4 Ways to Build a Fortress in the Last Ten Nights of Ramadan

Originally published in July 2013.

One of the blessings of Ramadan is that it is a boot camp for the soul. Imam Al-Ghazali, in his work, Kitab Riyadat al-Nafs from the Ihya, describes the process of disciplining the soul and recommends building a fortress to keep the soul safe. This fortress is based on four things: hunger, wakefulness/sleeplessness, solitude and silence.

These are the four pedestals of mujahada (striving), the process of restraining and training our souls. And in Ramadan, these elements are automatically built in to our experiences in this month. We fast (hunger), we pray in the night and are awake before dawn (wakefulness), we retreat to the masaajid in taraweeh and 'itikaf and make a concerted effort to watch what we say (solitude and silence). The framework of the fortress is there, but it is a work in progress. Only if we are vigilant in strengthening its foundation will that fortress be able to withstand the harsh elements that it will face when Ramadan ends.

In increasing our efforts in the last ten nights, we are not just preparing for future challenges on the horizon, but also preparing our heart to be ready to receive the immense Divine gifts that shower upon us in these nights. One of the best ways to prepare ourselves and help us roll up our sleeves is to continue to focus on those four building blocks:

We have made it through over 20 days of fasting. All the anxieties and concerns we may have had about these long fasts and short nights are long gone. We might even say it is fairly easy now, almost routine. But when things get easy, then it time for us to challenge ourselves more, like a weightlifter incrementally adding more weight to the barbell to continue to progress in strength. As sages of the past remind us, the benefits of fasting cannot be optimized unless our hunger is more than what we are typically used to, to prevent our lower impulses from emerging. Keep up on the simple iftaar and suhoor, and try to eat less than we have been so far to reinvigorate the benefits of hunger—eat according to your needs, not your nafs (lower self). And don't forget, the less time spent eating, the more time available for worship.

This can be tough. Fasting tends to gets easier as the month goes along, but the sleep deprivation takes its toll, especially if we need to maintain busy schedules at work or with the family. The practice of sahar (wakefulness) is anchored in being vigilant in worship and reflection in the last portion of the night, which becomes all the more challenging as our sleep deprivation increases during the month. Sleeplessness teaches us about our own frailties and limitations, pointing us towards our utter reliance on Allah. Think of the times that you have implored Allah all the more greater to help you get through the day or to wake up on time for prayer or work.As the body tires, the heart awakens to new realities that it may have been veiled from under normal circumstances.

If you've been given the opportunity to take time off during the last ten nights, even if it is just one night, try to sleep less on those nights and spend time in different acts of worship, mixing it up to keep you fresh. Drowsiness is like hunger a lot of the time, it comes in spurts and sometimes just standing up or doing another activity will help you push through it.

If you have to maintain your usual work schedule and cannot stay up through the night, try to make an effort, if you have not been yet doing so, to pray through the entire taraweeh with the imam, including the witr, to receive the benefit of being considered to have prayed the whole night. On the other end, try getting up a bit earlier than your usual suhoor time. Even if it's just a few minutes earlier, spend that time in dhikr and du'a. There's no greater time for du'a than that period, in the last third of night.

In the last ten nights, retreating to the masaajid in 'itikaf is even more encouraged, so if you have the ability to do so, spend as much time as possible in the masjid. Even if you can't spend the whole night, spend more time than you have been previously, with that intention of 'itikaf. The key to remember is that 'itikaf is for a spiritual retreat, to minimize the external stimulation and distractions and focus the heart on its relationship with Allah. It's not about sleeping over in the masjid, but about starting over, starting a new chapter in your spiritual life, using the masjid as a vehicle to facilitate that transformation. Find a place where you can reflect and not be disturbed. Try not to intermingle more than necessary, while maintaining the necessary adab and courtesy for others as needed. For women who cannot attend the masaajid, some of the madhaahib (legal schools) allow for women to do 'itikaf in a specific place in their home, for even a brief period of time, and gain its rewards.