A close friend once told me that her mother used to observe i’tikaf at home during the last ten nights of Ramadan, and I was intrigued. She described her routine in detail while I listened intently, taking mental notes.
As the blessed month of Ramadan draws to its close, believers often feel a mixture of gratitude, reflection, and longing. Ramadan is not only a time of fasting and worship, but a time of drawing nearer to Allah through His Beautiful Names.
Ramadan is the time of purification of the soul (tazkiyah) and enhanced God-consciousness (taqwa). It is during this month that the collective body of Muslims (ummah) are united in their devotion to Allah, The Most High and abstain from our natural desires of food and drink thus strengtheni
The month of Ramadan is not only a time of fasting from food and drink, but a training ground for the heart. As daily habits are interrupted and worldly distractions are reduced, deeper questions surface: Who protects me? Who truly controls outcomes? Where does real security come from?
One way my family and I prepare for Ramadan is by cleaning and decluttering our home. Unfortunately, sometimes Ramadan arrives fast and furious (pun intended!), and we do not have time to organize as thoroughly as we would like.