With Ramadan just about here, HEALTH discloses some of the top mistakes many people make unknowingly in Ramadan and how to rectify these.
Mistake 1: Not Eating Suhour Many of us just can’t stomach the thought of food so early in the morning and will skip Suhour altogether. However Suhour is a true representation of the spirit of Ramadan and if we observe Suhour, we are most likely to be observing the dawn prayer and serve our Creator.
Mistake 2: Focus on Meals So many of us pull out the cookbooks and gather recipes for the purpose of recreating delicious dishes for Iftar. Yet the eating modestly when we open our fast is both physically and psychologically healthier. If we look at the meaning of Ramadan and act
accordingly, we remain congruent physically, psychologically and also spiritually
Mistake 3: Fasting Goes Beyond Abstaining From Food From gossiping to lying, fasting without behavioral or mental change is similar to
a diet. In this case, we are not gaining any spiritual benefit and missing the point of Ramadan entirely.
Mistake 4: Lavish Iftar Parties Some of us break our budgets trying to out-do our friends with the vast number of dishes served in an elaborate Iftar party. We should avoid being lavish as these behaviors do not demonstrate we are living the spirit of Ramadan. Instead spend exorbitantly in charity to keep in the spirit of Ramadan.
Mistake 5: Fasting But Not Praying During Ramadan we need to remind ourselves of the meaning and purpose of fasting. A major part of Ramadan is prayer which is our commitment to our God so fasting and prayer together serves the core purposes of selfimprovement
and spiritual strengthening.
Mistake 6: Over-Sleeping Some individuals switch timings to accommodate the day of fasting and instead of using their valuable time during the day, simply switch off the fast by snoozing. Sleeping away the fasting hours is an avoidance of the trials of Ramadan and when we actually mindfully experience Ramadan; its spiritual rewards help us to manage the physical hardship.
Mistake 7: Fasting Is Not Dieting If we use Ramadan as a glorified diet, we actually change the premise of why we are fasting. The point is to serve our Creator not to lose weight or serve our vanity. This can also be physically harmful as after the daylong fast, if we are dieting, we may continue to restrict our food and in this climate we can really damage our bodies.
Mistake 8: Correct Your Behavior From smoking to over-eating, Ramadan is an excellent time to note your negative traits and qualities and try to change these. Note these traits down in a journal and work towards slowly making a change in a more positive direction.
