With only 3 weeks left its about time we seriously got ready for Ramadaan..
With Sha’ban upon us, that can only mean one thing..ramadaan is next up alhamdulilah. Ramadaan, the month of emaan, the month of Quraan, the month better than all months. But do we really take advantage of the event that only comes once a year like we should? How can we take full advantage for such a event if we havn’t prepared for it before hand? When a person gets ready to run in the marathon, you’ll find they will be preparing months before making sure they are on the correct diet, doing practice runs, jogging every morning and so on and so forth.
Likewise for us Muslims, the month of Ramadaan is like our marathon, except it lasts for a whole month and there is no running involved (well there can be if you want but most people choose not to) We have to be ready for it and with the month of Sha’baan, Allah [aza wajal] is giving us a chance to prepare. Although ideally we should have started well before that, for those who havn’t, there is not a better time then now.
6 08 2009 Part I: Getting Ready for Ramadaan
Amongst the many things we can do to get ready for ramadaan is to fast in the month of Sha’baan. A test run you could say like to see if you can hack it especially now as Ramadaan is near the end of summer. As the weather gets hotter, our stomachs get hungrier and inshaAllah our rewards get larger. Even if you can’t hack it it doesn’t matter you will still have to do it but at least you will know that you will have to try harder and if you are finding it hard then your reward lies with Allah.
Aisha [radiAllahu anha] said: And I never saw the Messenger of Allaah (salAllahu alayhi wa salam) complete a month of fasting except Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more in any month than in Sha’baan. [Bukharee]
The fasting in Shab’aan is like the starters before the main meal. Like the tricycle before the bike. Like the sunnah before the fardh salah. It prepares the soul and mind for the obligatory acts. It will prepare you for what is to come and not only does it prepare you but you get rewarded for preparing.
It was narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any month as you fast in Sha’baan? He said: “That is a month that people neglect between Rajab and Ramadaan, but it is a month in which people’s deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds and I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.” [Nasaa'i]
On top of being rewarded for fasting, Sha’baan is the month in which the deeds of a person are taken to Allah, the lord of the worlds. And what better time for your deeds to be taken upto your Lord then for you to be fasting purely for the sake of Allah *smiles*
14 08 2009 Getting Ready for Ramadaan Part II
With only 9 or 10 days left till Ramadaan begins, we should start making arrangements for this gift given to us by Allah [aza wajal]. Ramadaan is the month of mercy, the month of fasting and the month of Quraan.
Allah [aza wajal] says in Surah Baqarah, ayah 185: Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quraan, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment.
Everyone reads the Quraan, some only in Ramadaan but the Quraan is not only there to be read but also to be followed. Its like your going on a journey and the signpost [the Quraan] points the way to jannah. You read it but you don’t follow the directions. If a signpost on the road said “beware, tornado up ahead”. You can read it everyday for a month but if you don’t follow it and act upon the knowledge then you will always end up in the tornado.
Make use of this Ramadaan by understanding the Quran. Instead of just reading it, read the tafseer. Everyone has a lot more free time with the days getting longer and taraweeh getting later. Spare some time after reading the Quraan to read the tafseer of the portion of the Quraan you read. For those who don’t speak arabic, make sure to read the translation in a language you understand. Its possible for everyone to “read” the Quraan three times over at least during Ramadaan. Once by yourself, once listening during taraweeh and once over with the english translation. Just one juz a day, probably maximum take 2 hours a day out of a possible 24. Allah [aza wajal] has blessed us with 24 hours, can we not spend 2 hours of it reading his book *smiles*
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The Run up to Ramadaan..
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