Preparing ourselves for Ramadan

All praise is for Allah; we praise Him, seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our souls and from the wickedness of our actions.

Whosoever Allaah guides, then none can misguide him and whosoever Allaah misguides, then none can guide him

Every Muslim should prepare himself to welcome the blessed month of Ramadan by strengthening his relationship with the Qur’an, busing himself with the spirit of fasting, and recharging his spiritual battery to prepare himself to make the whole blessed month of Ramadan a real occasion of sincere obedience.

The month of Ramadan is the best season for offering good deeds and gaining reward. It is the duty of every Muslim to prepare himself for that blessed month.

Ramadan is an event that occurs in the life of the faithful, as individuals and as an Ummah, once a year. It is intended by Allah to help us to recharge our spiritual batteries and thus prepare us for the great mission of realizing His will on earth. Therefore, in order to benefit from Ramadan, we may do well to prepare for it by opening our hearts and minds to embrace it.

Here are few tips which may help us optimise our time during the auspicious month

1. Start reading Quran daily after Salat al-Fajr

2. Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran.

3. Train yourself to go bed early so that you can wake up far Salat al-Fajr.

4. Keep yourself in a state of Wudu (Ablution) most of the time.

5. Evaluate yourself daily before going bed.

6.Thank Allah for good deeds,and repent to Him for your mistakes and sins.

7. Start giving Sadaqah daily,no matter how little. Make it a habit like eating and drinking.

8. Find time to pray extras,such as Tahajjud prayers.

9. Spend more time reading Islamic books, especially the Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh.

10. Find time to help others with your wisdom,knowledge and other talents.

11. Try to write articles on Islam for Muslims as well as for non-Muslims.

12. Associate with Muslim scholars / ulama and other pious people so that you may learn from them.

13. Train yourself to do good, render free service to others to seek the pleasure of Allah.

What to avoid

1. Avoid/reduce watching TV; instead spend more time reading the Quran and other Islamic literature.

2. Avoid looking at unlawful pictures,whether magazines,department store catalogs or otherwise.

3.Spend free time in Masajid, Islamic organizations and make that a daily habit.

4 .If you smoke, try to reduce daily usage; otherwise Ramadan will be very difficult for you to observe.

5 .If you have friends who do not practice the teaching of Islam, try to avoid socializing with them.

6 . If you travel a lot on business,try to do more local business,so you can be more closer to your family and community.

7 . If you are used to staying up till midnight, try to go to bed earlier, so that you will be able to wake up early for Salat al-Fajr and Tahajjud prayers as well.

To prepare ourselves before the month of Ramadan arrives is far better than waiting till it comes.

To prepare ourselves for anything in life is a sign of wisdom and maturity.

No one is assured of living one day more; tomorrow may not come.So hurry and benefit from blessings and rewards from Allah.


Remember:

"Time is not money or gold; it is life itself and is limited. You must begin to appreciate every moment of your life and always strive to make the best use of it. Also remember these auspicious days of Ramadan are so precious that the sahabas used to pray Allah SWT since 6 months earlier to Ramadan to get them into this month. Kindly value the time of this month.

May Allah swt help us optimise the month and we all get spiritually recharged & trained towards becoming good muslims. Ameen