Some recurring advice that people are given if they wish to succeed in an endeavour, be it religious or otherwise, is to prepare in advance. The traveller prepares for his journey, the student prepares for his exams, the employee is constantly attending courses for the demands of his work, and now that the month of Ramadan is nearing, it must not be an exception to the rule that states “preparation is the key to success”.
Each year many different types of preparations are made for Ramadan; I will address three of them. (1) Allah’s preparation of the month of Ramadan (2) The preparation of the people of Īmān and (3) The preparation of the people of Dunya.
5 ways Allah prepares Ramadan for us
Allah (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has made this Islamic month like none other imbuing it with prizes and opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else.
1) Allah has made it a manageable number of days.
He said, “a limited number of days” [1]
This is from His infinite mercy upon us for He is willing to offer an unlimited reward within ‘limited’ days.
2) The fiercest enemies to man – the devils – are shackled in chains during the first day of Ramadan and are held until the last of its days in order to make this season of worship easier and lighter upon the heart of the believer than any other time.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“When the first night of the month of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are chained up” [2]
3) The Prophet ﷺ said,
“.. and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it remains open, and the gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it remains closed.”
4) On every single one of its nights, Allah frees many who were bound for the Hellfire.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“And there are those who were destined for the fire whom Allah ransoms from it every single night.”
5) Allah has placed within it a treasured night wherein worshipping Allah is greater than the worship of 1,000 months. 1,000 months is approximately 83 years and 4 months, but during that night, the reward is even “greater than 1000 months”.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
‘During Ramadan is a night that is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.’
These are just some of Allah’s many preparations of this month in order to make it the perfect opening for those who crave the highest levels in Jannah, the vastest of its gardens, the most precious of its offerings and the closest of its homes to Allah.
5 ways the people of Dunya prepare for Ramadan
Some of us, however, refuse to meet such kindness with kindness; they are the people of Dunya who have made their chief priority in life the building of their current homes. How do they prepare for Ramadan? In a way which causes them to miss out on so much, if not all, of what this month has to offer.
1) Their prime focus is to stack up the fridge with food, as if they are approaching a month of feasting, not a month of fasting. We tell the non-Muslims that this month also helps us to regulate our diets, to minimise our intake and to show gratitude to Allah for what He has given us and, whilst this is true, our preparations for extravagant feasts, our consequential weight gain and horrific wastage of food contradicts everything we say.
Furthermore, our excessive demands waste much of our spouse’s time who, in many cases, spend endless hours preparing starters, main course meals and desserts when, in reality, they would much prefer spending a lot more of that time in the worship of their Lord. Watch how you eat and drink this Ramadan.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Those whose bellies are fullest today will be the hungriest on the Day of Judgement.” [3]
After hearing this ḥadīth, the narrator, Abū Juhayfa, did not eat to his fill until the day he died.[4]
In fact, Imam Ahmad was asked: “Can a person whose belly is full experience a soft heart?”
He replied, “I do not believe so.”
2) They prepare for Ramadan by exhibiting clear signs of displeasure and irritation as it draws closer, something which appears on their facial expressions and, at times, in what they say as well.
Allah knows all too well that many such people are only fasting Ramadan because those around them are also doing so but they cannot wait for its departure. Does such a person not fear being told by Allah on the day of Judgement: ‘I was never in need of you or your fasting! You hated my worship and so you have nothing with me on this Day.’
Such hatred of Ramadan or, as a matter of fact, hatred of any aspect of Islam poses a threat to one’s Hereafter, for Allah said about a people:
“That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null.”[5]
3) They prepare for Ramadan by regulating their working hours with their employers, but not for the sake of making time for worship and Qur’ān, but to maximise their opportunities of sleeping throughout their fast.
4) They prepare by setting an early intention with regards to which TV series they will follow during the hours of fasting, and to make an exception for Ramadan by watching every one of the 90 minutes of the football match as opposed to sufficing with the highlights, for there is, according to them, a pressing need to ‘kill time’. Worse still are others who intend on undoing the good deeds of their fast by spending their evenings after Iftār with the people or within the places of disobedience.
