The countdown for Ramadan has begun. Some would say, “A long way to go still…”, while others would say, “It is so close!”. It’s a matter of perspective: how do we look at a situation. In the case of Ramadan, perspectives don’t count. The fact is that Ramadan is around the corner and we need to start our preparations. But, what should be the goal of our preparations?

Allah  says,

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” 1

The goal has been laid down: to have taqwa, to become righteous, to become the muttaqoon!

What is Taqwa?

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah states that taqwa includes doing everything that Allah has enjoined whether it is waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended), and avoiding all that He has forbidden, whether it is haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked). 2

The scholars in Islam have said that:

 “Taqwa is an abundant treasure, a precious trait, an honorable substance, a great success and it assembles the best of both worlds. Those who have taqwa are the friends of Allah. Allah has promised them success at the time of death and deliverance from Hell on the Day of Judgement. They will abide forever in Paradise next to their Gracious Lord…….Every intelligent person envies such prestige and only a fool undermines such privileges. So beware! Do not become among the foolhardy lest you regret on the day when remorse and sorrow will have no effect.” 3

Prepare To Achieve Your Target

This is the ultimate goal of our Ramadan preparations; to be among the righteous, for now and forever!

Let’s talk facts. Do we expect to become muttaqoon overnight? The Ramadan moon is sighted and BOOM!!! the taqwa seed blossoms into a radiant flower within us? NO, of course NOT! 

In order to have the privilege of being among the righteous, we have to start now. For the moment, we can think about preparing ourselves with this goal for Ramadan and then, let this goal become a part of our lives too insha’Allah. We have already delayed our responsibilities as a Muslim for a long time or just attended to them in the month of Ramadan and have ultimately become “Ramadan Muslims”. This is the sad reality of the ummah today. So, how can we rectify our mistakes and achieve the goal of becoming muttaqoon?  Let’s find out:

Fasting The First Half Of Sha’ban:

‘A’ishah  said: “The Messenger  used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’ban.” 4

I refer to this as starting my “internal countdown timer”! These fasts tend to send a 30-day advance notification to your mind and body. You will experience the spiritual foundation being laid within yourself. You will have also succeeded in following the advice of the Prophet , and in turn obeying Allah . Also, if your intention while observing these fasts was to please Allah  sincerely, you have managed to multiply your rewards!

Begin The Countdown

Put all your social media to beneficial and productive use. Share Ramadan posts, tips, ahadith, articles, ayahs and so on. When the hype goes up, the excitement grows and the preparation increases ten folds! By this, you will get into the spiritual ‘groove’ quite early, thereby, increasing your acts of ‘ibadah.

“Stock” Your Mind

We know how to stock our pantry for Ramadan. How about doing the same with our mind? Confused? I am referring to seeking knowledge. Read, read and read more! Gather information on the sunnah practices to be observed during Ramadan, how to enhance rewards in this blessed month, how to purify yourselves, how to please Allah  and so on. The topics are endless and so are the resources. You are not expected to become an ‘aalim/’aalimah overnight. Start small: maybe one hadith/ayah per day with explanation, an inspirational article, stories about our Prophets or Sahabas, anything will do. Just make a start!

“Mirror Mirror On the Wall!”

Look past your skin, flesh and bones, deep into your soul. You know what kind of haraam activities you are involved in- big or small. Train yourself from now to get rid of them, one at a time. Punish yourself for repeating it and thank Allah each time you refrain from it. Being a responsible Muslim, it’s time to learn self-control.

The Pre-Ramadan Plan

Education plans, career plans, wedding plans, etc. – we are great at all of it. Then why not a pre-Ramadan plan? You know your life, your schedules and your commitments. Keeping these in mind, chalk out a daily/weekly task plan (you could do this mentally too) that should include at least one Islam oriented activity- nafl fasts, nafl salaah, dhikr, Qur’an recitation, reading an Islamic book/article, listening to a lecture, charity and so on. The point is to ‘Islamisize’ your time. Of course, this is not only a pre-Ramadan, post-Ramadan or during-Ramadan plan alone, but something you should make a regular habit of throughout the year.

