Carrying Ramadan in Your Heart

Salaam Minara Family,

A very warm welcome back to you all!

How do we find you and your heart today? 🤍

We know it’s been quiet over here: amidst the hustle bustle of Ramadan, we’ve been tackling some bouts of illnesses [nothing serious], travelling [still revelling in the joy of visiting the Haramayn] and of course, chasing those Ramadan goals.

Oh and before we forget actually, a very belated Eid Mubarak!

If you felt a bittersweet pang at Ramadan’s departure and ‘Eid’s entry, then know that Ramadan left it’s mark on you.

May it guide your steps, steady your heart, and help you bloom where you’re planted 🌷.

Pause. Breathe. Look back. Ramadan wasn’t just a month - it was a mirror.

Go back and look at everything you accomplished in Ramadan - moments of growth, challenges you overcame, habits you built, or times you showed up even when it was hard. Make a note of what you’re proud of. Say alhamdulillah for every step you took, big or small.

Then, set an intention for the year ahead. Where do you want to grow? What goals or dreams have you set aside that you'd like to revisit? What new habits or changes do you want to embrace?

If you didn’t meet the goals you set for Ramadan, take a moment to explore why. What got in the way? Sometimes it’s not just time or busy schedules - there might be a deeper fear or resistance.

[Psssst - here’s a journal prompt for you: ‘Underneath all that, there is...’ and see what surfaces].

Finally, make a du’a list. Be specific. Whether it’s memorizing a surah, improving your salah, rebuilding a habit, or simply staying consistent. Push yourself gently. Dream big in your du’as - remember, what seems impossible to you is so so easy for Allah. 

And if you feel comfortable, we’d love to hear one of the du’as you’re carrying with you this year 💜.

The end of Ramadan is really just the beginning.

Shared by a member of our Minara Team:

"Alhamdulillah, I was invited by Allah to make ‘Umrah in the last half of Ramadan. There are so many things I’d like to share but today we’re starting with one.

It was the 27th night of Ramadan and I’d managed to get a spot [tight!] in the courtyard of beautiful Masjid Nabawi for the ‘Esha and Taraweeh prayer.

As a side note, can I just say, praying in congregation just felt so incredible. I don’t think I realised how incredible until I returned back to the UK and performed my own salah and acutely felt a loss. There is something calming, reassuring and stabilising about an Imam leading your prayer and shouldering the responsibility, particularly for the recitation. I was encouraged to slow down and really savour the quiet moments in ruku’ and sujood. So for the ladies in our Minara community, if you don’t get the opportunity to pray in congregation as the men in your family might, don’t be disheartened - I know Allah sees our struggles and sacrifices and every challenge you overcome in your individual salah, its recompense will be a 1000x sweeter than anything you and I can imagine.

Anyway, I found myself seated next to a lovely Moroccon lady from Florida - an assistant principal of an Islamic school there - and we connected over our shared teaching professions.

As we stood in qiyaam, listening to the measured and graceful recitation of the Imam spilling into the stillness, wrapping the city of Medinah in serenity and touching the starlit skies above, I could hear - no - feel - I could feel the trembles and the sobs of this lady who too like the stars and skies of this blessed city, was spellbound by the qira’ah [recitation].

And my heart paused with awe.

I felt such a rush of longing for this same experience my salah companion was in her own way, without any showy intention, sharing with me.

She was crying because she was connecting with the words.

She understood what Allah was telling her through the medium of this salah.

And in that moment, I really felt what it meant for Allah to communicate with me too.

So I stilled my wandering mind and I listened too.

I listened to the words of Surah Rahman and I pondered over:

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Fabi-ayyi ala-i rabbikuma tukadhthiban

Which of Allah’s favours will you deny?

I fell into sajdah and I know Allah heard my longing because then I felt this longing to stay there, this sweetness that I’ve talked about and read about and heard about, but this time I truly felt it. Nothing mattered in that moment - it was just me and my Creator.

This lady was a blessing for me, a favour - which I cannot deny - and though I do not know if we will ever meet again in this world, Allah seated me next to her so she could leave some of the sweetness of her salah for me too.

For that, I am so so grateful.

And on a more practical note, I’ve been inspired to really think about, re-read/learn the meanings of the surahs I read in salah and explore the stories behind them. My salah companion on this 27th night understood what the Imam was reciting and the connection and ability to really listen and absorb must be I imagine somewhat down to comprehension of the meaning.

That’s my goal for the coming year in my salah journey.

We would love to hear yours🧏🏽!

Until next week friends,

Onward and upward!

The Minara Team