Ramadan Day 9 – 11 Fasting-Friendly Things to Do with Tech this Ramadan

Quick question!

Can you spend 24 hours without your phone?

I’ve tried it in the past but failed woefully.  The best I have done and still do, is to have a ‘No tech morning‘; Or no tech before/ after a certain time of the day. And the main goal is usually to experience the  richness of life even without the stress and distraction of tech devices.

The reality of life today is that it’s almost impossible for you to spend a day without your smart device or some other major tech influence.

For Ramadan, you need to take extra caution, in order not to waste the entire month away with unhealthy tech habits – keeping you hungry with no higher gain.

Fasting in Ramadan is not merely physically keeping away  from food, drink and relations, but rather it is the total commitment of your body and soul to the goal of Ramadan – gaining Taqwa – consciousness of Allah (swt).

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “”Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)”

(Bukhari)

Fasting friendly actions are those that:

~ Boost your eeman;

~ Increase your taqwa;

~ Improve the quality of your ibadah (worship);

~ Help you gain more reward through sincere effort;

~ Have reduced, minimal or NO harmful effect on the heart;

~ Purifies the soul and guides you towards the footsteps of the Rasul (saw).

The Prophet (saw) encouraged Muslims around  him to increase in worship during Ramadan, and mentioned  the extra rewards for doing good deeds  during it. Following his sunnah and footsteps of his blessed companions, you would focus more on Qur’an, Salah and Sadaqah in the special month.

As a certified tech monster, here are 11 simple Fasting-Friendly Things to Do with tech this Ramadan Listed just for You – number 5 is one of my favourites.

Qur’an

1. Download at least one Qur’an app (my all -time favourite is the beautiful Qur’an Majeed) to listen to, and recite from through the month.

2. Get a Qur’an buddy and connect daily (e.g., via whatsapp) at a particular time) to check up on Qur’an progress and to have an accountability partner.

3. Learn Qur’an through an online teacher/ group. Do your research well, go through reviews and do a trial before settling on one.

Salah

4. Set Adhan (prayer times) on your phone or device to ensure you pray on time and even pray in congregation when possible. (You can pray in Jama’a with your family from the comfort of your home).

5. Watch the live prayer broadcast from haram in Makkah; and listen to the recitation of renowned shayks and Qaris. [Keep your tissue box close].

Sadaqah

6. Donate online to various projects around  the world (browse LaunchGood for possibilities). No amount is too little or too BIG.

7. Raise funds for your local charity or passion project. Send messages to friends you are connected to online and offline for donations.

Daily Life

8. Delete unnecessary apps. You won’t miss them and as its said, out of sight is out of mind. When those apps do not constantly appear on your screen, you won’t be tempted to log in.

9. Watch Islam channel or other beneficial channels – to gain inspiration and correct knowledge – not to kill time.

10. Go on a social media fast; if there’s no obvious benefit (e.g., teaching, dawah, business), do not log in.

11. Use Skype, whatsApp etc to keep in touch with family and loved ones, especially those who live far away.

There you go, simple things to do with your shiny gadgets. Remember, do not be addicted to the shiny nature of such tech devices. Rather, seek the unending shiny rewards attached to their intentional use.

Final thoughts

Tech gadgets and devices are addictive enough without the struggle of trying to make the most of Ramadan. My fellow tech user, I hope you are now equipped with ideas of how to make your tech habits fasting-friendly; whether it’s by focusing on salah, sadaqah or other general life activities.

Don’t trash your favourite device. Keep it, use it, enjoy its company – while leveraging it to earn great rewards this Ramadan.

Ready…

And GO.

Let’s get fasting friendly techies!

Which is your favourite from the list above? And which other fasting friendly things can be done with tech this Ramadan. Please share below.

Author Bio

Amina Edota is a writer, educator and passionista. She is the chief mentor at YouthlyHub.com and author of The Savvy Muslim Youth Manifesto, a smart manual for Muslim youth. Amina is on a mission to help Muslims worldwide become the best ambassador they know – or wish they did.