By Abdullahi Jamaa
It’s back, Ramadan is back. Take the courage to excel and immerse yourself into a deep sense of spirituality. Winning the fasting race requires an iron will, decorated with dedication and an unbounded ambition to achieve what you did not achieve last Ramadan.
Walk the talk this time, roll up your sleeves and cherish every moment of fasting with a benevolent yet achievable regimen of worship. It is not only about achieving a score higher than last year, but setting your own pace for a lifetime of spiritual transformation.
With evidence showing that a person can break a habit within 21 days, 30 days of fasting therefore can mean a lot to start a new roadmap for a personal spiritual journey. Many people may have some form of habit they would like to break. It is possible to do this if you follow appropriate techniques to try to address the issue using Ramadan as a boot camp.
Do not allow bad habits to follow you to the grave. If you allow that to happen, it means you are leading an unconscious life full of procrastination, endless trepidations and unceasing appetite for more bad habits.
As quoted by Imam Ibn Qayyim, one of our righteous predecessor said ““From amongst the punishments of committing sins is that they lead to more sins and from the rewards of performing good deeds is that one performs more good deeds, so if a slave performs a good deed another good deed calls towards him proclaiming do me too.”
Using the blessing of the Ramadan, cut off the roots of evil deeds and plant fresh beneficial deeds. Concur your life, tame your soul and secure the presence of both your heart and mind in achieving a lot during Ramadan. Break the monotony of bad routines with a conviction to start new but enticing spiritual challenges that certainly will help you in overcoming personal setbacks.
Good deeds
The power of good deeds in shaping and forming new personality and habits is supported by endless evidence from the both the Qur’an and Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) warned us against bad habits and asked us to do good deeds if we want to get rid of from bad habits.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, whoever intends a good deed, but does not do it, Allah will record a full good deed for them. He also said, whoever asks Allah for martyrdom sincerely, Allah will cause him to reach the level of the martyrs even if he were to die in his bed”.
With ‘Uluww al himmah’ (high aspirations) and sincere intention, every obstacle to a good course will be decimated. Good deeds are crucial cornerstones to building a person’s inner and out perspectives of life. Good deeds encourage productivity, induce happiness and build self-satisfaction and contentment.
Ramadan is that time to redouble our efforts through deeds that can help us improve our relationship with Allah (SW). The more deeds we combine with fasting the more we achieve a state of spiritual tranquility and ease our pathway to achieving a score of Taqwa which is the main objective of Ramadan.
Ibn Qayyim said: “The fast is the bridle of those who fear and obey Allah and the shield of those wage war against desires. And it is a garden for the righteous and devoted servants of Allah. And it is for the Lord of the worlds, over all other actions”
Top five ideas for Ramadan
Develop an impetuous courage to setting standards in Ibadah this Ramadan. No more twiddling fingers with emptiness full of hunger pangs and thirst. You need a Ramadan battle plan to reengineer your spiritual consciousness. Here is a fine list of the most important deeds that can form an intrepid plan for an awesome Ramadan.
Prayer
The first and the most important thing is to build a habit of performing quality prayers. Make it to the initial Takbeer of every single prayer and if possible be on the first row in the Masjid. The discipline of praying on time and in the Masjid is a spiritual goal that many Muslims fail to accomplish.
Ramadan is a time to develop this important aspect of worship with ease and dedication because of its favourable religious atmosphere. The messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Whoever prays to Allah for forty days in congregation, catching up with the first takbeer, he will be recorded as being free from two things: free from the fire and free from hypocrisy.” (Tirmithi)
Voluntary prayers
Make efforts to pray the additional twelve units (rak’ahs) of voluntary daily prayers in their prescribed times either before or after an obligatory prayer. These are special deeds that you can easily perform during Ramadan to earn a lot of rewards.
The Messenger of Allah said: “There is no Muslim slave who prays twelve rak’ahs to Allah each day, voluntarily, apart from the obligatory prayers, but Allah will build for him a house in paradise” (Muslim). Legendary scholar Fudayl ibn Iyad said: “compulsory prayers are the capital and the voluntary prayers are the profits”
The Magnificent Quran
Recite more of the magnificent Quran. It is not all about reciting, it is about picking ‘gemstones’ within the magnificent Quran. The pleasure of reciting is not achieved if one cannot concentrate in mind and in heart. Recitation of the Qur’an once within the month of Ramadan is the bare minimum of righteous Muslims. Make an ambitious target and try to complete two or three times within the month.
Remembrance
Increase dhikr (divine remembrance of Allah) during the month of Ramadan. While food and drink is the nourishment for the body; remembrance of Allah is the nourishment for the soul. Begin a regimen where every day of fasting you constantly engage in remembering Allah. The more you remember Allah in mind and in tongue the more fasting becomes easier.
Engage in various good deeds
Our efforts in Ibadah are not always enough. Amalgamate your efforts to do all kinds of righteous deeds from the smallest to the biggest. Give out charity on daily basis throughout the month, even if it is a morsel of food or a single nice word.
Finally, in every act of worship we must do our best to come out with the best. However, the best of results don’t come out always easily without clear goals. We must ask ourselves about what we need to achieve this Ramadan that we did not achieve the previous one. When you are setting your Ramadan goals, be as specific as you can get. For instance, set clear goals that are practically achievable. Write down your goals into achievable daily activities.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), said: “Small but consistent actions make change”
