Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to break his fasts with dates. It has thus become a tradition for Muslims everywhere to do the same. The nutritional value packed into dates makes it the perfect "first" food for consumption after a long day of fasting. They are easy to digest and provide an immediate boost of energy.
The other day, I came across this recipe for Date Nut Bars, which turned out to be really delicious. It uses both walnuts and dates and tastes a lot like oatmeal cookies. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a good snack to keep them productive during non-fasting hours.
Speaking of Ramadan treats, when was the last time you checked out this blog's database of Muslim magazines, newspapers and websites in search of writers? There are now more than 60 publications to browse through, including a new category that lists publications for Muslim children and teens.
Showing posts with label Ramadan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramadan. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Ramadan Kareem!
Ramadan Kareem!
Back in 2008, I wrote a post listing some tips on how to maintain a regular writing schedule during the holy month. If you missed that post, you might find it useful.
In my location, we are fasting for fifteen hours each day in temperatures that typically range from 90-115 degrees, so it can be quite challenging to stay focused on work.
This year, however, I resolved to free myself from the shackles of caffeine, and it has made a huge difference.
Each Ramadan, I usually spend 1-2 weeks dealing with the effects of caffeine withdrawal. This usually means pounding headaches and a general feeling of laziness/anxiety that takes over once my body realizes that it will not get its usual cup of morning coffee or tea.
Although coffee and tea are not prohibited for Muslims like alcohol is, I have long felt concerned about the obvious addiction involved with regular caffeine consumption. I just don't think it makes sense to be so dependent on a cup of coffee to wake up and start the day.
This year, I decided to give up coffee and tea for good and have not consumed any since June. The first two weeks were hard, but I started feeling more energetic after that...better than I ever did while drinking coffee. This made me realize that the caffeine was not actually giving me energy. This was just a temporary feeling that could only be sustained by drinking even more. Now I mostly drink water and an occasional glass of juice--and, thanks be to Allah, I feel just fine.
The best part is that I had no bad withdrawal symptoms when starting Ramadan this year on August 11th. This, in turn, means that I am able to be more productive during this important month.
What is your take on caffeine? How does it affect you during the month of Ramadan?
Back in 2008, I wrote a post listing some tips on how to maintain a regular writing schedule during the holy month. If you missed that post, you might find it useful.
In my location, we are fasting for fifteen hours each day in temperatures that typically range from 90-115 degrees, so it can be quite challenging to stay focused on work.
This year, however, I resolved to free myself from the shackles of caffeine, and it has made a huge difference.
Each Ramadan, I usually spend 1-2 weeks dealing with the effects of caffeine withdrawal. This usually means pounding headaches and a general feeling of laziness/anxiety that takes over once my body realizes that it will not get its usual cup of morning coffee or tea.
Although coffee and tea are not prohibited for Muslims like alcohol is, I have long felt concerned about the obvious addiction involved with regular caffeine consumption. I just don't think it makes sense to be so dependent on a cup of coffee to wake up and start the day.
This year, I decided to give up coffee and tea for good and have not consumed any since June. The first two weeks were hard, but I started feeling more energetic after that...better than I ever did while drinking coffee. This made me realize that the caffeine was not actually giving me energy. This was just a temporary feeling that could only be sustained by drinking even more. Now I mostly drink water and an occasional glass of juice--and, thanks be to Allah, I feel just fine.
The best part is that I had no bad withdrawal symptoms when starting Ramadan this year on August 11th. This, in turn, means that I am able to be more productive during this important month.
What is your take on caffeine? How does it affect you during the month of Ramadan?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Eid Mubarak!
Eid Mubarak to all blog visitors. Unfortunately, I was not able to update the blog during the month of Ramadan. Now that one of my regular clients is a news agency, I had daily deadlines to meet each day of the month and was quite busy. In some parts of the Muslim world, newspapers close down for the Eid and slow down considerably during the month of Ramadan. The fact is, however, that the news does not stop just because a segment of the population is fasting, tired, or otherwise busy - and the world in general keeps on moving. If you are working for non-Muslim clients, they might not be aware of just how tired you are, but you still need to do your best work. What field do you work in, and was your productivity affected in Ramadan? Did you adjust your schedule accordingly? Share in the comments section below!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Blogging Ramadan Competition at IOL
The Art & Culture page of IslamOnline.net is hosting a "Blogging Ramadan" competition.
To enter, you should write one blog post having the theme "What Ramadan Means to Me."
Deadline: September 5, 2009
Click here to learn more about the competition.
To enter, you should write one blog post having the theme "What Ramadan Means to Me."
Deadline: September 5, 2009
Click here to learn more about the competition.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Islamic Fiction Writing Contest at Mishkat
Of interest to writers of Islamic fiction:
Mishkat Publishing is sponsoring a Ramadan writing contest having a prize of $100.
