Indeed we must praise and thank Allah for granting us the blessings of the month of Ramadan which in many ways is a month of training. We are advised to live the whole year as if we are in the month of Ramadan.
This magnanimous achievement can only be attained when the actual month of Ramadan is spent properly. In order to acquire a droplet of such great benefit and blessing, Insha Allah, I hope to mention ten points that were given as form of advice to me and many others.
1. Discipline: Most people already know to abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from ones spouse during the daytime of Ramadan. However, a level of discipline must be developed to do righteous acts and abstain from those acts which would earn the displeasure of Allah. That was a basic form of discipline that needs to be developed but along with that, one needs to have discipline in following a particular routine or schedule for Ramadan. This will be the real life changing factor for an individual. They wake up for suhoor but also pray Tahajjud at that time. Recite some Quran. They eat. Make dua while waiting for Salah. They pray Fajr. Recite Quran and make zikr. Rest if they need to. The idea is to make a schedule and act accordingly the whole month without sacrificing their schedule. This is the desired discipline that is required. One may ask, Why did he not just put the first point as a making a schedule? Well, the answer is very simple. Anyone can come up with a schedule, but it takes real discipline to abide by it.
2. Devotional life (Ibadah): Ramadan is the month where Allah allows us to really fulfill the purpose of our being, and the purpose of our creation. Allah created us all to worship Him, and Him alone. Here, I will not mention virtues of various acts or worship because those can be found in the many books on the merits of certain deeds. However, since Ramadan and Quran are closely connected, I will say that much of our devotional life should be focused on the Quran. Reciting at least the entire Quran once in this month. Understanding it from erudite scholarship of our community or from accepted commentaries and Tafaseer.
3. Identifying with the Ummah: It is important that we feel our fast, i.e. feel hunger and thirst. Apart from that, we can use this to our benefit by making other peoples fast count for us as well. This means that if we feed or give to drink something to someone who fasts, we can get the reward of their fast as well. Another aspect of identifying with the Ummah is to be grateful for whatever Allah has given us and realize that a little of that we need to give to others so that they may have a decent Ramadan and wonderful Eid.
4. Contact with the Qur’an: Ramadan is the month wherein the Quran was revealed. This is the month of the Quran. It is extremely essential to establish a relationship with the Quran. Without going into much detail, I will just mention something practical with regards to the Quran and Ramadan. For the average person, i.e. one who is not scholar or is not a Hafiz, they should read at least one juz per day so that they finish at a minimum one entire Quran for the month of Ramadan. If one can do more, than Alhamdulillah, no one is stopping anyone. The next thing is to understand the Quran. So take the first volume of Mariful Quran (for example) and read one section of the Arabic part (if one can) and then read the translation, then read the commentary. Do this every day without fail. Obviously the whole commentary will not be completed in one month, but at least a schedule to read a portion regularly will be developed and hopefully within a year it could be completed. Also, one should try to memorize those chapters/surahs which are read often like Mulk, Kahf, Ya Seen, Waqiah, and Sajdah. Also memorize Surahs from the last juz at least and more if possible. If all else fails just read some of the Book each day without fail!
5. Mujahadah: Ramadan is a month of sacrifice and struggle. It is a month where Allah wants our time, our health, our wealth, and our whole being. We literally live the whole year for everything and anything. It is just one month can we not live one month solely for our Creator?! So what if we have to sacrifice our sleep, and random other luxuries that we can do without anyway. As the saying goes, No pain, no gain. The amount of sacrifice and struggle we put into this month, Allah will reward us in this world and the next accordingly. Give yourself to Allah, and see what Allah has in store for you.
6. Make lots of Dua: The essence of worship is supplication to Allah. This whole month, Allah is willing and readily open to accept all that we ask of Him. It is only to our own loss and detriment that we lack in begging Allah for the things we need. Prioritize your supplications. Ask firstly for yourself, then your family, community, then the Ummah at large. Within that, prioritize and ask for things pertaining to the hereafter, then ask for things pertaining to this world. Just remember one thing when it comes to dua, the point of dua is not that we need something or we need protection or refuge from some other thing, the point is that Allah told us to supplicate to Him, and that is why one should make dua abundantly. There are certain things Allah loves to do, and one of them is to answer the supplications of His servants who call unto Him.
7. Good Company: Ramadan is a month to maximize on good deeds and keep bad deeds at zero. Being in the company of the righteous will allow one to attain this goal.The minimum benefit one gets by being in good company is that one will not sin which in turn will cause one to become the greatest worshiper based off the hadith of Tirmidhi wherein Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) took Abu Hurayrah (Radhiyallahu anhu)s hand and said, O Abu Hurayrah, abstain from all prohibitions and you will become the best worshiper. The maximum benefit is that being with the people of Allah, Insha Allah; a person may just Attain Allah. What can be greater?!
8. Gratitude: The secret to an increase in anything is to be thankful for it. To make sure that we see this month the next year, appreciate it this year. Be thankful for all that we have in every aspect, even the basic things we neglect and take for granted. We have Iman, we have Islam. Alhamdulillah, we are the best Ummah. We have been given the best book, i.e. the Quran. The best way to appreciate a bounty is to use it for its purpose. Allah has blessed with infinite blessing and bounties. Ramadan is one of those bounties, so to fully appreciate Ramadan, we must spend it the way Allah would like us to spend it and attain our goal which is Taqwa.
9. Following the Sunnah: Anything of the beloved is also beloved. That is a principle of love. Allah has proclaimed the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) as His beloved. If we follow the Sunnah and show a resemblance, then we can also gain the focus of Allah. Particularly follow the Sunnah acts which the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) performed in Ramadan. If we have to do something, might as well do it the best way possible. The best way for anything to be done is the way of the Sunnah.
10. Istiqamah: Imam Junayd Al-Baghdadi (RA) said, Steadfastness is greater than a thousand miracles. Please do not tire ones self out in the initial stages of Ramadan, rather figure out a routine that works and stick to it regularly. The most beloved of actions to Allah are those that are done consistently even though they may seem minor. We all need to be thankful for the good that we have done and also for the evil we are able to abstain from. We also need to be thankful for whatever level of steadfastness that we have. We want to make Ramadan last beyond Ramadan as well.
Ill end with a quote from one of our mashaikh, Shaykh Inam-ul-Hasan Kandehlawi (RA) said, Whoever lives their life as they do in Ramadan, then death will come to that person just as the moon of Eid comes for the fasting person.
To conclude, we pray to Allah that He accepts all of our efforts and overlooks and forgives all of our shortcomings. Ameen.
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