For the past few weeks, I’ve been asking myself one question: What’s the right way to start Ramadan?

Every year, I enter the holy month with the hope that I’ll end it differently, better, and closer to Allah than I was before. Because that’s really what Ramadan is about. It’s not just about fasting from food and drink. It’s about spiritual peace and transformation.

And if I’m honest, I would want to finish it stronger than I started.

I don’t want a perfect Ramadan, just a meaningful one.

Like many Muslims, I go into Ramadan with the usual goals:

Pray on time.
Recite the Quran daily.
Increase my dhikr.
Make sincere dua.

Refrain from mindless scrolling and absorb more religious essays.
Read the morning and evening adhkaars.

Some years, I’ve managed to keep those habits going even after Eid. Other times, I slowly slip back into old routines. And that’s something I’ve had to accept about myself.

One Ramadan, I made the intention to consistently pray my sunnah prayers alongside my fard. It started as a Ramadan goal, but alhamdulillah, it stayed with me. That’s when I realised something powerful: Even one small habit can change your entire year.

This year, I’m focusing on depth.

Instead of overwhelming myself with a long checklist, I’ve decided to focus on practices I can realistically sustain.

This Ramadan, I want to:

• Read Surah Al Baqarah daily, even if it means dividing it into manageable sections and committing 20–30 minutes at a time.
• Recite Surah Al Waqi’ah every day to benefit from its blessings.
• Keep a written list of duas so I don’t forget the things that matter most to me.
• Read at least one hadith daily, even if it’s short.

I’ve learned that I’d rather do something small every day than something big for just a few days.

If not now, then when?

If I’ve been thinking about starting something- perfecting my hijab, praying on time, memorising duas and surahs, Ramadan feels like the best time to begin such practices. Maybe I won’t get everything right immediately. Maybe I’ll start with one dua a day. Maybe I’ll read just a few pages of the Quran. But I remind myself: Small steps count.

This month carries immense barakah and sawaab beyond what we can see.

Is there no right way?

After thinking about it for weeks, I’ve come to this conclusion: There is no single right way to start Ramadan. What matters is how I will end it. What I’ve learned. What habits I’ve built.
What I carry with me into Shawwal and beyond. At the end of the day, I’m not perfect. None of us are. But Ramadan reminds us that Allah’s mercy is always open.

The hadith that stays with me every year says:

“Whoever comes to Me walking, I will come to him running.”

So this year, I’m just going to start. Not perfectly. Just sincerely. Maybe that’s the right way after all.

Bonus: Look out for Omar Suleiman’s Ramadan series, which will focus on the different names of Allah, how and when to use them.

(By Shura Kola)