Is it rewarding to watch Islamic lectures, read books, etc?

format_quote Originally Posted by m4rouf

Am I better off spending these last ten days of Ramadan focusing solely on Quran and nafl salaat or can I also get rewarded for watching Islamic lectures, Islamic historical movies, reading articles about Islam, watching Quran recitations and watching Muslim vlogs etc?

I do feel like Islamic videos have brought me significantly closer to Islam. I‘ve been inspired by good Muslims on the Internet.

Different people would give different answers. Clerics / shaykhs will probably say religious practices are more important.

But I'd say reading about history, culture, etc would make a more complete muslim.

Islam tells us to study, to observe and to research. It helps to strengthen our faith in God. Watching lectures and learning about Islamic history is a good idea and can bring u nearer to Allah swt

format_quote Originally Posted by Hamza Asadullah

Asalaamu Alaikum,

Learning knowledge of Islam is one of the best deeds we can do and it is key to bringing us closer to Allah and bringing clarity to that which is confusing us. Beneficial lectures can be very inspiring and can help increase our imaan. What is a good idea is to plan out your worship over the next few days and nights, so that you can make the best of it and allocate times in which you can read books, listen to lectures, pray, make Dua and do dhikr etc.

As the Qur'an was revealed in Ramadan it has a special significance during this blessed month especially during the last 10 days and nights. Therefore I would advise focussing more on reciting the Qur'an with its meanings/commentary in order to understand what you are reading and ponder over the verses and try your best to implement it into your life - That's the key to understanding what Allah is telling us in the Qur'an and therefore realising the purpose of our lives. You can also listen to Tafseer lectures.

I would also focus a lot on repentance during these days and blessed nights especially just before Iftaar and before Suhoor ends. Also give as much as you can in charity as the hearts are softened during this month, more so in the last 10 days and nights.

Refer to the following links to maximise the remaining days and nights of this blessed month:

5 things to do on Laylatul Qadr

Worship Plan to Maximise Laylatul Qadr

May Allah enable us to make the best of what remains of this month and accept it from us and forgive us all our sins. Ameen

Wa alaykumussalam brother,

Thank you for the detailed answer. This is really insightful, إن شاء الله I’ll focus on the Quran and prayers especially before iftar and suhr.

I had every intention to spend last night before Fajr reading Quran and praying Nafl salaat but kept on almost falling asleep and losing my concentration . إن شاء الله I can do better tonight.

I’m trying this Ramadan to better my understanding of the Quran as much as possible by reading the translations (/Tafsir for some of the ayaat). A really good app (which is 100% free with no ads) I found called Al Quran (Tafsir and by Word) is letting me do that more easily because it lets me keep multiple translations on the page at the same time and lets me deep dive into the Tafsir. Sorry I had to plug this because I love this app so much it’s made Quran reading and understanding so much easier for me and I want others to know about it too.

Anyway, thank you also for the encouragement. I’m really glad to know that increasing our knowledge is considered such a high deed. This gives me a lot of comfort.

I’ll try to create a plan إن شاء الله. I really wish I’d taken the whole 10 days off work but إن شاء الله I can plan around this and إن شاء الله next year I can do things differently.

Jazakhallah brother and everyone else for your input.

format_quote Originally Posted by Hamza Asadullah

I would recommend getting a nap in the day sometime even if it's 20 minutes as it really helps to stay up. You can find many other tips to have a productive Ramadan here:

How productive was your day today in Ramadan?

Can’t say no to a good nap!
Thanks

How productive was your day today in Ramadan? Asalaamu Alaikum, This is a thread dedicated to us posting how productive we think our day was this Ramadan with regards to worship so that we can giv...

Assalam o alaikum rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Quite some insightful answer I have read today

The naps have been really helpful. A 20 minute nap seems to be all that’s needed to get through the night. I didn’t nap yesterday though and fell asleep on the prayer mat!!

format_quote Originally Posted by Hamza Asadullah

Yes 20 minutes is optimal maximum 30. It also helps throughout the year to pray Tahajjud inshaAllah. These blessed nights should encourage us to continue praying Tahajjud throughout the year so that we may develop a strong close connection with Allah and enable us to make many powerful Dua's which are readily accepted inshaAllah.

Praying Tahajjud throughout the year is also the best way to enable us to be firm in our prayers and to keep away from the major sins and that which displeases and angers Allah.

I don’t know anything about Tahajjud prayers but will look into it thanks