On the First Night of Ramadan I Will - 8 Steps to Get Ready for Ramadan

On the First Night of Ramadan


– I will reflect on the hadith in which the Prophet said about this particular night. He said:

When the first night of Ramadan comes, the gates of heavens are open and not a single gate is closed, and the gates of the hell are closed not a single gate is open. The devils are chained. A caller will call, ‘O you who want to do good, come forth; O you who want to do evil stop.’ And Allah sets people free from hell every single night. (Al-Bukhari)

– I will make the supplication which the Prophet used to make:

O Allah, start this month with good and Iman, safety and Islam. (At-Tirmidhi)

The Greatest Name of God by Which He Answers Dua

– I will send emails to all my friends congratulating them with the blessed month. I’ll ask them to remember me in their du’a while worshiping God in these beautiful moments.

I will post the congratulation on my Facebook, my blog and my google talk picture. I’ll change my status to, “blessed with the blessed month, in a dire need of God’s mercy.” This will help reminding everyone with the moment.

Support AboutIslam.net


–  I will use the moment to repent to God expecting his great forgiveness to cover me in these remarkable moments. I’ll make a strong determination to quit all my sins and come out of Ramadan a different man.

On the First Night of Ramadan I Will... - About Islam


–  I will not forget to pray Taraweeh at the night before the first day of fasting and is almost forgotten by many people.

–  I will not get into long disputes about the method of deciding the beginning of Ramadan and I will follow my local community if they adopt any of the legitimate scholars’ opinions in their decision.

– I will explain briefly to those who waste their time in this dispute that it is better to spend our time worshiping God rather than disputing about something which God will not hold us accountable for. And I will try to foster unity in my community and between local communities as much as I can.

–  I will make a list of my friends and colleagues who may not know much about the blessings of Ramadan and try to make a plan of how to get them closer to God in this blessed opportunity.

Every Single Day


Before Fajr (Dawn) Prayer


–  I will start my day a while before fajr. The time before fajr is so valuable. The Prophet said that God descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night calling upon his creation:

Is there anyone who wants to ask for something so I give him? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so I forgive him? Is there anyone who wants to repent so I accept his repentance? (Al-Bukhari)

Allah praised high quality believers by the practice of “asking forgiveness during this time.”

–  I will make sure I have suhur– the meal before fajr. The Prophet said:

Have suhur for there is a blessing in suhur. (Al-Bukhari)

– I will take 10-15 minutes before fajr prayer sitting alone asking God for forgiveness and calling upon Him in response to His call. The Prophet said when asked about which part of the night is better in accepting du’a:

The last part of the night.

I will also make a short night prayer during which I will prostrate and get even closer to Allah as the Prophet Muhammad said:

The closest the servant of Allah will be is when he is in the state of prostration.

I will glorify God in my sujud (prostration) and call upon Him. And I will seek His guidance, help, and support in this beautiful time.

Fajr Time


4 Stories of New Muslims Boosting Faith and Spirituality

–  I will try my best to make Subh prayer (This is the name used for the morning prayer. Fajr prayer is often used to mean the two optional rak’as before Subh prayer) in the mosque.

I will go to the closest mosque to my house even if it is a little far. And I will consider my steps an elevation in my degrees and an expiation of my sins as the Prophet promised.

I will feel the happiness and the gratitude of praying in congregation during fajr time, an act which makes me pure of hypocrisy as the prophet mentioned.

–  I will remember to make the optional fajr prayer which is 2 rak’as for the Prophet said:

The two rak’as of fajr are better than this life and what is in it. (Muslim)

–  If I reach the masjid before Iqamah time, I will sit and make du’a. The Prophet said:

Du’a between Adhan and Iqamah is not rejected. (Abu Dawud)

–  I will make sure I remember God after Prayer for the Prophet said:

Whoever says Subhana Allah 33 times, Alhamdu Lillah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times, and then completed the 100 by saying “La Ilaha Illah Allah, Wahdahu La sharika lah lahu al-Mulk walau Al-Hamd wa howa ‘ala koli shai’ qadir,” his sins will be wiped out even if they are like the foam of the sea.

