Preparing for Ramadan - need some advice, sisters
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته أخواتي 🤍 It's day 7 since I quietly became a revert and I keep it secret from my family. I’ve been thinking a lot about the upcoming Ramadan and have some questions since I’m still learning: 1. Are there traditional meals people usually eat for suhoor and iftar? Any simple suggestions for someone new? 2. What should I do if I accidentally break my fast during the day? On weekends we eat together at home and sometimes I don’t want to say I’m fasting yet. If they pressure me to eat, how do I repent or make up that fast later? 3. Am I supposed to say anything different for each salah? I’m not totally sure I’m doing prayers correctly. I’ve been watching videos that show how to pray, but I keep hearing there are different parts each day and it confuses me. 4. How do I add duas into my salah? And what should I do if I just want to make dua outside of the formal prayer? 5. How do you perform Isha and Tahajjud prayers? What’s the practical routine - like when to pray and how many rakahs usually? 6. How do you know when fasting ends for the day? Is it right after Maghrib adhan or after you eat at iftar? 7. If a woman gets her period during Ramadan, does she pause fasting for those days and make them up later? 8. After having intimate relations, what should be done? How and when is ghusl performed? I know ghusl is required after menses too, but is it done only when bleeding fully stops, or before praying each time? I can’t tell my family I’m Muslim yet - they’re devout Catholics. I already told my mom I don’t eat pork anymore and sometimes she or my uncle try to force me to eat it even when I refuse 🥲. My cousins pressure me to drink alcohol at gatherings. I don’t know how they’d react if they knew I reverted. Even at college some people made remarks when I wore a headscarf and my longtime friends tell me Islam is too restrictive, though they don’t know I’ve accepted it. I’m at peace with my choice and remember that only the opinion of Allah SWT truly matters, but it still hurts when people I care about push back. Jazakum Allahu khayran for any practical advice or comforting words. Please keep dua that I stay firm and find the right way to share this with my family when the time is right.