What is Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar. Ramadan is very special because Allah revealed the Quran in this month. Quran guides us to Allah and all the goodness of this life and the afterlife. Allah has made fasting compulsory for the adult Muslims in this month.
Acts of obedience to Allah and good deeds during Ramadan have great
reward. So the Muslim should be eager to do all that which is pleasing
to Allah so that Allah will love him and reward him greatly.
Muslims
who are most eager to gather good deeds spend a large part of their
days and nights in worshiping Allah during Ramadan. There are many ways
to earn good deeds and worship Allah, such as praying extra prayers like
the ‘taraweeh’ at night, reading and learning Quran, giving charity,
giving meals to the poor to break their fast, having good manners with
everyone especially parents, learning and teaching others about Islam,
following Prophet Muhammed ~ in everything we do throughout the day,
remembering Allah much (for example, by reciting Subhan-Allahi wa
bi-hamdih), making du’aa and asking Allah to forgive you.
Reward of fasting
- The reward of fasting in Ramadan is that all of your previous sins will be forgiven.
- Fasting is the most beloved deed to Allah, and so the reward of fasting is more than any other good deeds.
- Fasting protects you from the Fire of Hell.
- hose who complete the compulsory fasts in Ramadan and also do some extra fasting in other months (which is not compulsory) will enter the Jannah from a special gate called Al-Rayyaan. This gate is especially for those who fast, no one else will be allowed to go through it.
Fasting is about good manners
The fasting person should avoid something more than only food and drink. A fasting person should not behave badly.
True Islamic fast is the one in which a person does not eat or drink, talks only good, remembers Allah much, and behaves kindly with everyone. A person who fasts in this manner will get the complete reward from Allah. However, if a person only avoids eating and drinking, but he lies, backbites, fights, and talks unnecessarily then his reward gets less, so much so that he may not get any reward at all for his fast.
5 Ways to prepare for Ramadan
Ramadan is the most auspicious month of the year for Muslims. Around the world, we aim to use the month to redevelop or enhance our connection with Allah (SWT) and so the month is of extreme importance to every Muslim.
Prepare a schedule to follow
It is not unnatural to feel lost and incoherent during the first few days of the month. With fasting, Tarawih and other practices comes a different and mostly novel format to the day. The way to make sure you are not a confused mess during the first few days is to prepare a schedule to follow beforehand, meaning that you must note down all the different practices you wish to commit to during the month and try to find a way to incorporate them with other professional and personal commitments. An easy way to do this is to think of the different pockets of free time you have throughout the day and fit in a prioritized list of deeds within those time-slots.
Improve your Salah
Salah is one of the most important modes of prayer and perhaps the quintessential mode of submission to Allah (SWT), so spending some time improving different aspects of your prayer will definitely go a long way in getting the most out of the month. Be it during Taraweeh or late-night Nafls, a concentrated proper Salah will exponentially increase the pleasure you get out of praying to the Almighty.
Read up on the uniqueness of Ramadan
Reading up on the auspiciousness of the month will not only give you an increased sense of motivation to engage yourself in as many good deeds as possible during the month, but will also create an eagerness for the month to arrive. What better than to prepare for the month by displaying the same eagerness that the beloved Prophet (PBUH) would display.
Think of healthy Iftar meals
In the raging hunger that we feel during that helpless await for the Athan, most would testify that eating healthy is usually very low on the agenda. However, we must understand that Ramadan is more about re-establishing a commitment to Islam than about chomping down on uncountable plates of food, so it is important to be wary of what we eat during the month. It is also, of course, important to not gain a hundred kilos during the month, so it may be pertinent to think of ways through which Iftar and Sehri can be made healthier. Take a look at these effective tips for preparing healthy Iftar meals. Pre-planning for a healthy Iftaar may also be less burdensome on the wallet!
Take care of someone else’s Ramadan
Ramadan can be a real financial burden on some people, which makes it all the more important for those privileged enough to ease their burdens. There is perhaps no better feeling than knowing you have made someone else’s life more comfortable or rid them of a severe burden. If you know someone who could use a little help in preparing for the month, do not hesitate to help them out. Islam is more than just a set of rituals; a true Muslim is one who worries about and cares for his or her fellow Muslims, take this opportunity to please the Almighty and emulate the beautiful ways of our Prophet (PBUH)!
