Ramadan: Common Mistakes To Avoid While Fasting

It’s the Holy Month of Ramadan and for us muslims, it is a really precious time.

Yes everyone knows drinking, smoking , backbiting and the rest of them are to be avoided, but the true meaning of Ramadan seems to be lost on most people and this post is aimed at pointing out some of the common mistakes people make during the Ramadan fasting.

1 – Taking Ramadan as a ritual: For many of us, Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual than a form of worship. We fast from morning to night like zombies just because everyone around us is fasting. We forget that it’s a time to purify our hearts and our souls from all evil. We forget to supplicate, forget to beseech Allah to forgive us and ask Him to save us from the Fire. Sure we stay away from food and drink, but that’s about all. Fasting is neither a hunger strike nor dieting, you know?

2 – Month of fasting feasting: For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves  around food. They spend the entire day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about food, instead of concentrating on the prayer, Quran and other acts of worship. Remember it’s the month of fasting not feasting so, turn off that stove and turn on your Imaan!

3 – Eating in advance: Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and others eat at Iftaar like there is no tomorrow, trying to make up for the food missed. However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything.

4 – Sleeping away the fast: Some people spend their entire day or most of it sleeping away their fast. These people are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot bear to be awake and face a little hunger or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend most of the day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part.