How we prepare for Ramadan

A little roundtable of editors and writers on setting intentions for the month.

Question: How do you plan spiritually and prep physically for Ramadan?

Asad Chishti, visual and social editor: One thing that helps me in recent years is thinking of the month as a planet. 🌍

I try to decelerate leading up to it as a spaceship might. Just adjusting the physics of my life as best as I can.

So this year, I’ve been really good about Fajr for weeks. I’ve also been articulating that I’m shifting into Ramadan mode which means being more careful about how cluttered my attention is.

The final pre-Ramadan matcha

Hajar Ouahbi, editor: To be honest, for a long time I just suffered through Ramadan, because I didn’t realize that it was calling for preparation. I think for a long time I didn’t realize that Ramadan wasn’t just “not eating and drinking for a whole day,” but it was also recentering myself and taking this time as an opportunity to re-learn how to slow down. I know it sounds cliché, but I really came to understand how much religion is resistance in a fast-paced society. And I don’t consider myself much of a resistor, unfortunately… I’m always running from one thing to another, always rushing things. But Ramadan can’t be rushed. It can only be endured.