Ramadan Preparation At this time of year everyone is busy thinking about exam results and where they are going to spend their annual vacation. But there is an even bigger and more important event, right around the corner that needs your attention and preparation. Our Blessed month of Ramadan. Ramadan is coming up quickly and nobody knows if they will be alive to fast on the first day of Ramadan and nobody knows if this will be their last Ramadan. Ramadan is a huge opportunity for us to repent, change our ways and improve ourselves in every way. In Ramadan everything is multiplied; our prayers, our good deeds and all our actions all get extra ‘ajer’. So we must be ready to take full advantage of these special days. Planning makes perfect. In order to get the most out of Ramadan you need to prepare yourself so that from the first day you are up and running. Just as you would not think to wake up in the morning and decide to hop on a plane to destination unknown. Do not wake up on the first day of Ramadan also with no plan and no preparation. For a holiday you might have researched the destination, decided what sights you want to see, what you will wear and how you will budget. Exactly the same principles apply to planning Ramadan, plan from now, how you will spend your time and what you will do. Some people will say they need about 5 days to ‘get into’ Ramadan, what a waste of five days!! Do not pace yourself, Ramadan is not the time for this, a strong start is a strong finish so from Day 1 be in top shape physically and spiritually. Firstly prepare your body. Try to fast as much as you can in Sha’ban. When I first heard this I thought ‘oh my goodness!’ fasting is hard enough for me as it is, and now you want me to add more days? But actually by fasting in Sha’ban you will prepare your body so when Ramadan comes around you won’t be in a fog for the first few days. Try fasting the 3 ‘white days’ of Sha’ban 13th, 14th and 15th or try fasting Mondays and or Thursdays. If you are addicted to coffee, try to wean yourself off in the week before Ramadan so you don’t spend the first few days with withdrawal symptoms. Or at least reduce your consumption. Next prepare your mind and soul. Evaluate where you are in your worship right now. How are your prayers? Quran reading? Tasbeeh? When did you last go to Mecca? Are you doing any charitable works? What could you do to improve? Make an actual timetable for worship. Plan your day with all the worship you intend to do. I designed my own personal worship plan so that every 3 hours I am doing some form of worship, whether it be prayer, reading Quran, reading religious books or making tasbeeh etc. Remember that even making the intention to do something will, inshAllah, give you ‘ajer’. How are your relationships with others? Are there broken bonds between you and other family members? Do you have a friend you still hold a grudge against? Is there some that you have hurt or mistreated that you can repair that relationship? Sha’ban is a time to do all these things. Have a spiritual spring clean so that you are ready from the moment Ramadan is announced to receive its blessings. Dua’a for Sha’ban Oh Allah, Al Awwal (the First), Al Akhir (the last), Al Barr (the beneficent) Al Hamid (the praiseworthy) we hope to organise ourselves & prepare ourselves for Ramadan so we can fulfil our duties to You in the best way possible. Oh Lord bless Prophet Mohamed and let us follow his example. Help us pray as he prayed, fast as he fasted and worship You as he worshipped You. Oh Al Mateen (the Steadfast) help us in our planning. Al Quddus (the Holy) purify our hearts from bearing grudges against those who have hurt us. Oh Al Afu (the forgiving) let the people we have hurt, forgive us. Oh Al Latif (the subtle) Al Khabir (the great) help us repair any relationships with people around us, our families, our in laws, our friends and colleagues, that have suffered through ours, or others, mistakes. Oh Al Hamid (the praiseworthy) help us to improve and perfect our prayers. Al Mussawir (the shaper) Help us not lead mindless lives, help us keep You and our worship of You in all our actions. Al Muqsit (the just) let us use our time in this life wisely, so that in our next life we can be worthy the benefits You have promised us. Oh Al Halim (the clement) You have sent us the Quran as a guide. Help us let the Quran be part of our lives, help us improve our study and knowledge of it. Help us live by its principles and teachings. Oh Lord let us enter Your holy month of Ramadan with clear, pure hearts. Hearts and souls that exist for Your service, bodies that worship and fulfil our obligations to You. Oh Al Kareem (the generous) Al Shakur (the appreciative) enable us to receive the blessings You have prepared for us. Amin Note from author: This article is a compilation of information I have heard at various lectures, credit must go to those whose knowledge is far greater than mine.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 01:45:47 +0000