Ramadan Intentions Reset

The first week of Ramadan can feel like a sprint—suhoor alarms, iftar plans, and a fog that dulls our best intentions. We slow down to ask sharper questions: What do I want to walk into Eid holding? Which neglected deeds need my focus now? And how do I turn mercy into action, not just inspiration?

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Purpose and Peace with Sister Julie, a place to slow down and reflect. In a world full of noise and distraction, this podcast invites us to ask deeper questions about meaning, faith, and what truly brings peace. Through reflection and lived experience, we explore how reconnecting with purpose can guide us intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Wherever you are on your journey, you're welcome here. Salam alaikum everyone and sending you very warm Ramadan wishes. Ramadan Mubarak, Ramadan Kareem. I'd like to, I guess, congratulate all of us for being welcomed into another noble and holy month, the best of months, the holy month of Ramadan, alhamdulillah, for this beautiful blessing. And I thought today to put forward a short podcast based on Ramadan intentions. So I'm aware we're now sitting in the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, and usually we start off quite eager to get into the month. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, we're having slightly longer days. It's been quite some years that we've been a little bit privileged and blessed of having shorter days, winter Ramadans, and slowly, slowly, subhanAllah see a great blessing in that that everyone kind of gets their turn as you know the lunar calendar shifts across seasons. I think it's a beautiful blessing. So the last time Ramadan was breaking fast, the last time we were breaking fast this late, we're in my early years of fasting, so it's quite incredible to see the turnaround of understanding, depth, reason, and inshallah intentions as we grow older and appreciate this holy month even more. So I thought it'd be a timely reminder now that we've been fasting for a few days. As we slip into a process of habit and fasting just becomes a habit, and our soul focus becomes what's for iftad, who am I catching up with, what am I making for dessert, we start to slowly lose sight of the of the intention behind Ramadan, of the goal, of the purpose. So I thought it's it's a timely reminder for myself and for everyone else to re-energize our intentions and inshallah try to stay focused for the entire month. I will do my best to upload a couple more episodes related to the holy month of Ramadan and the events related to it, and I hope you find some benefit in it. So, Bisminda. First and foremost, I think when we have a blessing, a privilege, anything that is worth something, as the saying goes, we don't really recognize what we've got until we've lost it. We don't know the beauty of something until it's gone. We don't know the blessing of something until it's gone. And sometimes it's very much the same with the holy month of Ramadan. That we have all these ideas of this is going to be the year I'll do Hatim of Quran, this is going to be the year I do this, this is going to be the year I'll fast with my senses as well, not just with my stomach. And somehow, you know, I think we underestimate the impact of hunger. When we get into a day of fast and you're hungry and you're thirsty, and you're, you know, first few days of brain fog before you get to clarity, we it slips away, you know, and before you know it, you're counting down the last few days of Ramadan, you're preparing for aid. And in some cases, we might look back and go, What did I actually achieve? And we don't want to be those people that the Holy Prophet mentioned that only achieve hunger and thirst through the month of Ramadan. We want to have something greater than that. So I thought it'd be befitting to start with this ayah from the Holy Quran, from chapter 23, and it goes over two verses, verse 99 and verse 100, where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is depicting the reality of some people on the day of judgment. Where they say, that if death should come to some of you, that when death comes to one of us or one of them, they will say, Oh my Lord, send me back to life in order that I may work righteousness in things that I neglected. And what's incredible here, it doesn't say send me back so that I can be a believer. SubhanAllah. So this could very well be a believer, but it was the righteous acts that they neglected. And I thought starting with this, it could serve as a good reminder to give us that motivation to make sure we're making the most out of every moment. InshaAllah Ramadan is kind of like a litmus test for the rest of our lives. It's there to build taqwa to carry on for the next 11 months. It's not just a one-stop, you know, once in a year, you just stop, you kind of get refueled for that month and you and you taper off. No, the idea is it's a refueling station to carry us through for the next 11 months, inshallah, to build good habits. That 30-day, 29, 30-day block is there to set new intentions, it's there to set new habits and to find purpose in what we do every day. So, this idea of people making it to the end of their life and having an immense regret, a deep, deep regret, knowing that they just didn't make the most of it. Just send me back and watch the good deeds that I'll do, watch the righteousness that I'll try my best to achieve. Let's try to keep this in mind during the holy month of Ramadan, inshaAllah. And the reason being, and I I think one of my favorite words, too, actually, I've probably got reflection and intention, probably two of my favorite words. But when we go back to intention, and I love the fact that everything in our