How to stay productive in Ramadan

Published on April 27, 2020Updated on April 28, 2020

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By Abdullahi Jamaa / Twitter: @abdullahijamaa
It is not just rewarding but also honourable to earn a livelihood. It is more rewarding to work for yourself, your family and the community while putting yourself behind the duty of religion. That means being productive in all spheres of life.

We are in the noble month of Ramadan which requires a motivated approach to raise our spiritual rank while taking care of our worldly affairs in a meticulous way. For professionals it means remaining true to the culture of productivity while observing a month of religious significance.

An honourable believer must hold the correct nod not just for the hereafter but also for worldly success and fulfilment. Our professional daily work is an act of worship when there is a sincere intention behind it. Working for ourselves and our families is considered a religious deed.

The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whatever you spend seeking thereby the Pleasure of Allah, will have its reward, even the morsel which you put in the mouth of your wife”. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Fasting is a challenging experience especially for the working professionals; but it is also an awesome spiritual activity that tends to give us clues on how to be at our best in everything. The secret is learning how to be effective in staying true to our work while performing Islamic obligations.

Be organised
Ramadan requires that you don’t miss out on its spiritual whiff and its breeze of veneration while adorning your body and soul with righteous deeds. But it also requires that you perform your daily professional work diligently, honestly and productively.

Winning the game of productivity while fasting is all about organizing yourself, keeping track of every activity and checking the clock constantly in case you miss an important work. Islam is a religion of excellence requiring its adherents to be the most beneficial to themselves and to society at any given time.

The author of the book ‘Don’t be Sad’ Sheikh Aidh Ibn Abdullah al-Qarni said:

“Organise the hour of your day, so that you make years out of minutes and months of out of seconds. In this day you should be balanced in your affairs, satisfied with your allotted potion, concerned with your appearance and health.”

Every deed counts, every effort is blessed and rewarded handsomely during Ramadan. It is imperative to plan for your day. Use time efficiently and concentrate all of your efforts on achieving something pleasant in every single day of Ramadan.

Blessed mornings

The early morning hours are blessed as told by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who said “O Allah, bless my nation in their early morning.” (Tirmithi)

Steal sometime between Suhoor and Fajr and between Fajr and sunrise to handle your daily Ramadan target; because once you get out for work it may be difficult to get that time to recite your daily Qur’an portion.

People are different: some are active in hunger others become too lazy to move an inch; it is only wise to finish your extra Ramadan Ibadah before your energy saps and this can only be achieved if you handle your morning routine with a lot of care.

Most importantly concern yourself with remembrance of Allah early in the morning. This is the most vital thing to start the day with. Sitting in the morning and submitting yourself fully to the will of Allah while fasting is the most honourable thing.

When Ibn al-Qayyim asked his teacher, Ibn Taymiyyah, how he managed to accomplish so much in a single day: writing books, articles, giving darsa, helping Muslims, training, looking after the community, Ibn Taymiyyah said that after fajr, he goes and spends some time alone with Allah until sunrise.

This is the time to ask for a day full of blessings, health, wealth, courage, comfort, success and victory, forbearance and above all acceptance of your Ibadah. Make it count.

Little deeds

As you are a busy person and always on the move do not burden yourself with a lot of Ramadan daily targets that you can never achieve; this will only frustrate you and make you a failure of some sort. The best solution for you is to find out little deeds with mountains of rewards.

The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked, “What deeds are loved most by Allah?” He said, “The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few.” He added, ‘Don’t take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability.” (Bukhari)

Wish you all the best in your Ramadan and may Allah (the Most High) make it easy for us all.