How To Make The Best Out Of Ramadan (Ramadan Series-1)

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.

Baqarah - 183

The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion

Baqarah – 185

Assalamu alaikum!

 Ramadan Mubarak to every one of you.

Ramadan is a blessed month awaited every year by Muslims all over the World.

This is the month when the Quran was revealed.

So, let’s all use this month to strive to get good deeds, build a relationship with Allah and Quran and get closer to Him.

Today I want to share a few tips with you all to stay productive in Ramadan. This month is too short so let’s all make an effort to utilise every single moment.

1.       Quran: As we all know, Ramadan is the month of Quran, the month when this Holy Book was revealed. So, let’s use this month to form a strong bond with the word of Allah SWT. Read Quran every day. Remember that it’s not important how many times you finish the Quran in this month but rather how much you understood.

A practical advice I would like to give you all is to not jump in right away and start reading two-three pages every day. Because let’s face it, it’s impossible to cover even one page if you haven’t been reading it at all earlier.

So rather focus on reading at least an Ayah every day, understanding it, pondering over it and connecting it to your life. Listen to Tafseer or lectures regarding the surah and understand what they are saying.

Make a QURAN PLAN for Ramadan, where you write down what surah you covered and what you learned from them – pillars of Iman, Allah’s Names and Attributes, Commands and Prohibitions etc.

Remember it’ not the quantity that matters, it’s the quality.

2.       Dhikr – Constantly keep the remembrance of Allah on your tongue. Yes, the Shayateen and Jinnat are chained but your biggest challenge is you yourself- your desires. So keep remembering Allah and doing Dhikr. LA ilaha illa Allah, Subhanallahi WA bi hamdihi, Subhanallah IL azeem and many others are words that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scales.

3.       Faraid (obligations) – yes Ramadan is a month for gaining good deeds. For doing Qiyam, for giving charity. But what’s the point in doing all this when you’re missing out on your Faraid (obligations)?

You sleep and miss your Fajr Prayer but go out for Taraweeh?

Focus on your Obligations first. If throughout the year, you haven’t been able to pray all five prayers, make an effort to change that in Ramadan. Struggle to complete your obligations and then think about the Voluntary actions. The voluntary actions won’t make any difference if your obligations aren’t complete. Think of your obligations as the pillars of a building (Iman) and voluntary acts as the decoration inside. If the pillars are wobbly, will the decorations stay?

4.       Continue your efforts after Ramadan : A good way to know if your fasts will be accepted is by looking at yourself on the Eid day. How are you behaving? Are you going back to how you were before Ramadan? Back to Music, back to Missing prayers and back to swearing?

If this is the case, then it might be a warning sign. A sign of the acceptance of your fasts is that your efforts and deeds continue even after Ramadan.

5.       Taqwa – Increase your Taqwa in this month. Be extra aware of what you’re doing, what you’re saying, what you’re eating! Hold yourself accountable before you’re held accountable. Rectify your deeds and ask for forgiveness

6.       Dua – Make loads and loads of Dua in this month. In one of the Hadith of the Prophet SAW he mentions that Allah SWT accepts the dua of a slave every day. Make a List of things you want to ask Allah SWT and sit at the time of Iftar and ask Allah SWT – everything. Nothing is too small or too big for Him. Ask for Jannat ul Firdaus, ask for HIS forgiveness, ask for that new shirt you want to buy for Eid- anything, Just ASK!

7.       Goals- Make a list of goals you want to achieve in this Ramadan. Break down these goals into small actionable steps and work on them every day. Make an everyday checklist with items from this list and work on them. This will prompt you to be more productive and accountable. At the end of the month, you can even reward yourself when you achieve these goals. Some examples could be –

·         Hifz Amma Para

·         Help mum with chores

·         Read two ayahs every day and ponder over them

·         Do a good deed that nobody knows for Allah’s sake

8.       Charity- every small deed in this month counts. Start by giving a small amount every day. It doesn’t have to be money. Even a smile is Charity in Islam! You could give even a 100 fils every day and it would count for a lot depending on your intention.

9.       Intention: the most important part. No matter what you do, make an intention to do it solely for Allah’s sake. Seek only His pleasure, only His closeness.

10.   Relationships – take this month to improve relationships with your friends and family. Visit them. Go to Iftar parties. Invite them. And talk about Allah SWT. Share knowledge that each of you has. Use each other to get closer to Allah SWT. Talk about the prophets, about the Sahabahs, and share your pondering over the Quran with them.

I hope these few tips will help you to make the best out of this blessed month.

With loads of Love,

Halima.

Check out the Next Post in the Ramadan Series - How to Prepare for Ramadan

Don't Keep this information to yourself. Sharing is caring!