Everything in modern life is built to go faster. Food arrives in twenty minutes, pages load before we've finished tapping, and plenty of us now listen to voice notes at double speed. We've become very good at rushing.
The heart doesn't work that way. Push it, and it doesn't speed up. It just goes numb.
That's worth remembering as Ramadan gets closer. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February, depending on the moon sighting, which leaves roughly three months. Most of us start preparing a week or two out, with a new sleep schedule, a meal plan and a quiet hope that this year will feel different. Then the month arrives, the first few days are hard, and by the last ten nights we're still trying to find our footing.
In a recent video for Tarteel, Shaykh Dr. Mostafa Al-Shaybani, Imam of Alfurqan Islamic Centre in Manchester, makes the case for starting early, and starting on the inside. Here's his advice, along with a simple weekly routine you can begin as early as this week!
What is Ramadan really for?
It helps to be clear about what the month is for. Fasting can look like a test of how long we can go without food, but its purpose is closer to an intensive course for the heart. The body goes without so the soul has room to breathe.
It's also the month the Quran was revealed, which is why Shaykh Mostafa calls it the birthday of the ummah. For thirty days, ordinary believers get to taste the worship that people of deep faith keep up all year: fasting by day and standing in prayer by night. Almost everything is arranged to help us, from the shayateen being chained to the people fasting all around us. The hope is that we find that worship sweet enough to keep.
Seen that way, preparing for Ramadan isn't about surviving the month. It's about arriving ready to receive it. Shaykh Mostafa suggests three shifts in how we think, and a few habits to anchor them.
How to prepare your heart for Ramadan
Think about your phone. You can install the best apps available, but if the operating system is riddled with viruses, every one of them will crash. The heart is the operating system of our worship, and envy, resentment, heedlessness and love of the dunya are the viruses. While they run in the background, salah, dhikr and recitation all struggle to do what they're meant to.
The Quran is direct about what counts in the end. It describes:
"the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved˺" (Ash-Shu'ara 26:88-89)
There's real hope in that. Once the heart has been cleaned out, small and quiet deeds can carry far more weight than we'd ever expect.
It also changes how we look at worship itself. Every act of worship has a form, the movements and the words, and a spirit, which is where your heart is while you do them. Two people can pray side by side, perfectly in sync, and have completely different prayers. One is going through the motions while his mind is somewhere else. For the other, every bow is a moment of glorifying Allah and every word adds to his iman.
If you want to prepare for Ramadan spiritually, this is where to begin. Choose one thing your heart is holding onto that you know it shouldn't be. A grudge you've kept for years, a habit of comparing yourself to others, a jealousy you'd rather not admit to. Give the coming weeks to letting it go.
Preparing for Ramadan goes beyond rituals
It's easy to file worship under rituals like salah, fasting, dua and Quran, and to treat everything else as manners. Shaykh Mostafa calls this one of Shaytan's quieter traps. The way you treat people is worship too, and you can't fly to Allah on one wing.
The second wing is tested in ordinary moments. How you speak to your parents. Whether you stay patient when your children interrupt you for the fifth time. Whether you swallow your anger when a colleague says something careless. In each of those moments, the question is the same as in prayer: do you remember that Allah is watching?
There's an order to things here too. The obligatory acts are more beloved to Allah than the voluntary ones. It's common, especially among younger Muslims, to want long nights of qiyam while the five daily prayers are still patchy. Get the five right first. And the obligations don't stop at prayer. Being good to your parents is one of them, so do something for them before Ramadan that they won't expect. In Shaykh Mostafa's experience, when that relationship is in order, the sweetness of qiyam follows.
How to reflect on the Quran before Ramadan
Most of us scroll past the terms and conditions and click "agree" without reading a word. It's uncomfortable to admit, but some of us read the Quran in a similar way, racing to the end of the juz to collect as many letters as we can.
The reward for each letter is real. But it was given to encourage us to open the Book, not to turn it into a race. Read slowly and you stop counting. An ayah stops you because it describes exactly what you're going through. Sometimes a single page stays with you for a week because it shifts something you thought was settled.
A weekly Quran routine to start before Ramadan
This is the method Shaykh Mostafa recommends for the weeks before Ramadan. It asks for one or two pages a week, and a little honesty.
- At the start of the week, choose one or two pages of the Quran.
- Read the translation several times. Keep the Arabic and English side by side until the key Quranic words start to feel familiar.
- Close the mushaf and write down your questions. What does this page say about our time? What would it change in me?
- Set yourself homework from it. If the page mentions two of Allah's names, spend the week learning about them and talk about them with your family.
- If it describes the qualities of people Allah loves, choose one and work on it until the next page.
Keep it up until Ramadan and you'll arrive knowing a handful of pages deeply, with a relationship with the Quran that doesn't depend on speed.
If you use Tarteel, you can read the translation and tafsir next to the Arabic, which makes step two much easier, and set a daily reminder so the week's pages don't slip. Download Tarteel for free. And if staying consistent is the hard part for you, our guide to building a daily Quran habit is a good next read.
Ramadan preparation tips: three habits to start now
Fix your five prayers. They're obligatory, and they're already in your day, which makes them the most natural place to start. Shaykh Mostafa suggests picking up a short book on khushoo, or presence of heart in salah. He bought one from a bookshop thirty years ago and says it changed his life. Improve your five prayers and you improve your Ramadan.
Give the Quran a week at a time. Follow the routine above. Two pages, read slowly, with something to work on.
Talk to Allah for ten minutes each night. After witr, sit somewhere quiet, turn off the light and speak to your Lord in your own words. No script and no book. Just tell Him what's in your heart.
The Quran gives us a beautiful example of this kind of conversation in the wife of 'Imran: "My Lord! I dedicate what is in my womb entirely to Your service, so accept it from me. You ˹alone˺ are truly the All-Hearing, All-Knowing" (Al 'Imran 3:35). She speaks to Allah plainly and personally, about her hopes, her surprise and her fears for her child. That's the kind of nightly conversation worth building before Ramadan arrives.
Arriving ready
None of us knows whether we'll live to see this Ramadan. We ask Allah for it. But if we use these months well, we won't spend the first week of the month trying to catch up. As Shaykh Mostafa puts it, we'll already be flying.
Watch the full video with Shaykh Dr. Mostafa Al-Shaybani
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing for Ramadan? Earlier than you think. Starting two to three months ahead gives new habits time to settle, so they're part of your life when Ramadan begins rather than something you're trying to build during it.
How do I prepare for Ramadan spiritually? Start with your heart. Work on letting go of envy, resentment and attachment to the dunya, pay attention to the spirit of your prayer and not just its form, and treat the way you deal with people as part of your worship.
What's a good Quran habit to build before Ramadan? Choose one or two pages each week. Read the translation several times, write down how the page applies to your life, and work on one lesson from it until the following week.
When is Ramadan 2027? Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on or around 8 February 2027. The exact date depends on the sighting of the new moon, so it's confirmed the evening before, and it can differ by a day between countries.
What should I do in the months before Ramadan? Use them to build the habits you want to carry into the month. Work on your five daily prayers, start a small weekly Quran routine, repair any strained relationships, especially with your parents, and get used to a few minutes of private dua each night. By the time Ramadan arrives, these will feel normal rather than new.
