Ramadan: Early Preparation and Practice ( Abdullah Cheng)
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are already too late, if we are only planning to start our preparation for Ramadan when we are about to sight the moon. We are approaching Ramadan in less than 20 days, and we still have some chance to prepare ourselves to enter it.
One might ask, why is this preparation so necessary? Why can’t we just enter and get ourselves used to the atmosphere of Ramadan?
One of the misconceptions we have about Ramadan, is that there are specific types of worship only during Ramadan. The truth is: Ramadan does not introduce anything new. There aren’t specific types of worship that only exist in Ramadan. It simply enhances and intensifies what should already be there.
We may think that there’s only Taraweeh in Ramadan. But the word Taraweeh is not even mentioned in the earliest books of Hadith, the meaning of the word is “to take a break” or “to rest”, to rest from what? To rest from the long prayers of Qiyam al-Layl, the night prayers.
Fasting is also not only for Ramadan. It becomes obligatory in Ramadan, but we can fast anytime during the year. The night prayer is not only for Ramadan. The completion of the Qur’an is not only for Ramadan. We are just trying to increase the amount of these existing acts of worship.
And that’s why if we don’t get used to doing them now, of course we would feel like these are newly introduced deeds that only exist in Ramadan. So here are 6 things all of us can do to prepare for Ramadan:
1. Start making Tawbah from now and ask forgiveness from Allah. Don’t wait until Ramadan to ask for forgiveness because you think it will be forgiven in Ramadan anyway. Because our sins are heavy, and they could be the reason that’s blocking us to do good deeds. Even when you think you want to pray or fast more, you start feeling lazy, because there are sins that are still not forgiven and they are dragging us. So we should start asking forgiveness from Allah to feel lighter, because we don’t want to enter Ramadan with sins dragging us behind.
2. Is to reset our intention. Ask ourselves: why am I fasting in Ramadan? Is it because everyone else is doing it? Is it just because it’s our culture? Am I fasting just so that I can lose weight?
When we have the right intentions, it would change the result of everything. Allah tells us in the Qur’an:
وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُرَٰغَمًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَسَعَةًۭ ۚ وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
Whoever makes Hijrah in the cause of Allah will find many safe havens and bountiful resources throughout the earth. Those who leave their homes and die while making Hijrah to Allah and His Messenger— their reward has already been secured with Allah. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [4:100]
This tells us that if we had the right intention to perform the good deeds purely for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, even if we couldn’t achieve it in the end, if we had the correct intention we will be receiving the reward from Allah Himself.
3. Is to have a strong conviction, that this is the month that we are going to change. From this month, I am going to pray all the Sunnah prayers. I am going to try to read the Qur’an everyday. I am going to plan to go for Hajj or Umrah. I am going to focus on my prayers. Have a strong conviction and believe that you are actually going to do it, and this is the time that you are going to change.
4. Is to free ourselves from worldly distractions as much as possible, and prioritize the acts of worship. If you’re able to complete some heavy tasks beforehand in this month, try to work on them this month so that you have more time to focus in Ramadan. Cancel all the unnecessary meetings, delay the gatherings you have with friends. Try to have more private time with yourself and with your own families. Even if you come to the masjid all the time, still reserve some time only between you and Allah.
5. Is to increase our knowledge, to remind ourselves and learn about the rulings of fasting so that we don’t make mistakes due to negligence. Study about some Tafsir of the Qur’an so that we could focus even more during the Taraweeh while praying behind the Imam.
6. Lastly, to make sincere Du’a to Allah, to allow us to benefit from Ramadan. Because we could be making plans and schedules, but if Allah does not give us the Tawfiq, we won’t be able to achieve anything even if we wanted to.
We ask Allah to allow us to reach Ramadan in a state of purity without our sins as burdens. We ask Allah to forgive our sins and our shortcomings that hold us back from worshipping Him. We ask Allah to grant us the Tawfiq to use our time wisely and increase our worship. And we ask Allah to allow us to enter Ramadan in peace.
