Salaam Minara Family,

Disclaimer: apologies beforehand for all the bad car puns. Engine-uity at its best.

Just kidding. Kind of. It’ll make sense in a minute!

The first day of 2025 did not come alone.

It came with the first day of the sacred month of Rajab 1446 Hijri.

Rajab means only two months till Ramadan graces us. Allah-u-Akbar!

A wonderful teacher of mine always gives this great analogy of preparing for the month of Ramadan.

How many of you drive a manual car? [Gear/shift!]

Well picture said manual car and the process of driving off. What gear are you starting at?

One…

Then two…

And three…

Then four…

And finally hitting five (or six!)

You know what happens when the car is in the wrong gear?

Yep you’ll be stalling all over the place my friend!

Similarly, as Shaykh would explain, starting off Ramadan with your energy level at gear 5 and zero prep-work will inevitably result in you stalling and depleting your fuel reserve – all before reaching the end of the road.  

It’s all about warming up for the final act. Preparation is expected everywhere, in every field. Going for a run? Stretch first. Sitting an exam? Revise, revise, revise. Cooking a meal? Prep all the ingredients. Going for an interview? Research your role… etc. etc.

Rajab is the month to sow our seeds. Sha’ban we love, nurture and cultivate these seedlings and Ramadan we reap what we sow and bask in the bloom of our efforts in sha Allah 🤍.

Let’s not wait till Ramadan to jump start our cars or plant our seeds [you pick your analogy]…

Let’s choose today.

So what seeds are you planting for Ramadan? Hit the reply button, send us an email or let us know over on our socials!

We’re rootin’ for you! 🌱

Transliteration: Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan.

This is the du’a the Prophet ﷺ would recite constantly upon the advent of Rajab.

How does this du’a of the Prophet ﷺ link with preparation?

This supplication feels very much like setting an intention. All the best laid plans start with just an intention.

We only pray for the things we desire. So by reading this du’a, we will be constantly reminded of what Ramadan means to us. This supplication expresses your longing for Ramadan and the goodness this month brings with it: wholesome practices, spiritual rejuvenation and answered prayers.

Ameen Ya Rabb 🩵💙

Shared lovingly by a member of the Minara community:

I don’t have a massive, life-transforming story to share… more of an observation really.

My observation is this: Muslims really unite under the umbrella of salah. I’m always moved by how people’s eyes seem to light up when we’re looking for a place to pray. It’s something I notice all the time on holidays and our most recent encounter was while we were visiting London for a few days over the holiday period.

We had ‘googled’ the closest masjid to us while out visiting Portobello Market and Google Maps had us taking a lovely 20 minute stroll through the area. [Looking for places to pray is so underrated might I add! It feels like a fun holiday sport alhamdulullah!]

Anyway, we reached our destination but alas we could see no masjid or praying area. We paced up and down, and then entered a random little cafe. The store assistants weren’t visibly Muslim and I immediately panicked whispering-shouting [lol!] to my husband to not ask them and try another place instead.

My husband [used to ignoring his wife - lol again] proceeded to ask and they were immediately so happy to help. You could see it in the way they gesticulated and did not hesitate to give directions.

We experienced the same that evening with people who were dining at the same restaurant we were - a lovely father and daughter who not only enthusiastically primed me for every landmark enroute the masjid but also volunteered information about the female designated area.

When you approach someone first, there’s always that caution exercised by both parties but as soon as you mention salah and looking for somewhere to pray, there’s such a poignant feeling of community - we’re all so happy to see a Muslim brother or sister make an effort to pray.

I hope we can experience this happiness for ourselves too - just like the passers-by and locals who want you to pray, our inner selves also cheer us on to pray.

I’ll go first…

Your turn! Share your seeds below.

Sending so much love to you all. May your Rajab be fruitful.

The Minara Team