As You Await The Blessed Month Of Ramadhan

Bismillah

O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha‘ban, and let us reach Ramadhan (Allhumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan)

As we await the blessed month of Ramadhan, the month of the Quran, let us prepare for it starting this month of Rajab.

Rajab is one of the four months, Allah, the All-Wise, chose to be sacred. The other three months are Dhul-Qa'da, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram.

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةً ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ ‎﴿٣٦﴾‏

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them... [Quran, At-Tawba 9: 36]

This is our God-given alert and reminder that the best Month is entering upon us soon and it’s time to check the state of our hearts, start resisting bad habits and deeds even more and prepare.

Let’s make an intention to benefit from this sacred month and start focus on some actions.

1. Super-start for success.

Reflect on the Basmalah. When you say “Bismillah” at the start of doing something, it really means: “I start this while being accompanied by Allah’s Name, and I seek help through the Name of Allah and with that I seek His blessings.” Allah is God, the One who is worshipped and beloved, Whom the hearts turn to in both love and fear. He is Ar-Rahmaan, the Most Gracious, and His attribute is encompassing mercy, and He is Ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful, the One who causes His mercy to reach His creation.

Start your Ramadan preparation with an intense, heartfelt

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

2. Reform your home

وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۢ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن جُلُودِ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ ۙ وَمِنْ أَصْوَافِهَا وَأَوْبَارِهَا وَأَشْعَارِهَآ أَثَٰثًا وَمَتَٰعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍ ‎﴿٨٠﴾

And Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest …[Quran, An-Nahl 16:80]

What’s the state of your home and how can you make your house a place of Khayr (goodness) and productivity before Ramadhan arrives?

Your home is a place to protect yourself and your family from the Hellfire and your opportunity to make it a breeding place for good deeds for the whole family.

Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased wit him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): How can salvation be achieved? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: Control your tongue, keep to your house, and weep over your sins. [At-Tirmidhi]

Start reforming your home in time for the honored Guest.

The first thing you’ll be asked about on the Day of Judgment and the first thing you should establish in your house is the prayer (solat). Make your house a Qiblah – a place of prayer. With regards to men the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best of prayer is a man’s prayer in his house– apart from the prescribed prayers. [Al-Bukhari]

Make a new prayer area in your home, play the Adhaan (if you live in a country without a public Adhaan) or select nice, clean clothes for prayer to enhance your Khushoo’.

Is your house a place the angels are writing down bad speech, watching of indecent programs on TV, Youtube, etc, and free mixing and display without the proper covering? Start hanging up Dhikr reminders and play Adhkaar in the house.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The house in which remembrance of Allah is made and the house in which Allah is not remembered are like the living and the dead. [Sahih Muslim]

There are many Sunan (plural of Sunnah) to revive in your home, such as the Sunan of eating, drinking, sleeping, purifying yourself, and getting dressed etc. Make sure to study and practice the supplications of entering and leaving your home and say Salaam when you enter to fill your home with peace and bless its inhabitants.

فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُم بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُبَٰرَكَةً طَيِّبَةً ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ‎﴿٦١﴾‏

.... But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other - a greeting from Allah, blessed and good. Thus does Allah make clear to you the verses [of ordinance] that you may understand. [Quran, An-Noor 24:61]

3. Clean your heart.

Do you feel your heart is ill, your Imaan weak and do you feel stressed all the time or even completely lost?

The best way to prepare for this time is abundance of Istighfaar (seeking forgiveness) because there is no doubt that the sins of a person deprive him of Tawfeeq (ability). And if he constantly makes Istighfaar in his heart then it purifies him. And if he is weak, it makes him strong. And if he is sick, then it heals him. And if he is in trouble, then it gives him protection. And if he is lost, then it will guide him. And if he is miserable then it will give him tranquility.

And indeed, Istighfaar is the only protection left for us after the Messenger of Allah.

وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ‎﴿٣٣﴾‏

But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness. [Quran, Al Anfal 8:33]

Aim to say every day from now on hundred times "Astaghfirullaha wa atuubu ilaih" (I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him)

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْهِ

 

[Al-Bukhari, Muslim]

Do Istighfaar right before Fajr, seek forgiveness after getting up from a gathering, praying and reading Qur’an:

سُبْحَانَكَاللَّهُمَّوَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُأَنْلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُإِلَيْكَ

Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise is to You. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. [Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah & etc]

Seek forgiveness in the time between two Sujood in prayer by saying: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ (O my Lord forgive me).

Pray for your parents' and others’ forgiveness too, and share this supplication. May Allah reward you with immense reward.

Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit radiallaahu ’anhu related that the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said:

Whosoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and the believing women, Allaah will record for that person – equivalent to every believing man and believing woman – a good deed.

Rabbi ighfir lee waliwalidayya wa almu'mineena wa almuminaat, wa almuslimeena wa almuslimaat, al ahyaa'i minhum wa al amwaat

أللهم اغفر لي ولوالدي وللمؤمنين والمؤمنات والمسلمين والمسلمات الاحياء منهم والاموات

O Allah, forgive the believing men and believing women, the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the living from them and the dead.

Allah Most High says,

فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَىٰكُمْ ‎﴿١٩﴾

So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows of your movement and your resting place.

[Quran, Muhammad 47:19]

This is the action of the angels (peace be upon them), as Allah says concerning them,

تَكَادُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ ۚ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ‎﴿٥﴾

The heavens almost break from above them, and the angels exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth. Unquestionably, it is Allah who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

[Quran, Ash-Shoora 42:5]

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered the funeral prayer and said: “O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, our young ones and our old ones, our males and our females, those of us who are present and those who are absent. O Allah, whomever You keep alive, keep him alive with faith and whomever you cause to die, cause him to die in Islam. Do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this.” [at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, an-Nasai]

There are many more Sunan of Istighfaar to study and use. O Allah give us Tawfeeq to become ‘Mustaghfir‘. Aameen.

4. Mind your mouth.

The way you use your tongue demonstrates the condition of your heart. The Prophetﷺ said: “The faith of a servant is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright. A man will not enter Paradise if his neighbor is not secure from his evil.” [Ahmad]

You can fast, pray and read Qur’an extra to prepare for Ramadan, but if the way you speak isn’t ‘upright’, your heart and so your Imaan (faith) won’t be settled.

The practical way to build your Imaanis to start with way you speak. Focus on your tongue; on the content of your speech, backbiting, slander, useless speech, excessive speech, swearing, verbal abuse etc, and beg Allah, the Most High, to purify your tongue. Every day again and again.

5. Morning and evening Quran.

When your days feel like a chaotic rush of tasks, interactions and events do you ever look at how you start and end them? Starting and ending your days with the Book of Allah, the Most High, brings productivity and calm to your daily life. Start focusing on at least these Sunnah Quran habits so they are set by Ramadhan in shaa Allah.

Recite the entire Quran and read their meaning at least once before Ramadhan. It is recommended reading a juz a day. Work towards reading this.

Upon waking: the last ten Ayaat of Surah Aal-e-Imraan.

After each prayer: Ayat-ul-Kursi.

Before sleeping: the last two Ayaat of Surah Al-Baqarah and work towards reading Surat-ul-Mulk daily.

There are more Surahs to read as part of the Sunnah, but key is to start with less and build your Quran habits up slowly. Ask Allah, the Most High, for Tawfeeq.

It’s so easy to delay praying on time a bit more, to not say your morning and evening Adhkaar because you’re busy a bit more, to not think of Ramadhan, just yet… but when death comes it cannot wait even a minute longer. Reflect on this, your own