The Arrival Of The Beautiful Month, Ramadhaan 1442AH

It’s the last day before Ramadhaan begins around the world, and though many of us are on Lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, preparations for the fasting month has long since begun or it should have.

The Preparations

Preparations are normally to be understood in the area of making food, and to a degree, that understanding would be right.

However, preparations should also include the practice of readying one’s spiritual self for the upcoming blessed month.

Shabaan is a month in which many of our predecessors would ready themselves for this Holy Month by fasting, increasing their Tilaawat (recitation of the Qur’aan) and Zikr ( remembrance of Allah through praising Him).

Decor

Many of us would be spring cleaning our homes, and perhaps even putting up some decor in an effort to bring in some of the atmosphere of Ramadhaan.

Ideas for decor can range from wreaths to prints in frames, lanterns strategically placed in certain areas of your home, perhaps a drinks trolley stacked with a Zam Zam water decanter and glasses with an assortment of dates nearby… fresh flowers are always a treat and a way to bring in some outdoor beauty.

Here are some ideas for decor from a few YouTube vloggers that I follow:

Leena from ‘With Love,Leena’ has done a really lovely set up for her table using a color scheme of black, gold & white. It looks really great. With love, Leena’s vlog.

Next up is ‘Forever Imanee’. I loved her set up for Ramadhaan. Forever Imanee’s Vlog.

Check out Simply Jaserah, Sara_Why , Un Hogar Tradicional, justbriyonce & As.Inspiration as well for some amazing decor.

I got really inspired and perhaps I may just do something, so keep an eye out on my Instagram feed for updates. It’s never too late to put up some decor after all.

Are you decorating your home?

Share your tips and ideas with us in the comments.

Why is Ramadhaan so important in Islam and to Muslims?

Ramadhaan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.

It is one of five pillars of Islam.

It is during this month that the Holy Qur’aan was revealed and it is during this month that Muslims are commanded to fast from dawn to dusk every day, until the New Moon of Shawwaal is sighted, which signifies the end of the fasting month, as well as the day of Eid Ul Fitr.

Fasting teaches us empathy, compassion, will power, restraint & abstinence.

My well wishes for you.

I wish you all a blessed Ramadhaan, filled with beauty, joy and strength. May Allah SWT bless you all and keep you safe during this pandemic and accept all our fasts, prayers and charity.

My gift for you:

Everyone seems to need a little help in planning their time during Ramadhaan and I have designed some planning pages for you, for free!

Just click the link below to download.

Ramadhaan Planner 2021 Download

If you do download it, so leave a comment on your thoughts about these pages.

Enjoy, insha Allah.

Wa alaikumus salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Travel Restrictions Lifted In South Africa

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Its the 1st of October 2020 and the travel restrictions were lifted at midnight.

But what exactly does this mean?

Airports & Borders

The three international airports, namely OR Tambo, King Shaka & Cape Town International, as well as 18 land borders will be opened.

Travellers

Since inbound as well as outbound travel will be allowed, we should keep in mind that only travellers from countries that are deemed safe will be allowed to enter. In addition each traveller entering the country must produce a negative COVID-19 test which is less than 72 hours old.

Each traveller will also be asked to install the COVID ALERT app on their mobiles.

For those entering without a negative COVID – 19 certificate, will be required to go for mandatory quarantine at their own cost.

Visa applications and all long term visas will be reinstated for South African missions abroad.

All domestic interprovincial flights for business and leisure purposes will continue, and international travel will be subject to further regulations and conditions as of today.

All hotels and accommodation establishments are allowed to operate within the current stipulated regulations. Staff are to undergo a detailed training and should anyone develop symptoms of the pandemic, they are to inform their employer/s immediately.

Tour operators, tour guides, travel agencies etc. are allowed to operate in their current environments.

Rules To Adhere To

Please keep in mind that it is mandatory for masks to be worn in public and social distancing of 1.5 metres is to be maintained at all times.

Gatherings held indoors are limited to 250 people and outdoor functions are limited to 500 people at most.

Don’t forget to sanitize your hands, surfaces and keep safe while enjoying all that SA has to offer.

Blog Update

السلام عليكم و رحمةالله و بركاته

Hi everyone, how are you all doing?

This post is an update on the blog and the reason for it is because I have pretty much lost a few years worth of work due to my previous web hosting company.

It really broke my heart to realize that so many beautiful posts that I worked really hard on were lost because they were beyond negligent and insisted on deleting databases etc from my blog.

However, I managed to recover the first few years of my work and I plan on starting over again. The current posts shall be archived and some new and interesting things will be coming your way soon.

During the pandemic and more so in the last few weeks especially, I managed to somewhat restore my site, however it’s still not perfect or where I would like it to be.

In the mean time, I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of my subscribers and I will continue to bring you interesting posts from food to Islamic lifestyle and travel.

Keep well & keep safe,

Rubina