Ramadan Time to Rejoice… sio Students Islamic Organisation of India Mumbra Unit siomumbra@gmail.com http://siomumbra.blogspot.com Introduction Alhamdulillah! Ramadan has come, the time we love best. It is the month in which the Qur’an was sent. Ramadan is a great and blessed month. The objective of the sacred month is not to starve and deprive yourself of what otherwise would have been permissible to you during the day; rather is purpsose is to achieve piety and rightiousness. It is an act that brings joy and contentment to every Muslim who experiences the practice. We pray that this blessed month brings divine blessings to all of us. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous (God consciousness)” (Al‐Baqarah, 2:183) The month of Ramadan is not only the month of fasting; it is also the month of the Qur’an. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an “The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.” (Al‐Baqarah, 2:185) A Checklist for Ramadan Objective Have a primary goal to be God fearing and increase Taqwa, to build my character, attain perfection, increase my spirituality & purify soul and prepare for death Salah Improve your Salah by improving concentration, by understand its meaning, to stand in night prayers (Tahajjud), to be punctual for Jamaat prayers and to increase the prostrations Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself purely and fully to Allah Make a resolve to win the maximum favour of Allah by perform extra voluntary prayers (Nawaafil), make frequent Du'a, increase remembrance (Dhikr) and try to do a lot of good deeds Dawah Indulge in discussion on the purpose and objective of Ramadan with the non‐Muslims and during the discussion convey the message of Islam to them and give some Islamic material to read Knowledge Read Islamic books, attend Islamic lecture, start a study circle or Qur’an translation program, browse through Islamic websites and listen to Islamic CDs or audio cassettes Share the teachings of Ramadan, love & patience with your friends, relatives and neighbours Commit to an Islamic study circles to enhance your Islamic knowledge and practice. Plan to complete reading a book on Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life in these 29/30 days. Qur’an Improve your relationship with Qur’an through reading the whole Qur’an atleast once (Tilawat), memorize a few Surahs (Aayaat), learn to recite the Quran correctly (Tajweed), understand its meanings & ponder over its verses and read the Tafseer Recite the Qur’an after every Salah. In fact if you read 3‐4 pages after every Salah you can easily finish the entire Qur’an in Ramadan! Study the Quranic Tafseer (commentary) every morning Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level Charity – Zakat – Infaq Donate generously where people are in need, to Islamic organizations, Masjids, etc. "This is a month of sharing! Relationship Invite a person you are not very close with you to your home for Iftar, at least once a week. You will notice the blessings in your relationships! Bring life to your family! Every day try to conclude the fast with your family and spend some quality time together to understand each other better Abstaining from wrong acts Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet's warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the fast! Abandon foul language forever Avoid doing bad deed like telling lies, speaking ill of others, gheebat, losing temper, watching TV, serials, films and vain talks Others Become closer to Allah (swt) by doing daily supplication after Salah, supplications for Iftaar, duas from Qur’an & Hadith and duas with tears Try to observe I'tikaf during the last 10 days of Ramadan, if you are not able to observe I’tikaf for all the ten days then atleast try to observe it for a few days Seek the rare and oft‐neglected rewards of 'the night better than 1000 months', Laylatul‐Qadr Perform good deeds like arranging for Iftar, being kind to relatives, help the neighbours, lighten the burden of others, give alms to poor, respect elders and attain good manners and behavior To seek for forgiveness of past sins and to ask for guidance for future Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins. It is the month of forgiveness and Allah's Mercy! It's never too late Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything evil. Play the role of a Da'ee (one who invites to Allah) with passion and sympathy Once you've done a self‐evaluation, you can plan on where you want to go, at least in the next 12 months and pray to Allah (swt) to help and guide you to execute your plan Abu Huraira related that the Prophet said: Allah the Majestic and Exalted said: "Every deed of man will receive ten to 700 times reward, except Fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward it (as I like). There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts: one when he breaks the fast and the other when he will meet his Lord" (Muslim) Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said, “Convey to others on my behalf, even though it be a single verse.” [Bukhari]