Sincere Dua’

Do not under estimate the power of dua’ and do not over estimate your capabilities. You may have had a sincere intention but maybe, you did not ask Allah  to help you achieve it. If that’s the case, you will eventually end up giving up on it. Remember that without the Will, Mercy and Help of Allah , you cannot be successful. You must make an attempt to turn to Allah . Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to make you steadfast in your pursuit, ask Him to help you attain His pleasure. We are the slaves of Allah . Submit to Him with humbleness. Beg for His forgiveness, yearn for His Mercy, ask for His Guidance, for the ones who are truly guided are the ones guided by Allah!

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Beg for His forgiveness, yearn for His Mercy, ask for His Guidance, for the ones who are truly guided are the ones guided by Allah!

Small Beginnings

Start small. Set achievable goals. Do not overburden yourself. Else, you will run out of steam in a week. Always set aside some “me” time too, but bear in mind to keep it halal.

There are many ways in which you can make small beginnings. You can include sunnah salaah to your daily prayers, fast at least 1 nafl fast per month, read one page Qur’an daily, include the daily adhkaar before eating, leaving the house, entering the washroom, etc. This hardly takes 10 minutes out of 24 hours. Are we not ready to set aside such a small amount of time for the One who has blessed us with this life? Selfish we are indeed!

Brothers and Sisters in Islam, do not be “Ramadan Muslims” who only remember their religion in the month of Ramadan. Allah  is calling us to righteousness and success. How long will we live in this world? 40, 60 or maximum 80 years? What next? Have we polished ourselves with the taqwa that Allah  has asked us to? Have we submitted ourselves in totality to our Creator?

Make this Ramadan the turning point in your life. Break free from the deceptions of this world and indulge into the sweetness of eeman. Trust me, you will never regret!

Please share your suggestions on how we can boost our taqwa in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.  

Until next time,

Assalamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu!

 Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 183 ↩

 From the essay of al-Wasiyyah al-Jaami’ah li khayr al-Sunya wa’l-Aakhirah : http://archive.org/stream/AdviceForOnesAffairs-IbnTaymiyah/AdviceForOnesAffairs-IbnTaymiyah_djvu.txt ↩

 Taqwa: The Provision of Believers. Compiled by Aby Maryam Majdi, Al-Firdous Ltd from the works of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali ↩

 Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956; Also refer: http://islamqa.info/en/13726 ↩

 Surah al-Kahf, 18:17 ↩




http://blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com/the-pre-ramadan-preparation-the-taqwa-boost/

In essence, we need to be spiritually prepared for the blessed month. Jazakallu khairan

Jazakallahu khairun, may we all witness it in health and strength so as to benefit from it tremendous reward 2 its fullest. In shaa Allah!

Jazakumlahukaeran.

Jazakhalllahu khair for d remembrance.

I am kind of looking forward to this fasting sha, I just hope I meet all my expectations. In the last ramadan, the last ten days was a bomb for me, because I was able to plan my leave during that time and I traveled with my friend to Ilorin (Lawal's mosque) for Ihtiqhaf. I hope I can do same this year.
For those of us with free time during this period, I invite you to the mini-hajj during this period. You will learn a lot from the knowledgeable yet very humble imam of the program. The mosque is spacious enough for any crowd and there is free food in the morning and evening. It was my first time and my best moment last year

May Almighty Allah make us witness Ramadan with Imaan, and accept it from us.

may ALLAH SUBHANAHU WATA'ALA MAKE THE FASTING BRING FORTH GLAD TIDINGS UPON US ALL.

May Allah make us witness it and enjoy it's bounties

Allahu Akbar may Almighty Allah let us witnes the holy month succesfuly

Jazzakumunllahu Khairan, May Allah be please with us Amin. Cheers!

OP, Jazakallah bil jannah.

May Allah (swt) make us witness many more Ramadan and accept our deeds as acts of Ibaadah. Ameen

Jazakumulahi Kairan
May Ramadan Meet Us In Good Health And Wealth!
#Jum@ mUbaraq

Looking forward to Ramadan..