– I will remember to say “Ayat al-Kursi (verse 2: 255)” for the Prophet said if you say it after prayer there is nothing between you and Paradise except death.

–  I will try, especially during weekends, to stay after fajr in the mosque remembering God, reciting some Quran until 15 minutes after sunrise. And I will then make a 2,4,6, or 8 raka’as . I will feel the reward of a complete Hajj and Umrah as the Prophet promised.

After Fajr


How I Came to Know and Love the Real God

–  I will try to sleep a little before going to work.

– I will go to work and will do my best to excel in my job. And I will try to remove the misconception that Ramadan is a month of laziness. Also I will consider my job an act of worship, simultaneously worshiping God by fasting and working.

–  I will get a few minutes in the office where I will relax and try to close my eyes in a half-sleeping mode for that gives me energy as if I really slept for some time. And I will need it to resume my day and to relax in preparation for a long night.

–  I will try my best to make Dhuhr and Asr prayers on time and I will make them in congregation during the weekends.

Iftar Time


–  I will make my Iftar most of the time in the mosque as my community always does. When it is our turn to prepare Iftar, I will take the intention for giving Iftar to all those who are fasting for there is an immense reward in it. The Prophet said:

Whoever gives Iftar to a fasting person, will get a similar reward. (At-Tirmidhi)

–  I will try to go a few minutes before Maghrib so I can spend sometime in the mosque remembering God and making du’a.

–  I will break my fasting feeling the happiness the Prophet mentioned. The happiness of someone who was allowed to complete his day of fasting and was given the opportunity to eat. And I will recall the other part of the happiness the Prophet mentioned when I meet God with this day of fasting. These are the two pieces of happiness the Prophet mentioned in his hadith:

The one who fasts has two happiness: one when he breaks his fast and the other when he meets his Lord. (Al-Bukhari)

– I will remember to make dua at this very moment of breaking my fasting for this is a time the du’a is accepted as the Prophet mentioned. And I will remember my family, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and all Muslims during my du’a.

–  I will not eat a lot to prepare myself for taraweeh prayer and I will make sure I eat healthy food.

“O Allah, make us reach Ramadan!”


Ramadan Makes Me Feel Guilty and Delinquent

QI have a problem with Ramadan. I cannot say I do not like Ramadan, but I do not react to it as most people do.

People are usually very happy with the coming of Ramadan and have happy memories in relation to this holy month. I like Ramadan only because Allah (swt) and Prophet Mohammad (saw) put it in a very special status. However, I have a personal problem with it: Whenever I hear its name, I feel pressured. The name Ramadan makes me subconsciously feel guilty and delinquent. I always have the feeling that no matter how much I pray or read the Qur'an or do any of the acts of worship, I will still be way behind what I am supposed to do.

Besides, when I feel I do not like Ramadan, this adds to my feeling of guilt. As a Muslim who loves Allah (swt) and Prophet Muhammad (saw), I feel I should love Ramadan. Actually, I want to love Ramadan and love to worship Allah (swt) and to follow the footsteps of His Prophet (saw). I want to feel the comfort and spirituality Ramadan is supposed to give. But I am deprived of all these feelings because of the dominating feeling of guilt that is always accompanying me and making my life really hard.

I believe that this point cannot be separated from the general feeling of guilt that has accompanied me throughout my life in all aspects. I take everything as an obligation — a heavy obligation, and hence I cannot enjoy doing anything. I need your advice as to how I could get rid of this deep-seated feeling of guilt.


ANSWER

Thank you for your question and your honesty regarding your feelings about Ramadan. I think your insight into your inner feelings is serving you well. It seems that Ramadan reminds you of a much deeper issue with which you have been struggling throughout your life: this overwhelming feeling of guilt, which you are carrying around for some reason.

