EP5 - Physical Fatigue | End Ramadan Strong Challenge

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Asalamu Alaykum and welcome to another episode of my #EndRamadanstrongchallenge where today in our attempt of helping you get out of that Ramadan dip and be able to power up for the last 10 nights of Ramadan I'm going to be tackling that huge hot topic of physical fatigue or burn out.

 

we have already spoken about mental burnout in a previous episode so it's important we compliment that by speaking about physical energy because although you might have goof mental & emotional energy during Ramadan if your physical body is not on par if it's not able to keep up with you- you just won’t be able to act on and implement all the good intentions and plans you have in Ramadan right? and its really important we simultaneously sustain both mental and physical energy because when one starts depleting it will be strenuous to sustain the other- they go hand in hand.

 

And I want to talk about this topic now because I know this month has really put a lot of strain on our physical bodies- we've been fasting for an extended period now, we have been sleeping a lot less while trying to do more ibadah, we have been trying to juggle a lot of additional demands of Ramadan on top of our already busy lives so its pretty intense right! Those of us who assume we can just wing it though-. that it simply mind of matter at this stage you aren't doing yourself a favor you will get totally burn out at this time when you need most to be on your game and it actually can take you a long time get out to overcome burn out once you've gone that deep. There is actually a much more effective and sustainable way of generating &  sustaining the energy you need that won't just help you pray more, stay awake reading the Quran more etc but help you maintain quality when you engage in your ibadah which is even more important because as u know Allah values quality over quantity.

 

Ok so as I've mentioned before in the previous episode energy isn't something we either have or not its something we generate. so today I'm going to be sharing 3 simple but powerful ideas for helping to sustain your physical energy ia- now they may seem a little obvious but what's important to remember is that common knowledge isn't common practice as that's why Allah swt tells us in the Quran that the reminder benefits the believer right Alhumdulillah. but what more is that I'm actually going to be offering you a new, and refreshing quranic perspective on these 3 areas to drive home their importance inshallah.

 

so you know how it said that your actions are a result of the thoughts your mind entertains right so to begin by offering you this perspective on how the Quran trains our mindset on this issue I'm hoping it will help contribute to some positive changes that will help serve you in taking your performance to a greater level in the few days left we have of Ramadan ia.

Ok so the first area I would like to talk about that I think of when focusing on my physical energy levels is my 1)Nutrition (the food I eat) yes we all know we should be eating healthy foods and avoiding unhealthy things in order to take care of our bodies and sustain our energy levels but many of us aren't doing what we know to be good for us we are still consuming fried food at suhur and iftar, consuming large amounts of sugar, products containing white flour, contain transfats and msg etc. Why? well, i think some of us don't realize just how connected our food is to our spirituality and it actually qualifies as an act of worship. because Islam is a complete way of life that, where there is no dichotomy between what's secular and what's religious it has a say in every aspect of our lives including nutrition. so what does Islam say through the Quran exactly? well, we all know that when it comes to food consumption Allah ordains for us to eat of the halal/ the lawful right? But what many of us don't realize or pay much heed to that's really interesting to note is that in the vast number of verses where Allah invites us to eat from that which has been provided us with sustenance for us on this earth, whether he swt is talking to humanity at large or to the believers specifically- the word ‘tayyibet’ is often used to describe the food we are directed to.

 

In no less than 17 places within the Quran Allah swt uses this Arabic term in relation to food and it basically combines the meaning of ‘good’ & ‘pure’ together or is sometimes translated as beneficial too. So, this is an acknowledgment from Allah that not all food that’s accessible to eat around us for us to consume is good for us- Not all food is equal- and this is why He instructs all of humanity, not just the believers, to ensure we acknowledge this reality when making sensible food choices for ourselves. but the sad truth, if we were really honest with ourselves, is that we Muslims are often unmindful and neglectful even of this command of Allah- especially when we know, its common knowledge that a lot of the food that we eat that isn't that good for us actually what leaves our bodies feeling weak, lethargic and sick even- that really affects our energy levels and doesn't serve us in making the most of our days in Ramadan. what we need to do is remind ourselves we have been blessed with this clear guidance and given such boundaries for the benefit of our health by he who created our bodies and knows best how they optimally operate right And we should be concerned about our adherence especially since we know we have been entrusted with our bodies as a gift from Allah as a vehicle for our souls to utilize with purpose and since we know we will be questioned about this trust on the day of judgment. so let us commit right now to cuting out or at least drastically cutting down on the food we know won’t serve our energy levels or our duties of taking care of our bodies so we can end Ramadan strong.