I really do need his guidance right now...let d fast begin

Ma Sha Allah.

In optimization of the bounties of Ramadan, the Quran has been divided into 30 days. For easy reading, each day recitation has also been divided into each solat time; meaning the recitations for each day have been compartmentalized to after each solat. For easy reading (on the go), and understanding both Arabic, transliteration and translation will be available. The link for each day recitation shall be posted here before the Sahoor (present dawn mean). You can as well join the Facebook group on https://m./709231892423987?refid=46&sld=eyJzZWFyY2hfc2lkIjoiMWU4NzYyMTExNDc4MTFhYjNjOWZhNDdhY2RlNjc1OGQiLCJxdWVyeSI6IlRoZSBRdXJhbmljIFByb2plY3QiLCJzZWFyY2hfdHlwZSI6IlNlYXJjaCIsInNlcXVlbmNlX2lkIjoxMzcwODQwNDQyLCJwYWdlX251bWJlciI6MSwiZmlsdGVyX3R5cGUiOiJTZWFyY2giLCJlbnRfaWQiOjcwOTIzMTg5MjQyMzk4NywicG9zaXRpb24iOjAsInJlc3VsdF90eXBlIjo2OX0%3D

May Allah make this Ramadan one of the many that we will witness on earth. Aameen

Ramadan.

Ramadan and Positive Change

Devotion and piety can themselves become habits. When a person starts concentrating in prayer, it is difficult at first to keep focus. The mind is easily distracted. However, after years of persistence, devotion and presence of mind in prayer become second-nature.

Ask yourself honestly: Do you feel happy about the arrival of Ramadan? Or does it get you down? Or do you have mixed feelings?

If you have any negative feelings, then take some time to read about the virtues and blessings of Ramadan. Then think of your own life and your shortcomings. Think of how much you need God’s mercy and forgiveness. Know that fasting in Ramadan was prescribed by the one who is most generous, most kind and most forgiving. He did not prescribe fasting to punish us, but rather to purify our minds and hearts, and to make us more generous,
compassionate, and healthy people. You will come away from such thinking looking forward to the arrival of Ramadan, thankful that you are able to fast.

With the same spirit, you will be motivated to perform the nightly Taraweeh prayers, or at least to observe of those prayers daily what is easy for you. Think of the great number of people who are praying with you. Look for a location where the positive atmosphere is most conducive. Find a mosque where the Imam reads most beautifully. There is nothing wrong with that. Observe the prayer as much as your heart stays engaged with it. If you find yourself growing weary, then depart. Keep in mind that God’s mercy is descending upon the congregation and you are among
them sharing in that blessing. “They are such an assembly, that one who is in their company is not bereft of blessings.”

When you are prostrating, disclose your troubles and sorrows to God while beseeching Him to forgive you and overlook your sins. No matter how great your transgressions might be, they are nothing in comparison to God’s generosity and mercy. Be optimistic that God will accept your prayers, despite the shortcomings in your devotion and presence of mind. Everything in life requires striving, and we all have our shortcomings and difficulties. We place our hopes in God.

Remember that God says: “I am as my servant expects of Me to be.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

Ramadan will become the beginning of a change for the better. It will be an experience of faith that will
bring joy, new hope and greater happiness to your life. Make it your habit in Ramadan to spend in charity. When you are shopping to choose nice foods to break your fast with, consider those who do not have enough to eat. Think about the mothers in the world who do not have enough food to feed their starving children and whose decision is to determine which of them is presently closer to death.

Make it your habit in Ramadan to be with your family. Make the atmosphere at home one of love and kindness. Ramadan gives us many occasions to spend quality time together and to share memorable experiences with our children. We should likewise make it our Ramadan habit to cement ties with our relatives, neighbors and friends, even by making phone calls, sending an e-mail, or giving Ramadan greetings.

Let us not make it our Ramadan habit to overeat at night. Let us not make it the month where we eat more than at any other time of year. Instead, make it your habit to show kindness to others, to keep your anger in check, and to forgive
others their faults.

May Allah accept from us our worship during this blessed month.

HAPPY RAMADAN IN ADVANCE!!!