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Sawm is the fourth pillar of Islam, meaning one of those things that Allah (swt) has made obligatory upon every Muslim.Sawm comes from the word, imsak; which means to refrain from something.
Allah ( swt) says in 19th Chapter of the Quran that maryam ( RA) the Mother of Isa (Jesus, pbuh) took a vow to sawmin.To refrain from talking, so we have an example of Sawm - to refrain from something
Ramadan comes from the word Ramada which means scorching or excessive heat.Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic Calendar.
In it is in this month that Allah (swt) prescribes fasting during the day for those who are capable, beginning with the sighting of the new moon.Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Angle Gabriel. The Quran provides guidance and teachings directly from Allah.
And the life of the prophet was the Quran.Many holidays have lost their meaning, and have become commercialized and materialistic and unfortunately Ramadan is no different. Allah ( swt) says in the Quran, “Fasting was prescribed for you as it was for those before you that you may obtain Taqwa.”

Taqwa means god consciousness, and in today’s society it has been replaced with materialism, consumerism, and ignorance. We have no self restraint, we want what we want and we want it right now.We want and purchase things we cannot afford. We make excuses of not being able to follow the path of Allah because of the conditions in which society has in place.The conditions of the jahaliyah were the same of not worse.
In today’s society we do not restrain and discipline ourselves.God has been placed in the back of our minds, and when Ramadan comes we are forced to restrain our self and that brings about God consciousness.Allah does not wish to place a hardship on us, but rather wants us to express our appreciation.
We are to refrain from, not only eating, drinking, and sexual relations, but from anger, backbiting, and lying as well as other things; In addition to this we are also encouraged to read the Quran.Because the sighting of the moon differs from place to place, Muslims around the world begin Ramadan at different times.

However we all wait this beautiful time and prepare ourselves for it.Preparing ourselves for the month of Ramadan. How do we prepare ourselves and our families for this?If you do not all ready, do the following:

Start reading the Quran daily after Salat al-FajrThe Prophet (pbuh) said, “The person gets the same reward by reciting in this month, one verse of the Quran, as others do by reciting the whole Quran in other months.”Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran, for example while driving, or cleaning house.My husband commutes to the bay area for work, and feels this time spent is in complete waist. Two hours two and from, so he started listening to Khutba’s, and podcasts on his way , and Quran recitation especially during Ramadan.Arabic is not my first language, and I am at the begging level.

I can read it, but not comprehend it. I like to read the Quran in English, and then listen to it, and follow along in order to increase my vocabulary.Keep yourself in a state of WuduWhen you are in a state of Wudu, you are receiving the reward of waiting for Salah, even that is has yet to come.

Evaluate yourself, and your day before you go to bedThe Angels write down our deeds, one by one. Day by day.
Reflect on what you did and said during your day.
You can continue it through Ramadan. I have set a blog for this year at http://aishaladon.com/homeschoolconsultantCalled Ramadan Reflections, and is simply just that. My feelings, thoughts, and things I will learn during the month.

Find time to help others and share your knowledge with them.During the month of Ramadan the blessings for helping others increases, why not get started sooner.
There are many opportunities available. Get involved at your Masjid. Volunteer to make snacks for Iftar. There is a website called do http://dosomething.org
they give 500.00 grants simply to help you start a project to better your community.Volunteer at your local homeless shelter. Get a few sisters together, and pick a day that you will go together.

Go to http://volunteermatch.organd search for volunteer opportunities in your community.I find that if I fast these days at least a month or two before Ramadan, it makes Ramadan a lot easier for me.I have prepared my mind, and my body ahead of time.

Reduce the amount of food you eatIf you reduce the amount of food you eat, you will find yourself not so hungry and more energized. Eat small portions more often.The Prophet (pbuh) would eat 1/3 food, 1/3 water, and leave 1/3 air.It is eating so much that also makes us gassy. We do not leave room for air in our bodies and so it forces itself out.

Reduce your TV watching or watch something of benefit.If you have Dish , subscribe to bridges tv. Its an American Muslim TV, an excellent replacement to your MTV, and BET watching.It full of stories and cartoons for the Kids, Quran reading, and even Friday Khutba’s in various parts of the world.http://bridgestv.com

Put aside any hardships your have with others. Forgive them, as you would like Allah ( swt) to forgive you.During the month of Ramadan the gates of Paradise are open, and the gates to the fire are closed, and the shaytan are chained.Shaytan plants a seed in the month before Ramadan, so that it continues during the Month of Ramadan. It starts with the sightseeing of the moon, and ends with when we are to have Eid.Shaytan knows his effect on us, if only we knew ourselves we could prepare for his test.Organize your scheduleRamadan requires that we set aside time to reflect and remember Allah (swt) Organize your schedule so that you are able to reflect and feel the blessings of Ramadan, simply not just going through the motions of being thirsty and hungry.

Re-work your work schedule, go in an hour or two earlier, so that you can get off an hour or two earlier.Prepare food for Ramadan and or Iftar ahead of timeRamadan is not about cooking all day, so we can eat at night.
Sisters we must take advantage of this time during Ramadan to slow things down.We cannot reflect on the mercy and blessing of Allah while on our feet, and cooking, and cleaning all day.

Engage your children in creative activities such as decorating the house for Ramadan, and reading stories about Ramadan and things that took place in history during this month.Send out greeting cards to your Muslim and non-Muslim friends and families and invite them to Iftar.There are many non-Muslims that fast with their Muslim friends and family a few days of Ramadan and join in at Iftar. In fact this year during Ramadan SALAM Islamic center here in Sacramento is doing a Ramadan Exhibit similar to the Prophet and Hajj exhibit.In addition they are inviting non Muslims to fast with us, and join in Iftar at the Masjid for the entire month.www.salamislamiccenter.org

Also Masjid Ibrahim is doing a fast for the day campaign as well.http://www.masjidibrahim.comSisters the best time invite guests over are during your mensesYou will have More time to prepare, because you won’t be engaged in some acts of worship.If your children are in public school, help them to prepare something to share with their classmates about Ramadan.

I Homeschool my three children and so part of our preparation for Ramadan is cleaning the house, decorating the house, and begin our studies about the moon and learning about the many blessings that Ramadan will bring.Inshallah next week. We will be discussing the blessing of Ramadan, and we hope that you will join us.The prophet (pbuh) said. “If people understood what good there is in the Month of Ramadan, they would have liked that it last for a year.”

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