5 tips for a successful Ramadan bi idhnillah

We are on the verge of a month that we all eagerly await every year, a blessed month of Ramadan with many blessings and rewards for Muslims. A blessed month with special opportunities that must not be missed. This one month alone represents one of the five pillars of our beautiful religion. A month closely linked to revelation because during Ramadan the Qur’an was revealed as stated in His word Subhaanahou wa Ta3aala:

« Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong) »Surah Al Baqara Ayat 185

Moreover, among the particularities of Ramadan, during it Allah ransoms people each day and night.

It was narrated from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“At every breaking of the fast Allah has people whom He frees (from the Fire), and that happens every night.”

Sunan Ibn Majah 1643

The Mercy of Allah will be bestowed upon those who have fasted sincerely in the month of Ramadan, convinced that this obligation is divine and demanding, in return, Allâh’s reward.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”Sahih al-Bukhari 1901

This list of special features of this blessed month is far from exhaustive. But it must remind us of its importance and the importance of being ready to approach this month in the optimal conditions for its success.But how do we prepare for the month of Ramadan? Through The Grace of Allah I was able to attend a lecture during which the director of a Qur’an and islamic sciences center shared with us some tips that I thought were interesting to share bi idniLlah.

1- Consider this Ramadan your last 

First of all, اللهم بلغنا رمضان we ask Allah to grants us all the opportunity to reach this blessed month.Let us not forget that we are not sure we can even consider this Ramadan as our last. Indeed, it may be that we will not even have the opportunity to attend it. That being said, we must condition ourselves in such a way as to make every effort to perfect the Ramadan that is coming as if we will never again have the opportunity to live this month.When we welcome a prestigious guest who is travelling and who will certainly never return to our city again, how do we prepare for his visit? Every effort is made to ensure that this moment is perfect and that this guest is delighted and feels honoured by the welcome he has been given. We must do the same with this even more prestigious guest, this blessed month. Welcome it with exceptional welcome, considering this visit as potentially the last.

2- Review and learn from the failures of previous Ramadans

We all have in mind previous Ramadans that have been missed and not really taken advantage of. And on the eve of Eid, we had a feeling of immense sadness with a feeling of missing something and regrets for not living up to this year.Thinking of mistakes as lessons so as not to repeat them is a mindset that is often present among entrepreneurs. This is also found in a hadith:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The believer should not be stung twice from the same hole.”Sahih/Authentic. – [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

So the idea here is to try to remember the mistakes made during these “misfired” Ramadans and to identify the causes that will enable us to avoid them this year. And to make the necessary efforts to absolutely bypass the traps that would lead us once again to these mistakes so as not to risk coming out of this blessed month filled with regret.

3- Setting new goals from now in adorations

Let’s not kid ourselves: Ramadan is a kind of big race, similar to a long marathon, that requires effort, consistency, endurance and mental steel. How can we imagine for a moment that we can approach it without a minimum of training? Which lazy person is going to enter a sports competition tomorrow without preparing it up front with rigorous training? Well for Ramadan it’s exactly the same.The fast itself, the tarawih prayers the daily reading of the Qur’an… many adorations that are not necessarily rooted in our daily lives will take place this month. And this is for 29 to 30 consecutive days. How can we believe that if we never fast the rest of the year, if we never pray at night, if we only open our Mushaf occasionally, we will integrate these new acts of whorship while being tested by hunger and thirst, without experiencing difficulty or weariness?So let’s get ready now! Let us prepare our bodies for the difficulties of fasting by clinging to the extra fasts on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as on white days. Let us prepare our bodies for the shorter nights by making the effort to get up 30 minutes before Fajr to complete the night prayer in its last third and invoke Allah at this moment when the invocations are being heard. Let us prepare our tongue for reading the Qur’an assiduously by creating specific moments each day dedicated to reading.Let us not hesitate to take the time today to table all these new actions that are not part of our habits but that will help us prepare for Ramadan. And stick to those goals relentlessly.Because the biggest risk is to give it all up in the first week of Ramadan, to run out at the end of the second, and to be exhausted by the arrival of the last 10 nights that are the best of the year.

4- Learn about Ramadan

A great way to prepare for Ramadan is to know it well. Whether it’s through reading or listening to audio lessons, it’s important for all of us to learn about the rules of Fiqh related to the fast. But also learn more about the benefits of it. It is also the month of the Qur’an, so it is interesting to look at the steps that preceded the assembly of verses and suras in a single medium that allows us to have their transcribing into our masaahifs, preserving the word of Allah from any alteration.This is a link to audio classes around the Ramadan Fast.

5- Repent a lot and renew our intention with determination

In order to prepare our soul to welcome Ramadan, we have to set aside sins that distance us from good works and to repent sincerely. It is important to move away from them with the firm intention of not returning, and to begin this blessed month by having already changed these bad actions. We must be determined to perfect our adorations during Ramadan for The Face of Allah Azawajjal and to obtain His Approval for our efforts and for our works.Postponing our repentance at the beginning of Ramadan represents the risk of beginning our fast without having been able to rid ourselves of these sins, and this will do so much damage to our efforts that there will be nothing but regret. In fact, among the rewards of fasting Ramadan is the fact that small sins are forgiven, but only if they depart from the great sins as in the hadith:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The five (daily) prayers, and Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, and Ramadan to the next Ramadan, are expiation of the sins committed in between them, so long as major sins are avoided.”Sahih/Authentic. – [Muslim]

Of course, I ask Allah to allow me to apply these advices, and I am the first one to feel concerned by them.I then ask Allah to strengthen our hearts and enable them to be in the best possible state to welcome this blessed month in the best of ways.I sincerely hope that these few words of advice will be beneficial to the greatest number of people and I ask Allah to be sincere in sharing these teachings.Bint Ahmed