How to make time for special prayers in the daily schedule during the last 10 days of Ramadan
AS WE APPROACH THE REMAINING 10 NIGHTS OF RAMADAN, WE LOOK AT HOW THE FAITHFUL CAN PREPARE TO MAKE TIME FOR THE SPECIAL PRAYERS IN THEIR DAILY SCHEDULE
We have now entered the last 10 nights of Ramadan, which Muslims regard as the holiest of all nights of the entire year.
According to Islamic teachings, the Quran was revealed in one of these 10 nights.
Many Muslims spend the whole night (or most of it) praying, reading the Quran, making supplication and performing other acts of worship.
But routines during the day don’t really change – you still have to go to work and take care of household chores.
Running low on sleep, the last third of Ramadan is a time for added patience and perseverance, as Muslims try to increase their worship at night while fulfilling worldly duties during the day.
In this report, Gulf News covers the various aspects of these special nights, from the spiritual to the physical, and how residents adjust to the rhythm of “The Last 10”.
‘Special farewell’
“When it’s time to say goodbye to a special guest, don’t you like to give them a special farewell?” asked Khaleeq Ahmad Mufti, an Islamic scholar based in Ajman, while explaining the religious significance of the last 10 nights of Ramadan.
“Ramadan is a special guest from Allah, and its last 10 nights are the special farewell.”
Mufti, who is an author and a guest speaker on TV from Pakistan, said Muslims are encouraged to follow the ex- ample of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in his observance of these nights.
“The Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] would stay awake the whole night, spending the night in worship. He would also wake up his family to do the same. As his followers, we Muslims should also try to do the same,” Mufti said.
“All of Ramadan is blessed, but the last 10 nights are especially so. In it, there is a night which is ‘better than a thousand months’, as the Quran says. It is the Night of Decree, the night when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] in Makkah, more than 1,400 years ago.”
According to Islamic tradition, all decrees for the coming year are ordained in this special night.
Mufti said Muslims can split their time at night for the various types of worship – reading the Quran, offering prayers, praising Allah, asking His forgiveness, suppli- cating to Him; and allowing some time for rest.
‘Charity for the poor’
“We should also remember that, preferably in the last night of Ramadan, before the day of the Eid Al Fitr festival, we should pay Zakat-ul-Fitr — the charity for the poor. Many people forget this,” he added.
“These last 10 nights are an opportunity to strive in worship like no other. We don’t know if we will get this chance again. How many people who were there last Ramadan are not with us anymore?
“It is a great blessing that worshipping in one night – the Night of Decree – is better than worshipping for 1,000 months – more than 83 years. The one who is wise will take advantage of this blessing.”
With many residents feeling sleep-deprived during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, Abu Dhabi-based sleep specialist Dr Teresa Arora offers suggestions on how to make the most of the occasion for our need to rest.
People do sleep in the special nights, although it is intermittent and shorter. After Ramadan night prayers, called Taraweeh, they sleep for around two hours for another set of late-night prayers, called Qiyam Al Layl (after midnight). These are followed by a few hours of sleep before it’s time to wake up (around 3.30am) for the pre-dawn suhour meal.
After dawn prayers, some people get ready for work while others sleep briefly again before heading to the office, which usually starts an hour or so later in Ramadan.
“It is better to get some sleep, even if it is fragmented; humans have evolved to be asleep. Prioritise sleep whenever possible,” Dr Arora said.
How can we ensure whatever sleep we do get, is quality sleep?
Dr Arora, who has served on various committees of the Sleep Research Society and published a number of research works on sleep, said food intake should stop at least an hour before sleeping.
“And eat light food rather than ones that are more difficult to digest. You should avoid eating spicy food before attempting to sleep.”
For those finding it difficult to switch off at night — and there are many such people — exposure to light during the day helps sleep at night, said Dr Arora, who is assistant professor of Psychology at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.
However, to be truly ready for the last 10 nights, the preparations start much, much earlier. “It is the same with any behaviour — if we try to drastically shift our patterns, we will find it a challenge because our body is not ready for abrupt changes. Therefore, people need to gradually alter their body clocks in the run up to Ramadan,” Dr Arora said.
“Some practice fasting before Ramadan — sleep is no different. So if an individual is working towards sleeping during the day and being wakeful at night — as in the last 10 nights — then he or she must gradually shift the sleep timings in the preceding weeks.”