Self-Discipline and Barakah: How to Prepare for Ramadan with Purpose

hello everyone and welcome to the Barakah Blueprint this is the podcast where we talk about how balance of faith and focus can lead us to truly lasting success my name is Ibrahim Shareef and today's episode is a very special one why because Ramadan is right around the corner by the day this is released Ramadan would be in one or two days and we all of us that I mean those of you that are Muslims and listening to this podcast we would be fasting and besides fasting we will want to try and make the most out of this Ramadan especially this Ramadan unlike the past Ramadan that we have experienced and if you want to make the most out of Ramadan now is the time to prepare assuming that uh you're one of those that listen to uh Barakah Blueprint when it is released you would have the unique opportunity to listen to these tips and the advice that I'm about to share with you before Ramadan begins and going through change going through positive change going through lasting change and a lasting impact is something that requires self discipline but here's the thing self-discipline doesn't start from the day you've fast self-d discipline is something that starts right now right now as in if you're listening to this before Ramadan during Ramadan after Ramadan it doesn't matter self-discipline needs needs to start the moment you realize that you're lacking and the moment you realize that you are not on top of the horse so today we'll be talking about how self-discipline leads us to Baraka and not just in Ramadan in every single aspect of our lives so let's get into this episode in Baraka style okay folks firstly what is true self-discipline most people think that self-discipline is when you push yourself through situations that you don't like or challenges that you don't like push through even if you don't like it even if it doesn't feel comfortable you just push through that is what they think self-discipline means now part of that is correct because discipline is about building habits that last you through hard times and difficult times meaning that even when times get difficult you will still adhere to the habits that you built because they are a natural part of your day or a natural part of your time that's why uh to you my dear Muslim listener you may have heard our colleagues friends companions those around us that don't really or haven't gone through Ramadan or haven't fasted they usually say not even water usually that is something that comes up right and for us we don't really feel the absolute hardship or difficulty even when we fasted in the Summers now it wasn't something that was difficult per se it was challenging yes but it wasn't something to complain about why because we have spent such a long time building that habit one of the things that we are taught in Ramadan is that okay let's keep it very simple we don't eat or drink even when we're hungry or thirsty now the reason why this is not difficult is because this is a habit that we set for us for for for a long period of time it's also not specifically about the time that it takes to set up a habit it's also about the purpose for example we are strongly convinced by our faith so setting up a habit of fasting a particular period of time during the year is a habit that we set up purely out of faith and conviction that in itself will make the habit or the actions that the Habit entails or leads us to not so difficult and not so challenging to the point that we feel like we want to give up okay now why am I saying all of this to you the reason why is because self-discipline or true self-discipline is about number one having a Clear Vision on your purpose your why why do you want to set up a particular habit or what do you want to achieve and why do you want to achieve it and also about understanding and respecting the process you need to understand that setting up particular habits takes time like those of you that are listening to Barakah Blueprint I can assume that not all of you are born Muslims those of you that are Muslims some of you are converts some of you are Muslims from birth but you started to practice the religion uh later on in life let's say in your ad adult years or in your late teens for example now even for you if you haven't been brought up in a practicing culture or in a practicing environment of course there are going to be certain situations for example fasting in Ramadan where the initial month or two they could be more challenging than the rest but you realize slowly but surely that on the third Ramadan or the fifth Ramadan it's a natural part of our of our day it's a natural part of our year why because you have taken the time to go through a change you have taken the time to understand why you are going through the change and why you're enduring this month of or this period of time where you don't eat or drink or avoid other uh negative habits and the reason why you eventually succeed my dear listener is because you have taken the first step of changing something within yourself Allah subhana wa tala does not change the condition of a People Les they change the condition within themselves so building self-discipline requires the first step of of understanding what is the purpose of the change what is the purpose of what I want to achieve and secondly about internalizing that change and starting with yourself starting by changing your mindset for example is the first thing before you start to implement particular habits or follow particular actions So speaking of the purpose why do we fast why do we go through what we go through in Ramadan no it's not to feel what it is to be poor what what it is like to be poor it's not about reconciling with less water and food none of that it's nothing material it's nothing physically contingent per se Allah subhana T tells us in the second chapter of the Quran Bak chapter number two part number three fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed previous Nations so that you may increase in God Consciousness so that you may attain tawa so it's about aligning your person yourself with this ideal which is God Consciousness meaning that all of our actions all of our habits need to have a clear direction towards this picture that is called God Consciousness what does it mean during the month of Ramadan you increase in reciting Quran aligning yourself with other spiritual activities such as increasing in AAR in Godly remembrances Divine remembrances maybe outside of Ramadan you're not so good with your prayers and during Ramadan you better yourself with that or let's say you engage in or indulge in harmful activities that during Ramadan you put a stop to or you slow down at least for a little bit if you were to fast or if you were to go through Ramadan without the purpose of God Consciousness and purely with the purpose of ticking a box those changes that you go through in Ramadan will purely be temporary now am I saying this because if the purpose is God Consciousness and Allah subhana T rewards what we intend why because we mentioned several episodes every action is preceded by the intention Allah subhana T rewards righteous and pure intentions so what I'm saying with this is the following if the purpose and the intention of your fasting is God Consciousness then those habits that you build and the results that you achieve won't be purely temporary they will be changes that truly last now take the example