Author: Bilal Memon, founder of Quran Academy
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the following:
“Every action a son of Adam does shall be multiplied—a good action by ten times its value, up to 700 times. Allah says: With the exception of fasting, which belongs to Me, and I reward it accordingly; for one abandons his desire and food for My sake."
“There are two occasions of joy for a fasting person: one when he breaks his fast, and the other when he meets his Lord, and the (bad) breath (of a fasting person) is better in the sight of Allah than the fragrance of musk.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 1638)
Both Hadiths mentioned above exemplify the magnitude of the blessings of fasting during Ramadan! Ramadan is highly cherished by almost 2 billion Muslims globally and we acknowledge that this month is something we cannot afford to miss out on. The blessings of this month are beyond our imagination and the forgiveness from our Creator is incomprehensible. He (SWT) forgives and loves us more than we can ever imagine!
And if one lacks motivation then this is something helpful for them:
“..And may a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated….”(At-Tirmidhi, 3545)
It is something that one needs to always keep in the back of his head. It has so much depth that once you truly ponder over it, you will not take Ramadan lightly and you’ll work hard towards making it a Meaningful Ramadan for yourself and for those around you, Insha’Allah.
On another note, often times we still become the victims of huge iftar parties and family gatherings that between it all, we forget the real essence of this Holy Month. Keeping up ties with family members and friends and helping others break their fasts is a noble deed but we must also make sure we have time for personal Ibadah & self-reflection. Unfortunately, many times we get busy preparing for a massive iftar feast to the point that we hardly get any time for meaningful worship during the day and by night time, we’re completely exhausted.
We have a laundry list of distractions from work, school, family, etc, but it’s imperative we start preparing now to make the most out of this blessed month and reduce as many distractions as possible for a Productive Ramadan! By ‘planning’ in advance for Ramadan, we can Insha’Allah develop habits that will help us TRANSFORM our Ramadan!
Remember our main goal of this Blessed Month is to create and maintain a strong and beautiful connection with Allah SWT. In this month, we hope to commit far fewer sins than usual and we are given many opportunities to wipe our sins away Alhumdulillah, which helps us become closer to Allah Kareem.
Here are some practical tips we can take advantage of for a Meaningful Ramadan!
Reciting more Quran
The Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “It is imperative for you to have Taqwa [fear/consciousness of Allah] for this is the accumulation of all good. And upon you is Jihad (struggle) in the path of Allah for it is the monasticism of the Muslims. [Finally]...upon you is the Remembrance of Allah and the recitation of His Book, for it is light for you on earth and [a means by which] you will be mentioned in the Heavens.” (Targhib wa-Tarhib no. 4/24, Jami as-Sagheer no. 5495 – [Sahih])
Studying the Quran and its meaning
The Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has His own people among mankind.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, who are they?” He said: “The people of the Qur’an, the people of Allah and those who are closest to Him.'" (Ibn Majah, 215)-[Hasan]
Practicing religious knowledge as much as possible NOW
"Ask Allah for beneficial knowledge and seek refuge with Allah from the knowledge that is of no benefit. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 3843)
Fasting and observing patients in various aspects of our lives
The Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Fasting is a shield; so when one of you is fasting he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice in anger. If someone attacks him or insults him, let him say: "I am fasting!" (Muslim, 2566)
Remembering Allah more frequently through adhkars
"O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance." (Al-Ahzab 33:41)
“Verily in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest” (13:28)
Making lots of Dua. And when you make Dua, beg to Allah SWT and do so with sincerity and passion. Try to compile a list of powerful dua’s (Fortress of a Muslim is a great resource for this!)
Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:
The Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Supplication (dua) is itself worship." (Abu Dawud, 1465)
Studying the Hadith in more depth and learning why it’s imperative to follow the Sunnah to establish a strong and spiritual connection with Allah Kareem
Hadhrat Mu'awiyah (Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen." (Riyad As-Salihin, 1376)
Giving out charity
Salman bin Amir Dabbi narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Charity given to the poor is charity, and that given to a relative is two things: charity and upholding the ties of kinship.” (Sunan ibn Majah Vol. 3, Book 8, Hadith 1844)
Try to memorize a Surah you’ve always wanted to memorize
Narrated by Uthman bin Affan, the Beloved Prophet said: "The most superior among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it." (Bukhari, 5028)
Spend time alone with Allah Kareem. Worship Him in solitude. Talk to HIM. Really connect!
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious). (Quran 2:21)
Another thing to keep in mind is to find the right balance between spiritual acts and worldly responsibilities during this blessed month. This all comes down to preparing yourself beforehand for a productive and spiritual Ramadan.
Most importantly, keep your intentions pure. Keep renewing them as much as you can because intentions can turn and twist without us realizing it. So keep reminding yourself of the main purpose of all the worship that you are engaging in. Don’t let your efforts go to waste because your intentions weren’t clear from the beginning. Also, make sure to renew your Shahadah as often as you can.
May Allah Bless the entire Muslim Ummah and help each and every one of us to achieve the best from this Ramadan. Ameen.
To know more about how you can learn to empower yourself with the beauty and blessings of Ramadan while establishing a strong connection with the Creator and a fully charged relationship with the Glorious Quran - Sign up for this FREE Video Series that will teach you how to make this the most transformational Ramadan you’ve experienced, Insha’Allah.
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This post is written by Bilal Memon, founder of Quran Academy.