Deadline: Sunday, September 28, 2008 11:59pm CST
Mishkat Publishing is sponsoring a Ramadan writing contest having a prize of $100.
Deadline: Sunday, September 28, 2008 11:59pm CST
Monday, September 15, 2008
BBC Ramadan Writing Activities for Kids
As part of its school section, the BBC has a couple of writing worksheets that may be of interest to Muslim families:
Writing a Newspaper Article on Ramadan
Using the Five Senses to Write about Eid Al-Fitr
Writing a Newspaper Article on Ramadan
Using the Five Senses to Write about Eid Al-Fitr
Spare a Thought for the Poor!
Mission Islam offers this writing activity for children in Ramadan:
Spare a Thought for the Poor!
I really like this activity because it encourages one to think about other people's situations and reflect on their experiences, something that should be a major component of the holy month.
Spare a Thought for the Poor!
I really like this activity because it encourages one to think about other people's situations and reflect on their experiences, something that should be a major component of the holy month.
Covering Ramadan for Mainstream Media
If you write for mainstream media (and even if you don't), this is a handy list of angles one might take when writing articles about Ramadan:
Religion, Relationships and More Angles for Covering Ramadan
What other angles can you think of?
Religion, Relationships and More Angles for Covering Ramadan
What other angles can you think of?
Ramadan/Qur'an Competition
The Dar El Eman Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas is holding a Ramadan competition for children and adults. The competition consists of thirty questions that test one's knowledge of the Qur'an, and prizes are as follows:
1st place - $500
2nd place - $300
3rd place - $200
Unfortunately, the website does not state whether this is a local event only, so you may wish to check with the coordinators.
Deadline: Sept. 23rd at midnight
See all thirty questions here.
1st place - $500
2nd place - $300
3rd place - $200
Unfortunately, the website does not state whether this is a local event only, so you may wish to check with the coordinators.
Deadline: Sept. 23rd at midnight
See all thirty questions here.
Ramadan Journals
Several Muslims (including some professional writers) are blogging about Ramadan this year in daily Ramadan journals:
Aaminah Hernández of Writeous Sister Speaks
Faten Abdallah of Mama Needs a Book Contract
Umm Yusuf of A Glimpse into the Life of a Muslimah
Enjoy the insights these blogs offer!
Aaminah Hernández of Writeous Sister Speaks
Faten Abdallah of Mama Needs a Book Contract
Umm Yusuf of A Glimpse into the Life of a Muslimah
Enjoy the insights these blogs offer!
Writing in Ramadan
For those who may not be aware, Muslims around the globe are currently fasting the month of Ramadan. Among other things, this involves abstaining from food or drink during daylight hours (from dawn to sunset) each day for an entire month. Ramadan is a month of prayer, charity, and introspection, giving one the opportunity to break bad habits and make a deeper spiritual connection with the Creator. By learning to control their physical desires for a significant portion of the day, the faithful become more humble and learn to sympathize with the world's less fortunate. Fasting in Ramadan is thus a tremendous act of self-purification, unity (with the global Muslim community), and will-power.
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar-based, Ramadan starts about ten days earlier each year. This year, Ramadan started on September 1st and will start somewhere around August 20th in 2009, August 10th in 2010, etc. This means that the hours of fasting will become progressively longer as the calendar moves back. This year is the first year in a long time that Ramadan has started during the summer, and many Muslims around the world (depending on location) are fasting 14-hour days.
All of this has several implications for the full-time, professional writer. While people living in Muslim countries almost always benefit from reduced work hours as an official policy, those who work at home or live in other countries must take special steps to maintain their levels of productivity during the holy month. This is especially important for people who typically start the day with a cup of coffee or tea and continue drinking their favorite caffeinated beverage throughout the day as they work. Writers are notorious for doing this and might have great trouble writing coherently (or staying awake) if they do not learn to adapt to their new circumstances fairly quickly.
So, here are some things to think about if you are trying to maintain a writing schedule while fasting during Ramadan.
1. You might have to change the times you write. One of the sunnahs (recommended practices) of Ramadan is to have a pre-dawn meal called suhoor, so you might find that you have enough energy to write for an extended period of time right after having this meal. You should choose energy-boosting foods that do not make you thirsty or contain empty calories. It is tempting to drink tea or coffee at this time (and many do), but remember that caffeine is a diuretic (some studies dispute this) and may not be the best choice. Water, however, is essential.
Your next burst of energy will likely come after the iftar (the fast-breaking meal that Muslims eat at sunset). For many people, though, this may not be the most convenient time to write, especially if you are praying taraweeh in the mosque, spending time with your family, or performing other acts of worship. It is also not uncommon to feel pretty tired after a long day of fasting.
