What Are We Waiting For?

Ramadan is coming up in about a month bi ithniLLAH. Have we started preparing ourselves spiritually? No doubt some of us have started going shopping for the pantry, some might even already be window shopping for Eid gifts, forgetting the most important aspect of the blessed month is attaining Taqwa by performing and drowning ourselves in various acts of worship.

We know we cannot wake up on the days of doubt (the 2 nights right before Ramadan) with the highest level of eemaan and state of mind, ready to take on the month-long journey towards Jannah (whose gates are wide open) without having prepared our hearts for this month-long event. If we were preparing for a triathlon, we would start exercising months in advance. Why not do the same for this glorious month of Ramadan.

I advise myself and you all to challenge yourself in this next month. Print off our Eeman chart for Ramadan and begin using it even before Ramadan starts. Make it a point to fill in each section every day and be conscious about what you observe (the state of your eemaan/heart/improvement/preparation for Ramadan) before the beginning of Ramadan and afterwards in shaa Allah.

Don't be lazy, many are those who will read this post but may not witness the month of Ramadan. Make your intention to be better TODAY and do not delay.

May Allah make us be from those who will witness Ramadan and be successful in this life and in the hereafter, aameen.

Ramadan Charts (Printable)

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh

Here are some charts that you and your family can benefit from this month of Ramadan bi ithniLLAH.

Feel free to print them out for yourself, spouse and children. Share them with family and friends. You can customize the Blank Chart Template to your liking.

Baaraka Allah feena wa feekum.

Click to download/print (PDF).

These are colorful charts for kids to fill in as they please. You can use it for motivating/rewarding young ones to finish their hifdh in shaa Allah. They can be use outside of Ramadan of course.

Time Management Tips for Ramadan

"Ramadaan has arrived to you, a month of barakah (blessing), Allaah envelops you (with His mercy & blessings), so He descends His mercy, erases the sins, answers your dua'as, and He watches your competition in virtuous deeds and He boasts in front of the angels about you. So, let Allaah see the best from you, for truly, the miserable one is he who is deprived from the mercy of Allaah (in this month)." [Tabaraanee, Saheeh]

These are feasible tips to help you maximize your time during Ramadaan & to prepare ourselves for 'Ibaadah & worship.

Click the buttons to read the tips.

Tip 1 × Devices/Cellphone/Social Media: Minimize/avoid technology usage. Yes, there is good in it, perhaps your daily reminder is on it, and whatever else you want to convince yourself with. Always remember that a distracted heart cannot focus on proper worship. If you are used to chatting with your friends on a regular basis, make it short. Share with them the importance of this month & let them know that you want to devote yourself for 'Ibaadah in order to get the maximum reward during this month. Share these tips with them as well.	Tip 2 × Cooking: Try to cook something simple during Ramadaan as this is a month of 'Ibaadah & Qur'aan, not the month of food. There are some husbands who request that their wives cook different varieties of food. Sisters/brothers end up spending most of their time in the kitchen. If it's very necessary, keep the Qur'aan playing in the kitchen & listen to it while you are busy, or keep your tongue moist with the Dhikr of Allah. Find out ways and short cut tips to prepare the food quickly. Make food that won't take as much time as others.	Tip 3 × Dinner Parties/Iftaar: Iftaar parties during ramadaan were common before the pandemic. Hopefully we all realised how much time was saved when we were all on lockdown and didn't have the means to interact as we normally did in pre-pandemic Ramadaans. We have the rest of the full year to do parties & to socialize. We must maximize every minute we have in the month of Ramadaan. Indeed, it's a great reward to break someone's fast but, give food to people who are needy & poor.	Tip 4 × Shopping: Get all your shopping done before Ramadaan commences. Make a list of the things/grocery items, that is enough for one month & buy it all together. Important: Do your eid shopping NOW. Don’t wait until the last ten days of Ramadaan (when we have to be doing more ‘Ibaadah) to do your eid shopping. In these last ten days, we have to be laser focused on maximizing the days and nights of it, aiming to be from those who will succeed in worshipping on Laylatul Qadr.
Tip 5 × Sleeping/Resting Enough: In order to be successful in Ramadaan, you must give your body its right. Split your night into portions for rest as well as portions for 'Ibaadah. It is not normal for us to spend all day sleeping because we are fasting and didn't get some rest in the night. There is time for everything. Sleep some at night, and take sufficient naps during the day to help keep a measured balance.	Tip 6 × Fard: Pray the Obligatory salaah (prayers) on time, and with Khushoo. Get yourself ready as soon as the time of salaah comes in. Make du'aa to Allaah to give you Khushoo & try to get rid of all the thoughts & whispers that comes in the mind. Worship Allah as though you see Him, and while you see Him not, yet truly He sees you.	Tip 7 × Sunnah & Nawaafil: If you are already praying the 12 sunnah, continue them. Add to it, Salatu Duhaa (at least 2 raka'ahs). If you already have this down pat, then increase the raka'ahs of Duhaa, or Tahajjud.	Tip 8 × Qur'aan: Ramadaan is the month of the Qur'aan. Make it the bulk of your 'Ibaadah. If you are working, keep a pocket size Qur'aan with you & read it whenever you get the time, like coffee break, lunch break, at every opportunity. Read with reflection. Read slowly in a beautiful voice & reflect on its meanings. Set aside time to ponder over the meanings and tafseer, a few verses at a time.
Tip 9 × Dua'a: Write down all the dua'a you want to make for yourself, your children, family or any dua'a that you want to make for your deen or dunya. Each day, focus on one dua'a & keep on repeating it throughout the day & at the best times when dua'a is most likely to be accepted (between aadhan & Iqaamah, iftaar time, in sujood, last 3rd of night). Make dua'a to Allaah to give you Ikhlaas, khushoo, make dua'a that you are able to observe laylat-ul-Qadr. Make dua'a for the whole Ummah.	Tip 10 × Dhikr: Select one Dhikr a day & focus on it, reflecting on its meaning & thinking about its reward, while repeating it throughout the day. Keep your tongue moist with dhikr. Learn a few now before Ramadan begins and keep your tongue moist with them. At the very least, send salah upon the prophet, for the benefits of doing that are many.	Tip 11 × Charity: Give as much charity as you can, as the reward gets more during the month of ramadaan. Give food to the poor & needy people & help those in need. Be like Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in giving charity. That which you spend in charity is what you truly own, not what you keep for later (maybe you will use it, or someone else will inherit it).	Tip 12 × Last 10 days: Double & triple the amount of 'Ibaadah that you are already doing (reading Qur'aan, nawafil, Dhikr, dua'a, qiyaam) in the last ten days of Ramadaan. Sleep less & worship more. Pray as much as you can, make a lots of dua'a, and keep your tongue moist with the rememberance of Allah.

