Pre-Ramadan Preparations

By Sumayyah Mohammad, Grade 6

Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh and Ramadan Mubarak! InshaAllah this year’s month of spiritual reflection will grant all of us guidance and immense ajar. Before Ramadan starts and we begin fasting, reciting Quran, and remembering Allah (SWT) to our best efforts, Legacy Lions have a few important tips and reminders to share so that you can prepare yourself for this blessed month.

• Purify Your Intentions

The first thing that you must do in order for your actions to be accepted is to have an intention to please Allah (SWT). Imam Bukhari mentions in his first hadith, “Certainly, deeds are by their intentions,” signifying the importance of intention before each and every action. Pure intentions are what make Muslims servants of Allah (SWT) because everything we do is for His sake. When Ramadan starts and you wish to do lots of deeds for the month, make sure that you do them with sincere intentions. This means, say Bismillah before you do anything and Alhamdulillah afterwards. 

• Dua’ Strategy

An easy way to select and focus on your dua’ this blessed month is by thinking of at least five main areas in your life you wish to pray for and write two dua’ for each of them. For example, you might pick health, education, imaan, and family. Then you could write two dua’ for each of them. This way you will have set goals for the month. With each dua comes an action. Tie your camel and take practical steps towards manifesting each of those dua’ bi’ithnillah.

• Learn about Seerah

There are many benefits that come from learning about RasulAllah (SAW), especially what he (SAW) advised during the month of Ramadan. For example, when asked by Aisha (RA) what dua’ she should make during this blessed month, RasulAllah (SAW) advised her to say, “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni (Oh Allah You are Most Forgiving, and You are the One Who loves to forgive, so forgive me).” Make it a habit to say this dua’ before iftar and other blessed times of prayer 

Furthermore, some easy ways to incorporate learning about the seerah of RasulAllah (SAW) this month are listening to lectures or reading books. Here are some recommendations:

• Seerah by Yasir Qadhi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUp3ZZ9t3A
• Seerah by Mufti Menk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdWxCVYAOCk
• When The Moon Split by Saifur Rahman Mubarakpuri: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6320836
• The Simple Seerah by Asim Khan and Toyris Miah: https://simpleseerah.com/ 

Spending time with your family while listening to lectures or reading seerah books is a great way to make use of the little time we have this month. Try to make time everyday to learn something new about RasulAllah (SAW) and put it into practice so it becomes a habit outside of Ramadan as well, inshaAllah. 

• Learn About Allah 

Ramadan is the blessed month of love and connection with your Lord, and one of the best ways to show your love for someone is by learning more about them. Practice memorizing the 99 names of Allah (SWT) and tying His names to each of your dua’ so you will enhance your understanding of Allah and increase your connection with Him. 

Allah (SWT) says, “Remember Me, and I will remember you.” After you eat suhoor and iftar say Alhamdulillah ya Razzaq, for He is the One Who provides for you. When you make dua, acknowledge that Allah (SWT) is As-Samee’, the One Who hears your calls. 

• Quran Goals

Set easy to accomplish Quran goals for yourself and actively work to achieve them. If you want to complete one whole reading of the Quran during Ramadan, read 4 pages after every salah. That way, you’ll have read one juz per day, enabling you to finish 30 ajza’ in 30 days. Of course you can read more, but don’t forget to add some time for tadabbur, pondering over the ayaat of Allah as this will help you understand what you read and put into practice what you learn. Additionally, if you’re working towards memorizing, make sure to carve out time to review and work on your daily Quran goals. 

Spending time with Allah and His Book during this blessed month will inshaAllah bring us closer to Him. The opportunities that this month provides only come around once a year so let’s take advantage of every minute by ramping up our dua’, reading more Quran, and spending quality time with family doing good deeds and learning more about our beautiful deen. Allahumma balighna Ramadan! Oh Allah, let us see Ramadan!