Preparations for Ramadhan

With the in-coming arrival of the greatest month in the year, I thought I'd have a reflection on Ramadhan. Amongst many great things, Ramadhan is largely about education. Fasting is a month's course in abstinence from what matters less in favour of what matters more, a course in self-discipline, devotion to Allah swt swt, and excellent behaviour.

One must note that education is not about just acquiring the knowledge that one can fulfil such duties, but education is essentially about changing the human being, and this change has to be visible in behaviour. When education doesn't change behaviour, it's just entertainment.

In this month, we seek to please Allah swt swt with our fast, prayer, and charity. But we would gain even more if we make sure we sustain the Ramadhanic education.

My suggestion today, pick something, just one thing, be it ridding yourself of a negative habit or getting a new good one, maintain it throughout Ramadhan, and long, long after Ramadhan is gone.

The Ramadhan Prep!

What Islam says about The Reality of your Obligations in Ramadhan.

During this Ramadhan do not let the sweetness of our deeds vanish into the night, leaving only emptiness. When one contemplates the texts on fasting, its wisdom and goals in Shariah, and looks at the reality of the Muslim communities, one realises a wide gap between the reality and our obligations. Remember that Ramadhan is a bounty that Allah swt blessed us with, to strengthen our faith, and increase our piety (Taqwa).

Allah swt said: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious." (Al-Baqarah 2:183).

Many of us ignore the purpose and wisdom of fasting. Fasting is done merely to conform to the social environment without contemplation. If one is not aware of the divine wisdom of Shariah and its fruits in this world and in the hereafter, one will not apply it in the right way.

So What are the Goals My Fasting??

Achieving Taqwa: is one of the most important wisdom of fasting. Fasting brings on Taqwa as it lessens the desire of the stomach and mutes the sexual appetite. Whoever fasts frequently would overcome these two desires more easily. This deters against committing abominations and sins and assist in controlling life leading to Taqwa. (Taqwá (Arabic: التقوى‎ at-taqwá) is the Islamic concept of "God-consciousness" or higher consciousness. It is related to the concept of conscience. Having taqwá allows a person to be constantly aware of both God's all-encompassing knowledge and attributes and a reminder of their relationship and responsibility to God as his creation and servant).

Strengthening willpower and acquiring patience: The Prophet pbuh called Ramadhan the month of patience as it increases one's will power to control his desire and the selfishness of his soul. This training allows him to be strong in following Allah swt's commands. The most important thing is to carry the Message and propel it forward. The person trains himself to be patient in obeying Allah swt by stopping at the limits set by Allah swt both by way is of action and abstention. Allah swt said: "These are the limits set by Allah swt, so approach them not." (Al-Baqarah 2:187)

Fasting is pure worship: The fact that he is abstaining from food and drink both in public and in secret shows his honest faith and strong love of Allah swt, and his knowledge and feeling that Allah swt is all-knowing of everything. For this reason Allah swt has made the reward for fasting greater than for any other type of worship. Allah swt said in the hadith Qudsi: "Every deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied [in rewards], the good deed by ten of its like, up to seven hundreds, up to whatever Allah swt wills, except fasting, it is for Me and I will reward it. He abandons his desire and his food for My sake.." (Related by Muslim). Relieving Muslims from life's distractions: Eating, drinking, and socialising all distract a person and weaken ties with Allah swt. It is by the Mercy of Allah swt that Muslims are ordered to fast so as not to be bothered by the intrusion of these activities. Nor by the thought about them nor the anticipation for them when devoting themselves to the all types of worship Either reading the Qur'an, offering additional prayer or making I'tikaf. For this reason the Prophet pbuh said: "Fasting is a shield, and a secure fortress against Hell fire" (Related by Ahmad).

Discovering Allah swt's Blessings: A person experiences the hardship of the poor. He should then be thankful to Allah swt Who has blessed him with His bounty while others are deprived. This should make him more sympathetic and willing to share this bounty. The poor rediscovers that fasting helps a person be more devoted to worship. More able to concentrate and meditate. He should then be able of this devotion all year long, a blessing he should thank Allah swt for.

