Sawm

So, another Ramadan has come and gone! 30 days of reading Qur’an and feeding the poor, 30 nights of Qiyaam-ul-Layl and Taraweeh and Tahajjud. And so, ‘Eid comes again.

Congratulations! You have been one of those lucky few who lived to receive this great blessing from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), this chance to get all your sins forgiven! Because the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

Why are you fasting? The answer to this questions determines your reward on Judgment Day. Monks fast. Some poeple fast to lose weight. Is it a cultural thing?

Or is it because Allah is worthy of worship, and only He deserves your fast? That you are seeking His reward? This is what the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said–“Whoever fasted Ramadan with belief, hoping for the reward from Allah, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhari/Muslim]

Ramadan is here, you’re all excited, praying in the masjid … but how can you make the MOST of Ramadan? Do you have what it takes to keep your heart in touch, regardless of the distractions around you? To be one of those who look back and realize they’ve had an AMAZING Ramadan?

Listen to the podcast below to figure out how to plan your Ramadan! Props out to Living Halal for this amazing ilm-tastic podcast!

Who are your role models? Movie stars? Sports stars? Celebrities? Do we have any role models for Ramadan–people we can look on to and learn from? Let us take a glimpse at how our pious predecessors and the early generations spent their Ramadan.

Their reading of Qur’an in Ramadan:

• Salam ibn Abi Muti’ informs us that Qatadah used to normally complete reading the Qur’an in 7 days, but in Ramadan, he completed it in three days. Indeed, during the last ten nights of Ramadan, he read the entire Qur’an every night.
• Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman tells us that Sa’id ibn Jubayr would complete a reading of the Qur’an every two nights in Ramadan

How much of the Qur’an have YOU planned to finish this Ramadan? How much of it will YOU read with understanding and contemplation?

Bismillah,

Ramadan is of a countable number of days, so we have to be smart, and think about how can we MAXIMIZE the rewards we earn! Inshallah following is a list of ibada that take less time and have big reward. We need to be smart and think like a businessman (small investment -> big profit)

Remember reward of every deed is multiplied in Ramadan.

• Get the reward of hajj and umrah every single day

Below is a well-published Sermon of the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) on Ramadan; if anyone knows the source, please post it in a comment–it’s well-known as far as the internet goes!

“Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which, with Allah, is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month, which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies Him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite His Book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month.

If you’re like me… and, well, probably a lot of other people, you won’t fully realize that Ramadan is here until you’re dragging yourself out of bed a few hours early to eat while it’s still dark.

Ramadan offers us a very unique opportunity. Ramadan offers us the opportunity to start fresh. It may not necessarily have the “wash-away-all-your-sins” publicity that Hajj does, but Ramadan gives us a chance to put ourselves through a mind, body and soul detoxification.

Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah allow us all to take the most benefit out of this month, when the good deeds (but also the bad deeds) are multiplied!

The companions–may Allah be pleased with all of them–used to ask Allah for 6 months to accept their last Ramadan, and ask Allah for 6 months to allow them to live to see the next Ramadan.

THAT’S Ramadan for you!

And remember, if you’re fasting, but not praying the fards–or you’re praying taraweeh, but skipping Fajr, Dhur, Asr, Maghrib, or Isha–you have a big problem. Fasting and praying are both fard, and neither should be neglected; and taraweeh is not even fard, so why are you trading it for a fard!

My brothers and sisters a blessed month is fast approaching us, a month in which the opportunities are limitless and the reward is ready for taking in abundance. This blessed month, known as Ramadan is approaching us and we will soon say good-bye to it as well.

Inshallah, join me on this journey as we go through some self-planning for this blessed month, and inshallah learn about the one action which is most noble in the sight of Allah…that action being du’a.

Rizq Management is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. The course focuses on three pillars of Islam: Zakaah, Siyaam, and Hajj. Which moon opinion is correct–one of them? _All_of them? Does chewing gum break your fast? (Why or why not?) Does a woman pay zakaah on her gold jewelry?

Learn about these three fundamental pillars of Islam, and how to not only perform, but how to benefit from them at the highest level!