Bismillah wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala rasoolillah, wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala, amma ba’ad. Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, everyone. This is Sarah Sultan here with Yaqeen Institute, and today I just wanted to talk to you briefly about the concept of mindful fasting, which is a way to feed your soul during the month of Ramadan using the idea of mindfulness.

Mindfulness was defined by a professor at Harvard University named Ellen Lanker in a really simple way, where she said that life consists of moments and nothing more. And so when you make the moments matter, then it all matters. And so then the idea of taking advantage of the present moment is important in our daily lives for sure but it’s never more important than in the month of Ramadan when our deeds are multiplied so tremendously.

When we take advantage of each moment during the month of Ramadan and be mindful and aware of each moment and how we’re utilizing it, we’re setting ourselves up for success. The idea of mindful fasting can really enrich our experience this Ramadan in shaAllah.

So what does mindful fasting really mean? So simply put, it just means focusing in on what is and not what isn’t. It means focusing in on, when you’re feeling hungry and you feel the pangs of hunger in your stomach, instead of focusing on what isn’t, like “it isn’t time for Maghrib yet to break my fast”, you’re focusing in on what is – that “I am experiencing this feeling of hunger but I am also grateful that I know that I will be able to satisfy that hunger later on.”

That “everytime that I am experiencing this, this is a struggle from Allah that I am getting rewarded for”. And in focusing in on what is instead of what isn’t, suddenly that moment becomes really rewarding and reconnects you with Allah. Another way to consider it too is what does fasting truly mean?

So fasting isn’t just abstaining from food and drink, it also includes so much more of what we do. So for example, what fasting with our eyes, what we’re choosing to see, what were choosing to look at, fasting with our hands – what are we allowing our mouse to click on on our computer throughout the month of Ramadan?

Fasting with our mouths, not just in terms of food and drink but what is coming out of our mouth and how we’re interacting with the people in our lives, especially with the people closest to us. When we can be mindful of how we use each present moment and we can be mindful of how we use each part of ourselves throughout this month of ramadan, then every single moment, no matter what we’re doing, can become an act of worship and can reconnect us with Allah in a very empowering and fulfilling and really meaningful way inshaAllah.

And so just focus in on the present moment. Focus in on what is and that’s the concept of mindful fasting, and it will be something beneficial for us throughout this month.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan, Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuhu.