Maximising Ramadan tips, help & advice thread

[Hamza Asadullah]

:salams

This is a thread dedicated to giving tips and asking for help and advice to maximise Ramadan.

[strivingobserver98]

:wa:

For people with daily duties such as work, children etc. What would be the best Ramadhan package of worship to do? Like for example how many times to recite Qur'an, extra salahs etc.

[Lisa921]

Assalamu alaykum
THis is a great video by mufti menk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mCeFyQ5pBI

[Hamza Asadullah]

:wa:

For people with daily duties such as work, children etc. What would be the best Ramadhan package of worship to do? Like for example how many times to recite Qur'an, extra salahs etc.

:sl:

I would recommend the following timetable which you can adapt to suit your situation and circumstances:


1. Awaken for Suhoor by reciting the Dua for awakening from sleep and make Miswak

• Make Wudu and pray 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Wudu each time after Wudu today or if already awake then prepare for Suhoor and include an odd number of dates.
• Eat Suhoor

Note: Ensure you leave enough time after eating Suhoor to pray Tahajjud and make sincere Dua before Fajr begins as Dua during this time is readily accepted

• Pray 2 x 2 Rakah Tahajjud
• 20 minutes before Fajr begins make sincere Dua begging Allah for forgiveness and asking of him of whatever you like and thanking him for his favours as this is the best time to make Dua which is readily accepted at this time.

2. Prepare for Fajr prayer - Make Wudu - Pray Tahiyyatul Wudu - Use Miswak

• Pray 2 Sunnah
• Pray Fajr - with congregation for men - Walk to the Masjid for reward of every step - Read 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid before sitting in the Masjid

Note: To leave so that you get to the Masjid for the Adhan or at least enough time to pray 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid upon arrival at the Masjid. Also for men to wear best clothing and Ittar to the Masjid

• After Fajr remain seated and worship by making dhikr and reciting the Qur'an until Sunrise and pray 2 x 2 Rakah Salaatul Ishraaq OR sleep and awaken by praying 2 x 2 Rakah Salaatul Duha

3. Go to work or complete daily tasks and chores

If working then skip to point 5 otherwise continue:

The trick is to complete your daily tasks and chores EARLY so that you can concentrate on worship for the whole day and evening.

If you have kids then you will need to adapt your worship so that you are also resting and worshipping after you have tended to your kids or when they are resting.

• 06:00 - 09:00 - Complete daily tasks and chores

Note: Complete daily tasks including doing preparing of Iftaar food as this will ensure valuable time is saved after Asr which is the time of worship and Dua. Alternatively prepare food for the week on a Sunday and freeze.

• 09:00 - 10:00 - Read a book or listen to lecture on an Islamic topic
• 10:00 - 11:00 - Rest or do Dhikr/contemplate and ponder over the creations of Allah and the favours he has done for us.

• 11:00 - 12:00 - Recite one Juz (chapter) of Qur'an before Dhuhur
• 12:00 - 12:30 - Make Dhikr and Dua

4. Prepare for Dhuhur prayer - Make Wudu - Pray Tahiyyatul Wudu - Use Miswak

• Pray 4 Sunnah before the Fard and 2 Sunnah and 2 Nawafil after the Fard
• Pray Dhuhur - with congregation for men - Walk to the Masjid for reward of every step - Read 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid before sitting in the Masjid
• After Dhuhur spend from 14:00 - 15:00 memorising any Surah from the Qur'an

• 15:00 - 15:30 - Rest
• 15:30 - 16:30 - Reading or listening to a lecture regarding Islamic knowledge like Tafseer of the Qur'an or Seerah or any other Islamic topic.
• 16:30 - 17:00 - Rest

5. 17:00 - 18:00 - Read one Juz (chapter) of the Qur'an or if back from work then rest for 30 minutes.

• 18:00 - 18:30 - Dhikr and Dua
• Prepare for Asr prayer - Make Wudu - Pray Tahiyyatul Wudu - Use Miswak
• Pray 4 Sunnah before the Fard
• Pray Asr - with congregation for men - Walk to the Masjid for reward of every step - Read 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid before sitting in the Masjid

6. After Asr prayer devote the time to reciting the Qur'an and reading Tafseer (Meanings of the verses) for a minimum of one hour

• 20 minutes before Maghrib begins make sincere Dua begging Allah for forgiveness and asking of him of whatever you like and thanking him for his favours as this is the best time to make Dua which is readily accepted at this time.
• Eat Iftaar - begin with an odd number of dates

Note: DO NOT OVEREAT AS THIS WILL HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON WORSHIP

• Prepare for Maghrib prayer - Make Wudu - Pray Tahiyyatul Wudu - Use Miswak
• Pray Maghrib - Walk to the Masjid for reward of every step - Read 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid before sitting in the Masjid
• Pray 2 Sunnah and minimum of 2 Nawaful after the Fard prayer

Note: The time between Iftaar and Maghrib Jamaat (congregation) is very short so have a few dates with fruit then pray Maghrib and eat properly afterwards. Even if not praying at the Masjid then pray first and eat properly afterwards.

7. Make Wudu or have a bath and prepare for Isha prayer

Note: Ensure you prepare for Isha + Taraweeh before hand by readying clothes etc as the time between Iftaar and Taraweeh is very short.

• Pray 4 Sunnah before the Fard and 2 Sunnah and 2 Nawafil after the Fard and before Taraweeh begins
• Pray Isha - with congregation for men - Walk to the Masjid for reward of every step - Read 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid before sitting in the Masjid
• Pray 3 Witr with congregation or after Taraweeh or one may delay it until just before Fajr begins
• After coming back from Isha + Taraweeh then either get straight to sleep or if will remain awaken until Suhoor in worship then go to point 8.

• Before sleep to recite Surah Mulk and Surah Sajdah and ensure you go to sleep with Wudu and Sunnah's of before sleep.

8. Recite a minimum one Juz of the Qur'an and also read some Tafseer for between 60 - 90 minutes.

• Make Dhikr/contemplation for 30 minutes and then prepare and eat Suhoor.

Repeat the points again for each day

Daily Worship target list:

• Recite minimum 1 Juz (Chapter) a day
• Read one page of Islamic knowledge
• Read one page of Tafseer of the Qur'an
• Learn one Ayah (verse) of the Quran
• Pray the 12 Rakah Sunnah daily (2 Rakah Fajr, 4+2 Rakah Dhuhur, 2 Rakah Maghrib, 2 Rakah Isha)
• Pray minimum 10 Rakah Nawafil daily (2 Rakah Nawafil Tahajjud, 2 Rakah Salaatul Duha, 2 Rakah Nawafil of Dhuhur, 2 Rakah Nawafil of Maghrib, 2 Rakah Nawafil of Isha) Also 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Wudu after each Wudu and 2 Rakah Tahiyyatul Masjid whenever entering Masjid before sitting down)
• 500 Dhikr daily minimum out of the following:

1. Subhaanallah - Glory be to Allah

2. Alhamdulillah - All praise be to Allah

3. Allahu Akbar - Allah is the greatest

4. Laa ilaaha illallah - There is no worthy of worship except Allah

5. La hawla wa la quwatta illah billah-Hil aliyyil adheem - There is no power or might except with Allah

6. Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay -

‘I ask forgiveness from Allah the One whom there is no deity worthy of worship except He, the Ever-Living and Sustainer and I repent to Him’ three times, Allah would forgive his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.

Or the shorter version: Asthaghfirullah - I seek Allah's forgiveness

7. Sub-Haan'Allahi Wa bi-ham'dihi Sub-haan'Allah-IL Adheem -

Glory be to Allah and Praise Him, Glory be to Allah, The Supreme, and Praise Him

Or shorter version: Sub-Haan'Allahi Wa bi-ham'dihi - Glory be to Allah and Praise Him

8. Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm -

Glory be to Allah, All Praise is for Allah, There is No God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest

9. Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr -

(There is) none worthy of worship except Allah. He is only One. (There is) no partners for Him. For Him (is) the Kingdom. And for Him (is) the Praise. He gives life and acuses death. And He (is) Alive. He will not die, never, ever. Possessor of Majesty and Reverence. In His hand (is) the goodness. And He (is) the goodness. And He (is) on everything powerful.

Or the shorter version:

Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer -

There is No God But Allah Alone, who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the raise, and He is Able to do all things


10. Astaghfirullah al-'Adheemal-ladhi la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum wa atubu ilaih

(I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Mighty, Whom there is none worthy except Him, the Living, The Eternal, and I repent unto Him)

11. Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Anta Khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana 'ala ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu, A'udhu bika min Sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u Laka bini'matika 'alaiya, wa Abu Laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta

(O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.)

12. Recite the following abundantly especially during the last ten nights of Ramadan.

Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee -

'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.'


NOTE: We should also send much salutations to our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), especially on Jummah. The best way of doing this is to recite much of Durood e Ibrahim which is what we recite during every Salaah just before we finish:

ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALA MUHAMMADIW WA ALA AALI MUHAMMADIN KAMAA SALLAITA ALA IBRAHIMA WA ALA AALI IBRAHIMA INNAKA HAMIDUM MAJID. ALLAHUMMA BAARIK ALA MUHAMMADIW WA ALA AALI MUHAMMADIN KAMAA BAARAKTA ALA IBRAHIMA WA ALA AALI IBRAHIMA INNAKA HAMIDUM MAJID.

Oh Allah! Send blessings upon (Holy Prophet) Muhammad and upon the followers of (Holy Prophet) Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibraheem and upon the followers of Ibraheem; indeed, You are praiseworthy and glorious. Oh Allah! Bless (Holy Prophet) Muhammad and the follower of (Holy Prophet) Muhammad as You blessed Ibraheem and the follower of Ibraheem; indeed, You are praise worthy and glorious.

Or the shortest Durood is: Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim - Blessings of Allah be upon him and peace

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[Hamza Asadullah]

Ramadan 2015 Action Plan - Full Lecture - Nouman Ali Khan

https://youtu.be/qWIfouH984U

[strivingobserver98]

Quick question, thought of this today.

Should you break fast with water/dates, then pray magrib and have iftar after? Or should you break fast, have iftar and then pray magrib?

:jz: :)

[Samkurd]

I have a serious question.

I have a friend. What is the stance Islam takes on someone who has been suicidal in the past and still suffers from chronic depression/suicidal tendencies, to be able to use cannabis as an ailment? I understand intoxicants are forbidden, but visiting doctors and dieticians in the past 3 years and talking to them about using it instead of synthetic pills has generally been quite positive for my friend. So how does someone who copes with chronic depression / suicidal tendencies go about ramadan without anything to help them?

I cannot accept an answer along the lines of Islam being the cure to depression, its beautiful to think about it in this way but in reality that's just a fairytale for people who actually suffer from this illness and have to deal with the mental and physical side to it aswell. I also understand that depression is usually caused by chemical imbalances in the brain which intoxicants can contribute to, but my friend is on a process of cleaning his diet (he's allowed to eat small meals during Ramadan as he's diabetic to avoid sugar level dipping too low and going into a coma) to try and change this chemical imbalance while using cannabis to help him with his depression generally.

There have been two periods in his life where he has moved out of the country to not be around any avenue of using cannabis to help him with his depression and to see if he could push himself to rebuild his life. For the first, it wasn't his choice to move, but he did and it sent him into a really deep dark hole. Once he was out he was fine and 2 years later he decided he wanted to escape all the negative energy surrounding his life where he was currently living, so he moved out for 2 months. During that time, he refrained from taking anything that would have some type of intoxicating effect on his body. During that time, he found he had also eventually spiralled into a worse depression, and actually attempted suicide by an overdose of insulin but was rushed to hospital before he was in a coma. It was as if he wasn't himself anymore. Moving back to his old place he realized cannabis was actually suppressing his overwhelming negative emotions and just let him go about his day peacefully. I understand there are some deep rooted issues within himself that need to be sorted and depending on cannabis is not the ultimate answer to his problems, but it certainly helps.

So, if someone suffers from chronic depression and has known to be suicidal in the past, is it logical to tell them to refrain from using cannabis which might greatly increase their risk of suicide?

[BeTheChange]

SamKurd,

I would advise you to start a thread in the advice section - In sha Allah, more members will view the thread and respond back with advice.

May Allah swt give your friend a very speedy recovery and restore a balanced mind Ameen.

P.S - You can copy and paste your text from here to save you time and give the thread a suitable title.

