Hello Everyone,
Ramadan Mubarak!
As I'm writing this month's post the first day of Ramadan has just been announced! For Muslims Ramadan is a blessed month that we look forward to. It's the one month in the Islamic Calendar where we as Muslims fast for 29 or 30 days, generously give money to charity, read Quran and make the most of our prayers. It's a chance for people to have a reset, work on their faith and ask Allah (SWT) to help with whatever matters to them. So, I thought it would be a good time to share some more resources you can use to make the most of this holy month.
As the title suggests, this is a follow up post to the Ramadan Resources post I did last year. If you haven't already, check out that post to see the resources I shared that you can continue using this year too.
1. Videos to Watch:
YouTube is the most popular video platform we use. Last year I shared some videos by the channel Yaqeen Institute you could watch to increase your Islamic knowledge. This year, you can watch their Judgement Day Deeds that Light the Way series, Tahajjud Waking Soul and Society Series and Road to Return Series. Also if you've recently converted to Islam, the A Convert's Ramadan series may interest you. One particularly important series that's available this year is the Ramadan Dua's on Repeat series. It's a series that teaches you the Du'as to memorise and the meaning behind them. Here's an introduction video to it:
Mufti Menk is a leading global Islamic Scholar and motivational speaker. In case you didn't know, he has his own YouTube Channel. During Ramadan he'll be doing a daily Reconnecting with Revelation series, where he shares versus from the Quran that'll help you overcome whatever you went through during the pandemic. Along with a playlist of Ramadan 2022 videos and other videos covering a variety of topics.
2. Clubhouse Rooms to Join:
Clubhouse is a popular audio only social media app. It's a place where people set up clubs based on different topics. The club members have rooms where they discuss a topic, people are able to listen automatically in the audience section and if they want to speak they "raise their hand" to go on to the stage (, the place where people speak) and share their thoughts on the topic. Rooms that are taking place are shared on the homepage and anyone can join. It's got quite a few clubs for Muslims to do with marriage, relationships, Islam and the community. Here are a few you might find useful during Ramadan:
- Quran Recitations: a club that holds regular Quran sessions, Tajweed corrections, tips on memorising the Quran and stories of the Quran. They also do rooms called "rest your heart" where you listen to a surah that's being recited. Plus it's available on replays, so you can listen to it later as well.
- Sacred Steps: is a club that has done various rooms on Islamic topics, such as reflections on surahs in the Quran and Ramadan preparation rooms.
- Suhbah Love and Marriage: the club holds discussion rooms on Islamic and mental health discussions. They've also done rooms about Ramadan, Allah (SWT)'s guidance and mercy and a reading of Before You Tie the Knot.
- The Muslim Rewind: this is a community room where people join to get to know one another and discuss different topics. Currently there are rooms where members read and discuss the book Productive Muslim, which is also available on replays.
3. Audiobook Recommendations:
Last year I recommended some books, which had a kindle version available. In terms of accessibility, that was the best I could do for the books I found. This year I decided to have a look on audible and see what books you could purchase with your credit. I thought this would make reading Islamic books during Ramadan more accessible for people with sight loss. Here's what I found:
- The Qur'an: A New Translation by M. A. S Abdel Haleem⁰
- Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey Into The Heart Of Islam by A Helwa
- Lost Islamic History by Firas Alkhateeb
- Muhammad His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Ling
- Muhammad: A Story Of The Last Prophet by Deepak Chopra
4. Resources for Children:
Nowadays on social media people share different ways they make Ramadan exciting for their children. It's such a special month for Muslims and parents want to make it something their children grow up to look forward to. Some people get creative and make their own advent calendar for Ramadan. Other people decorate the house, or have special games for their kids to play. Sometimes life can get busy and you can't do everything you had planned. So, I thought I'd have a look on Amazon and share some things your kids might enjoy:
- Ramadan Advent Calendar: this Ramadan advent calendar is a simple and fun way for young children to learn how long Ramadan actually is. All they need to do is put a sticker on whichever day of Ramadan it is. Plus the reusable star stickers are included.
- Themed Stickers: Speaking of stickers, I found these stickers for Ramadan and other Islamic holidays. I thought they would be something fun and versatile for parents and children to use. For example, you could do an activity like "do one good deed a day", where the reward is getting a special Ramadan sticker. It's up to you, how you want to use them.
- Islamic Activity Book for Muslim Kids (aged 6 to 10): this book looked like it had lots of activities to keep children aged between 6 and 10 years old entertained. According to the description it has colouring pages, word searches, Islamic I spy, Arabic and English letter tracing and more!
- The Holy Quran Made Easy for Kids (age 5+): this is a series of books that introduces verses and concepts from the Quran in a child friendly manner. The author has also written many more Islamic children books for you to choose from.
- Islamic Bingo (aged 3+): is a family game that comes with colourful illustrations and is a twist on how bingo is usually played.
- I Spy Ramadan Books (aged 2 to 5): Whilst scrolling through Amazon I found various versions of a book called "I Spy Ramadan", which is a children's book for toddlers with letters and pictures related to things that are to do with Ramadan. A lot of the books didn't have reviews. Those that did had bad reviews, stating the books seemed auto generated and the words had nothing to do with the holy month. However, the companies Aaliyah Yasmeen Press and Yasmeen Farah Press sounded like they're Muslim companies. So I thought their books would be a good option for you all.
5. Ramadan Recipes:
TikTok is the latest social media app young people are using now. It's an app adults also use, so maybe it's an app for everyone? The other day I found this series called Ramadan Recipes by Zaynab Din on it, where she cooks 30 recipes for 30 days of fasting. To me, some of the recipes look like easy side dishes you could have at the iftar table. If you have older kids that like to cook, or enjoy cooking yourself I thought you'd like these.
That's all I've got for this post. I hope you enjoyed it and will find these resources useful. I tried finding resources that were a bit different to what I shared last year. Although you could probably just use resources from both posts anyway. If you have anything you'd think people would find useful this Ramadan, please share it in the comments below. I hope your fasts go and all your rewards are accepted this year.
Nanjiba
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