More Than A Rehearsal
Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations ~ James Clear
Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu, dear sister.
Trust you are are doing well, striving and thriving.
This is not the time to procrastinate. I tell you, it seemed like yesterday when we all thought that Ramadan was so far away, but look at us now, it is literally round the corner.
I am personally not an advocate of ‘paralysing pressure’ during Ramadan, but I also have realised that the burnouts I experience are sometimes due to lack of preparation and then trying to cram everything in at the very last minute. That is why I am a HUGE advocate of intentions, practice and planning especially when it comes to maximising Ramadan.
How do we practise for Ramadan, you may wonder? Sha'ban. The month for those who know, the most underrated and underestimated rehearsal to the common man, the one that is overlooked but comes with more than you can imagine. The only rehearsal with its unique set of rewards, the one that should not be missed.
Think of Sha’ban as practice and Ramadan as the game, if you do not show up for practice, it will show in the game as well - Imam Omar Suleiman
I personally can’t remember any transformative, life-changing opportunity that I did not prepare for. Whether it was a major meeting, a dream job, a trip or exam. Once it had some potential in it, I would give it my all! I will prepare mentally, spiritually and probably physically too, I will ‘tie my camel’ from everywhere it can be tied and then back-up with prayers from all sides. If I do that for every ‘Dunya-related’ opportunity, what makes Ramadan any different?
To prepare for Ramadan, we have been blessed with Sha’ban. We can leverage this month to test our Ramadan goals and get our bodies and minds prepared for the journey ahead. Here is a challenge of some of the things you can do.
Replace these with any of the goals that you may have for Ramadan and start doing them now. It is quite risky to just spring this on your poor self in Ramadan and expect things to fall in line. The preparation starts today, right now.
Ramadan does not only come once in the year, it comes with abundant blessings, it contains the best 10 nights of the year, it is the month of the Qur'an, the gates of Heaven are open and then there is the master bonus - the actual bad guy, Shaytan is chained, I mean, come on! What could be better than that?
Allah, in His Excellence to you, does Not Leave you guessing, He gives you very limited windows and times with Unlimited Mercy. The Only thing He leaves to you is the decision to show up, to present ~ Imam Omar Suleiman
The question is, ‘Will you show up?’
Allahumma sallimnii ila Ramadan, wa sallim lii Ramadan, wa tasallamahu minni mutaqabbalan (O Allah! Preserve me until Ramadan, safeguard Ramadan for me and accept it from me - receive my deeds with acceptance).
We are kicking off this week's IbadahPlug with a session we are VERY EXCITED about! Our third Seeker's circle is in a few weeks and our facilitator is our dear Sister, Oyinkan Fatima Momoh. From our first Seeker's Circle, we have taken us on our journey of how to start and sustain our knowledge journeys. With Ramadan approaching our focus is now on acting. Have you ever wondered what knowledge is without action? Why do we strive so much to learn if we can't implement? AlhamduliLlahi, the holy month gives us an opportunity to do this. Please join us and tell a friend.
Next, we have this amazing lecture by Imam Omar Suleiman on Sha'ban and how we can really use this month to help us achieve our Ramadan goals. It's short, but packed with gems. If we were you, we would watch this one with a pen and a notebook!
And last, but definitely not the least preferred, is this series put together by Yaqeen Institute again: Ramadan Strong, this particular episode by Sh. AbduLlah Oduro is the right kick for maximising this month and winning in Ramadan, in shaa Allah. You know he always delivers! You really should watch it.
Till next week, in shaa Allah.
We leave you in Allah's care,
One of us at IbadahPlug