So you got your period during Ramadan. And you feel super crummy and disheartened. Let me share a similar experience I had no too long ago. I went for umrah a couple of months ago, and I got my period the day before my flight. Insane, right? I did what I could but I still got it. I’m not going to lie, I was disappointed and thought I was going to miss out on so much. But I kept positive and thought that there’s no way Allah swt would let this go to waste, and so I kept making dua that He swt would give me opportunities  to do good. And subhan’Allah, I kid you not, it was one of my best umrah’s so far. Alhamdullilah :) 

As Allah says, “I am to my slave as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him).” (Bukhari)

Just remember, anything that’s out of your control, and Allah has forbidden you to do, and you patiently endure it- you get the reward for it. Allah swt might not have given you the avenue to make salah or keep  fasts, but it’s possible that He can give you more reward in other forms of worship. Allah swt is Just, if He limits us in one capacity, He opens other doors for us. These other opportunities may give us the same value (or more) in reward. If we’re limited by some form, it’s possible that other forms of worship we carry out might equate to what we’re missing out on. So think Good of Allah swt and focus on what you can do. 

1. Continue your daily adhkar

Shaikh Mikaeel Smith is doing a live every morning with prophetic supplications- watch it here  https://www.facebook.com/qalaminstitute/

And follow along or pray on your own with the duas here- https://muwasala.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/al-Wird-al-Latif.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1y1wKRSI-hli9Ibe5_mUcQ7HC6CuLjiERNBrv79CYdBzhAIJslfeM3pvY

We’ll be adding morning adhkar to our IGTV soon @honey.hijabs - look out for it! 

2. Seek forgiveness 

اللهم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت ، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي، وأبوء بذنبي، فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت

'Allahumma Anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta.

O Allah! You are my Rab. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon). (Bukhari) 

أَسْتَغْفِرُاللهَالَّذِيلَاإِلَهَإلَّاهُوَالحَيُّالقَيّوُمُوأَتُوبُإِلَيهِ

Astaghfiru l-lâha-l-azîma l-ladhî lâ ilâha illâ huwa-l-hayyu-l-qayyûmu, wa atûbu ilayhi.

I seek Allah’s forgiveness, besides whom, none has the right to be worshipped except He, The Ever Living, The Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance.

اللهماغفرليذنبيكله,دقهوجله,واولهوآخره, وعلانيتهوسره 

Allahum-maghfir li dhanbi kullahu: diqqahu wa jillahu, wa 'awwalahu wa akhirahu, wa alaniyatahu wa sirrahu. 

O Allah! Forgive all my sins, the small and the great, first and the last, the open and the secret.  (Muslim)

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ

Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa Anta Khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ‘ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa Abu’u Laka bidhanbi faghfirli fainnahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta. 

O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You. (Bukhari) 

3.Read your daily duas 

Make mundane tasks and routines spiritual by reading the respective dua because this builds Taqwa (god consciousness) And you earn rewards.  So when you’re eating, read the dua before and after eating. If you step into the bathroom, read the dua before and after you leave the bathroom. Duas are also considered a form of worship. Download a dua app help to help you keep you track. 

4. Make LOTS of dua

Try to turn your dua into a conversation with Allah swt. Make dua for yourself, for your faith, your parents, family and the ummah. If you're looking for a template read the translation of surah fatiha. There’s not better template out there than that.  All duas are heard by Allah swt, but there are certain times that are more effective and therefore special. A few of those times include: 

• During rainfall
• Tahajjud time
• The night of Laylatul Qadr
• Iftar time

In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ tells us our duas stop between the heavens and the earth. And they don't move up until we send salawat  upon the Prophet ﷺ. (Tirmidhi)

5. Increase your salawat on the Prophet ﷺ

This link is for the arabic version for the 40 salawat - https://40durood.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/www-40durood-com-salaatandsalaam-high-resolution.pdf

This link is for the English translation for the 40 salawat -  https://40durood.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/40durood-salaatsalaam-translation.pdf

If you’re looking for an audio version: http://www.zamzamacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SalatSalamAudioARM.mp3

 Whoever sends one blessing upon me, Allah will send ten blessings upon him. (Muslim). And in Ramadan all good deeds are multiplied. 

6. Read Islamic Books 

Second best after the Quran is the collection of hadiths, and you don’t need to have wudhu or be in a state of purity to read them. You can find the collections online (in arabic and english translation) at https://sunnah.com/   

In order for you to develop a love for the Prophet ﷺ you need to know more about him. Same for the rest of the Prophets and companions. And so it’s important to read the seerah and stories. There are plenty of great books out there but  I’ll share some links that you can use right away:

• The famous Raheeq al Makhtum (the Sealed Nectar) pdf file:  https://www.muslim-library.com/dl/books/English_ArRaheeq_AlMakhtum_THE_SEALED_NECTAR.pdf
• Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir pdf file:  https://abuaminaelias.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Stories-of-the-Prophets-Ibn-Kathir_1-1.pdf
• If you don’t have “Prayers of the Pious” by Imam Omar Suleiman, which is available on amazon, he recorded short videos for each dua of the pious: https://yaqeeninstitute.org/series/prayers-of-the-pious/

Here’s a few books that i’m currently reading:

• Prophet of Mercy by Abul Hasan 'Ali Nadwi 
• The Beginning of Guidance by Imam Ghazali

7. Listen to lectures

There’s a whole bunch of Ramadan programs being offered right, possible more than ever, and of course some amazing older series that serve as powerful reminders.  