5) They prepare by searching for the Masjid that offers the shortest Tarawīh prayer. This is not because they have to wake up early the next day for work, but because Salah for them is a heavy burden. This comes as no surprise, as Allah said about Salah,
“It is difficult except for the humbly submissive.”[6]
This is how the people of Dunya prepare for Ramadan. Compare how Allah treats them and how they treat Allah; how He calls them but they run away; how He opens door after door of opportunity but they slam them shut. They behave with their Lord as if it is He who is in need of them and not them who are in need of Him.
5 ways the people of the Hereafter prepare for Ramadan
As for the people of Īmān, their preparations for Ramadan are entirely different. Their slogan is ‘O Ramadan hurry, for sins are heavy and hearts are ill’. Since they observe life through the lens of the Hereafter, their preparations for Ramadan are the polar opposite of the above. How do they prepare?
1) They prepare by making passionate Du’ā for Allah to allow them to witness another Ramadan, another month of much needed opportunity and unmissable prizes.
As Mu’alla b. al-Fadl said,
“They used to make Du’ā for six months prior to Ramadan, asking Allah to allow them to witness Ramadan.”
Yahya b. Abī Kathīr would also say in his Du’ā,
“O Allah, hand me over to Ramadan and hand Ramadan over to me, and receive it from me having accepted it.”
2) They prepare an impeccable intention in advance, one that they refresh on every single day of Ramadan, having realised that the forgiveness of sins is directly linked to specific intention setting. There are three opportunities in Ramadan of having your account of sins completely emptied, but there is a very important condition that appears in all three narrations.
As for the first opportunity, the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan out of belief and hope for the reward, all of his previous sins will be erased.”[7]
As for the second opportunity, the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Whoever prays the night prayers in Ramadan out of belief and hope for the reward, all of his previous sins will be erased.”[8]
As for the third opportunity, the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Whoever prays the night prayer during Laylat al-Qadr out of belief and hope for the reward, all of his previous sins will be erased.”[9]
These three opportunities are linked to an intention. Thus, this category of people are eager to show Allah that they are happy with Ramadan, not miserable, and that they are fasting due to their desperate need for the reward, not because others are fasting. Theirs is an intention they renew every day.
3) They prepare by creating an early connection with the Qur’ān, fasting and night prayer. No athlete participates in competition without prior warm ups, nor can a boxer ever dream of enduring a 12 round fight without dedicated training beforehand, similarly, the people of the Hereafter warm up for Ramadan so that they hit the ground running.
Some of us assume that our state of Īmān will automatically switch on overnight when Ramadan arrives, as if it is a button that has been pressed. Whilst some do experience a major boost in the first couple of days, they are very quick to run out of steam a week or so into Ramadan. In many cases, this is due to a lack of proper preparation before Ramadan and so the people of Īmān prepare well in advance.
4) They prepare by evaluating and reflecting on every sin they struggle with and repent for them before the arrival of Ramadan. They are not like others who mock Allah by arguing that they will sin as much as they can before Ramadan arrives and, when it does, then they will desist.
They do this because they have seen countless Muslims who experience Ramadan year in year out but on each time, they fall so short in their recitation of Qur’ān, extra Salah, wise usage of time and, in the end, Ramadan has little effect on them. What held them back? None other than sins they did not rid themselves of before Ramadan.
Sins are like injuries that bruise one’s ability to enjoy worship, and since Ramadan is a month of worship, the people of Īmān are afraid of missing out on the sweetness of being close to Allah.
Wuhayb b.Ward was asked:
“Can a person who always sins experience the sweetness of worship?”
He replied,
“No, not even the person who intends to sin.”
In much the same way that the body fails to taste the sweetness of food when it is ill, the heart will fail to taste the sweetness of worship with sins. A person may extend a lustful gaze at the impermissible and, instantly, his ability to enjoy the recitation of the Qur’ān is damaged. Similarly, a person may engage in impermissible communications, inhalations, conversations, financial dealings or their likes and, immediately, the love for Salah, Da’wah, Du’ā or their likes dissipates.
Such a person may wonder at how Allah’s punishment has not come to him yet despite his insistence upon a sin, whilst not realising that he is, in fact, being punished in the worst of all ways but fails to see it, for the joy of being close to Allah and working for the Hereafter has been snatched away from him.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said,
“There is not a punishment in existence that is worse than one’s heart being turned hard and feeling distant from Allah.”[10]
Therefore, the people of the Hereafter prepare for Ramadan by removing these obstacles – those of sins – before the month of Ramadan arrives.