beautiful deen is linked back to our intention, it always comes, draws back why are you doing it, what's the purpose behind it? Everything Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has done is with intent, it's with purpose, and we need to draw that same perspective in our own lives. So when we know that the Holy Prophet has emphasized the importance of intentions because our actions will be judged by intentions, and that everyone will have what they intended. So, whatever I intend for the holy month of Ramadan, I have to kind of be aware of it, be conscious of what is my intention behind this. I shouldn't allow the days to just flow by and it's just happening. I'm reacting to okay, it's time to fast, okay, it's time to break fast, but there's no depth to what I'm doing. So having intention is primary. And subhanAllah, even looking at it from a jurisprudential lens, intention is the first aspect of any act of worship. So my fast, I either have to intend my intention every single day, or I can make an intention for the entire month. But the same way my prayer begins with intention and is valid through intention, it's the same for my fast. So, what is my intention? Have I taken a moment or has Ramadan just kind of slipped into my life and I'm just reacting to it? The Holy Prophet would prep well in advance for the holy month of Ramadan. The entire month of Shaaban was a month of kind of sowing the seeds for this spiritual preparedness to get ready for the holy month of Ramadan. For many of us, we just enter it and we're here, you know, and you just react to the timings and you react to the hunger. But let us try to take a pause and be a little bit more intentional. What is my intention? And when I say that, we shouldn't start from zero to hero. You know, I've never read the Quran in my life. This is the year I'm gonna do Khatim of Quran. Let's get realistic, right? Because we don't want to get to the end of the holy month of Ramadan and feel like we've, you know, haven't accomplished something that in reality wasn't actually realistic for us in the first place. So thinking about intention, a nice way to kind of gather an understanding of how great this holy month is. I'm I'm going to share with you, and you can find this online. There's actually a beautiful version of this on YouTube. I usually listen to it every year, and it kind of shows a depiction of the holy prophet as if he's telling this sermon. It's just, it's really beautiful. It's the sermon of the holy prophet welcoming the holy month of Ramadan. This year I did notice, however, there's a few more versions, but they're all the same wording. And I think just listening to that and reflecting on it and realizing really what a blessing, what a fortune we've just entered in this holy month. But he starts this sermon by saying, O people, indeed the month of Allah has approached you with blessings, mercy, and forgiveness. In the eyes of Allah it is the best of all months, its days are the best of all days, its nights are the best of all nights, and its hours are the best of all hours. It is a month in which you have been invited to be guests of Allah, and you have been made in it the people who have honour of Allah. Your breathing in it is tasbih, your sleep in it is an act of Ibadah. Your deeds are accepted and your prayers are answered. Therefore ask your Lord with sincere intentions and pure hearts to help you in fasting during this month and in reciting his book, for the most unfortunate is one who is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this great month. And the sermon then continues to list multiple benefits, certain acts we can do to receive Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's pleasure, to have our sins forgiven. And subhanAllah, so much of it is rooted in intention and in giving. You know, giving to those, even if it be, you know, as a section of a date, not even a date, just a piece of a date. Whatever it is I can afford to give. Now, for many of us who might live quite privileged lives, and those around us, alhamdulillah, maybe they don't need, there are plenty of people around the world that are in need. And alhamdulillah, there are numerous charity organizations that have really rolled their sleeves up this year and every year, and they're there to support and to help and to develop these poorer societies. So, you know, reaching out to one of these charity organizations and offering some sadqa. Um, a good practice is I know some people that will gather money in a tin, you know, in a money box throughout the year, and in the holy month of Ramadan, they'll open it, process that money, and offer it to those in need. So recognizing that this is a month of mercy, where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala really were his guests in this month of mercy. And one of the ways I like to depict that is being seated at a banquet. So you're at this banquet, and there's all of this wonderful, delicious food, an array of cuisines, and it's right there at your fingertips. But the only way I'm going to enjoy the taste of it is if I actually stretch my hand out and I take something. Now, when I look at a banquet, you're going to see all types of foods, and all types of, you know, you might see proteins, you might see things with fiber, you might see things with carbohydrates, and you're free to select whatever it is that your diet requires at that moment, or whatever your your desire wants at that moment. And I like to think of the holy month of Ramadan as something similar. That we all go through these waves of spirituality. We all go through the ups and the downs and the highs and the lows. And I'd love to say that we're all on a spiritual high at all times, but it's just not the reality. You