 

Ok so the second point i want to share with you for making a positive change to your physical energy levels in these last days of Ramadan relates to your drinking habits- specifically your water intake. Allah swt in Quran reinforces what we know about water is the single most important nutrient for our body that we can't survive without when he tells us in surah 21:30 that he created every living thing out of water. and reiterates what we know about it being important to sustaining energy and life when he swt uses figurative imagery and analogies in the Quran strongly connecting water with life like for example when he tells about a life existing after the life of this world- how we will be brought to life again after our death, Allah proves this through the analogy of a dead barren land being brought back to life with new vast vegetation after the rains come, water SubhanAllah. when Allah swt when talking about revelation itself for example, when he talks about the Quran bringing dead hearts to life he likens the Quran to blessed water too- because again water can bring the dead earth back to life.

 

So there is this very strong correlation throughout the Quran between water and life, vitality, energy, and health and we should take heed of this when attempting to generate and sustain our physical energy levels this Ramadan. so let's commit right now ia to cut out of all fizzy and energy drinks etc and really focus instead on increasing our intake of water ia to make the most of the special but v limited time we have to achieve and do extra well in Ramadan inshallah. -----

 

3) SLEEP: as many of you will know science has proven the important effects that good quality sleep has on our bodies right?- like how it helps the body to repair itself, to boost our immune system, to help improve our brain function and cognitive abilities and how a lack of quality sleep can have devastating effects on us too- like making us more prone to a lot of diseases and making us sleep drunk where our minds can’t focus and process things properly to the point that only can we no longer do things with Ihsan/good quality, where we can jeopardize a lot of things like safety and life even SubhanAllah. well if you look in the Quran you will find that sleep is essentially considered as a major sign of Allah's greatness and considered an immense blessing He bestowed on us. Allah swt says in surahatul- rum: “And among His signs is your sleep by night and by day and your seeking of His bounty, verily in that are Signs for those who hearken”  And in suratul qasas allah swt says: ‘Say, "Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you light? Then will you not hear?". Say, "Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the day continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you a night in which you may rest? Then will you not see?". And out of His mercy, He made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and [by day] seek from His bounty and [that] perhaps you will be grateful.’ you know taking the time to get enough good quality sleep is something that has been encouraged in many ahadith too because not only does it directly effects our health which we said we have been entrusted with and must take care of but also because it naturally affects our energy levels and our ability to worship Allah swt in both good quantity and quality- just like our intake of food and water does. that why for example we find the prophet (pbuh) say as recorded in buhar  “If anyone of you feels drowsy while praying he should go to bed (sleep) till his slumber is over” (Bukhari). and In another Hadith narrated by Aisha (ra) she tells us of a woman from the tribe of Bani Asad, who was sitting with her when the prophet (pbuh) came to her house and said, “Who is this?” Aisha replied, “She is so and so, she does not sleep at night because she is engaged in prayer.” and The Prophet said disapprovingly, “Do (good) deeds which are within your capacity as Allāh never gets tired of giving rewards till you get tired of doing good deeds” (Ahmed).subhanallah. now I'm not encouraging you not to engage in Taraweeh prayers in taj fo course we increase our night prayers I'm just saying that just because we are praying through the nights of Ramadan esp the last 10 it doesn't negate our need for enough sleep for purpose of taking care of our bodies, of being able to generate the energy we need to worship Allah more so my suggestion would be to at least make up for those hours of missed sleep with smaller naps during the day to re-energies you inshallah this is something encouraged by the prophet and science now itself has also proven SubhanAllah that we are actually programmed with the need to sleep twice during a period of 24 hours and that naps are so important to us being able to perform at our best- which is our goal this Ramadan inshallah right?. ok so to conclude to overcome that physical exhaustion and burn out to get out of that Ramadan dip and finish Ramadan strong be sure to take care of your nutrition, water intake, and your sleep ia. its time to put what's common knowledge in your into common practice in your life to make the most of the end of Ramadan if you want the episodes of this video series sent directly to your email so you don't miss out on any of them head over to quranrehab.com and sign up for our newsletter and if you want to catch up on any ep you've missed simply head over to the blog now and catch up quran.com/blog.

 

Remember it's not too late to turn things around and make this Ramadan your best- it simply takes you to renew your intention, say bismillah, and act. ok until our next session take care, walykum Asalam!