Adeel Malik
Ramadan is the mother of all months. It is the best month in which the first verses of the best book of guidance were revealed to the best man by the best angel for the best nation.
It is the most awaited month for Muslims all over the world for it brings with it an awe of mercy, forgiveness and hope of change and redemption. It encourages us to become better Muslims. This is done by doing acts which will bring us closer to the pleasure of Allāh and abstaining from acts which will take us away. Here are the top 5 dos and don’ts:
Top 5 Dos in Ramadan
1) Sawm | Fast
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [1]
- An obligation upon every able Muslim being rewarded unmeasurably by Allāh,
- Missing one day of the fast during this month without a valid excuse can be severely sinful and dangerous,
- Eat Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, there’s a blessing in it,
- Hasten to open the fast at exactly sunset, do not delay it and
- A blessing in opening the fast in congregation, together with others.
“He who fasts Ramadan having faith and hoping for reward (from Allāh) then his past sins are forgiven.” [2]
2) Qur’an
“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” [3]
- Recite it as much as possible, reward for every letter read,
- Respect the words of Allāh by reciting the Qur’an beautifully,
- Reflect over some, if not all, of the verses afterall the Qur’an was sent a source of guidance,
- Memorize one or more Surahs and raise your rank and
- Get a Qur’an buddy or listen to the Qur’an for there’s a reward.
“Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.” [4]
3) Salah
“Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book, and perform Salah. Verily, Salah prevents from lewdness and evils. And indeed, the remembrance of Allāh (by you) is greatest. And Allāh knows what you do.” [5]
- Observe the obligatory five Salah on time every day according to the Sunnah,
- Fasting without praying the obligatory Salah can make the fast invalid,
- Strive to attend prayers in congregation to get 27 times higher reward,
- Highly recommended to pray the 12 Rakaat of supererogatory prayers every day along with seeking the night of Laylutul Qadr,
- Add other optional prayers like Salatul Doha and of course Taraweeh in a place where the Qur’an is eloquently being recited.
4) Charity
“Allāh’s Messenger was the most generous of all the people, and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month of Ramadan when Jibril met him. Jibril used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Qur’an. Allāh’s Messenger was the most generous person, even more generous than the fair winds.” [6]
- Give in regular charity, every day, no matter how little, since Allāh loves the constant deed,
- Multiply your rewards by giving to a variety of charities and share Ramadan with Non-Muslims too by inviting them for Iftar,
- Without count giving can grant you Allāh’s shade,
- Encourage others to give and you will rewarded too and
- Remember, even though you are may tired and energyless, don’t forget good manners like smiling, spending quality time with family, helping others and saying a good word can all be forms of charity.
5) Remembrance of Allāh
“And for men and women who engage much in Allāh’s remembrance. For them has Allāh prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” [7]
- Keep your tongue moist with the Dhikr of Allāh,
- Make regular Dua for the Dua of the fasting person is accepted,
- Erase the sins with Istighfar,
- Show thankfulness by mentioning His name and
- Be in the company of those who are also remembering Him.
Top 5 Don’ts in Ramadan
1) Wrong intention
“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended…” [8]
- No authentic verbal intention for keeping fast, it’s by the heart,
- No showing off with your fast by boastfully telling others,
- No fasting for any other reason except for Allāh and
- No fasting to please people or just to lose weight.
2) Bad behaviour
“Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions and does not abandon foolishness, Allāh is not in need of his leaving food and drink (i.e. Allāh will not accept his fasting).” [9]
- No lying, cheating or deceiving at any times,
- No listening to music or other bad content,
- No watching or gazing at what’s impermissible,
- No gossiping, backbiting or slandering and
- No to anger, fights, belitting or arguments.
3) Waste time
“By [the token of] Time. Verily Man is in loss, except such as have faith and do good deeds, and [join together] in the mutual teaching of truth, of patience and constancy.” [10]
- No pointless entertainment,
- No unproductive talk,
- No excessive sleep and
- No needless social media usage.
4) Bad eating habit
“A man does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat enough to keep him alive. But if he must do that, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink and one-third for his air.” [11]
- No overeating or undereating,
- No criticizing food or overpraising,
- No wasting food or water,
- No constant oily and fatty food,
- No fizzy, highly carbonated or soft drinks
5) Forget about family
“Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The man is the shepherd of his family and he is responsible for his flock. The woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. The servant is a shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock.” [12]
- No disconnecting with family,
- No avoiding to help with house chores,
- No overlooking family affairs and
- No belittling those who are not as practicing as you.
Ramadan is a beautiful month revolving around ‘ibadah, a gift from Allāh to erase our sins and to help us establish a strong, long-lasting bond with Him. Do not waste this chance by pursuing trivial activities, which should not be pursued outside of Ramadan too. Treat it as your last Ramadan, thus stimulating yourself to maximize your rewards.
May Allāh make us from those who fully utilize this month and from those who win His acceptance and forgiveness. Ameen.
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References
[1] Al-Qur’an 2:183
[2] Al-Bukhari and Muslim
[3] Al-Qur’an 2:184
[4] Al-Bukhari and Muslim
[5] Al-Qur’an 29:45
[6] Al-Bukhari
[7] Al-Qur’an 33:35
[8] Al-Bukhari
[9] Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud
[10] Al-Qur’an 103:1-3
[11] At-Tirmidhi
[12] Abu Dawud
Certain text taken from IOU
