This is the most basic declaration of what Ramadan is all about.But there is so much more to this Holy Month. What it means, what has been ordained, what the blessings are like,and how Heaven opens up its doors to us. Ramadan indicates an opportunity for a spiritual upgrade, a chance for betterment, to increase good deeds and to jointly shun those that do not benefit us, and one of the best opportunities to strengthen our relationship with God. Ramadan isn't just about abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk and if it is seen as just a daily fast for 29 or 30 days, it can become one that is cumbersome and done without much spiritual zeal. Here are ways to achieve a spiritual boost as the month of Ramadan begins to reel in. Study Ramadan 101 Prophet Muhammad "Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; a month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in this month shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in this month shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time."(Al-Albani) Prophet Muhammad Step Up on the Good Deeds "In Ramadan, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted."(Al-Mundhiri) Ramadan is a great time for charitable deeds, in order to emulate Prophet Muhammad Take the Opportunity to Perfect Your Faith When Prophet Muhammad saw the crescent, he used to say: "Oh Allah! Cause it to appear over us with prosperity, faith (Iman), security and Islam. Qatadah said that he was informed that Prophet Muhammad "A crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation. (To the moon): I believe in Allah who created you." (Three times), and then he would say: Praise be to Allah who has taken away such- and-such month and brought such-and-such month."(Abu Dawud) In relation to this, a great spiritual step would be to contemplate the oneness of God by reflecting on all of the creations of God how He is the Master of the universes; how God is to be worshiped and worshiped alone in the way prescribed in the Quran and the Sunnah, and reflect upon His 99 Attributes. Emulate the Generosity of Prophet Muhammad Ramadan is a great time for charitable deeds, in order to emulate Prophet Muhammad's generosity. Engaging in charity helps wash away sins by cleansing earnings and mitigates any form of arrogance (in one's heart) as one is able to relate to those who are less fortunate. By engaging in charitable deeds as a prelude to Ramadan, there is greater chance that giving to charity during Ramadan will also become easier as charity if cultivated even before Ramadan arrives. Reminding oneself of God's Mercy and the Prophet's generosity is a great way to continue in the path of Godand to make the best of Ramadan. Take Time to Make Tawbah Asking for forgiveness from God on a daily basis reminds how important God is, and how fragile our lives are. It will also act as a basis that moves into an important continuum throughout Ramadan. Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet Muhammad said: The reason for repentance is that we can be unaware of our sins on a daily basis. So there is no time like the present to start cleansing our hearts in order to fully embrace the fasting month. It will also encourage us to constantly repent as Ramadan unfolds and keep our intentions clean and pure to engage in the obligatory fast and prayers and all complementary forms of worship throughout the month. Start Reciting the Quran Narrated Anas: Surely these are the benefits of Ramadan and the same benefits may be reaped by believers who fast with sincerity. Stepping up spirituality for Ramadan is a must for all Muslims as it will make the obligatory fast not only lightweight, but a pleasure for the believing Muslim. It takes a little effort and a lot of cleansing to get there, but with God's guidance, we try to make the best of this Ramadan, just by taking time to work on our spiritual readiness.
announced on the last day of Sha`ban:
's prelude to Ramadan is an eye opener as to why Ramadan is so important. As believers, we are obliged not to merely fast through the month and continue our lives as if it were any other month, but to understand why Ramadan is singled out as an intrinsically Holy month and how the rewards will be heightened over and above whatever has been prescribed throughout the other months. Savoring the blessings of Ramadan allows us to transit into the month with spiritual zeal and excitement rather than dawdling through "obligatory" worship without understanding fully how they benefit our faith.
's generosity. With more blessings during the month, sincerity coupled with determination to please God, will open a wingspan of Mercy as well as hearts that will continue to accept the Quran.
used to say when seeing the crescent:
and then stood up for the (morning) prayer." I asked him how long the interval between the two (Suhur and prayer) was. He replied, 'The interval between the two was just sufficient to recite fifty to sixty Ayahs. (Al-Bukhari) Imagine being able to recite fifty to sixty verses of the Quran during the short time frame.
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