Wednesday, June 11, 2014

From Rajab to Ramadan



Photo: From Rajab to Ramadan.
-By Umm Salih

Abu Bakr Al-Balkhi said: “The month of Rajab is the month for planting, the month of Shaban is the month of irrigating the crops and the month of Ramadan is the month of harvesting the crops.”
Below are some pointers for Ramadan preparation:

1. Dua: Start making dua for good physical health and a healthy imaan to carry out good deeds in the month of Ramadan. Ask Allah to allow you to see Ramadan, give you the ability to do good deeds and accept it from you. Moreover, make a list of duas you are going to ask during the month of Ramadan, at the time of Aftar and on the night of Qadr.

2. Islamic Knowledge: Decide and collect all the Islamic lectures and books that you aim to listen to and read during Ramadan.

3. Quran: Ramadan and Quran are two inseparable friends. Increase your time with the Quran from now and plan your relationship with the Quran in Ramadan; how much recitation you will do each day, which tafseer you’re going to read and how much time you will spend on recitation and contemplation.

4. Gain Knowledge about Ramadan: Read books about Ramadan; the virtues of this month and the rulings of fasting. This way we can avoid making mistakes and spend the month in the manner most loved by Allah.

5. A productive Taraweeh: In these two months try and read the summary of each Surah/Juzz in the Quran so that you get the gist of what you’ll be hearing in the Taraweeh.

6. Activities for Children: Plan the special activities you’ll be doing with kids and what you’ll be teaching them. For example, reading the tafseer of particular Surahs, doing some charity work, or activities about the phases of the moon etc. Many Ramadan activity books are available on the Internet for free.

7. Laylatul Qadr: Plan how you’ll be spending the last ten nights. What azkar will you do? What duas will you make? What type of ibadah will you perform? How will you engage your whole family to make this night productive?

8. Making up obligatory fasts/ Fasting in Shaban
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah, from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless her and grant her peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to fast for so long that we thought he would never stop fasting, and he would go without fasting for so long that we thought he would never fast again. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fast for a complete month except for Ramadan, and I never saw him do more fasting in any one month than he did in Shaban.' (Malik Muwatta, Book#18, Hadith #18.22.56)

Scholars comment that from her keenness to make up her fasts before Ramadan it may be understood that it is better not to delay making them up until another Ramadan begins.

(This Article is edited to limit Shaban to Ramadan and make room for available Hadeeth with reference.)
Jazak Allah Khair.

From Rajab to Ramadan.
-By Umm Salih

Abu Bakr Al-Balkhi said: “The month of Rajab is the month for planting, the month of Shaban is the month of irrigating the crops and the month of Ramadan is the month of harvesting the crops.”
Below are some pointers for Ramadan preparation:

1. Dua: Start making dua for good physical health and a healthy imaan to carry out good deeds in the month of Ramadan. Ask Allah to allow you to see Ramadan, give you the ability to do good deeds and accept it from you. Moreover, make a list of duas you are going to ask during the month of Ramadan, at the time of Aftar and on the night of Qadr.

2. Islamic Knowledge: Decide and collect all the Islamic lectures and books that you aim to listen to and read during Ramadan.

3. Quran: Ramadan and Quran are two inseparable friends. Increase your time with the Quran from now and plan your relationship with the Quran in Ramadan; how much recitation you will do each day, which tafseer you’re going to read and how much time you will spend on recitation and contemplation.

4. Gain Knowledge about Ramadan: Read books about Ramadan; the virtues of this month and the rulings of fasting. This way we can avoid making mistakes and spend the month in the manner most loved by Allah.

5. A productive Taraweeh: In these two months try and read the summary of each Surah/Juzz in the Quran so that you get the gist of what you’ll be hearing in the Taraweeh.

6. Activities for Children: Plan the special activities you’ll be doing with kids and what you’ll be teaching them. For example, reading the tafseer of particular Surahs, doing some charity work, or activities about the phases of the moon etc. Many Ramadan activity books are available on the Internet for free.

7. Laylatul Qadr: Plan how you’ll be spending the last ten nights. What azkar will you do? What duas will you make? What type of ibadah will you perform? How will you engage your whole family to make this night productive?

8. Making up obligatory fasts/ Fasting in Shaban
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah, from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless her and grant her peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to fast for so long that we thought he would never stop fasting, and he would go without fasting for so long that we thought he would never fast again. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fast for a complete month except for Ramadan, and I never saw him do more fasting in any one month than he did in Shaban.' (Malik Muwatta, Book#18, Hadith #18.22.56)

Scholars comment that from her keenness to make up her fasts before Ramadan it may be understood that it is better not to delay making them up until another Ramadan begins.

No comments:

Post a Comment