Ramadan, for whatever reason, tends to magnify this feeling and, as such, you do not have the same kind of feelings about this month many other Muslims might have. It makes sense to me: If Ramadan exacerbates your feeling of guilt, then why should it be a special month for you? Thus, your question is not about Ramadan. The question is: why do you have such overwhelming feeling of guilt?

Support AboutIslam.net


The way you described your feeling of guilt reminds me of what many Catholics experience as a result of the teachings and theology that focus much on the inherent, sinful nature of human beings and the burden of carrying the Original Sin. This tends to weigh on one’s conscious. Being constantly reminded of our inherent, sinful nature can be overwhelming and burdensome to our souls. If it is not understood correctly and in the proper context, and if it is not balanced up by believing in Allah’s (swt) forgiveness and mercy.

Thank Allah (swt) for the blessing of Islam. Islam has liberated humans from this excessive and incorrect worldview which has shackled humanity by the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. Islam set the record straight. The Original Sin, as taught in the Qur’an, was committed by Adam and Eve, and then it was forgiven by Allah (swt). Therefore, there is no burden that the humankind should carry.

We, humans, sin because we forget, but our sins are constantly forgiven, in sha’ Allah, through Allah’s mercy. He, the Almighty, loves to forgive, and He reminds us throughout the Qur’an and Divine Hadiths that all we have to do is repent, sincerely ask for His forgiveness, and change our ways, and then forgiveness would be granted to us.

So, the question is, why do you have this huge burden of guilt, especially when you know that Allah (swt) loves to forgive? Sin is not the centerpiece of our religion as it is in other traditions. Sin is something we do that merely takes us off track, but Allah (swt) has made it so easy for us to get back on track.

This religion, Islam, is about realizing Allah’s (swt) Oneness and seeking His mercy and greatness. It is not about sin, so why this feeling of guilt? This is what you need to think about. You need to seriously reflect on the reason why you carry this feeling of guilt around. You did not give us any real clues in your question, but maybe that is what you need to focus on now.

Make use of this Ramadan and try to understand yourself better. Look back at your life and your experiences: Who taught you that you deserve such feeling of guilt? What did you do that made you erroneously believe that you are too bad to be forgiven? Where does this belief stem from?

That is the work you need to do now. If you think we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to write to us again.


How Many Hours is Your Ramadan? Our Audience Respond

As Muslims worldwide observe the holy month of Ramadan, many countries will fast shorter hours than previous years, as Ramadan falls in spring this year.

Annually, Hijri years arrive 11 days earlier in respect to the solar Gregorian calendar. This yearly shift makes the holy 9th Hijri month of Ramadan move through the seasons in a 33-year cycle.

Support AboutIslam.net


Similar to the previous year, majority of the Muslim World, located in the Northern Hemisphere, will observe Ramadan during spring.

This means that fasting hours in the North Hemisphere this year will be a few minutes shorter than 2020.

How Many Hours is Your Ramadan? Our Audience Respond - About Islam


On interactivity level, we reached out to our audience, asking them how many hours their Ramadan fasting is expected to last this year, here is how some of them responded, each with his or her own location:

“Up to 18 hours on the longer days,” Suzanne Chalmers wrote.

Khalid A Khattab added, “15 – 16 hrs in Detroit, MI, USA.”

Kizaar Ahmed said he will fast for “14 hours in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.”

Elina Afrin Liza said she will fast “about 14-15 hrs in Bangladesh.”

Muktar Musa Bichi, from Kano, Nigeria said he will fast for 14 hours.

Khuki Daud Frank added, “11-12hrs RSA”,

Adriko Musa said, “15 hours in Uganda.”

Please share with us how many hours would be your Ramadan fasting

How Many Hours is Your Ramadan? Our Audience Respond - About Islam


Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri Islamic calendar. Muslims worldwide observe it as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad.

During Ramadan fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations) the same phrase.

8 Steps to Get Ready for Ramadan


Prepare Your Heart, Mind, and Soul

Have you ever wondered why it is difficult to concentrate in your prayer? Or why your faith throughout the year is not on a high like it is during Ramadan or through Hajj?

