﷽
السلام عليكم
I pray you're all well and in the best Imaan.
Seeing as we're in Sha'baan, so close to Ramadhan, I thought I would make a short post on how we can benefit from this years Ramadhan to our max.
This is a reminder for myself first and foremost - we all start off the month with full strength and energy with so many positive goals, however unfortunately we're never able to see it through to the end of the month or even after.
From the outset we need to ensure our goals and aspirations are a) genuine and b) reasonable. It has to be a gradual process, we can't throw ourselves in the deep end - we will never be able to see our goals through to the end. Ramadhan is the best time for us to create new good habits and break existing bad ones.
We have to train ourselves prior to Ramadhan. We should try get into the habit of fasting the 3 white days of the month (middle 3 days) (ayyamul beadth), mondays and thursdays etc.. this way our body is trained with the long days.
Below are some practical steps which can hopefully help us all to benefit from this years' Ramadhan :
Practical Steps
Create a list - what are your goals for this years' Ramadhan. Is it that you want to make sure you fast all 30 days this year, or want to try pray taraweeh every day, or try get through an entire khatam (completion) of Quran or maybe even two. Create a reasonable yet extensive list. Even include things such as what you intend to break your fast with. Is it that this year you want to try break your fast with kajoor and zamzam because the previous years you haven't been, or that you wish to sit on the dustarkaan (floor) as a family when eating because the previous years you've all sat on the dining table.
Try to incorporate as many sunnahs in your daily actions - be it using a miswaak every whudu you make, covering your hair when you go into the bathroom, praying all your masnoon (daily) duas, simply because it's a sunnah and you're doing so with hope of reward.
Have a goal for your Quran / Hifz - Try make this the Ramadhan where you achieve a complete / even more than one, khatam (completion) of the Quran. Take it upon yourself to learn/brush up on your memorisation of surahs, dua's, hadith, 99 names of Allah etc.
Create a timetable - with college, university, a lot of mosques still being open, create yourself a timetable. Days will be long, but set yourself allotted time where you'll sit to recite Quran (if you're unable to pray after every salaah), you'll sit with kitaabs / quran tafseer/ seerah of the prophet (saw) / hadith, where you dedicate time to learning your religion. Set time to have a nap (excluding between asr and maghrib), try to search for any online zoom lessons that could be happening and try to join those. Not to forget to help each other out in the house especially our mothers near iftaar time, which is also rewarding.
Sabr - Fasting 20hrs every day for 30 days is not going to be easy, but be patient. Understand that everyone around you is fasting, and for some it's harder than others, with headache, fatigue etc. Be patient, don't keep complaining about your hunger and thirst as that defeats the whole purpose of fasting. Fasting is more than just refraining our body's from food and drink - it includes the fasting of the nafs and soul. It is supposed to bring us closer to our deen and religion.
Try to control anger.
Control obscene language - control what you listen to, what you look at, what you say. The whole month of Ramadhan is blessed - not just for the hours we're fasting. I know many people who will watch movies / tv / listen to music etc once they've broken their fast - but this is wrong and shouldn't be done. We need to fast our desires. The days of Ramadhan are blessed and equally so are the nights.
Have an awareness of the things that nullify / make a fast makrooh (disliked) and try to abstain from those.
Sit to do Taleem as a family every day - find a time best suited for the whole family, whether its before iftaar, after taraweeh, after fajr, and sit for 5-10 minutes and read from an islamic book.
Give as much in charity as is possible - even if all you can afford is 50p a day - it's the thought that counts. Of course Allah knows everyone's circumstances and there's a difference with giving such little because it's all you have, and giving that much out of miserliness.
Attempt to wake up and partake in suhoor every morning - even if it's just one kajoor or a glass of water - for the time of suhoor is very blessed and full of blessings. Above all, it is a precious sunnah which we only partake in once a year.
Try to pray Tahajjud every night - before you have your suhoor, try pray at least 2 rakaats of tahajjud, and sit and make dua, for the time of tahajjud is very blessed and most of the year we don't get the opportunity to as we're in deep sleep in the 3rd portion of the night.