Fasting Ramadan | Things You Must Know

Fasting is an act of Worship and a fundamental pillar of our religion. This series, covers all of the basic information every Muslim must know in order to observe this pillar of Islam correctly. May Allah grant us all understanding and wisdom, make us all from the successful in Ramadan, in this life, and in the hereafter, aameen.

These podcasts were recorded by UmmAbdullah for Sisters specifically. Please keep this in mind when listening to them and be mindful of who else is listening.

1. Definitions and Wisdom

We will learn the meanings of the words Siyaam and Ramadan, the wisdom behind the obligation of the fast of the month of Ramadan.

2. Requirements

We will cover the conditions for the Fasting of the month of Ramadan to become obligatory on a person. When does a child reach the age of puberty? What if a person is insane?

3. Invalidators

So we now understand the basics of fasting, why don’t we learn the invalidators of fasting; the things that will nullify our fast and how to fix the situation.

4. Voluntary Fasts

Alhamdulillah we have learnt a lot about fasting in Ramadan. Let us round-up with some basic facts and a quick recap of some points we previously mentioned. Do you know the types of voluntary fasting throughout the year?

5. Women Related Issues

What do you do when you lose a pregnancy during Ramadan? What if your period starts during the day of Ramadan? How about taking a medication to prevent your period from starting during Ramadan.

6. More Women related Issues

What if you are pregnant and bleeding? Do you sleep through the night of the last ten days of Ramadan because you are on your monthly cycle? Frequently asked questions on women issues continues in this episode. Don’t miss it.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

Alhamdulillah we have covered all of the basics of Fasting in and outside of Ramadan. We will round-up with frequently asked general questions.

Preparing Our Hearts and Souls for Ramadan

This series, cover things we should be doing now (before Ramadan) to prepare our hearts and minds for getting the most from the month of Ramadan. Although these were recorded many years ago, they will always be relevant in our lives. May Allah make us all from the successful in this life and in the hereafter, aameen.

These podcasts were recorded by UmmAbdullah for Sisters specifically. Please keep this in mind when listening to them and be mindful of who else is listening.

1. Repenting to ALLAH

We are doing some spring cleaning of our hearts and soul and refurnishing it with knowledge and the remembrance of ALLAH in preparation for Ramadan so join us.

2. Training our senses

How do we make sure that we protect ourselves from evil and what should we do to clean out are hearts and protect it from filth? We need to train our senses.

3. Increasing our good deeds

What are the ways of motivating ourself to do righteous deeds and keep up with them? What are the many types of righteous deeds we can do? Listen to this episode to find out more in shaa ALLAH.

4. Thanking ALLAH

Why do we need ALLAH? Have we thanked ALLAH for all the mercy that HE has upon us? Do we take benefit from the prayers of the prophets, the chosen people of ALLAH?

5. Between Fear and Hope

When do we make the intention for Ramadan? What is Taqwa? Are you a Muhsin?

