Ramadan Notes #13: Should I Stick it out with my Ramadan Routine?

As-salamu’alaykum,

The simple answer —Yes! 

But it's often not so simple! Let’s see how this could play out…

You have, ma sha Allah, built a remarkable schedule that will inform your Ramadan routine for the rest of the blessed month…

For the next few days, you are “killing it!” Alhamdulillah but then fatigue sets in not because you have bitten more than you can chew (...or maybe you and I have …😊) or a work or family urgency comes up that demands a bigger chunk of your schedule…

Whatever the case maybe it’s important to not simply push-through. But I thought this was the whole point of building the routine?  The routine should function as the backbone of our days and the default that gets us optimizing most days but even as high-aspiring humans (a.k.a healthcare professionals, Alhamdulillah) it's important not to have a rigid approach even under circumstances as rewarding as Ramadan at least for 2 reasons;

1. We learn from Prophet Muhammad  SAW that our bodies have right upon us and sometimes rest and recovery should be your priority even if it means “missing out” on some other more virtuous thing as we learn in the Hadith that follows; 

Narrated Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-`As: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O `Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all day and stand in prayer all night?" I said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you." [Sahih al-Bukhari 5199]

2. One of the concepts that we teach in the Peak Performance Masterclass for Healthcare Professionals is the spiritual axiom that governs how we interact with time; “every moment in time has its best version”. This axiom calls on us to slow down and truly give the moment it’s due - give full attention to the person in front of us, bend the trajectory of your days to address family urgencies with Ihsan, accept the divine wisdom in the change in course of your high-powered Ramadan routine knowing that your intention will still win the day or the moment for you even if you did not get to do the thing that you intended. 

This type of flexible approach helps us to appreciate the divine control of the outcome of our days and helps us tap into the spiritual intelligence that comes with this type of insight and adaptability. It is for all intents and purposes a manifestation of the mindfulness of Allah  SWT that we all seek in this blessed month. Plus, it saves you and I from the test of frustration and elevates us to the rank of the patient ones that Allah SWT describes in the Qur’an;

Quran 2 v153: O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.

In healthcare settings, it's fairly common to have things come up that alter the course of our days and this type of mindset can be very useful in protecting you from the chaos and the micro and macro stressors that erode resilience and inch healthcare workers towards burnout. We don’t want to get there.

We do want to get back on track as quickly as possible after addressing whatever it is that comes up - be it a need for rest and recovery or a crucial conversation with a patient family member or healthcare leader that takes a way from seemingly more Taqwa-leaning actions like Qur’an time. 

So, friends and colleagues, it's okay to stick it out but do it with spiritual intelligence and a mindfulness of Allah SWT that drives an adaptive mindset and patience.

May Allah SWT, As-Saboor (the Most Patient) grant us patience and adaptability to navigate the ups and downs of Ramadan with grace and the perseverance to seek His mindfulness in all we do this blessed month. Amin

Sincerely,

Sulyman

P.S. Join like-hearted #HealthCareWorkers on Zoom every Thursday this Ramadan for weekly check-ins at 4.15pm CST/9.15pm GMT/10.15pm WAT . Register and join with this link.

P.P.S. What other suggestions do you have for me and others in this regard? Share in the comments section or reply to [email protected]

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