Despite this being a beautiful month, Ramadan can also come with its pressures and stress as well – try and remind yourself to simply do your best, to the best of your ability. That is all that is asked of us, that we wholeheartedly try and be our best for Allah.
Despite this being a beautiful month, Ramadan can also come with its pressures and stress as well – try and remind yourself to simply do your best, to the best of your ability. That is all that is asked of us, that we wholeheartedly try and be our best for Allah.
For Muslim women around the world, Ramadan has its unique challenges and rewards that come with the ups and downs of being a woman. And in this case – we’re talking about women on their periods.
In much of society around the globe, periods are seen as something to be ashamed of, or we try to pretend it doesn’t exist – and especially during the month of Ramadan, many Muslim women feel extra pressure to act that they are not going through at least one week of the month where they cannot pray and fast.
But it’s not shameful or embarrassing to have your periods – it’s just a part of what so many women deal with on a monthly basis, and in an effort to try and normalize what almost 1 billion Muslim women around the world experience, here are 5 ideas on how to continue to experience Ramadan even during that time of the month!
1. Just because you can’t do your daily prayers doesn’t mean you have to stop praying to Allah.
One thing that can help you during your week off is to continue to pray during what would normally be your daily prayers – you can still make dua and take time to pray to Allah. This can not only help keep you in the rhythm of praying, but it helps you stay spiritually connected to Allah even while on your period.
Just because you’re on your period doesn’t mean that you are cut off from spirituality – you are still Muslim and still a believer of Allah, so take this time to pray, make dua, and speak to Allah from the heart. The power of dua does not diminish just because it is that time of the month, so try and keep up some form of daily prayer and dua.
2. You might have more time now to listen to the Quran!
It can feel a bit off to suddenly not pray and fast during Ramadan, and many women know that feeling of unwarranted guilt – but remember, this is nothing to be guilty about, our bodies were chosen by Allah to go through menstrual cycles, so instead of feeling guilt let’s try and look at the bright side: we might even have more time and energy during this week to listen to more Quran!
Try to listen to a little extra Quran – either during the times you would have been praying or during any point of the day when you might have a little more energy than you would have had you been fasting – and take this time to appreciate the beautiful and holy words of Allah during this special month.
3. Try and spend more time reading Islamic books or watching lectures to gain more knowledge – especially with the extra time and energy.
In the same line as trying to read a bit more Quran this week, why not also try and spend some more time learning as well? Having your periods for many women isn’t a walk in the park and you may be suffering from pain or tiredness, but if you’re able to then this might be a great time to read that extra chapter or make a list of all the incredible lectures out there to watch and learn from.
Ramadan is not just a month that is focused on physical worship in the form of fasting – it is a beautiful month where we strive to better ourselves spiritually as well. Hopefully, by reading a little more and learning a bit more, we can stay focused and spiritual even during that time of the month.
4. Look into what you can do for charitable acts during this week!
Because you’re not fasting or praying, you might be able to be more flexible with charitable acts – whether that means going out to volunteer somewhere or cooking a little extra for the neighbors, this might be your chance to get in that charitable act that you were meaning to do all week.
If you’re not able to go out or be more active, you can still look into charity organizations that you can donate to online as well – any form of charity, no matter how small you may think it is, will help keep the spirit of Ramadan alive and can help make a lot of women still feel involved in this holy and special month.
5. Finally, remember to take care of yourself mentally and physically.
Despite this being a beautiful month, Ramadan can also come with its pressures and stress as well – try and remind yourself to simply do your best, to the best of your ability. That is all that is asked of us, that we wholeheartedly try and be our best for Allah.
While there are many things we can do during this week off, if during this week you simply need to take it easy and take care of your body physically (and mentally), then so be it! It’s important to stay healthy and ready for the other three weeks of fasting and prayer, so remember that however you choose to spend your time on your period, make sure you’re not putting unnecessary pressure or guilt on yourself.
So to Muslim women everywhere, Ramadan Mubarak!
