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.

I was first approached to be an early reader of Ramadan Reflections by the author, Aliyah Umm Raiyaan, in late January 2023… Needless to say, being quite a bibliophile and bookworm, I jumped at the opportunity, and here I am - not even 6 weeks later - writing a review of this breathtakingly beautiful book. In fact, I hesitate to use the word book, for this is quite different to anything I have read before. It is interactive but without AI technology. It is guiding, but not controlling or patronising. It is reflective, but most certainly not narcissistic. It can be read in huge, indulgent chunks, whilst snuggled in your comfiest chair with a cuddly blanket and favourite hot drink or can be dipped into sporadically when brief reading opportunities present themselves. One of my favourite reading times is whilst sitting in my car waiting for my children to come out from school. I’m super grateful for the many life-changing tidbits I took away from this book🤲🏾. They changed my approach to worship this Ramadan, and hopefully, for every daily worship to come.Ramadan Reflections: a guided journal is a collection of intimate, healing, Islam-focused reflections aimed at guiding readers through the 30 days of Ramadan. Aliyah has a unique way with words- whether it’s spoken or written, she has a beautiful way of capturing her audience's hearts & helping with moving it towards Allah. I was moved to tears from the introduction alone and as I read I silently thanked Allah for blessing me with the opportunity to read the book at the time that I did. It’s what my soul needed- I cried as I read chapter after chapter. Her words touched & moved my soul. It felt like a lot of the content was talking directly at me.

I liked how the book didn’t have too much journaling in it tbh, bc I usually don’t like to journal (lol surprising I know as a writer- but I prefer typing to pencil writing). This book was the perfect amount of text and journaling balanced- and it was written in such an impactful way that I found myself really soaking in each chapter and pausing and enjoying the journaling process at the end! This guided journal is divided into three parts which focus on the past, the present and the future respectively. There is a chapter with its own topic for each day of Ramadan with some prompts/questions at the end for the reader to write their own reflections and thoughts.

How Ramadan is observed

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. Curiously, the Qur’anic injunction for fasting the month of Ramadan touches on a similar thread of commonality. God says, “...fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God.” (2:183) Let’s break this down.

I remember when I arrived in Scotland in the early 1980s as a fresh-faced young boy from Pakistan, this question was repeatedly asked by non-muslims around me. This prefaced further questions about what Ramadan involves, why we fast, why do the Ramadan dates change each year, why torture yourself by fasting etc? Often it then led to further questions about being able to drink water, chew gum, and utter disbelief as to why someone would volunteer to give up both food and drink for a whole month. The level of understanding and awareness about Ramadan was limited, the attitudes somewhat dismissive and as a young boy it felt quite daunting to have to explain myself and my faith to those around me who simply could not understand. 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. I will be the first to admit that I am def more inclined towards reading fiction and that I usually have a hard time finishing nonfiction books. But truly this book is diffferent!!! Gaza: Arab, Muslim nations strongly condemn Israeli ‘crime’ committed of killing 500 at Gaza hospital Naheed Ahmed, Senior Specialist Major Trauma Physiotherapist for Clinical and Scientific Services, based at MRI.Once the moon is sighted and my local mosque confirms the end of Ramadan, we would wish family and friends "Chaand Raat Mubarak" (equivalent to Christmas eve) - quite often women and girls decorate their hands with mehndi (henna).

Bismillaah. This book has honestly helped me emotionally and most importantly, spiritually as it opened my eyes to view life in a different light. I truly enjoyed reading every chapter each day throughout the month of Ramadhan, and it became a routine for me to do a self-reflection after reading them with the prompts Aliyah came up with. To add, the heartfelt du'as written at the end of each chapter instills hope, love and faith that made readers feel re-newed, re-energized, and definitely enlightened - while striving to seek for self-betterment through the lens of an akhirah-focused future. I also love how she compartmentalized the chapters in the first 10 days of Ramadhan, mid-Ramadhan and the last 10-days of Ramadhan, focusing on the different aspects one needs to prioritize and noted down the ways one can reconnect with God. I wanted to share my experience, so my first vlogs were born! I have been overwhelmed by the responses I have received on social media to this challenge. Not just my posts, but Stephen Griggs’ posts too, as well as those we shared via @DeloitteUK. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, watch, learn and join our #RamadanAtDeloitte conversation.

Hisham lbn Urwa said, “I have never seen anyone who could have knowledge of an ayah, an obligatory act, a Sunnah act, poetry, history, lineage, judgement, or medicine better than Aisha.”