5) They prepare for Ramadan by putting together an action plan. They do not settle with targets such as “I will read as much Qur’ān as possible”. Instead, they take control, knowing exactly what they want from the month of Ramadan.
Suggested daily Ramadan programme
| No. | Time / Focus | Action | Purpose / Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suhūr | Wake up for Suhūr, even if only to eat or drink something small. | Earn the reward of following the Sunnah; Suhūr contains barakah. [11] |
| 2 | Last third of the night | Pray at least two units of voluntary Salāh and make Duʿā. Reflect on sins and make Istighfār. | Reward for prayer and supplication at the greatest part of the night; Allah praises those who seek forgiveness at this time. [12] |
| 3 | Fajr & ʿIshā’ | Pray Fajr and ʿIshā’ in congregation at the Masjid. | Reward equivalent to spending the entire night in Salāh. [13] |
| 4 | Morning & evening | Recite morning remembrances after Fajr and evening remembrances after ʿAsr. | Consistent protection and reward through daily adhkār. [14] |
| 5 | Days off work | Remain in the Masjid after Fajr, engaged in Qur’ān and Dhikr until sunrise, then pray Duḥā (15 minutes after sunrise or preferably 10 minutes before midday). | Reward of a complete Hajj and ʿUmrah, inshāAllāh. [15] |
| 6 | Work hours | Intend to earn ḥalāl income for Allah’s sake; keep the tongue busy with Dhikr and restrain limbs from sin. | Reward for every minute of the day; fasting of the limbs alongside the body. |
| 7 | After returning home | After brief rest, dedicate one hour to Qur’ān recitation and/or studying its meanings. | Deepened connection with the Qur’ān. |
| 8 | Before Iftār | Dedicate the final 30 minutes before Iftār exclusively to Duʿā. | Duʿā of the fasting person is accepted throughout the fast. [16] |
| 9 | Maghrib–ʿIshā’ | After eating, use the time between Maghrib and ʿIshā’ for Qur’ān recitation. | Sustained engagement with the Qur’ān in the evening. |
| 10 | Night prayers | Do not miss any Tarāwīḥ prayers; choose a Masjid whose recitation connects with your heart. | Consistency in night worship during Ramaḍān. |
| 11 | Charity | Give a manageable amount of charity daily; set up a daily direct debit if needed. | Consistent ṣadaqah without forgetfulness. |
| 12 | Knowledge | Attend at least one circle of knowledge each week. | Gatherings visited by angels and enveloped in Allah’s mercy. |
| 13 | Family ties | Call or visit one relative each day. | Extended life, increased wealth, and protection from a bad ending. [17] |
The programme above is merely a suggestion requiring adaptions to individual circumstance. I would, nevertheless, recommend that whatever your targets may be, that they be in the numerical form. For example, “I will do such and such X number of times, and such and such Y number of times”. In this way you have a base to rate your performance in the coming years.
I ask Allah to make us amongst the people of īmān who meet His kindness with kindness, His offerings with acceptance and His worship with excitement and preparation.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] Al-Qur’ān, 2:184
[2] AtTirmidhi, on the authority of Abu Huraira
[3] AlHaakim, on the authority of Abu Juhaifa
[4] Ibnu Abi Dunya
[5] Al-Qur’ān, 47:9
[6] Al-Qur’ān, 2:45
[7] Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Huraira
[8] Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Huraira
[9] Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Huraira
[10] Al-Fawaa’id
[11] Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Anas
[12] Al-Qur’ā, 3:17
[13] Muslim, on the authority of ‘Uthmaan
[14] Find them here: http://www.islamawareness.net/Dua/Fortress/027.html
[15] AtTirmidhi, on the authority of Anas
[16] AtTirmidhi, on the authority of Abu Huraira
[17] Al-Bukhari, Al-Bazzaar, AlHaakim and others
Jazakallahu khairan.
ramadaan month of fasting
feasting sure prevalent…………….its the barakah -blessing- of ramadaan..??!!
do give a thought or more to those in need of food.
the drought in east africa catastrophic to say the least; rather donate some feast money for their water.
how can we eat and drink so carelessly and waste so much.