Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The exact dates of Ramadan change every year. This is because Islam uses a calendar based on the lunar cycle. As mentioned above the dates of Ramadan change every year. For religious matters, Muslims follow a lunar calendar - that is one based on the phases of the moon - whose 12 months add up to approximately 354 days. That's 11 days shorter than 365 days of the standard calendar. As a result of the Islamic calendar being based on lunar (moon) cycles, this means the exact date of Ramadan and its subsequent celebration Eid ul-Fitr is subject to change. Whist reading, each chapter resonates so deeply, touching every chord within me. The perfect, meticulously chosen words have a profound effect. I found myself on a soulful journey, hand in hand, with a companion by my side. A journey of self discovery, spiritual healing, to find purpose & a passage to reconnect with my creator.

Ramadan reflections is a unique compilation- partially biographical. The content is filled with a myriad of Quran references, Hadith, sources from scholars, notable authors & words of ordinary people. The book is divided in to 30 parts; a segment intended for each day of Ramadan. Each day is dedicated to a single topic to reflect & ponder upon, a space for assisted journaling & concluded with a perfectly selected, person centred, prescribed Dua. Each topic seamlessly correlating with the previous & proceeding chapter. When Eid arrives, it’s lovely to celebrate with family and work colleagues and it’s nice to suggest a celebration to colleagues who has been fasting. After Eid, I really appreciate that cup of tea in the morning and enjoy the novelty of being able to eat during the day. For me, Ramadan is a month for God – 11 months for me and one month dedicated to God. During Ramadan, I appreciate all I have – freedom, food, a drink at the end of the day. I come away feeling very humbled and grateful. I self-reflect and endeavour to make positive changes moving forward, this might be about self-control on portion sizes or the amount I time I spend on social media.I got such deep and new perspectives from her writing that I am already looking forward to her next book. Ramadan Reflections: a guided journal is a collection of intimate, healing, Islam-focused reflections aimed at guiding readers through the 30 days of Ramadan. We have all heard much about people struggling and relying on food banks and I have been involved with my family in giving food to food banks and helping those less fortunate. Faith should not divide us but be a glue that brings us together, albeit from different directions. Unity through peace is at the heart of Islam and for me, it is a faith that must be lived through my actions. The Quran emphasises self-discipline through restraint of anger, acts of compassion and acts of charity and this is for me what Ramadan is all about. Eid which marks the end of the month, requires all Muslims to donate to feed the poor and again all Muslims use this month to step up and increase those donations and assistance. I have recently attended Islamic Relief events with my family and my 14 year old daughter is a volunteer with the organisation - they can see the difference it makes. My youngest son (9 year old) has recently donated money from his own piggy bank savings - he personally wanted to contribute to the charity. Aisha’s response to this was profound. She responded, “By Allah, I cannot find of you an example except that of Joseph’s father: ‘So (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert and it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought.’” ( Bukhari 4750 ) We would not usually find out when Eid is until the evening before. I usually wait impatiently for our local mosque to make the announcements, who in return wait for the Glasgow Central Mosque to confirm.

It has been a huge privilege & honour to have had the opportunity to be an early reader of this debut book - Ramadan Reflections by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan. This book is an invaluable tool for finding a deeper spiritual connection to the holy month of Ramadan. It is split into 30 chapters, conveniently representing the 30 days of Ramadan, and it is suggested to read a paragraph a day and truly reflect on what is being said. Every chapter connected with me at a different level and allowed to me contemplate and gain a better understanding of myself and my journey. In addition to streaming on Paramount+, Star Trek: Picard will also stream on Prime Video outside of the US and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. On the day of Eid, the whole family will go to the mosque for the Eid prayer. This usually gives us the chance to meet and greet family and friends.The very notion of fasting transcends any one faith community. Beyond the physical benefits — which are all the rage of late — fasting as a spiritual discipline has much to offer and this brings us to the final segment of the verse above. Fasting is more than just being hungry and thirsty, it is not an end in and of itself, rather it is a means to obtain something else. The reason why Muslims fast, according to the Islamic scripture, is to attain a higher level of consciousness, specifically a mindfulness that centers around the Divine. After the passing of the Prophet ﷺ Aisha assumed the role of a teacher and imparted the valuable knowledge she collected from her time with the Prophet ﷺ to students. Her home became a centre of learning for men and women alike.