Try to refrain from wasting time - whilst fasting it can be very easy to just sit and be idle, sit on social media etc due to feeling lazy and low on energy but don't let your blessed days of Ramadhan slip away. Allah has chosen and allowed you to reach this beautiful month yet again, and this may be your last, so try to reap its bounties to the max. Being on social media during this month can be quite detrimental to your fast as you begin to see things which are bad/ listen to things you shouldn't be whilst fasting.
Have firm intentions - Go into Ramadhan with firm intentions of how you want to be once Ramadhan is over - whether that's wearing a hijab full time, giving up music, movies, shaping eyebrows, you want to grow a beard, dressing modestly, joining a madressah etc. Allah looks towards our intentions - if we intend to do something with full love and conviction, yet don't get round to completing that action, then Allah will still reward us with the full reward of that act. For example a haafiz; one intends (firmly) on starting hifz and they begin - however death over takes them and they were unable to complete their hifz of the Quran, however Allah will still bless that person (and his parents) with the full rewards a completed haafiz would receive. How merciful is our Allah.
Every day before you break your fast, sit for 10-15minutes and raise your hands and make dua - for there are 3 peoples duas who are never rejected, and one of them is a fasting person at the time of breaking his fast.
Zikr - Keep a tasbeeh with you all day and try to increase in zikr every day. Set yourself a goal for day 1 then every day add 5/10 to that and increase.
Feed a fasting person - my fave one! Race your siblings to be the first to put down the kajoor in everyones plates and water in everyones cups - The prophet (saw) has said to the nearest meaning; "the one who gives a fasting person something to break their fast, he will receive the reward of that persons fast, as well as his own, without any reward being decreased in the slightest" (Tirmidhi) . As for the water, Allah shall grant that giver a drink of water from the Hawthe Kawthar (pond).
It'ikaaf (seclusion) - If you don't have any commitments for the last 10 days of Ramadhan, then try to sit in it'ikaaf for the last 10 days. If you're unable to, then you can still reap beautiful rewards, by making intention every day, for every time you sit to do a good deed, pray Quran, make dua, of make intention of nafl it'ikaaf, even if it's just for 10 minutes- because the one who does so, gets the reward of three trenches dug between him and jahannam (hellfire), the size of one trench being the distance between the heavens and earth.
Salaah - Make it your goal to pray all 5 salaah this Ramadhan, every day. If you haven't been punctual all year round, then at least start with just the fardh for every salaah. Once you feel that is secured, then add the sunnahs and nafl. If you pray all 5, then try not to delay your salaah and pray at beginning time/ on time.
Obedience
Obedience and disciple are one of the many things we should take away from this month. It's about training ourselves and not giving into desires. We need to look at our mindset from the start - what do we really want to take from this month? Are we fasting because it's a good excuse for us to go on a diet? Are we doing it because we have to? Do we want to come out of this month better than we entered- spiritually?
Insha'Allah through the blessings of this month, we'll come out as better muslims, with a stronger control over our nafs and desires. The one thing that constantly sticks with me, is that the ulema say, if you want to fight your nafs, then go against it. Go against what it tells you to do. Overtime, you'll subdue your nafs and what it wants.
Allah has blessed you and I with yet another Ramadhan - we have lost so many souls from last Ramadhan till now, and we are truly blessed to be able to witness another one. Allah is giving me and you an excuse to seek his forgiveness and mend our ways before it's our time to go. Don't give yourself an excuse to give into your desires - carrying out good deeds in Ramadhan is easier more than ever - however we must make firm intention that Allah allows us to see these good deeds through till the end of the month and longer.
We make dua to Allah that He accepts our fasting and good deeds from us, and allows us to build a strong bond and love with our beautiful religion. We pray He allows us to implement as much good into our life as we can and we become His Wali before we pass away. Allah loves me and you. He wants to see us in Jannah. Make this the Ramadhan you change your actions and ways for the better and come close to Allah and His deen.
Remember me and the entire Ummah in your beautiful duas this Ramadhan.
Insha'Allah this post was beneficial for us all, and that we can all take something from this, even if it's just one point.
Lots of love xx
Comments