We are already too late, if we are only planning to start our preparation for Ramadan when we are about to sight the moon. We are approaching Ramadan in less than 20 days, and we still have some chance to prepare ourselves to enter it.
One might ask, why is this preparation so necessary? Why can’t we just enter and get ourselves used to the atmosphere of Ramadan?
One of the misconceptions we have about Ramadan, is that there are specific types of worship only during Ramadan. The truth is: Ramadan does not introduce anything new. There aren’t specific types of worship that only exist in Ramadan. It simply enhances and intensifies what should already be there.
We may think that there’s only Taraweeh in Ramadan. But the word Taraweeh is not even mentioned in the earliest books of Hadith, the meaning of the word is “to take a break” or “to rest”, to rest from what? To rest from the long prayers of Qiyam al-Layl, the night prayers.
Fasting is also not only for Ramadan. It becomes obligatory in Ramadan, but we can fast anytime during the year. The night prayer is not only for Ramadan. The completion of the Qur’an is not only for Ramadan. We are just trying to increase the amount of these existing acts of worship.
And that’s why if we don’t get used to doing them now, of course we would feel like these are newly introduced deeds that only exist in Ramadan. So here are 6 things all of us can do to prepare for Ramadan:
1. Start making Tawbah from now and ask forgiveness from Allah. Don’t wait until Ramadan to ask for forgiveness because you think it will be forgiven in Ramadan anyway. Because our sins are heavy, and they could be the reason that’s blocking us to do good deeds. Even when you think you want to pray or fast more, you start feeling lazy, because there are sins that are still not forgiven and they are dragging us. So we should start asking forgiveness from Allah to feel lighter, because we don’t want to enter Ramadan with sins dragging us behind.
2. Is to reset our intention. Ask ourselves: why am I fasting in Ramadan? Is it because everyone else is doing it? Is it just because it’s our culture? Am I fasting just so that I can lose weight?
When we have the right intentions, it would change the result of everything. Allah tells us in the Qur’an:
وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُرَٰغَمًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَسَعَةًۭ ۚ وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
Whoever makes Hijrah in the cause of Allah will find many safe havens and bountiful resources throughout the earth. Those who leave their homes and die while making Hijrah to Allah and His Messenger— their reward has already been secured with Allah. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [4:100]
This tells us that if we had the right intention to perform the good deeds purely for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, even if we couldn’t achieve it in the end, if we had the correct intention we will be receiving the reward from Allah Himself.
3. Is to have a strong conviction, that this is the month that we are going to change. From this month, I am going to pray all the Sunnah prayers. I am going to try to read the Qur’an everyday. I am going to plan to go for Hajj or Umrah. I am going to focus on my prayers. Have a strong conviction and believe that you are actually going to do it, and this is the time that you are going to change.
4. Is to free ourselves from worldly distractions as much as possible, and prioritize the acts of worship. If you’re able to complete some heavy tasks beforehand in this month, try to work on them this month so that you have more time to focus in Ramadan. Cancel all the unnecessary meetings, delay the gatherings you have with friends. Try to have more private time with yourself and with your own families. Even if you come to the masjid all the time, still reserve some time only between you and Allah.
5. Is to increase our knowledge, to remind ourselves and learn about the rulings of fasting so that we don’t make mistakes due to negligence. Study about some Tafsir of the Qur’an so that we could focus even more during the Taraweeh while praying behind the Imam.
6. Lastly, to make sincere Du’a to Allah, to allow us to benefit from Ramadan. Because we could be making plans and schedules, but if Allah does not give us the Tawfiq, we won’t be able to achieve anything even if we wanted to.
We ask Allah to allow us to reach Ramadan in a state of purity without our sins as burdens. We ask Allah to forgive our sins and our shortcomings that hold us back from worshipping Him. We ask Allah to grant us the Tawfiq to use our time wisely and increase our worship. And we ask Allah to allow us to enter Ramadan in peace.