Irrespective of our own faith or no faith, we can all share in that reflection on hardship, hunger and suffering wherever it lies. We might pause and ask what difference we can personally make in our local communities as well as across the world. Fasting gives us a small window of what it might be like for those around us who struggle to afford food on a daily basis. It allows us to reflect of what we take for granted and makes us appreciate what we have and what we can do for others. Many people also go to the mosque for the evening prayer and there is usually good atmosphere. Many of the mosques provide the iftar meals in the mosques and this is mainly funded from the donations made by the people. This isn’t a flaw per se🌚, just personal preference, but because of the nature of the book (the author sharing her personal experiences), there are many parts that I found repetitive, which dampened parts of my reading experience. Eid ul-Fitr – the Eid festival is based on the sighting of the new moon and can only be estimated at the beginning of Ramadan. As such it is common for Muslims to request a flexible two or three days of leave to make way for this but may not use all days requested. I feel like the lessons and gentle nudges can be used year round but especially in Ramadan, they will be really helpful to focus worship.Once the Eid prayer is finished, we would wish everyone "Eid Mubarak" (means blessed feast/festival). A recent survey showed that the things our people value the most about our Deloitte Works hybrid working model are flexibility, trust and inclusion. I am delighted to hear that many of our Muslim colleagues, including Zeeshan Ali, have taken advantage of our policy of choosing when to take UK public holidays and have flexed the recent bank holidays taking the time off over Ramadan and Eid. A very comforting part of Ramadan Reflections came quite early on regarding LOVE, particularly the love for oneself. Not the egotistical, self-obsessed, proud version so commonly plastered all over social media nowadays. But the private kind, a connection between oneself and the Lord, one that promotes knowing one’s value and self-worth, all written in the most humbling words. I challenge you to not feel moved! Irrespective of our own faith or no faith, we can all share in that reflection on hardship, hunger and suffering wherever it lies. We might pause and ask what difference we can personally make in our local communities as well as across the world.

If you are a stranger to the title in the third chapter or are emotionally guarded she will challenge you to feel. Make sure you read Ramadan Reflections where you have few distractions. The Quranic ayahs, ahadith, and duas are beautiful and need to be savoured. Monday, April 12 th, 2021 marks the ninth month in the Islamic calendar when for thirty days, over 3.5 million American Muslims will fast and “yes, even forego water.” Ramadan for Muslims world-wide not only is one of our five pillars[1] or religious tenets, it is also an opportunity to reset, renew, and rejuvenate your spiritual connection to God ( Allah) and use the physical pangs of abstinence, hunger, thirst during the daylight[2] hours as a tangible reminder of your spiritual connection to something bigger than your body’s physical needs. However, as a religious minority it is often harder for us to do this. Living in a non-Muslim community means that we are squeezing in prayers between work meetings, breaking your fast at your son’s baseball games, or “listening” to the Quran[3] , at stoplights while rushing to your next appointment. Not necessarily conducive to that whole spiritual awakening we are supposed to be experiencing. For our family, knowing that we cannot stop our every-day lives to dedicate it solely to religious practices, we try to fit in the intent behind Ramadan in a more practical application whenever we can. This is the word that comes to mind when I think about Aliyah Umm Raiyaan's Ramadan Reflections. With her earnest, and at many times vulnerable, voice at the centre it's intertwined with the classical wisdom of old as well as the wisdom of recent. She's written it in such an intimate way that you almost think she's penning down your own thoughts. SubhanAllah. It's this layering of voice and experience that makes this a timeless piece- that of course I pray continues to earn her ajr until the end of time.Ramadan Reflections starts with an easy-to-read introduction in which she gives readers ideas on how to interact with the book and its journalling prompts this helped me a lot as I find it hard to write in books. The introduction had me tear up as it rekindled hope in my heart.