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[ Saturday, October 18, 2003 ]

 

Preparing for Ramadan

Ramadan is almost here and what have we done to prepare for it? In the Prophet�s (peace be upon him) time, the shuyukh used to pray six months prior to Ramadan for them to see the next Ramadan. After Ramadan, they�d pray another six months, hoping that their fasts would be accepted. Subhan Allah, that was the level of their iman! And many of us today�myself especially�are just struggling to complete our daily salah on time.

We�re all at different levels of iman and when Ramadan approaches, we think that we can just jump right into it and all of a sudden start being these super dedicated Muslims. The truth is that we all need to prepare for Ramadan, prepare for it by fasting more often, doing more dhikr, and getting back into gear with our salah. And this post is directed towards myself, because I know that I especially have a great deal to improve upon. A good thing to remember, though, is moderation. Allah (swt) loves the smaller and more consistent good deeds:

Sahih Bukhari (2.21.251n):
Narrated 'Aisha (RA):
A woman from the tribe of Bani Asad was sitting with me and Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) came to my house and said, "Who is this?" I said, "(She is) So and so. She does not sleep at night because she is engaged in prayer." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said disapprovingly: Do (good) deeds which are within your capacity as Allah never gets tired of giving rewards till you get tired of doing good deeds."

I decided to make a Ramadan to-do list this year. Granted I made mental notes for Ramadan in the past, but I figured if I write things down for school, then I should at least do the same for Ramadan�It should be a higher priority. Plus, writing my thoughts down on paper (or in this case, my blog) will insha Allah make me more committed to fulfilling my goals for Ramadan.

So, here it goes:

1. Pray consistently and on time. Try to make it to taraweeh with Daddy at the Masjid as in the past. Make up old missed prayers. Try to do tahajjud and qiyamul-layl.

2. Try to break my fast at home with my family. When not possible, try to break my fast with other Berkeley students.

3. Renew ties of Brotherhood. Call my brother more often.

4. Read at least a few pages of Qur�an per day (*sigh* There was a time when I completed the Qur�an three times in one Ramadan�Those were the days).

5. Spend every possible moment doing dhikr (for example, while driving or walking to classes).

6. Memorize some short duas or surahs.

7. Be more respectful of my parents and be patient with them.

8. Feed lots of people! Be more hospitable to guests. Help Ummy with cooking. Share dinners with neighbors.

9. Be more charitable. Watch what I spend and give that money to charity instead.

10. Try to practice what I learned from Shaykh Hamza�s Purification of the Heart tapes.

11. Watch what I say: No ghiba or namima! Talk less. Don�t judge others.

12. Help organize the Mother-Daughter Iftar with our halaqa.

13. Get more dawa material for the MSA table and table for an hour or so a week on Sproul Plaza.

14. Check my intentions often. Lower my gaze. Don�t talk to Muslim brothers unless absolutely necessary. Dress Islamically appropriate.

15. Don�t blog or check emails as much. Limit online time (will probably happen without my even trying).

16. Go to Zaytuna�s Eid celebration!

May Allah (swt) give us all tawfeek to insha Allah take advantage of this Ramadan to become closer to Him. Ameen.

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