2. If you do end up writing at night, make time for sleep, too. It might be tempting to work through dawn, but then you'll be so tired by the time dawn rolls around that you will not be able to continue writing after the suhoor. Also, if you are sleeping for several hours during the day in Ramadan, you are almost certainly missing out on some of the spiritual aspects of fasting.
3. Don't take on more than you can handle. Keeping your workload relatively light during the month of Ramadan may be necessary if you tire easily, have too many commitments, and find that you cannot meet deadlines because of the these things. This obviously does not apply to everybody as some people are actually quite productive in Ramadan – but there will always be certain people who face these challenges and find that they cannot keep up.
4. If you have trouble concentrating enough to actually write during the day, use this time to take care of other tasks related to your writing business, such as sending invoices, cleaning your files, doing research, answering business correspondence, and planning new articles and writing projects. You might also find it a great time to get housework and other chores out of the way.
5. Maintain a voluntary fasting schedule throughout the year. People who fast regularly throughout the year (once or twice each week, as recommended by the sunnah) probably find it much easier to fast in Ramadan.
What about you? How do you keep your writing on track while fasting the month of Ramadan?
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar-based, Ramadan starts about ten days earlier each year. This year, Ramadan started on September 1st and will start somewhere around August 20th in 2009, August 10th in 2010, etc. This means that the hours of fasting will become progressively longer as the calendar moves back. This year is the first year in a long time that Ramadan has started during the summer, and many Muslims around the world (depending on location) are fasting 14-hour days.
All of this has several implications for the full-time, professional writer. While people living in Muslim countries almost always benefit from reduced work hours as an official policy, those who work at home or live in other countries must take special steps to maintain their levels of productivity during the holy month. This is especially important for people who typically start the day with a cup of coffee or tea and continue drinking their favorite caffeinated beverage throughout the day as they work. Writers are notorious for doing this and might have great trouble writing coherently (or staying awake) if they do not learn to adapt to their new circumstances fairly quickly.
So, here are some things to think about if you are trying to maintain a writing schedule while fasting during Ramadan.
1. You might have to change the times you write. One of the sunnahs (recommended practices) of Ramadan is to have a pre-dawn meal called suhoor, so you might find that you have enough energy to write for an extended period of time right after having this meal. You should choose energy-boosting foods that do not make you thirsty or contain empty calories. It is tempting to drink tea or coffee at this time (and many do), but remember that caffeine is a diuretic (some studies dispute this) and may not be the best choice. Water, however, is essential.
Your next burst of energy will likely come after the iftar (the fast-breaking meal that Muslims eat at sunset). For many people, though, this may not be the most convenient time to write, especially if you are praying taraweeh in the mosque, spending time with your family, or performing other acts of worship. It is also not uncommon to feel pretty tired after a long day of fasting.
2. If you do end up writing at night, make time for sleep, too. It might be tempting to work through dawn, but then you'll be so tired by the time dawn rolls around that you will not be able to continue writing after the suhoor. Also, if you are sleeping for several hours during the day in Ramadan, you are almost certainly missing out on some of the spiritual aspects of fasting.
3. Don't take on more than you can handle. Keeping your workload relatively light during the month of Ramadan may be necessary if you tire easily, have too many commitments, and find that you cannot meet deadlines because of the these things. This obviously does not apply to everybody as some people are actually quite productive in Ramadan – but there will always be certain people who face these challenges and find that they cannot keep up.
4. If you have trouble concentrating enough to actually write during the day, use this time to take care of other tasks related to your writing business, such as sending invoices, cleaning your files, doing research, answering business correspondence, and planning new articles and writing projects. You might also find it a great time to get housework and other chores out of the way.
5. Maintain a voluntary fasting schedule throughout the year. People who fast regularly throughout the year (once or twice each week, as recommended by the sunnah) probably find it much easier to fast in Ramadan.
What about you? How do you keep your writing on track while fasting the month of Ramadan?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Ramadan Short Story Competition at Muslim Matters
MuslimMatters wants you to share a particularly poignant Ramadan moment in the form of an essay.
Type of stories: Inspiring Ramadan experiences/ moments (non-fiction). Ramadan in other countries… anything interesting and unique.
Length: Maximum 1000 words.
Prizes:
1st Prize ($350+ Value):
$150 Cash + Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set + Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
2nd Prize ($275+ Value):
$75 Cash + Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set+ Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
3rd Prize ($200 Value):
Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set+ Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
Three Consolation Prizes ($50+ ea):
Texas Dawah Adult Single Registration
Deadline: No later than mid-Ramadan or September 15.
Learn more about this competition here.
Type of stories: Inspiring Ramadan experiences/ moments (non-fiction). Ramadan in other countries… anything interesting and unique.