know, sometimes you might have dipped, you might be going through something difficult, you might be caught in a storm, things might just be very dark for you. What do you actually need right now? Do I need what my sister's practicing at the moment? Do I need what the local person at the mosque is doing at the moment? Am I just copying soup? Or do I actually need to stop for a moment and think to myself, I'm lacking a little bit in my connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? My prayer isn't where it should be. You know, is it Silat al-Rahim? Is it, you know, understanding of different concepts of my religion that every year I put off and saying, next year I'm going to learn what the words mean in prayer, and next year I'm going to learn what Surah Al-Fatiha means. Where is it that I'm lacking connection? Where is it that I feel I need to develop? And take from that banquet what you actually need in this holy month to keep developing yourself rather than just doing exactly what you done last year and the year before and the year before that, and Ramadan finishes and you don't feel any spiritual progression. So, again, trying to visualize Ramadan as being a banquet, everything is offered. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy is outpouring, and I need to step forward and take whatever it is that I feel I'm in need of. Now, the blessings of the holy month of Ramadan are going to be recognized the more someone understands the reality of this holy month. And to understand the blessings of something Allah has offered me is very much linked to my understanding of Rabbul Alaneen. And so you see, when you look at the Holy Ahlul Bayt, when you look at the Holy Prophet, some of his closest companions, Ramadan was something miraculous in and of itself. They were deeply connected to it. It really meant so much. And you know, honestly, mashaAllah, you look at some people around the community, Ramadan is just it's a completely detoxing month where nothing else really matters. It's my relationship with Allah, and they take it with so much gratitude, with so much intent, and they really make the most of it. And I think upon reflection, people that are able to make the most of God's blessings actually have a closer relationship to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They see the beauty of this relationship. And it reminds me of a hadith by Imam U Sal Qadin, the seventh Imam, where he's talking about recognizing something that you have, a blessing that you have, even if no one else around you recognizes it. And he says, Oh Hisham, if there be a warner in your hand, and all the people say that it's a pearl, but uh this saying of theirs, like them saying it's a pearl, doesn't give you any benefit because you yourself know that it's just a warner. And vice versa. If there's a pearl in your hand and all the people say it's a warner, then it's not gonna harm you because you yourself know that it's a pearl. And I think this is such a beautiful hadith in terms of recognizing something that's beautiful and beneficial when many people around you see no value in it. When we look at our beautiful Deen, when we look at this holy month and the blessings and the opportunities it has provided and is kind of laying out for us in this beautiful month, this banquet of mercy, of tawbah of rachmah, and someone sees no benefit in it, someone sees nothing good in it, someone only sees hunger and thirst in it, then leave it. That's fine. If all they see is hunger and thirst and no point, that's for them. But when I know what the blessing and the barakah, and believe me, for those of you that fast, we feel it in Ramadan, it's a completely different experience. You can fast any other day outside of the holy month of Ramadan. There's something so special about the holy month of Ramadan's fast. When you know the value of this beauty, of this naama, of this dolfiq, whatever people say doesn't bother you. Subhanallah, we only see the beauty from it. So I wanted to do just a very brief goal setting moment. If you do have a paper you can scribble something down on, I'd highly recommend that. If you don't and you can lock it into your mind, then go for it. But I wanted you to have a quick think about what habits you currently have that usually bother you by the end of Ramadan. So it's a habit, and maybe year after year you've told yourself, this year I'll change, this year I'll change, this year I'll change, and you try to use Ramadan to support that change because you've broken out of routine and you're building yourself, but at the end of Ramadan it's still there. So if you've ever been in that position, a question I'd like you to ask yourself is was that goal realistic? Okay, and it could be anything, it could be something you were trying to stop doing or something you're trying to start doing. Was that goal realistic? That if I, like the example I gave before and have never read the holy Quran, but every beginning of Ramadan I get a little bit influenced by those around me at the masjid or family, and I say that this is the year I'm going to read the whole Quran. Is it actually realistic? If you've never read the Holy Quran, is it fair to put upon yourself 114 surahs in one go? If it is a realistic goal and in your heart of hearts, you know, I know I can do it, or I know I can stop doing it. How do you hold yourself to account? How do you hold yourself to account? Have you told anyone about this goal? Have you told a close friend? Or have you shared it with someone that you know will hold you to account? So it's not something that's just internal and you don't achieve it, and no one really knows, it's only you and you only feel worse about yourself internally. Is there someone you can actually share that with? So