 5 times a day, who wear a hijab, who constantly read the Qur'an and are constantly communicating and strengthening their faith with Allah swt, but there are people who judge people like this because they are not actions that they would do on an ordinary day. It needs to stop. Just because someone changes for the better for the month of Ramadan isn't something that needs to be judged by other people. This is a month of forgiveness, so everyone should take advantage of this and ask Him to grant you forgiveness. Nobody but Allah swt can be able to judge you. Furthermore, there may be people who don't seem like they pray or anything, but you don't know what they do in their private time. Just because everything is so public today, doesn't mean EVERYTHING needs to be publicised, take advantage of your privacy.

Tips? – At Sehri (dawn) drink as much water as you can, at least 2litres because that can potentially keep you going for the rest of the day without getting a headache and feeling lightheaded or ill

- Don't eat an excessive amount of food, be generous with your servings

- Make sure you pray as much as you can and read the holy book at any spare moments, use the time to reflect on your life and what you're doing and how you can improve on your life.

- A hard thing for a lot of people (including me) is to stop listening to music. During Ramadan, you shouldn't listen to music but it's hard when you're constantly on twitter opening videos with music, or singing in your head. I'm always damn singing in my head and I don't know how to stop it!!

- Ramadan does test your hunger and strength but alongside not eating, make sure you try your best to control your tongue and ears. By this I mean, don't swear or listen to music init, it's hard I know, I swear a lot and listen to music on a regular basis but I do use this month to try and stop this habit and make it a constant but it's a vicious cycle trying to stop listening to music and stopping swearing. Honestly, I just get so so frustrated or excited sometimes and I must swear to let it go. If anyone has any tips to stop swearing pls let me know. I have a friend who has tried stopping her swearing prior to Ramadan and says stuff like 'what the flip dip' instead of the intended swear word. All in all, use this month to purify your mind and body and make sure you give what you can to charity, I will leave some links below. Do what you can to help other people however you can, make sure you repent and use this time to seek forgiveness and better yourself. Use this time to try and quit your bad habits, whether it may be the tiniest thing or a big change that's required in your life. Make sure you try your best and don't forget that the hard struggles you face through fasting will be rewarded. I hope this post has educated you if you're a non-Muslim, I hope it is helpful to those who are fasting and I hope you all have a blessed month, stay blessed my friends. Til next week!

CHARITIES

http://thedateproject.com/

https://www.thecakecampaign.org/

https://www.muslimaid.org/campaigns/current-emergencies/bangladesh-emergency-appeal/

http://www.pennyappeal.org/donations

https://muslimhands.org.uk/ramadan