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I have not included a voiceover for this post because there are many pictures and links - best to read through it :)
Ramadan Mubarak to my Substack community!
I’ve seen a lot of new subscribers here over the past week since I announced that I would be disappearing from Instagram for the month of Ramadan. Thank you for joining me here, it means a lot that you made the effort to stay connected.
As promised on Instagram, I wanted to do a quick round-up of some goals for the month for myself and for my family. But before I get into that, I want to say that I am absolutely loving being off social media, which for me mainly meant Instagram. I deleted Facebook as well but I didn’t spend much time there anyway so it’s not so significant.
The first couple of days were awkward because I would repeatedly pick up my phone and mindlessly look for the apps out of habit before realizing they were no longer there. I feel like I have so much more time in the day, I’m getting so much more done around the house and most importantly, I’ve just been feeling lighter - that’s the word. We don’t realize the invisible mental clutter we carry by constantly consuming information.
Anyway, let’s get to Ramadan.
We took out the box of Ramadan decorations that we’ve collected over the years.
The standard Ramadan banner was put up, so were the crescent and star lights.
I re-arranged some furniture to make a little prayer corner for the family. Here I set up two baskets - one for each child - with mostly books but also some games and crafts. My hope is that kids will hang out here while I read and pray.
Sharing some of our favourites below.
Books for my 5 year old from Flowers of Jannah (based out of Pakistan but deliver internationally).
More books (also from Flowers of Jannah) for our family read-alouds.
Some games and activities for fun learning. Two of these are from Mini Ummati in Pakistan and The Names of Allah Memory Matching Game is from Zair Zabr Play. I bought this from their website many years ago but they’re stocked at different stores now like this one.
These are just some of the many books that we regularly read all through the year. Religious learning isn’t limited to Ramadan only, it’s an everyday thing in the house. For Ramadan, I just collect them all in one place where they are more visible and easily accessible. The idea is that we prioritize religious learning / worship over other things during the month and make more time for it.
One of our Ramadan traditions for a few years now has been to follow the Noor Kids Ramadan Camp. Both my kids really enjoy it and it becomes their primary screen time during the month. I must say it used to come in especially handy in Canada when us parents were rushed with iftar prep after work and needed the kids to be occupied with something. I’m not as rushed for time here in Saudi, but we’re still watching the Ramadan Camp videos every day because they are educational and entertaining. The kids don’t feel like they’re being made to sit down and attend a class or “learn” , but the outcome is the same.
If you’re looking for more screen time options, I also quite liked this cartoon series by Mini Muslims.
This year feels different because my son declared he wants to fast for the entire month. He is turning 9 years old in a few days (pinch me!). We have obviously told him he that he doesn’t have to fast the entire month and it is okay for him to take breaks, but his resolve is strong so we’re rooting for him.
My otherwise very simple iftar table has definitely got an upgrade because my mama heart wants to fulfill all requests of my rozay-daar beta.
We also sat down and decided on some goals other than fasting. So we’re not just staying hungry but also being mindful of other aspects of a well-spent Ramadan.
Pray the five daily prayers.
Outside of Ramadan, we started with one un-miss-able prayer when he turned 7 years of age and added the second one when he turned 8. Asr and Maghrib have been his non-negotiables for the past year. After this Ramadan, as a 9 year old, he’ll have 3 prayers that he absolutely should not miss. Gradual but consistent habit building until the 5 prayers become obligatory.Buy items for charity from his saved pocket money.
Take out some loved toys for donation.
Memorize at least four new short surahs.
Memorize the meanings of names of Allah. He had already memorized one batch of 20 names, we are working on adding the next 20.
Re-read Seerah book with Mama, discuss more details this time and try to relate it to our own lives
Bonus goal added by him today: Re-read all 30 of his Noor Kids Character Building Books.
These are comic-style books that he’s read over time but he suddenly wants to do a marathon and I’m here for it because we love the books!
This salah tracker was gifted by a friend and was a new addition this year and it has been well used by my son so far.
This Seerah book is by Maqbool Books in Pakistan. I’ve tried a few Seerah books for children and I found this one the best for ages 6 - 10. Just the right amount of details to keep interest and appropriate language. Good for read-alouds, discussion points, as well as personal reading by the child.
You can explore Noor Kids Monthly Book Plan or Book Bundles here.
