Plan your best Ramadhan yet by Umm Raiyaan
By the end of reading these notes from a talk I gave in Leceister a year ago, you will have developed an individual plan for Ramadhan to have your best Ramadhan ever – bi’idhnillah! I hope you find benefit in it. If you do, I ask you to please take a few minutes out of your time to make dua for me and my family. I’m in need of sincere duas from those whom Allah loves..
Jazakillahu khairan.
Umm Raiyaan 2014
“He who fasts Ramadhan due to emaan and hoping for reward (from Allah) then his past sins are forgiven.” Bukhari and Muslim
“There are in the month of Ramadhan in every day and night those to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and it will be granted.” Ahmad
What can Ramadhan do for us?
1.All of our past sins can be forgiven
2. We can be chosen and granted freedom from the Fire
We can have the above but will this be granted for those who do not work for it? Will it be granted to those who only see Ramadhan as abstaining from food, drink and relations?
Ramadhan is a gift – an opportunity for change – it can change you, transform your emaan, change your relationship with others, change your relationship with Allah and change your outcome in the next life!
All of the above is only possible if we approach Ramadhan like we approach significant events in our lives.
What do we do when we prepare for an exam, a wedding or the like? We spend weeks and months preparing – revision cards, notes, wedding cake, the dress, guest lists etc.
How about birth? Hospital bag, nesting period, provisions for other children, clothes, cot etc
We need to prepare, approach and pass through Ramadhan in the same way – except that we are now preparing for the exam of the after life. We are preparing for the event of Ramadhan and we are preparing for the rebirth of our emaan.
This short talk will not delve into the obligations, rewards of Ramadhan and sunnat. Rather, I wish to focus on reviving the sunnah of focus, the sunnah of calculating one’s ajr and the sunnah of keeping our eyes on the main goal – the main prize: to be one that Allah is pleased with, frees from the Fire and admits into HIs Paradise.
I hope that this talk will help you develop a plan for Ramadhan that oozes zeal, sincerity, focus and serious calculation. Ya Allah – let this be our most productive Ramdhan yet. Ameen
To begin…
1. Sincerity – As with all things, actions are futile if there is no sincerity. Even if you plan something well, if there is no sincerity, your plan will bear no fruits. Sincerity for Allah is key.
We all know the hadith ‘Actions are but by itentions…’ (Bukhari)
So let us correct our intention behing creating this plan – to plan for Ramadhan with the intention of striving to attain taqwa, that Allah favours us and forgive our sins and frees us from the Fire.
2. Realise it – It is extremely important to understand why planning is important. Strangely, we plan for so much in the dunya; we don’t simply let a wedding unfold and turn up on the day hoping everything will turn out alright. So why is there a lack of planning in matters of the deen that affect our eternity?
As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
3. Identify and elminate – So, we’ve corrected our intention and we now realise the important of planning – now we’re actually ready to get down to the nitty gritty of planning.
There are two initial steps we need to take:
1. Identify what our distractions are
2. Eliminate them
Make a list of your own distractions – things that get in the way of you worshipping Allah in the way that you want to. Or the things you foresee getting in the way of you having a truly taqwa filled Ramadhan.
Notice I said ‘identify’ and ‘eliminate’. This might sound a bit heavy and stroing but if these things are a definite distraction for you and you do not have the willpower to resist – get rid of them completely – no half way business – eliminate them. – even if it is just during these blessed 30 days.
4. Fast forward – I’d like you to fast forward to the end of Ramadhan – you had an amazing Ramadhan – what was it like? What did you do? What has changed in you or for you?
Write down 3 goals (big goals for Ramadhan) and make them personal to YOU.
Eg: To be freed from the fire
To be forgiven
Character change
Firdous al ala
Think BIG! The Prophet (saw) saw his companions making dua for jannah. The Prophet (saw) then advised them, ‘When you ask Allah for jannah, ask for Firdous al Ala’. This hadith teaches us to aim high in our goals, dreams and aspirations. Thing BIG with your HEART. Imam Sufyan Ath-Thawri (RH) said: ‘The vision of one’s eyes is meant for this world, and the vision of one’s heart is menat for the hereafter. When a man looks with his eyes, he benefits naught. It is when he looks with his heart that he benefits.’
Do so with the knowledge as relayed by our beloved Prophet (saw), we know that the reward for deeds are multiplied in Ramadhan: the superogatory are accepted as though they are obligatory, and the obligatory deeds are multiplied such that one obligatory deed is as though we have done 70 obligatory ones!
5. 4 categories of good deeds this Ramadhan
Now make a list of good deeds you can do this Ramadhan which will enable you to achieve the big goals you set yourself in step 4.
Divide a piece of paper into 4 and label each section one of the following:
a) Easy peasy but HUGE – these are things that don’t take much time and can be done simultaneously whilst cooking, cleaning, feeding kids, sleeping. Egs are dhikr, talking to Allah, dua, istighfaar, reading an Islamic story to the kids, intention before sleeping, before bathing and so on.
To continue reading the rest, click here: http://sisters-achieve.com/2014/06/26/plan-your-best-ramadhan-yet/
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