Maybe it is because we usually jump straight from a phone conversation into Takbir or because we just go with the flow in Ramadan and are influenced by the environment around us and not our own ‘real’ feelings.

How to Prepare Your Body for Fasting?

A lot of us usually live life and have our faith dependent on an upcoming major event, i.e. “I’m going to start reading a page of the  Qur’an a day as soon as Ramadan starts; I’m going to start praying Qiyam every night when I come back from Hajj; or, I’m going to stop smoking when my child is born.”

And because of this way of thinking we usually end up with an anticlimax; we don’t end up giving up smoking, we don’t end up praying Qiyam and we start reading Qur’an but then get back to our normal old self after a few days or weeks.

This is because these ‘statements’ or ‘feelings’ are based on impulse and not a real thought out plan. We usually don’t prepare for Ramadan or Hajj or have a plan for our faith to stay at the increase; we just go with the flow and expect it all to happen. Well, it doesn’t!

Wouldn’t you love to enter the month of Ramadan on a real high and have the effects of this beautiful month be a permanent impact on your life thereafter? How can this be done?

Below are the 8 steps for a Legacy of a Ramadan.

Step 1 – Create a Ramadan Count Down


Counting down for Ramadan (whether it is done mentally or by keeping physical signs around the home or office) will help create hype and buzz in your mind and amongst the people around you.

When you and others are counting down to the same event, it becomes part of regular conversation and excitement spreads.

Step 2 – Seek knowledge about Ramadan


This will help you ensure you will do things correctly and perfectly for Ramadan, it will create hype as there are many motivational aspects and events in the month to look forward to and finally it is a reward reaper.

5 Ways to Spiritually Prepare for Ramadan

The more you know about Ramadan the more you can apply, hence multiplying your rewards.

Step 3 – Make a Ramadan plan


Be it reading the entire Qur’an or ensuring you pray Taraweeh every night ; make a list of things you would like to achieve in the month and then how you plan on achieving these goals.

It is important to have realistic goals and it is better that your life doesn’t need to entirely take a different road in this month so that you may continue to do these deeds after Ramadan.

Knowing what you want to achieve in the month will help you stay focused.

Ensure you plan your day every night before you sleep when Ramadan starts (try to continue this even after Ramadan).

Step 4 – Know Your Life


Be aware if Ramadan affects anything that is happening in the month or shortly after. Do you have exams during Ramadan? Or is there a major family wedding after Ramadan by a short time? Moving house? If so, plan for these events from now.

Study now so that you are prepared for the exams before the month starts. Be packed and ready to go before Ramadan or plan that you do it after so that it doesn’t take time away from your worship.

Step 5 – Prepare spiritually


We all know that Ramadan is about fasting, praying, reading Qur’an and giving in charity. Start these worships early; don’t expect to just click into it as soon as the first day of Ramadan starts.

Start doing extra prayers from now, start revising and regularly reading Qur’an now, get used to being generous and follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and fast during Sha`ban.

Step 6 – Prepare Your mind


Fasting is to refrain from more than just what we consume in our mouth. Start working on your patience; be extra vigilant with your conversations: ensure you are not backbiting, slandering or talking about useless things.

Step 7 – Say ‘Good Riddance’ to Bad Habits


Know what bad habits you have and stop them from now, don’t wait until Ramadan begins. If you sleep late, start sleeping early, if you are a Facebook junky start cutting down, have a coffee craze, slow it down, etc.

It might sound much easier said than done, but once you’ve committed yourself, purified your intentions – make sincere d`ua for guidance,  Inshaallah, these bad habits will be easier done than you ever expected.

Step 8 – Plan Your Life Around Your Worship


For instance; instead of working through your prayer or setting up meeting, etc., at prayer times, plan that you have a break at prayer time.

Don’t take your phone with you to the place you pray and forget the world as you stand between the hands of the almighty Allah (glorified and exalted be He).