How to practisepatience during Ramadan

Ramadan is about a lot of things that go far beyond fasting.

It is the month where we are given endless opportunities to repent and become the best versions of ourselves. But vowing to make such changes in just a month can be straining on the mind and the body, especially since we’re not able to eat or drink all day. But, it is not impossible!

It usually takes 3-4 weeks to break a habit, or introduce a new one, and to do it you have to be really mindful of your actions. You have to be patient.

Like most people, last Ramadan I told myself that I will try to avoid the fried stuff. But at every iftar when the table was set, my eyes locked on to the pakoras and samosas. I couldn’t wait to eat! BUT, there were still a couple of minutes left before I could stuff myself and those minutes felt like hours! In those minutes my patience was truly being tested.

What I found helped me through those gruelling minutes was thinking about the mothers who would be sat on the side of the road with their hands cupped begging for food or money for hours. Or the children waiting at home clutching on to their bellies waiting for the hunger cramps to pass.

That moment of reflection helped me in so many ways. When it came to eating, yes I had one samosa, but I couldn’t go crazy like I usually would do. I felt too guilty. During the course of the month my appreciation for food and my family increased, I didn’t feel the need to gorge on everything and instead insisted that we don’t waste anything.

Just by taking a couple of minutes during the day to think of how fortunate we are in comparison to the widows and orphans out there I realised how much my patience had increased. When you find yourself in a position where you feel like you’re about to break, think of how blessed you are.

So, to practise your patience, just think of the poor and make dua for them. You will feel the difference yourself.

How do you practise patience? Write to us and share your stories.