this is a thought of goals that we may have not achieved previously in the holy month of Ramadan. And if I've set a goal and set an intention and it's happening and it's working, ah santom, barikallah, fiqum and insha'Allah, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala continues to give you tawfiq all the way through to Aid. But if you haven't really and you've just been fasting and going with the flow, then I'd like you to consider this. What do you wish to achieve by the day of Aid? So I want you to actually visualize, I want you to imagine the day of Aid is a couple of days away. What is it that you want to walk out of Ramadan with? What are you aiming for? What's the goal? What's the purpose? In the Holy Quran, in Surah Al-Baqarah, I believe it's verse 183, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands the fast, at the end of that ayah, he says something most remarkable. That this entire fast has been made mandatory for you. So that maybe you achieve taqwa. So that maybe you achieve this God consciousness, this awareness of your Lord, and this awareness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala translates directly as a self-awareness as well. Maybe. Now I find this la Allaqum, it's not a guarantee. But here you go, I will prescribe one, two, three, four. If you do it correctly, then inshallah you achieve taqwa. But I need to be actively participating and engaging with this holy month to make the most of it. And one of the ways I can do that is to set a sound intention. What do I want? What do I want to achieve by the day the aid comes? Now be specific and also be realistic. Be conscious of what stage are you at right now. And it's better to build slowly than to stop building at all. It's better to build slowly than to stop building at all. So if you feel a bit deflated and you know it's been so long and I haven't really achieved anything, and look at me now, look how old I am, doesn't matter. We have to start somewhere. Okay, so just be conscious of where I'm at and where would I like to be. Let make sure it's realistic and then set it down in writing. Now, how will I work on this goal every single day? Is it a daily goal? Is it a weekly goal? Is it an hour goal? How am I going to actually achieve it? It's not just something I have a dream of doing and then just let it go. It'll just remain a dream. I need to actively put it into practice. If it is the holy Quran, you want to read a juz a day, how are you going to do that? How long does it take you to read a page? You've got about 20 pages per juz. Where are you going to fit that in? If it takes you, you know, half an hour and you're still a slow reader and it takes you half an hour to read one page. Is it realistic to tell yourself I'll read a juz every day? If I'm a fast reader, but I'm not understanding what I'm reading. This year I want to develop my comprehension, my understanding. Have you found a proper tafsir, a proper translation that you can go hand in hand? What time will you read the Arabic? So have you made it into an actual day plan and taken it away from a hypothetical? And the last and most important is who will help you keep yourself accountable. I remember when we were studying practical harfan, one of the recommendations was when you wanted to do any sort of practice to help develop your nafs, is share it with someone. Share it with someone that you know will hold you accountable. You might want to do this with a friend who's on the same page. You've both had the same goal for a few years. Share it together. You know, every evening by 10 o'clock p.m. or every day at suhur time, I'm gonna text you and you need to tell me what page of the Quran you're up to. Or you need whatever it is, whatever it is that you're working on. Are you working on On fasting with all your senses rather than just your stomach or rather than just your mouth. So whatever it is, subhanAllah, we're all on different on different wavelengths of our journey. And we're all in front of this most vast buffet of God's mercy, and we're all in need of something different. So trying your best, first and foremost, what is it do you want you want to achieve? Number two, how are you going to achieve it? And number three, who is going to hold you accountable? And don't forget in this blessed month, make dua as much as you can while you're breaking your fast. If you have children, you know, let that be a little moment of intention. They're so thirsty, they wait for the time. You know, just draw in a short dua, allow them to get used to that conversation with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That Allah lakah sumtu wa ala riskika of tartu. How beautiful. It is for you that I kept fast. And it is on the sustenance you provided that I break my fast. So drawing in that connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, making it meaningful, making it purposeful. And for us ourselves, don't forget the power of dua. In sujood, in the late hours of the night, in the early hours of the morning. If you're up for suor, taking an extra few minutes for just even two rakat extra for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to answer your prayers, to guide your way, to enlighten your spiritual development, inshaAllah. And please don't forget us in your dua, inshallah, all your amal are acceptant. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us tawfiq to really try our best to make the most of this beautiful month. Thank you for being here. If today's episode gave you something to think about, I hope it stays with you beyond this moment. Purpose grows through reflection, and peace follows when we return to what truly matters. Until next time, may your life be guided by purpose and grounded in peace. Assalamu.