6. Purifying our Intentions

Have we asked ourselves why we are listening to these podcast series? Do we think about the essence of the acts of worship before we do them? Do we realise the importance of purifying our intentions?

7. Talking to our Nafs [our Soul]

How do we keep our soul in check? What will make us reach the highest levels of Jannah? We answer these questions in this podcast and conclude the preparation for Ramadan series.

General Tips for Ramadan

Tip 1 × Make the intention to make this Ramadan full of 'ibaadah, and much better than last year	Tip 2 × Get an easy-to-understand Quran translation so that you can read the translation of what you recite. Start reading from now even if it’s just an ayah a day	Tip 3 × If you don’t currently perform salah 5 times a day, change this ASAP. If you do pray, then perform the sunnah (recommended) and nafl (voluntary) prayers or start to wake up for tahajjud at least once a week. Aim to continue this all through Ramadan and afterwards as well. Think of the rewards you will receive from Allah	Tip 4 × Do all your Eid shopping in advance. This way you can devote more time for ibaadah in Ramadan.
Tip 5 × Hopefully you don’t but if you do, then set a date to stop smoking/shisha/vaping and all other vices in the next week. This way in shaa Allah you will be smoke free by Ramadan and beyond.	Tip 6 × Start cutting down on junk food, caffeine, fried food and start eating healthy and maintain this throughout Ramadan and beyond. We tend to over eat in Ramadan and then consequently gain weight. Let’s eat healthy this year!!	Tip 7 × Make a DUA'A list. Ramadan is the month to ask for everything. Go for it! Make your duas at the times it is most likely to be answered; before breaking the fast, in your sujuood during salah, in the last ten nights, or during tahajjud.	Tip 8 × Do a pre-Ramadan spring cleaning. Tackle one room a day, throw out the junk or give things to charity. This way your home is clutter free and relatively tidy before Ramadan (unless you’ve got kids of course which means it will be tidy for all of 5 minutes).
Tip 9 × Write your objectives for Ramadan. Things like: Pray all sunnah of the salah, finish reciting the Quran with meaning, giving to charity as much as possible. This way you have a clear goal of what you want to achieve in shaa Allah.	Tip 10 × Start cutting down/cut out completely on TV, music, Facebook, twitter etc. This way you are less likely to miss it in Ramadan and spend more time in ibaadah rather than wasting precious time.	Tip 11 × Start giving as much as you can in charity. This way, in Ramadan it'll be something you will find very easy to do and in shaa Allah you can be more generous.	Tip 12 × Make a Good Deeds List for Ramadan. Things like: helping neighbours, providing food for the poor and needy etc. Make the most of this blessed month.
Tip 13 × Make up for any missed fasts you may have. You can also fast on the Sunnah days of Mondays and Thursdays. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deeds are shown (to Allaah) on Mondays and Thursdays, and I like my deeds to be shown when I am fasting.” (Tirmidhi)	Tip 14 × Start adjusting your sleeping habits so that you can wake up early. Try waking up for tahajjud 2-3 times a week.	Tip 15 × Control your tongue. If you are in the habit of swearing, backbiting etc. STOP NOW! Then keep this up after Ramadan too.	Tip 16 × Lastly, remember us in your dua'a. Pray for the Ummah of Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). May Allah accept all of our humble 'ibaadaats and dua'a, aameen.

Beneficial Reminders About Ramadan

These playlists or videos on youtube are curated walhamdulillah. They contain beneficial reminders that we all need as Muslims at all times, and especially in Ramadan.

1. Ramadan is Your Second Chance

A series covering the ways to leverage Ramadan to improve ourselves and strive for the level of Ihsan and worshipping Allah correctly in and outside of Ramadan. By, Sh. Karim Abu Zaid.

2. Ramadan Memoirs

It explains the importance of Ramadan and the understanding we should have as muslims about the month of Ramadan. By, Sh. Ibrahim Zidan

3. Virtues of fasting

This covers the benefits and virtues of Fasting Ramadan and other voluntary fasts. By, Sh. Aasim Al-Hakeem

4. The Path to Salvation

This series covers the fundamental of Islam and is presented primarily for the benefit of non-Muslims. It is included here because we all need to renew our faith from time to time especially in Ramadan. By, Sh. Karim Abu Zaid

What Are We Waiting For?

Ramadan Charts (Printable)

Click to download/print (PDF).

Time Management Tips for Ramadan

Click the buttons to read the tips.

Fasting Ramadan | Things You Must Know

These podcasts were recorded by UmmAbdullah for Sisters specifically. Please keep this in mind when listening to them and be mindful of who else is listening.

Preparing Our Hearts and Souls for Ramadan

These podcasts were recorded by UmmAbdullah for Sisters specifically. Please keep this in mind when listening to them and be mindful of who else is listening.

General Tips for Ramadan

Beneficial Reminders About Ramadan

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