“This year, I’m definitely going to stay on track!” Quoth we all as Ramadan approaches swiftly, sending us into a tizzy of Ramadan prep and Ramadan goals. We all guiltily remember how last year, all our well-meaning resolutions dissipated within a couple of weeks of the blessed month. This year, however, we’ve got an additional tool in our arsenal: Ramadan planners and journals!

Whether you’re someone who loves to plan out every detail of the day, have a general structure for Ramadan, or prefer a more thoughtful and reflective approach, there’s something out there for everyone. There are so many variations of Ramadan journals this year that I can’t even keep up – but for the purposes of this article, I’ve settled on five specific planners/ journals to review and share with you all.

 – Ramadan Journal by Quote Lovin’

This Ramadan planner/ journal is great for tweens/teens or anyone new to the idea of Ramadan planning.

Designed by the Muslim creative company Quote Lovin’ (based in the UK), this glossy-cover journal features the artist’s signature illustration style. It opens to a blank calendar titled “Ramadan Overview,” where you can pop in any important notes for any given date.

Quote Lovin’ Ramadan Journal inside spread

The basic template consists of a section for marking off each daily Fard (obligatory) prayer, along with the Sunan ar-Rawaatib, and nawaafil prayers. There’s also a section for taraweeh and tahajjud (marking up to 20 rak’aat of taraweeh and an extra 8 for tahajjud), and space to keep track of your ever-important daily hydration!

Most importantly, each entry includes space marked for “Goals & Intentions,” “Thoughts & Reflections,” and daily reminders. There is a new du’a and hadith included for every day, which is a great opportunity to squeeze in some extra knowledge even on the busiest of days. I do wish that the Arabic text for the du’a could have been included, but I understand the space restraints.

Overall, this is a lovely journal for someone who is just looking to explore Ramadan planning, or who prefers to keep things fairly simple.

 – Better Than a Thousand Months (the Dua’ Journal)

“Better Than a Thousand Months” is part of The Dua Journal collection, all of which are gorgeously designed.

Better Than a Thousand Nights

The gold-embossed, solid hardcover already looks impressive, and the journal’s content (fully colored) does not disappoint! The book consists of 156 pages, divided into two sections: “Taking Inventory” and “Planning.”

“Taking Inventory” is a comprehensive overview of many different acts of worship and spiritual reflections, along with space to write down personal thoughts and brainstorming plans of action. There was so much that I loved about this section – the pages about repentance and salawat, which not only remind the reader of the importance of those actions, but include personal questions to ponder on regarding those practices and how we can increase and improve on them during our daily lives.
The entire “Taking Inventory” section is so detailed and touches on so many important themes and topics! Arabic text is included alongside the translations for many adhkaar and du’as, which is wonderful.

The second half of the journal consists of planning – everything from a monthly spread, daily habit and ‘ibaadah trackers, goal setting every ten days, reflections for every ten days. The daily planner packs in a lot, too: daily intention, three top priorities, notes for suhoor, iftar, and hydration, time slots for meticulous planning, and a “Dear Allah” page to reflect on.

The journal ends with Eid planning, and the opportunity to commit to acts of worship even after Ramadan has ended.

Honestly, the amount of detail, thoughtfulness, and spiritual benefit in this journal is incredible! I am blown away by how much varied content there is.

However, there are some detracting factors. The color of the pages and the ink can make it different to read the text; there’s a lot of pink-on-pink that strains the eyes. The size of the text is also very small, which makes it harder to read – at times, certain words can barely be seen, and the chosen fonts don’t make it any easier. The glossiness of the pages also makes it so that ink is likely to smear if it doesn’t dry immediately.

All in all, this is of incredible quality and detail, and an amazing concept… but do be aware that if you’re not someone with 20/20 vision, it will make it a lot harder to use!

 – Fill Me Up! Zac and Aslam Gratitude Journal

Fill Me Up Gratitude Journal

This gratitude journal from Zac andAslam is honestly one of the most gorgeous journals I’ve ever seen – whether Muslamic or otherwise. I was genuinely blown away by the quality of the book/ paper itself, the beeeaaauuutiful illustrations, and the prompts within.

Super cute, Islamic without being preachy or tacky, and genuinely sweet and thoughtful – even my daughter, who usually hates anything writing related, BEGGED me to let her start using it! In one night, we filled out several pages and had a blast.

