Salam! Hi there. Alhamdulillah, Ramadhan Kareem dear readers. I hope everyone's in good health and is in the Ramadhan spirit! I can't believe Ramadhan is ending soon. Wow, where did the time go?
We have entered into the most crucial phase of the holy month, which is, the last 10 nights of Ramadhan. It was stated in several hadiths that the night of Laylatul Qadr falls on one of these nights, which is on the night of an odd number. (i.e. 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th of Ramadhan)
The night of Laylatul Qadr is referred to, in the Quran, as "better than a thousand months", which is why Muslims all around the world are racing to perform as much ibadah as they can and experience the sweetness of Laylatul Qadr.
Here are a few tips to keep you fresh and focused whilst performing ibadah on the last 10 days of Ramadhan.
I'm sure we've all had our moments where we'd overeat during iftar.. DON'T. Never overeat. I'd personally feel sick if i were to shove so much food down my throat in one sitting!
Overeating will also slow you down. It makes you sleepy and bloated. We don't want that do we? Especially when you have to perform prayers afterwards.. 3 rakaats of Maghrib prayers, 4 rakaats Isya' prayers, 20 rakaats of teraweeh, 3 rakaats of witr prayers, and the list goes on.. Can you imagine performing these prayers when you're too full to even stand up straight?
So, the best way is to stop eating before you're full and eating in small portions. That's the best way to prevent yourself from eating too much.
The simplest tip and hardest to follow is to keep yourself hydrated. So drink as much as you can. During iftar, after teraweeh, before you sleep, during iktikaf, before sahoor and during sahoor. If you can get your hands on Zam Zam water, drink that too!
Another tip is to add lemon slices and cucumber in your glass of water. Especially if you're not into plain water taste.
You will naturally feel energetic when you're hydrated, trust me. Not to mention, reciting the Quran will be easier when your throat isn't dry. xD
As much as you want to, avoid taking drinks with high sugar content and caffeine. Sure, sugar and caffeine will give you a form of energy for you to function, but only for a short while and you will feel drained afterwards. So... just stick with water and you'll be fine. ;)
* image taken from Google*
We tend to get hungry again after teraweeh prayers, so the best kind of foods to snack on are dates and nuts. Dates, ( A type of superfood ) because they
have very high nutrition that you will give you the extra energy you need!
Nuts because they are high in protein which will give you energy and makes you full longer. My personal favourite, cashew nuts!
When your tummy is happy and your body has enough nutritions to last the night, you can easily perform ibadah without feeling sleepy or tired.
Just grab a handful of dates and nuts, and keep them in a small pack for you to munch on. ;)
Now that you are ready, you will be able to utilise the remaining nights of Ramadhan, performing ibadah with focus and ease InsyaAllah. All the best!
XX,
Shera Lee