Tag: #muslim

#100days left until Ramadan 2019…are you ready for it?
Alliyah Dawud
January 25, 2019

Admit it; even though you know Ramadan is an annual thing you feel it creeps up on you and the panic stricken you promises to devote themselves to nightly prayer sessions, healthy eating and committing to cleansing yourself of this world.

However time gets the best of us and before we know it things are not going to plan.

And every year POST Ramadan we promise next Ramadan will be different. But is it?

Nope!

So this year I will be posting a practical countdown to the Holy Month and hope this helps you get in control of life so you can get the best out of those 30 days and nights.

I’ll also be posting things on Social Media so don’t forget to follow us on there too.

Are you ready for this?

#100daysuntilRamadan

What can you do 100 sleeps before the Holy Month?

Answer: PLENTY.

By being practical and thinking ahead we can do a lot this far in advance.

Health:

Medical issues are one of the biggest reasons we miss fasts and taking part in the nights of blessings. So if you have pre-existing medical problems and need a check up get it done now. Need blood tests for something? Book it and stop putting it off. Give your health an MOT.

Are you a Smoker? Now is the time to consider your options to QUIT.

Have another addiction? Again now is the time as you have ample time to work towards it.

Spirituality:

Have lots to ask Allah for? Make a list of those Duas and update as the month approaches.

Give your life an MOT. Are you happy with life? Is everything going the way you want? Think about what you want to achieve and start making realistic plans now.

Life:

Got plans for big DIY projects around the home? Get organised now. You don’t want workmen in the kitchen banging away at 10AM if you are trying to fit sleep in after a night of reciting Duas and you need to be at work later. Trust me it’s an unproductive mix.
My advice is to AVOID having work done during the month. Sometimes it’s not avoidable but if you can plan as much as possible to have a peaceful Ramadan.
Declutter NOW. That’s right. NOW. The more stuff you declutter now the less stuff you have to worry about later on.

Need to book Annual Leave to give you some space in Ramadan? Do it now (the sooner the better).

Let your children’s School know when Ramadan is…chances are they already know but if you have children that may wish to take part in fasting it’s always good to give the School a heads up and vice versa.

Confident Speaker? Why not offer to read a Ramadan/Eid book at School and explain what Ramadan is to younger children so they understand why their friends celebrate it?

Top Tip: avoid booking play dates, shopping trips and other things in Ramadan. Mark Ramadan and Eid (both) on a Calendar and in your diary so that when you do go to pencil something in you can see it’s Ramadan.

Gratitude is attitude (start a Gratitude jar)
Stylemesisteradmin
November 5, 2018

Gratitude Jar

This world. It’s great isn’t it. We have all the mod cons. All the stuff our ancestors could never have imagined. All these opportunities we receive, all the love, the recoveries from illnesses….the blessings we have. We often forget them. It’s human nature (unless you actively rewire your brain) to concentrate on negatives rather than positives. Call it society. Call it normal. Whatever you want to class it as it’s an active block in your life.

My personal journey with GRATITUDE is I keep a gratitude diary. I fill out the diary with three things I am thankful for everyday. I’ve been doing this for a while now. It’s been a part of my own personal developmental journey. You see until you can see what the good stuff in your life is you cannot dispel the negative. Your thought process needs to move to positives. You need to concentrate on the good. The light. And then multiply them.

It’s Laws of Attraction. Like attracts like. You think about the good, you concentrate on the good. You focus on the good.

You then manifest MORE of the same/similar.

We’ve all had negative experiences where we’ve got out of bed and the day has started rough. We’ve muttered ‘flippin’ great’ and the next thing you know you’ve poured coffee down your white shirt, your toast is burnt, your car engine has overheated and you are late for your annual review. You then have to combat the rush hour traffic on public transport. You open your post and there’s an invite to your exes Wedding. Because at the start of a less than happy day things started a rough and we were like “what else can go WRONG” and the universe answers your vibes that you are sending out in the way you are manifesting via your attitude.

So to increase goodness we concentrate on GOOD VIBES ONLY.

As a Muslim gratitude is attitude. We’re taught to be thankful for the blessings and also count the lessons. And what doesn’t kill is it teaching something to us and we need to grow from it.

Rather than allow my daughters to get into the habit of concentrating on the negative I’ve introduced a Gratitude Jar into the weekly family activities. The idea is to get everyone in the family to think of at least one thing they are grateful for over the week and write it down. We then place it in the jar. Then when the year is done we will read our slips and put them in an envelop for future reference.

The idea is to get into the habits of expressing gratitude and acknowledging the good in life. It’s also a way of reflecting on our lives (I’m a firm believer in reflection to improve ourselves). And the more we thankful the more we attract of the same good stuff.

It’s a great activity to do as a family and it costs next to nothing to do.

Materials needed:

Paper (we use coloured craft paper. We’ve got A4 size mixed colours. The pack cost £4.00 and will last us more than a year.
A jar-I upcycled a jar by writing on it a verse from the Holy Quran

(If you are grateful I will give you more 14:7).

We use various pens to write out our slips.

And apart from that you don’t need anything else.

So go on; increase your gratitude as a family and see how the positive attitude brings in more positive vibes for you all.