Although not specifically a Ramadan journal, I actually think this would do very well as one – or at least a good place and time to start filling it out. There is a strong focus on orienting oneself to Allah , thanking Allah for blessings, and reflecting deeply on questions such as “What are some du’as I made that I am grateful weren’t answered in the way I imagined?” And even better, there is so much space for doodling, coloring, and overall creativity!

This gratitude journal is the perfect gift for both oneself and loved ones, and I highly recommend it for anyone who prefers a less rigidly structured Ramadan journal experience.

 – The Crowning Venture Planner and Journal by Dr. Saadia Mian (published by Daybreak Press)

“The Crowning Venture: Inspiration from Women Who Have Memorized the Qur’an” by Dr. Saadia Mian is an incredible book for anyone – especially Muslim women – who have found themselves floundering on their Qur’an journey. And now, there’s a planner and journal to help you through it!

Like the previous journal, this is not a specifically Ramadan-focused planner: however, Ramadan is the ideal time to pick this up and get started.

The Crowning Venture

The planner opens up with an invitation to explore your own personal limiting beliefs and empowering beliefs surrounding your Qur’an journey and development, as well as an overall life vision that takes into consideration one year, five year, and ten year benchmarks.
It moves on to pages you can fill in for your weekly schedule, with time blocks laid out, and daily worship trackers for Tahajjud, daily prayers, dhikr, and Qur’an. Each weekly schedule page also features inspiring quotes from real Muslim women!
There are also monthly check ins to fill out as well, where you can reflect on your accomplishments, what didn’t work out, and moving forward.
These make up the bulk of the journal itself – which gives you a year’s worth of content.

Towards the end, you’ll find Qur’an recitation and memorization charts, qadha (make-up) prayer charts, and a fasting make-up chart (which is super helpful especially in Ramadan!). There are also pages for daily journaling, alongside journaling prompts and affirmations.

This planner and journal is a wonderful resource for anyone who is truly dedicated to daily/ weekly journaling, with a particular focus on Qur’an.

 – The Hayati Digital Planner by The Organized Muslimah

[This review was written by Staff Editor Shaahima Fahim]

While many prefer their planners with physical pages, this one is for those who prefer to keep all things organized in a digital format. This free digital Ramadan planner  by The Organized Muslimah can be used on PDF note taking apps such as Notability (iPad) and Noteshelf (Android); ideally with a stylus to be able to jot things down. It also comes in three gorgeous cover designs to suit your unique style and personality (I quite like the Pretty Petals!).

With two whole pages for each day of Ramadan, each day includes a daily agenda, top three tasks, good deed of the day, notes, meals, salah tracker, Qu’ran lessons, and self-reflection sections. What I found most convenient is that the planner comes with hyperlinked tabs at the top of each page, which makes it super easy for navigation between the pages.

What makes The Hayati Planner one to snap up before Ramadan is its Ramadan Prep pages, categorized into “Meal Plan” (with columns for suhour, iftar, and dinner for every day of Ramadan), “Tidy Up” (including places around the home to list out what needs to be done for that pre-Ramadan deep clean), “Ramadan Goals and Habit Builder”,” Zakat & Sadaqah” (to plan and list out how and where best to distribute your charity), “Learn” (in which to list out resources you’ve benefited from and the lessons you’ve learned to take into Ramadan), and of course the very crucial “Dua’s List” page.

The planner concludes with pages for Eid (which includes a  checklist of masnoon actions for the festival) and Shawwal (to schedule your game plan for post Ramadan fasts, and also to list out noteworthy reflections to take with you after the month is done).

Again, if you’re the digital planning type or even want to venture into the arena, this seems like a wonderful, accessible, and FREE resource to prep, motivate, and inspire you through the coming month.

Are Ramadan Planners For You?

Of course, Ramadan planners and journals aren’t for everyone! As valuable as they can be for goal-setting, self-reflection, and self-accountability, there can also be a sense of pressure to be so focused on organizing your Ramadan that you miss out on the real focus: connecting with and growing closer to Allah . Whether or not you choose to use a planner or journal this Ramadan, always remind yourself of your main intentions, and make that your priority!

May Allah bless us and make this Ramadan a beautiful and beneficial month for us all, ameen!

And if you are a Ramadan planner or journal fan – what is your favorite Ramadan planner or journal? What do you recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Note: For full disclosure, I was gifted “Better Than a Thousand Nights,” “Fill Me Up,” and “The Crowning Venture Planner and Journal”; I purchased the Quote Lovin’ Ramadan journal personally.

Related reading:

 – Quran Journaling For Kids

Quran Journaling For Kids

 – Tips For Managing School And Ramadan

Tips For Managing School And Ramadan