[ali399]

Thansks..

[Hamza Asadullah]

Quick question, thought of this today.

Should you break fast with water/dates, then pray magrib and have iftar after? Or should you break fast, have iftar and then pray magrib?

:jz: :)

Asalaamu Alaikum, I personally like to break the fast with dates, water and some fruit. The problem is if you eat too less then you are likely to think about food during prayer due to hunger. To prevent this from happening then eat some fruit or something small so that you feel satiated enough that you wont be praying whilst very hungry. Then after prayer you can eat a proper meal.

The other thing is we must not overfill our stomachs. If we do this then we are preventing ourselves from maximising our worship. We fill our tables with a whole array of food and as soon as Iftar time arrives we stuff our faces like there is no tomorrow. This is harming our health and the ability to worship during this blessed month. A bloated person will not have the same level of energy for worship than one who eats until he is satisfied.

Ramadan is about controlling our desires. Then how is binging on food controlling our desires? Therefore we must think to ourselves what we want from this blessed month? If we want to maximise worship, get closer to Allah and become better Muslims overall then we must not overfill our stomachs as that will prevent us from achieving our maximum potential during this blessed month.

May Allah enable us to control our desires and maximise our worship during this blessed month. Ameen

[Hamza Asadullah]

Eradicate anything that wastes time:

Firstly we should slowly eradicate everything in our day that will waste our time. We are so used to wasting our precious time everyday watching useless TV programs, playing video games, having useless discussions with friends and even on the forums as well as wasting out precious time in many other ways. We need to learn the true value of time and know that time is not on our side. Our life can end at any second and then on the day of judgement we will have eternal regret for the precious time we wasted.

So one of the best things we can do this Ramadan is to save as much of our precious time as possible and avoid any distractions or that which will be of no benefit to us in this world or the next. We must not just save our time in this precious month but we should start saving our time now so that we can continue saving our time for the rest of our lives and use that time in doing good deeds and pleasing Allah.

So it is about using our time wisely and only foing that which will benefit us in this world and the next and keeping away from that which is of no benefit at all and anything that is not beneficial is harmful to us.

Mu'adh [RA] narrated Rasulallah (sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The Inhabitants of Paradise will not be grief stricken or sorrowful about anything they did in the life of the world except for the time they spent without being in the remembrance of Allah” (Tabaraani)

[Hamza Asadullah]

Make quality Dua's:

It is not necessarily the quantity or length of Dua's that is important but it is the quality of one's Dua which really matters the most. Quality in that we make Dua to Allah like a slave and begger in proper humility and meekness asking of Almighty Allah the Lord and master of the Universe the majesty of honour and generosity, the most high and honoured one whereas we are most low and insignificant like a speck of dust.

Let us ask of him because we are in need but know that he does not need us. Even if every human was to stop worshipping him then that would not take anything away from his majesty and honour.

It is very important that we concentrate and be mindful of Allah whilst doing Dua and do not let our minds wonder. We should not be neglectful in our dua's because if we do not focus on Allah in our Dua's then why should he focus on us whilst we are making Dua?

Whilst in Dua we should try to imagine Almighty Allah in front of us watching us make Dua to him. We should try to be as sincere as possible whilst in our Dua’s, so it is far better if we try to cry out of meekness and humility and are most remorseful of our sins past and present and that we resolve never to repeat them again. We should cry for the salvation of ourselves and our parents and families and those of our families. We should cry like sincere beggers and slaves to the master of the Universe. We should cry for the sad state our Ummah and for our brothers and sisters that are being oppressed and for those that are ill and those that are starving and in poverty. But if we cannot cry then we should at least make our face like we are crying.

It is also recommend to make a Dua list that one can refer to it whilst in Dua so one does not forget what to make Dua for. We should try to mix our worship so we do not feel tired or bored. Therefore we should devote much of the night to the Qur'an and make much Dhikr and Dua in between. We should also pray Tahajjud and make Dua after it as Dua is readily accepted in the latter part of the night and just before Fajr begins.

So let us make the best of each and every second of this most blessed and precious month and make the most quality, sincere and intense Dua's as we will NEVER get this Ramadan back again once it is gone and there is no guarantee that we will make it until next Ramadan.