Estimated reading time: 10 minute(s)
Ramadan is coming! We as Muslims are excited every year for this holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection. However, it can be challenging to complete. A lot of us struggle with certain aspects of Ramadan, such as surviving the fast, or completing the entire reading of the Holy Quran cover to cover. It’s OK, we’ve all been there before. Here are some tips on how to make your Hunger Games a little easier.
1). Fasting
Apple Cider Vinegar
I know that while fasting, we of course tend to get hungry. Some of us get hungry as soon as the sun comes up, for no reason whatsoever. If you’re struggling with the feeling of hunger, try consuming this mixture:
1 tsp Braggs Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
A glass of water
Honey to taste.
By Nzinga Muhammad
Apple cider vinegar is a natural appetite suppressant, which means it helps lower your food consumption and reduces your appetite. I drink this during suhoor, or the pre-dawn meal, and I found that it helps throughout the day with those food cravings.
12 pm Stop
If you are a child, say 8 or even 12, and you’re not allowed to fast with the older folks, or you honestly can’t make the whole day without food/water, you should try fasting until 12 pm. Give yourself a limited time to fast until. If you want, you can add an extra 15 minutes to an hour so that eventually you can be able to go the whole entire day without food/water. This is a good tool to use so that you’re not just thrown into fasting without preparing for it.
2). Reading The Holy Quran
There are a couple of ways you could complete reading the Holy Quran in a time span of 30 days:
One Part A Day
The Holy Quran is divided into 30 “parts”. In the English translations, you find for example: “Part 4” or “Part 30” in the book. I usually read up to the next part a day until I reach the end. Please be mindful though, that some of these parts can be longer than another part, because not all surahs, or chapter, lengths are the same. One part might end in the middle of a chapter, another might start in the beginning of a chapter. After Part 30, you keep going until the end of the book, which is more pages longer than another part.
Read After Prayer
I’ve seen this tip surface on Tumblr before. It says that if you divide the 600 pages of the Quran into 30 days, that’s 20 pages a day. If you divide the 5 prayers a day you read 4 pages after every salah.
3). Prayer Time!
Speaking of prayer, sometimes we have trouble completing them 5 times a day. I know me, I forget when the next one begins. Thanks to technology, we can stay on top of it.
App: Athan Pro for Muslim: Prayer times
This Iphone app was introduced to me by a friend one Ramadan. Athan Pro has scheduled alarms for the next prayer that begins, from Fajr to Isha. It also has Hadiths of The Day and Islamic wallpaper for your phone.
Websites
If you prefer a website to go to instead of an app, you can go to Islamicfinder.org or Irusa.org. They show all of the prayer times; it even includes sunrise and sunset hours.
4). Exercise & Athletes
Light Exercises
Exercise is extremely important in anyone’s daily life, but be cautious. You don’t want to exercise too heavily and become dehydrated afterwards because you couldn’t drink water until 8:53 pm. Don’t ever play yourself. Take it easy. Light, yet efficient exercise is a good balance. During Suhoor, stay hydrated. At night, stay hydrated. Make sure that water becomes your best friend, you’ll miss it, especially when trying to exercise without H20.
For My Sporty Muslims
Salute to you! I know that trying to balance being active in your sport, and a participant in the fast can be very difficult. Here’s some tips for “Ramadaning” as athletes.
Ramadan Mubarak! And may the odds be ever in your favor.
(Follow Nzinga Muhammad on Twitter @QueenNzinga13)
