RAMADHAN TO DO LIST...5 Weeks to Go!

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Tue, 14/07/2009 - 11:52
sister2all
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From Sister Hibah

Asalamualikum,

Pray that you are in the best of health and Iman inshaAllah,
6 week plan leading up to Ramadan to make it a productive one iA. Takes 6 weeks to pick up a habit inshaAllah these 5-6 weeks will help make this Ramadan the best ever inshaAlalh. 
Remember me in your duas.

6 weeks before the start of Ramadan,
1.'Wake up Call' week.
- Recite the following dua to make it to Ramadan. Do this repeatedly throughtout the day and every day leading up to Ramadan.
 
Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha'ban wa Ballighna Ramadan. (O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan. (i.e. prolong our life upto Ramadan so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings) (Bukhair, at - tabarani and ahmed)
 
- Write down all the positive things that you did last Ramadan as well as those areas that need improvement with the aim of maximising the benefits of this Ramadan,  insha'Allah.
 
- Start to read books about Ramadan, This will help you get into Ramadan mode and you will also learn about the do's and dont's of fasting which is important if you want to derive maximum benefit from it.
 
2. 'Heart Focus' Week
-Ask for forgiveness, (Tawbah Nasooha)
-Listen to islamic lectures. Choose a scholar and topic that you feel will motivate you and get your heart into the the right state.
-Read Islamic books about self-development and purifying the heart.
-Do your very best to pray all your salah on time
-ensure you pray the sunnahs prayers with the fard prayers.
- actively focusing on improving your khushoo in salah by spending more time on it and concentrating on what your saying.
-Allocate time to doing tasbeeh and istighfar, especially after salah.
 
3. 'Fasting and Quran' Week.
-make up mixed fasts
-start fasting Mondays and Thursdays
-Involve your family and friends and encourage them to fast as well.
-Allocate a certain amount of Quran to read every day and ensure that you read this amount regularly.
-Get an English translation and a tafsir book to help you understand the Quran and read these regularly.
 
4. 'Night Prayer and start thinking about charity' Week.
 
- If one of your weak points is getting up for Fajr, now is the time to get this right by going to bed early and setting the alarm for Fajr time.
-Start to pray Qiyam ul layl after Isha
-Start getting up for Tahajjud you only need to wake up half an hour before you normally would for fajr. pray tahujjud, do dhikr or read Quran till fajr.
-Agree with a friend or family member to wake each other up for tahujjud
- think of ways you can benefit your community and the Ummah with charitable acts.  Be imaginative, try and involve as many people as you can and remember that even the smallest act of kindness counts as charity.
 
 
5. 'Increase your efforts and allocating Zakat and Sadaqah' week.
 
-Spend more time than you usually do in reading and understanding the Quran,
-Focus even more on your salah - start reading salatul doha for example.
- increase the number of rakkah u pray for qiyyam ul layl and Tahajjud
Increase the time u are spending on tasbeeh and istighfar
-Allocate your zakat if you are due to pay it.
-Allocate the amount you want to pay for sadaqah in Ramadan and set it aside. As you do so, make an effort to read about the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves.  this will make you grateful and wanting to do more for charity.
 
6. 'Connecting with family and friends' week
 
 
- Organise a family get together
- Contact all of your family, those who live locally as well as those abroad, to wish them the best for this Ramadan.
-Organise goody bags for your family and friends' children to get them excited about Ramadan.
-Take time out to sit and talk/listen to the people you live with as it can be so easy to take them for granted.
 
 
Ramadan daily checklist.
 
Make a list of things you want to do every day during Ramadan and tick them off as each day goes buy:-
For example....
 
Daily Activities: -
-Pray 5 fard prayers with Sunnah
al-mu'akkadah
-Pray Taraweeh
-Read one Juz of the Quran
with translation
-Spend time doing dhikr
-Perform an act of charity
-Eat Sahoor properly
-Avoid swearing, lying and backbiting/gossiping
-Lower gaze,
-Learn a hadith or ayah of the Quran, and teach it
to someone.
 
 
The three levels of Fasting in Ramadan
 
Imam al Ghazali writes about the following categories of fasting:
First level: Ordinary Fasting
this level requires abstention from three things: food, drink and sexual satisfaction.  This is the minimum requirement and the reward is given accordingly.
Second level: special fasting
Keeping one's ears, eyes, tongue, ahnds and feet free from sin.  For such people just abstaining from the minimum requirement is not sufficient, thus they take care not to say, hear or do a wrong thing. As they restrain their organs from all kinds of prohibitions, they are rewarded accordingly.
Third level: Extra-special fasting
This fast involves abstaining from all unworthy thoughts, loves, desires and wishes in total disregard of everytihng except the thought and remembrance of Allah. This is the perfection of tawhid (oneness of Allah). One may physically be present in the world but the internal self is exclusively engaged towards Allah.

“The journey of a thousand miles must begin
with a single step.”

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