of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he was the example to follow in self-discipline he was the example to follow in everything because Allah subhana T says several instances in the Quran indeed in the messenger of God we left you with a perfect example or a great example he built strong habits that he not only followed during the month of Ramadan but those were habits that were consistent all along for example the habit of prayers in the night the habit of constant recitation of Quran the habit of constant and frequent remembrance of God while he increased of that much more in Ramadan yes but those habits stayed with him throughout the entirety of the year for example even after the obligation of the night prayer was lifted because it used to be an obligation on the Muslims before the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam would still wake up for T the night prayer right before F which which is approximated as the third the last third night the last third of the night uh before the prayer of dawn or fer because the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam relied on a system fasting doesn't just teach patience it trains your mind it trains your mind to control desire and distractions you train your mind to say no to desires and other harmful things and what's interesting with that is that studies Today Show us that fasting or abstaining from food and drink for a certain period of time will help boost Clarity and focus like think of it this way how come specifically during Ramadan we find it much easier to hyperfocus on our prayer Salah our Quran recitation our and basically we have it easier to focus on our spiritual self of course beside the fact fact that Ramadan is a month of Baraka hence we discuss it in the Barakah Blueprint but also because we are at a pure state or as pure of a state as we could get and therefore my dear listener Baraka is not only about having more time it's about using that time wisely for example when fasting you don't find you don't find yourself inclined to indulge in useless talk well I mean it could be because we're hungry and somewhat energy deprived to a certain state or like indulging in bad talk or indulging in bad habits because we put ourselves in a mindset that commands discipline and commands Focus so the question that we need to pose to ourselves is what could we possibly achieve If We Hold that mindset throughout the year and Beyond Ramadan and that my dear listener is a golden chance for us this is the chance and this is the moment where we can truly transform Our Lives if we focus on the right priorities this Ramadan so let's train ourselves let's try our absolute best to wake up early and already prepare ourselves for what is to come and trust me both the body and the soul will thank you in Ramadan because Ramadan means and it means an early meal Before Dawn and late night prayers because we want to maximize the reward we want to maximize the spiritual benefits so if you're listening to this and you have the luxury of spending a day before Ramadan because this episode is coming out on Friday and this episode is already going to be released in the morning so there is a chance that the day you're listening to this episode we're going to be praying T not tud sorry we're going to be praying okay there is a chance all right so in that case maybe when I'm telling you to try to wake up a bit earlier I think that's going to be something you're going to be forced to do because it will be time already because we're already already be in Ramadan but if it is the case that we have a day buffer between this episode of Ramadan try to wake up early the next day like 15 minutes 30 minutes earlier if you can I'm saying that and I need to follow this myself uh while because I'm recording this and uh posting this after some time I'm going on a spiral I'm bringing you with me on the spiral that's good so you know what let's continue and talk about habits that we should be forming in Ramadan let's put it that way instead Ramadan is the month of Quran you're going to see uh a special series Also regarding Quran in my YouTube channel and on my other social media platforms it won't be released on Spotify I haven't uh thought about doing that yet but for the moment it will be on YouTube and uh my other socials where I'll be purely talking about the Quran and introducing the Quran on a deeper level to you my dear listeners and why because Ramadan is the month of Quran so the habit that you need to build my dear listener something that you need to have with you after Ramadan is to recite the Quran daily you need to it's a must it's a nonnegotiable so already now start with a daily recitation whatever you can do if it's if it's only five verses or three or whatever do that there there's no too little this it can only be better of course but you need to start already as long as you're consistent doesn't matter how little doesn't matter how much let's also take Ramadan as a digital detox and not only a physical and spiritual detox let's start already by decreasing the screen time and the time we spend on social media unless you're watching Barakah Blueprint no I'm joking but seriously no do not prioritize Barakah Blueprint during Ramadan of course because ladies and gentlemen in Ramadan your phone should not be the the thing you break your fast with my dear listener Ramadan is your boot camp Ramadan is your training ground this is the camp that you're sent to to fix yourself to become a better version of yourself to become an ideal version of yourself what you do after this training ground what you do after this boo boot camp will determine how successful the training ground was most people crash during or after Eid because they think Ramadan is a one-time challenge but instead like we said it is a training ground it is a boot camp how can we keep the discipline that we installed after Ramadan there are three things that we can do all of them or some of them or at least one of them number one Center your schedule around Salah around your prayer number two daily recitations Quran because that one is not something that you can get out of we entered a period of time a month that is purely dedicated to Quran and it's called the month of Quran of course we need to stick to that habit and stay consistent even if it is a few lines or a few verses and a third thing you could do is to keep on fasting Mondays and Thursdays or continue with periodic fasting to better discipline ourselves and that is the key my dear listeners to be consistent the prophet sallallahu alh wasallam said that the best actions of the most beloved actions by Allah are the most frequent and consistent even if it is little and discipline isn't just about one big effort it's about consistent small wins thank you for tuning in to the Barakah Blueprint podcast and I ask Allah subhana wa taala to help us reach and achieve the success of Ramadan let's focus on building habits that last beyond the month of Ramadan if like which you heard make sure to subscribe and to leave a review for this podcast so I know what I am doing that is good or what I can do to better improve the delivery of this very important message and share it with people so that they can continue to enjoy and reap the benefit that this podcast has and so that you can get a share of the A and reward stay focused stay purposeful stay productive in Ramadan style I was about to say but in Baraka style and may Allah accept your action in this Ramadan