Welcome to a celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Observed by more than one billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time for spiritual purification achieved through fasting, self-sacrifice and prayers.
Ramadan - is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur'an, according to tradition, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. In the western calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving forward about ten days each year. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, sex, smoking, and anything that is not of a good nature or in excess from sunrise until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of Allah, and to offer more prayer than usual. Muslims also believed through good actions, they get rewarded twice as much as they normally can achieve. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Celebrated during the ninth month of Islamic calendar, the fast is observed each day from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five Pillars of Islam. The Islamic belief that requires that Muslims perform five central duties in order to strengthen their faith. While Islam has two major sects, the Sunnis and the Shiites, all Muslims aim to realize these five pillars in their lifetime.
Ramadan concludes with a 3-day festival known as "Eid" or "Eid ul-Fitr," which literally means "the feast of the breaking/to break the fast." The holiday marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and is a culmination of the month-long struggle towards a higher spiritual state.
We are now almost in the month of Sha'aban and there is few days to receive RAMADAN al Mubarak. Keeping the greatness of the holy month of Ramadan, I am forwarding this mail -in advance- for preparing ourselves to avail the opportunity to finish reading Holy Qur'an during the Month of Ramadan.
Let us work for this investment & May Almighty Allah shower His grace, mercy on us abundantly.
A Quick preparation for RAMDAAN
· Start reading Quran daily after Salat al-Fajr.
· Online Quran –
· Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran.
· Train yourself to go bed early so that you can wake up far Salat al-Fajr.
· Keep yourself in a state of Wudu (Ablution) most of the time.
· Evaluate yourself daily before going bed.
· Thank Allah for good deeds, and repent to Him for your mistakes and sins.
· Start giving Sadaqah daily, no matter how little. Make it a habit like eating and drinking.
· Find time to pray extras, such as Tahajjud prayers.
· Spend more time reading Islamic books, especially the Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh.
· Find time to help others with your wisdom, knowledge and other talents.
· Try to write articles on Islam for Muslims as well as for non-Muslims.
· Associate with Muslim scholars / ulama and other pious people so that you may learn from them.
· Train yourself to do good, render free service to others to seek the pleasure of Allah.
What to avoid
· Avoid/reduce watching TV; instead spend more time reading the Quran and other Islamic literature.
· Avoid looking at unlawful pictures, whether magazines, department store catalogs or others.
· Spend free time in Masajid, Islamic organizations and make that a daily habit.
· If you smoke, try to reduce daily usage; otherwise Ramadan will be very difficult for you to observe.
· If you have friends who do not practice the teaching of Islam, try to avoid socializing with them.
· If you travel a lot on business, try to do more local business, so you can be more closer to your family and community.
· If you are used to staying up till midnight, try to go to bed earlier, so that you will be able to wake up early for Salat al-Fajr and Tahajjud prayers as well.
To prepare ourselves before the month of Ramadan arrives is far better than waiting till it comes. To prepare ourselves for anything in life is a sign of wisdom and maturity. No one is assured of living one day more; tomorrow may not come. So hurry and benefit from blessings and rewards from Allah.
Remember: 'Time is not money or gold; it is life itself and is limited. You must begin to appreciate every moment of your life and always strive to make the best use of it.'
A Quick Checklist
· Make a resolve to win the maximum favor of Allah by performing extra Voluntary prayers (Nawaafil), making frequent Dua and increased remembrance.
· Try to recite some Holy Quran after every Prayer. In fact if you read 3-4 pages after every Prayer you can easily finish the entire Quran in Ramadan!
· Study the Tafseer (commentary) every morning.
· Invite a person you are not very close with or your relatives to your home for Iftaar, at least once a week (Weekend). You will notice the blessings in your relationships!
· Bring life to your family! Everyday, try to conclude the fast with your family and spend some quality time together to understand each other better.
· Make commitment to join Islamic study circles to learn more about Islam and improve your own life.
· Donate generously to the Masajid, Islamic organizations, and any where people are in need or oppressed. 'Because Ramadan, is a month of sharing!'
· Share month of Ramadan and its teachings of peace and patience with your neighbors.
· Sleep little, eat little! Make sure you do not defeat the purpose of fasting by over-indulging in food and being lazy.
· Seek the rare and oft-neglected rewards of the night better than 1000 months ( Laylatul-Qadr / Shab-e-Qadr).
· Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins: Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and Allah's Mercy! It's never too late.
· Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet's (pbuh) warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the Ramadan fast!
· Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything that Allah dislikes. Play the role of a Da'ee (one who invites to Allah) with zeal, passion, and sympathy.
· Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself purely and fully to Allah in the Itikaf retreat during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