Acquiring strength and endurance:It has been discovered that depriving the body of food for a period of time helps its defence and endurance mechanism. This in turn this protects the body from certain diseases. Remember that fasting is not only dependent on abstentions: Many believe that fasting consist only of certain abstentions, forgetting that Allah swt established certain acts of worship with fasting.

Among which are:
Qiyamul-layl: The Prophet pbuh said: "Whoever performed the night prayer during Ramadhan out of belief and anticipating God's rewards, will be forgiven his previous sins."(Related by Muslim).Performing Umrah: The Prophet pbuh said: "An Umrah during Ramadhan is like a Hajj with me." (Related by al-Hakim). Offering Iftar (meal) to those who fasted. The Prophet pbuh said: "Whoever feeds a fasting person has the same reward as him, except that the reward of the fasting person will not be diminished." (Related by Ahmad). Reading and completing the Qur'an: The Prophet pbuh said: "Fasting and [reading] Qur'an will intercede for the person: fasting will say: O Lord I forbade him eating and drinking so let me intercede for him, and the Qur'an will say: I deprived him from his night sleep so let me intercede for him," he then said: "So they will intercede." (Related by Ahmad). The Prophet pbuh used to recite the whole Qur'an to Angel Jibreel each Ramadhan.

Giving in charity: Ibn Abbas radhiAllah swtu anhu said: "The Prophet pbuh was the most generous among people, and he was more generous during the month of Ramadhan." (Related by Muslim).

Ihtikaaf: which is to confine oneself in the masjid for prayer and invocation leaving the worldly activities. Ibn Abbas radhiAllah swtu anhu said: "The Prophet pbuh used to perforrn I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan." (Related by Muslim). It is surprising that many people have abandoned I'tikaf though the Prophet pbuh never abandoned it from the time he arrived to Madinah until he died. Supplication: In the verses dealing with fasting, Allah swt said: "And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then answer them, I am indeed near to them. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me." (Al-Baqarah 2: 186). This is an encouragement for the fasting person to increase his invocation. The Prophet pbuh said: "Three invocations will be answered:
The invocation of the fasting person,
The invocation of the oppressed, and
The invocation of the traveler." (Related by Muslim).

Repentance: Ramadhan is the time of repentance and return to Allah swt, for it is a time when the devils are chained, and when many people are saved from hell fire every night by the grace of Allah swt. Applying oneself in all good deeds in the last ten days of Ramadhan: Aysha radhiallahu anha said: "When the last ten days come, he pbuh would pray most of the night and wake his family, and apply himself, and tighten up his loincloth.", and she also said: "The Messenger of Allah swt pbuh used to strive in the last days of Ramadhan more than he did during the other days." (Related by Muslim).

Abstaining from vain talk: Sins decrease the reward of fasting although they do not annul it. The Prophet pbuh said: "Fasting is not [only] abstaining from eating and drinking, but abstaining from vain and obscene talk, so if someone insulted you or wronged you say: I am fasting." (Related by al-Hakim) and he also said: 'Whoever does not abandon lying, then Allah swt does not need him to abandon his food and drink." (Related by al-Bukhari). Common errors made during Ramadhan Excessive spending: Ramadhan should be a time to avoid being wasteful, and learning to be prepared in facing harder times by distinguishing the needs from the luxuries. Unfortunately, many people go beyond their limits to spend during Ramadhan. Whether in the varieties of food that they savour each night, or by other types of spending.

Staying awake during the night and sleeping during the day: Some people sleep during most of the day when they are fasting. Ramadhan is not a time of being lazy, and this do not allow the full benefit from the experience of fasting. It is as if they have only inverted their nights into days and vice versa. In addition, some may spend a great portion of the night indulging in eating and drinking and socialising Spending more time in socialising: Because people invite each other more often during Ramadhan they do tend to spend more time socialising with friends, and relatives. While it is a good deed to feed the fasting person, this should not result in precious time lost in vain talk. Use the occasion for remembering Allah swt and offering additional prayers, and for the Da'wah to Allah swt. Insisting on performing a certain number of Rakaats during the Tarawih (night) prayer to the point of not praying behind the Imam and thus forfeiting the benefit of congregational prayer. This might also bring hatred and disagreement between the Muslims of one community.