•  This is a gold mine: https://www.youtube.com/user/YasirQadhi 
• The 99 names of Allah series is fantastic! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfC1_b5CERI
• Love the tafsir by Nouman Ali Khan:  https://www.youtube.com/user/BayyinahInstitute
•  Yaqeen Institutehas a lot going on this Ramada and who doesn’t love Omar Suleiman! :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3vHW2h22WE-pNi5WJtRIjg
• If you're looking for powerful reminders that are short and to the point, this is the series for you:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/abdelrahmanmurphy/2992828474263630/
• If you’re looking to commit to a course: check out Qalam institute, Shaykh Mikaeel Smith is teaching With the Heart in Mind - Prophetic EQand it’s free :)  - https://www.qalam.institute/online-learning
• If you’re looking for something more extensive and interactive, check out Faith Essentialsfor their courses: https://faithessentials.online/ 

8. Give in Charity

“Charity extinguishes the sins like water extinguishes a fire.” (Ibn Majah) 

Please donate to your local mosque first- they depend on your donations to keep things goink.

• Nisa Homes- https://www.nisahomes.com/donate
• Islamic Relief: https://www.islamicreliefcanada.ca/
• Sakeenah Homes- https://www.sakeenahhomes.com/
• Helping Hand in the U.S- https://hhrd.org/new/newDetailDonate
• Muslims of the World LaunchGood campaign for Yemen- https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/yemen_needs_you?src=244025#!/

9. Listen to the Qur'an while you're doing household chores

Youtube is my go to if I want to listen to some Qur’an.

My playlist includes :

• Sheikh Maher al Muaiqly
• Sheikh Yasser Al Dosari
• Sheikh Muhammad Jebril, this the emotional dua that I played on my IG stories:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHlhcgjSfz8&t=539s
• You can watch  the live broadcast from the haramain here: https://www.youtube.com/user/haramaininfo/videos

10. Feed Animals 

I think the easiest way to earn rewards is feeding animals. Leave some food and water outside for  stray cats. You can also buy bird seeds and scatter them or a get a  bird feeder. 

11. Feed Others

If you’re able to, cook for the people in your house or drop off food for your neighbours, friends and family. Or you can sponsor a meal, there are plenty of organizations wherever you live  that are looking for donations, just do a quick google search. In Toronto  Muslim Welfare centre provides 350+ meals weekly. You can learn more about them here: https://www.muslimwelfarecentre.com/ 

12. Contemplate on the translation of the Qur'an 

There is no end to contemplating the word of Allah and you don't need wudhu to handle the translation of the Quran. The best translation that i've come across is by Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Qur'an. You can find it here:  https://quran.com/?local=en Go to the settings, and choose from the list of translations. 

https://www.instagram.com/quranic_ocean/ is doing 30 Quranic Reflections every day. The videos are just a few minutes long, but they get you thinking and reflecting. And that is why the quran was revealed, for us to ponder and reflect. 

13. Remembrance of Allah (dhikr) 

Fill your day with these short phrases that are heavy on the scales. Pray them on a tasbih, your fingers, or just keep them on your tongue throughout the day.  Dhikr is way for you get closer to Allah, to thank Allah, it’s your shade on the Day of Judgement, a means to purify your heart, and a source of protection from the fire of Hell. May Allah protect us and allow us to be in constant remembrance of Him. Ameen

The Prophet ﷺ said, "The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illa-Allah (There is no god but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greater) (Sahih Muslim)

In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ taught us a "treasure from the treasures of Jannah?" He (ﷺ) said, "(Recite) 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no might and no power except with Allah)."(Bukhari)

Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "Whoever says, 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea."(Bukahri) 

Learn, Memorize and Recite:Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La- ilaha illilah, Allahu Akbar, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi. 

14. Reciting the Qur'an 

I left this for last because there is a difference of opinion on this from the madha'ibs.  So if you're unsure. ask a scholar. I'm not one so i'm going to tread lightly on this. 

 15. Take Care of Yourself 

Try not to fall off the wagon and go back to your old habits once you get your period. It's easy to think of it as a "break", but if you keep yourself accountable of the things you want to accomplish spiritually, you'll have a more productive period. So think of the things you can replace your salah and fasts with, and this shift in perspective will keep the rhythm flowing and you'll have a much easier transition once you're off your period.  You can still maintain your spirituality while you're on your period. We all want to make the most of these blessed 30 days but it's equally important to take care of  yourself. Everything should be done in moderation as taught by our Prophet ﷺ.

By no means is this guide exclusively for women on their period, and if you know someone that will benefit from this, please share it with them. 

The Prophet ﷺ, said, “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it.”

May Allah swt grant us all the opportunity to make the most of this Ramadan. Ameen