How to Manage Prayer Timings During a Busy Ramadan Schedule?

The holy month of Ramadan is the perfect time to do extra worship. This includes everything from praying extra nawwafil during obligatory prayers, doing dikhr and tasbeeh, and performing the taraweeh prayers. All the rewards that we can gain from any worship are multiplied by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in Ramadan.

Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) received the very first revelation. It is also the month in which our Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) received the last revelation.

The month is entwined with the Holy Quran, which is why many people try to read the Holy Quran at least once in Ramadan. Regarding the holy month, Hazrat Abu Hurairah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) reports the following tradition:

[Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Book 3, Hadith 682]

While we all want to maximize the blessings of the month through extra worship, Ramadan can significantly disrupt our normal routine. Waking up for suhoor before dawn, in particular, is challenging. Many people who get up early for work find it hard to go back to sleep after the pre-dawn meal.

Sleep deprivation and lack of food and water can contribute to lethargy and lack of energy, which is quite common while fasting. These factors can prevent us from being punctual in our prayers.

Ways to Manage Prayer Timings During Ramadan

Here is how you should go about managing prayer timings during Ramadan, no matter how busy your schedule might be:

·        Be Mindful of Your Prayers

You must prepare for Ramadan well before it arrives. Decide to remain punctual no matter how difficult it might be. Go into the month to not just be regular in salah but to do extra worship. The month comes once after eleven months. We wait for a full year before the next Ramadan comes.

When we go into Ramadan with this mindset, nothing is difficult. Knowing the importance of the holy month and the significance of gathering the most blessings will help us achieve the goal of managing prayer timings.

·        Come Prepared

Plan well ahead and design your schedule for the month such that it is relatively less busy. If you are lucky enough to move things around and shift your schedule to match prayer timings, that is perfect. However, if that is not an option, then the best alternative is getting all the tasks done that can be done ahead of time.

Complete as many tasks as you can, tasks that do not need to be done on a particular date. Not only will you get a lot of things done, but you will also not have to worry about your productivity for the rest of the month. You can focus on essential tasks and prayer without feeling the anxiety of delaying tasks.

·        Design your Schedule Around Salah and Sawm

Essential tasks that can neither be delayed nor completed ahead of time must be scheduled in a way that does not interfere with your duties towards Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Whether it is work or school, you can change your regular schedule slightly to accommodate Salah.

People, in general, also understand others’ beliefs. Do not be afraid to request your superior for some flexibility for only one month. Fasting does not imply that the person who is fasting does nothing.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and his companions (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) used to work as usual during Ramadan, even fighting battles during Ramadan as Hazrat Ma’mar bin Abi Huyaiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) relates the following tradition:

[Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Book 3, Hadith 714]

It is not impossible and you can easily manage the changed schedule once you get used to the routine.

·        Set Alarms or Reminders

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple reminder to remain punctual in our prayers. There are many resources you can use to do that, but the easiest way is to download a Salah reminder app. Prayer apps like Muslim and Quran provide accurate prayer times in your area. These applications use current locations and alert users when the time for each prayer begins.

Such apps have other useful features as well. Many include important resources, like the complete Holy Quran in Arabic accompanied by a translation. Muslim and Quran app also includes the complete collection of the Holy Prophet's (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) traditions from the six main books of Hadith and some important supplications.

·        Always be Ready for Prayer            

Always be in a state of wudhu and ready to perform salah. Even if you are outside, keep a portable prayer mat with you. You can pray anywhere as long as the area where you are praying is clean. Just find the qibla direction using one of the many mobile applications available. Muslims are even allowed to do ablution with dust or sand, so lack of water is not an excuse. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has made it easy for us to fulfil our duties towards Him.

Managing Life and Spirituality

Managing the mundane tasks of life while fulfilling our duties towards Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala requires nothing but careful planning and time management. Prayers require only a few minutes and we can surely spare some time from our busy routine and dedicate ourselves to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. It is all about getting our priorities right.

Ultimately, prayer and following the Right Path provide real success. We cannot ignore our worldly duties, but there must be a balance between our life on this earth and following the commands of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. We should always pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to strengthen our faith and enable us to become better Muslims.

Zain Jawwad is a skilled copywriter and content creator who writes high-quality articles and blogs. He has experience covering a wide range of topics with valuable insights. Zain also occasionally contributes articles to Muslim & Quran.