Reading Qur'an too fast: Some insist on finishing the whole Qur'an once or more, even if they have to read very fast. Although reading the Qur'an many times is desirable, this should not be done hastily, especially during the Tarawih prayer without pondering upon its meaning. Allah swt ta'ala said: "This is a Book which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses," (Saad 38:29), and the Prophet pbuh said: "Those who read the Qur'an in less than three days do not grasp [its meaning]" Socializing in l'tikaf: Many people are eager to do I'tikaf but some confine themselves in the masjid not to pray and worship Allah swt but to talk and socialize. As a Muslim we should realise that our priorities dictate what we do and what benefits us in the Hereafter and should not put worldly interests first.

What does Islam say about Getting the Most Out of Ramadhan:
The month of Ramadhan provides us with a blessed chance to strengthen and purify our character. The general spirit of Ramadhan encourages us to live more wholesomely and better ourselves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us: "When the month of Ramadhan arrives, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of hell are locked, and the devils are chained." [Sahîh Muslim (1079) and Sunan al-Tirmidhî (682)]

The reduced temptation to do wrong afforded to us by fasting and the general atmosphere of Ramadhan gives us a chance to show Allah swt our best potential. We should do what we can to maximize this potential. Renew Your Relationship With the Qur'ân To get ourselves in the proper frame of mind – and earn Allah swt's blessings as well – we should devote more of our time to the Qur'ân. We should not only read it every day, but it is really important to reflect on what it is telling us, to ponder the lessons we can learn to improve our lives. The more we dwell upon the Qur'ân and its teachings, the better it will be for us, since Allah swt is speaking to us directly. The Qur'ân is a balm for our hearts, a restraint on our passions, and a cure for our doubts and misgivings. Therefore, we need to read the Qur'ân with sincerity and concentration. We need to seriously meditate on its meanings. How sad it is for a person who does not benefit from his or her reading of the Qur'ân.

Avoid Useless Behaviour During this month, we should be ever vigilant to avoid behaviour that can nullify or reduce the rewards and benefits of fasting. We should, for one thing, shun excess. This includes excess in food and drink. It also includes gossip and unnecessary speech. We should also seek to minimize other unnecessary distractions, even when it comes to the company that we keep. This is why making a retreat to the mosques is especially recommended in Ramadhan. While we are in retreat (i`tikâf) we free ourselves from the worries and preoccupations of our daily lives. Be Generous Another way to develop us in Ramadhan is to cultivate our generosity in this month and overcome our selfish tendencies. In other words, we should increase our charity. Ibn `Abbâs tells us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous of all people, but he was no more generous than he was in Ramadhan. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (1902) and Sahîh Muslim (2308)] Be Well-Mannered and Patient Cultivating good manners should another priority of ours. Good manners are the best companions that fasting person can have. Alas, too many people become estranged of their good manners when they are hungry.

Fasting is supposed to inculcate patience. Indeed, fasting is sometimes referred to as "patience". Allah swt says: "Seek Allah swt's help in patience and prayer." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 45] Some commentators on this verse interpret "patience" here to mean "fasting" so the verse is telling us to seek help in fasting and prayer.

Likewise, Ramadhan is described as the "Month of Patience" – and we know that the reward for patience is none other than Paradise. Allah swt says: "O my servants who believe! Fear your Lord. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah swt's earth. Only those who are patient will receive their reward without measure." [Sûrah al-Zumar: 10] With patience, we can cope with our lives throughout the year. Without this noble quality, our lives will be frustrating and bitter.

The month of Ramadhan is the time to develop this most essential quality. May Allah swt grant us success, InshaAllah

Happy Ramadhan-ul-kareem to all…….:)