Assalamu Alaikum girlie 🌸

Ramadan is a few days away, and I want to talk about something that weighs heavy on so many of us:

The guilt of not giving enough.

You see the fundraisers. The messages about Palestine, Sudan, Yemen. The masjid expansion project. The sister who needs help with medical bills.

Your heart breaks. You want to give. You should give.

So you do.

You donate $50 here, $100 there. You say yes to every cause that moves you.

But then you check your account mid-Ramadan and panic sets in.

"Wait, can I actually afford this?"

"Did I just give away my rent money?"

And now you're stuck between two feelings:

Guilt for not giving more.

Anxiety because you gave without checking.

Many of us leave Ramadan feeling unsatisfied.

Because we feel like we didn't give enough.

We compare ourselves to that sister who pledged $10k at the fundraiser. Or the person who sponsors 20 orphans. Or the family that seems to give effortlessly without a second thought.

And we think, "I should be doing more."

But here's the thing, sis.

Our deen teaches us to give from what we have, not from what we don't have.

Generosity goes beyond money. And even when it is about money, it's not about giving until you harm yourself.

Yes, you can give amounts that stretch us. Amounts that feel uncomfortable. Amounts that show we trust in Allah's provision.

But there's a difference between stretching and breaking.

When you donate reactively, without knowing what you can actually afford, and then spend the rest of Ramadan stressed about money? That's not peace.

If we give out of guilt, ego, or comparison instead of sincerity? That's a problem.

How do we be generous without the guilt? How do we give confidently without the anxiety?

We get clear on our numbers.

When you know what your obligations are, what your goals are, and what you have to give, you can be generous from a place of clarity.

You're not guessing. You're not blindly hoping it works out. You're not lying awake wondering if you overdid it.

I’ve created the Ramadan Money Plan to help you create a simple money system.

It's a simple tool that helps you organize your finances into:

When you fill it out, you'll see your finances clearly so you can plan accordingly.

A wise person takes care of the priorities in the right order. This plan helps you do that Inshaa Allah.

May Allah allow us all to witness Ramadan and make the most of it, ameen.

Cheering you on,
Fatimah