Preparing for Ramadan 2020

Assalamu alaikum to all our dear Maarif community,

In’sha’Allah this post finds you well and safe.

We are now in the middle of the 5^th week of our Covid19 closure. It’s been challenging for all of us, with our school closed and all of our religious and cultural touchstones unavailable to us. We can’t attend Jumu’ah prayers. We can’t have dinner with friends and extended family. We must wear masks if we go out to the grocery store, and may find empty shelves when we get there. Our children can’t play in the parks. We are separated from loved ones even when they are sick and need us most. Covid19 has touched many of us personally with the loss or illness of family members and loved ones. A lot of us are struggling financially with the loss or downturn of our business or jobs. Truly these are scary and trying times for all of us.

Many of us have never lived through such challenging and uncertain times. It is easy to fall into despair and anxiety. The blessing for us is that as Muslims, we can reach out to our Creator in such times and know that He will hear our prayers. It’s a comfort to know that whatever happens to us can be for our benefit if only we reach out to Him and put our hope in Him.

The duah of Yunus AS is perfect in times such as these. It was reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The supplication of Yunus when he called upon Allah inside the belly of the whale was this, ‘There is no God but you, glory be to you, for I have been among the wrongdoers,’ (21:87). Verily, a Muslim never supplicates for anything with it, but that Allah will answer him.” Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3505

We should learn this duah and teach it to our children for times like now when we crave connection with Allah SWA.

In the Qur’an it says in Surah Ash Sharh, “So verily with every hardship comes ease. Verily with every hardship comes ease.”  94:5-6

We can find our ease in the love of our families, and fellowship of our community even if we are communicating via Whatsapp and Webex. We can find it in the generosity of people donating to food pantries and grocery shopping for the elderly. 

 We can find it in the certainty that no trial or hardship lasts. Everything will change eventually; we need only to be patient and steadfast in our devotion to Allah and our compassion for each other.

Through our smartphones and laptops we can connect with knowledge and information to benefit us and help us deal with our feelings and fears in this time.

Yaqeen Institute has many interesting and informative articles and videos including this one on coping skills to help you cope during this time. 
NourArt and IRUSA are offering a digital Ramadan camp for children and their families.

It is hard to imagine a Ramadan without taraweeh prayers at the masjid, but  that is what we face this year as all of our mosque leadership has rightly elected to shutter their facilities for the sake of safety and health. Alhamdullilah, many offer live streaming of khutbahs, and classes. While we cannot pray behind the imam in the video stream, we can pray with our families at home after watching the video lectures. This will be a simple year of quiet reflection and contemplation. In’sha’Allah having a simplified schedule will enable us to do more dikr, prayer, recitation of Qur’an and devotion to Allah SWA. 

Alhamdullilah, with nearly everyone at home, people have been sharing wonderful resources to prepare for Ramadan. One such resource is the Ramadan planner .

From all of us at Maarif School, we want to wish you a blessed, peaceful, and healthy Ramadan 2020. In'sha'Allah Allah SWA will grant us all the benefit of the current situation and help us to bear the hardships of it with patience and faith in Him. Ameen.

Allah hafiz,

Sr. Ozlem and Sr. Pam