RAMADAN - Mending habits and developing character

Ramadan is the month of heightened Allah-consciousness, of attaining taqwa (piety), of training ourselves to be the best we can be; a month to initiate improvement of reputation, character and for the cultivation of good habits.

People who try their best to live by the highest values are surely people of integrity and indeed people of moral conscience. What is morality though?

Morality describes the principles that govern our behavior and relates to our behavior at three levels...

Ramadan and the Making of Our Moral Fiber

Ramadan is here, and as we move through this blessed month there are many goals we've planned to reach. Each person is unique and will have individual goals, but here are five aspects of worship that we ought to work on this Ramadan.

QURAN: Ramadan is the best time to reconnect with the Quran. The best advice I have been given is to remember to stay consistent with one's recitation and in pondering over the verses of the Quran. Try to set a minimum amount of Quran that you would like to read everyday. In this way, you will ensure that every day of Ramadan will be filled with Quran. A good way to reach your goal is by setting aside time after each salah to read the specific portion of the Quran that you planned to read for the day. But we do not want to fall into the habit of reading the Quran without understanding the beauty within it. Integrating the meaning and the background will help us understand the reasons why the Quran is a Book of Guidance.

This Ramadan, Do It Right

It usually hits me around the 10th night of Ramadan, when the first third of the month, the days of Mercy, have passed. The month is not nearly over, but I find myself looking back and feeling under-accomplished.

The Ramadan "Plan" that I had written up during Sha'ban was a hefty one, detailing every action, every thought and prayer that I have to perform and think and reflect upon to reach the status of the Ideal Muslimah that I have formulated. And I have 30 days to do it... perfectly. Needless to say, after about 10 days of Ramadan, I have fallen short on my (too stringent) plan and I am feeling disappointment and regret.

Whether or not you make too big plans for Ramadan or the first days of it zoom past before you realize it, many of us experience a sort of mid-Ramadan blues. The mid-Ramadan lull is visually obvious in the waning lines at taraweeh prayers. During the first week of Ramadan, pity the person who leaves their house five minutes later than planned. Not only will they have to park in the nether regions of the lot/field/gravel pit, when they finally reach the place of prayer, they will be banished to the basement/babysitting room when they get inside.