Length: Maximum 1000 words.
Prizes:
1st Prize ($350+ Value):
$150 Cash + Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set + Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
2nd Prize ($275+ Value):
$75 Cash + Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set+ Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
3rd Prize ($200 Value):
Anwar Awlaki’s “Hereafter” CD set+ Book (title to be confirmed) + 1 Free AlMaghrib Registration
Three Consolation Prizes ($50+ ea):
Texas Dawah Adult Single Registration
Deadline: No later than mid-Ramadan or September 15.
Learn more about this competition here.
Ramadan Writing Competition (Ages 11-14)
It looks like this is a UK-based writing competition.
Details:
Writing competition for 11 to 14 year olds.
The aim of the competition is to increase understanding and awareness of Ramadan and to encourage young people to develop research and creative writing skills.
The subject of the competition is "understanding, personal experience, gains and learning through the Fast". This theme can be taken in a broad context and we're looking for a wide range of entries, which could include factual writing, fiction, writing reflecting personal experiences, short stories etc. These could link to the theme in any way, for example by referring to Ramadan directly, or by looking at fasting in other contexts and religions e.g. Shrove Tuesday.
The work must contain 150 to 200 words.
5 winning entries will be chosen and each will receive a £20 book token.
The winning entries will be publishe on the Oldham Libraries Readers and Writers website.
Closing date: Friday 26th September
Read more about this competition here.
Details:
Writing competition for 11 to 14 year olds.
The aim of the competition is to increase understanding and awareness of Ramadan and to encourage young people to develop research and creative writing skills.
The subject of the competition is "understanding, personal experience, gains and learning through the Fast". This theme can be taken in a broad context and we're looking for a wide range of entries, which could include factual writing, fiction, writing reflecting personal experiences, short stories etc. These could link to the theme in any way, for example by referring to Ramadan directly, or by looking at fasting in other contexts and religions e.g. Shrove Tuesday.
The work must contain 150 to 200 words.
5 winning entries will be chosen and each will receive a £20 book token.
The winning entries will be publishe on the Oldham Libraries Readers and Writers website.
Closing date: Friday 26th September
Read more about this competition here.
Ramadan Journal and other Activities for Children
Ramadan is expected to start this year on either September 1st or 2nd. If you have kids, you may wish to check out the TJ Ramadan site, which has numerous quality activities and printouts with Ramadan themes, including a Ramadan Journal for young writers.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Ramadan Short Story Competition
I just came across another Ramadan writing competition. According to the guidelines:
"A Touching Ramadan Story" competition is open to residents of the following countries only: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
Sponsored by Nestle Middle East, prizes offered include a Panasonic TH-42PV70M PLASMA TV (valued at $2000) and the chance for your story to be published in an upcoming Nestle cookbook. Stories should be 250 words or less, and weekly winners are selected by visitors to the website.
Read more about the competition here.
"A Touching Ramadan Story" competition is open to residents of the following countries only: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
Sponsored by Nestle Middle East, prizes offered include a Panasonic TH-42PV70M PLASMA TV (valued at $2000) and the chance for your story to be published in an upcoming Nestle cookbook. Stories should be 250 words or less, and weekly winners are selected by visitors to the website.
Read more about the competition here.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Ramadan Poetry Competition
IslamOnline.net is sponsoring a poetry competition during the holy month of Ramadan. The theme is: Paying a Tribute to Nature.
Prizes are as follows:
1. The first-prize winner will receive an autographed copy of the CD Poetically Speaking by Brother Dash along with a cash prize of US$150 from IslamOnline.net. Brother Dash will also perform your poem, which will be broadcast on IslamOnline.net.
2. Two winners will receive cash prizes of US$100 each, along with CDs of Brother Dash. The entries will also be published online.
3. 10 runners-up will also receive CDs provided by MeemMusic.com and have their poems published on IslamOnline.net.
Don't know anything about Brother Dash and MeemMusic.com? Read more about the competition here.
The deadline for entering this competition is: October 4, 2007
Winners will be announced on Eid Al-Fitr.
Prizes are as follows:
1. The first-prize winner will receive an autographed copy of the CD Poetically Speaking by Brother Dash along with a cash prize of US$150 from IslamOnline.net. Brother Dash will also perform your poem, which will be broadcast on IslamOnline.net.
2. Two winners will receive cash prizes of US$100 each, along with CDs of Brother Dash. The entries will also be published online.
3. 10 runners-up will also receive CDs provided by MeemMusic.com and have their poems published on IslamOnline.net.
Don't know anything about Brother Dash and MeemMusic.com? Read more about the competition here.
The deadline for entering this competition is: October 4, 2007
Winners will be announced on Eid Al-Fitr.
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