Please say a prayer for my son and for all Muslim children around the world trying to do their best this Ramadan. May Allah SWT increase their iman, keep them steadfast and always be their Guide - Ameen.
We were fortunate enough to spend the first Friday of the month performing Umrah. The initial plan was to go after iftar on Thursday night, but had a last-minute change and ended up going after sehri on Friday morning. We performed Umrah while fasting and also prayed Jumu’ah in the middle of Umrah. It is obviously the most crowded time of the year, and doing Umrah with kids at this time was anything but easy - but alhamdulillah for the opportunity and the strength to do it.
My personal goal for this Ramadan is turning inwards.
When my kids were younger, in the baby and toddler stages, Ramadan felt like routine life happening on steroids. You still had to fulfill all the parenting responsibilities while fasting and trying to squeeze in personal worship as well. During those years, I spent a lot of time watching YouTube lectures by scholars, listening to online tafsirs, and following multiple Ramadan series with my earphones on while performing mama duties. That felt more doable with little kids than standing in long prayers or sitting quietly with the Qur’an.
Now that my kids are older, I feel the need to limit external noise and focus inwards on my personal connection with Allah (SWT). I don’t feel like following any online series or even audio lectures. Sometimes while cooking or commuting to school, I revisit some one-off episode of The Message of the Qur’an or the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW because I have loved listening to these in the past. But my mood this year is simply to spend more time reciting Qur’an, doing zikr or praying. Obviously the fact that my kids are older and I can practically spend more time sitting in one place is a big factor in this.
This is not at all to say that there is anything wrong with consuming all the amazing Ramadan-related content being put out by scholars and learned people - this is to point out that our idea of how to best spend our time in the Holy Month may change at different stage of life.
I’m also just going through a phase of feeling overwhelmed by digital consumption anyway and wanting to focus more on action and implementation. So there’s that.
I’ve had several Ramadans as an adult when I did not do a khatam of the Quran (reciting Quran cover to cover). Even though it was a practice my parents tried to instill as a child, I just lost it along the way because I felt no point in reciting without understanding the meaning. In fact, when I first started blogging in 2016, I wrote a blog titled “From Mindless Recitation to Active Understanding.” It was one of my first pieces of writing that was shared by a significant number of people.
In that blog, I wrote about how, as a child, I did khatam after khatam of the Qur’an every year without ever understanding it or developing any genuine connection to it. I only did those khatams because my parents asked me to. I didn’t think they played any role in my learning or bringing me closer to Quran. My connection with Quran only started developing as an adult when I started spending my Ramadan following some online series doing a deep dive on on a particular surah or reading different translations/tafsir etc. For many years, I would engage in multiple other forms of worship and learning but I would not attempt to do a khatam.
My fluency and speed of recitation was obviously affected during this time. When I did recite different surahs, I felt it took me so long that there was no way I could do a khatam in a month. It’s telling that something that I used to do it every year as a child had started feeling so difficult. But I kept my focus on listening to lectures on topics that piqued my interest, improved my understanding and helped me strengthen my bond with Quran.
And eventually, something changed. I started feeling the urge to go back to recitation and doing a khatam during Ramadan.
In 2024, after God knows how many years, I did it!
I did a khatam during the month of Ramadan and felt so proud of myself.
It took me back to the time I used to do it as child.
Except this time, I truly saw the value in it and loved doing it.
After all these years, now that my connection with Quran feels stronger, I’ve come to a place where I simply want to taste the sweetness of recitation in Ramadan and read it cover to cover. I am not bothered if I am not understanding it while reading it, because the act of recitation has become fulfilling in its own.
Understanding the Qur’an is a lifelong, never-ending journey that must not be restricted to Ramadan. Reciting the Qur’an cover to cover should also not be limited to Ramadan only. But it is Ramadan-specific ritual for so many Muslims, a sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and I feel so grateful that Allah SWT helped me discover the peace and joy in this act of worship.
With needless scrolling out of the way, turns out I also have time for casual reading as well. I’ve taken out some books below that I’ve collected over the years but either never had the chance to read or haven’t picked up in a while. Sharing some below - I got these from Kube Publishing but you can find the titles stocked at other stores depending on where you live.
This is it for now.
Remember me and my family in your duas.
Until next time, insha’Allah.
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