As Ramadan comes to a close and the remaining few days fly over our heads, many of us wonder at where it disappeared. We dust off our Qur’ans and gun our engines to catch salaah at the masjid–Taraweeh, Qiyam al-Layl, or just the daily five. All of us acquire a certain sensitivity to time. Suddenly, every day, every hour counts. We think twice about spending two hours here or half an hour there on things we normally just do.

Just like we have different starting dates for Ramadan, we have different Eid dates. And you know what? That’s ok. Why? Because it’s all based on legitimate difference of opinion. Not some beardy guy making stuff up because he feels like it. So when ‘Eid rolls around, enjoy it, and don’t hate on other people for when they celebrate. That’s messed up. By the way–when ‘Eid rolls around, remember this: you just fasted for 30 days straight, give or take a day.

One of the verses of the Qur’an we hear all the time in the context of fasting is this one: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ Translation: O you who believe! Allah prescribed fasting upon you, as it He prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwa (piety, God-consciousness). [Al-Baqarah, 2:183] Those last two words summarize the entire purpose of fasting: to attain taqwa.

The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, in a long hadith: “A believer should speak good or keep silent!” We all know this hadith, right? But how do we implement this hadith? What if someone does something wrong? What if they deprive us of our rights? Should we still keep silent, or give them 80 lashes with our tongues? Check this out–this incident ocurred during the life of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه), second Khalifa of Islam.

Those five categories of all actions–fard (also known as wajib), mustahab (sometimes called “sunnah”), mubah, makrooh, and haram–what do they really mean? While you can understand these from different angles, we explain these from an Usool-ul-Fiqh perspective. Here they are: Fard/Wajib (obligatory) means any action that you earn a reward for performing, and earn a punishment from abstaining from. Examples include praying, fasting, etc. Mustahab/Sunnah (recommended) means any action that you earn a reward for performing, and earn nothing from abstaining from.

Ramadan is the month of Qur’an. A month where many of us fast, pray Taraweeh, pray Qiyam al-Layl, and read the entire Qur’an–maybe more then once! But subhanallah, in our love for Ramadan and our zeal for good deeds, we sometimes aim to accomplish more then our human capacity. We’re humans, we all have limits. But people say “I’m going to read the WHOLE QUR’AN this time!” when they can’t–sometimes, even reading only one juz, maybe even the last juz, is an accomplishment for them, one within their ability.

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) taught us five favourable (mustahab or “sunnah”) actions for us to follow while fasting. These are: Hasten Iftaar: When Maghrib time arrives, hasten to break your fast–do not delay. It’s said that he, (صلي الله عليه وسلم), sent Bilal (رضي الله عنه) to stand on top of a high-up hill to see when the sun set, then broke his fast immediately. Eat Suhoor: A lot of cultures teach us to skip suhoor and start fasting when we sleep.

A Muhaddith is one who studies and memorizes ahadith, and internalizes the science of hadith–the science that allows us to dissect and analyze ahadith and sort the authentic from the un-authentic. (You can read more about ahadith and their statuses here.) This includes memorizing the biographies of people involved in the narration, including their strengths and weaknesses (in terms of memory and piety). Shaykh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen al-Albani, one of the greatest scholars of recent times, also studied ahadith and became a muhaddith–one the likes of we have not seen in centuries.

Whenever Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions the Fire, He (سبحانه وتعالى) always mentions a fire exit–usually immediately afterwards. There’s always a chance to escape. But once you die, there’s no fire exit. For example, in Surah Baqarah, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ وَلَن تَفْعَلُواْ فَاتَّقُواْ النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَار Translation: But if you cannot–and you can never do it–then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and the stones, prepared for the Unbelievers.

When you read the Qur’an, cultivate the mentality that every single surah, verse, ayah, and letter was revealed for you, personally. Verse addressed to Banu Israeel (Jews)? Maybe Ahlil Kitaab (people of the book)? Or maybe An-Naas (humankind)? Or even the obvious, to those who believed? Yes, it addresses them–but it also addresses you. Learn from their past–their triumphs and their defeats, their actions and their mistakes, their joys and their pains.