Ramadan Preparation and Reflections Before Its Arrival

Ramadan is one of the eagerly awaited months of Islamic calendar. The month is full of blessings and mercy that showers upon Muslims from Allah Almighty. Therefore, in order to increase their fair share in the feast of blessings and mercy, Muslims try preparing for the month before hand, so that the transition remains easy for them and they make the most out of the whole month.

Pertaining to the arrival of the month, it is imperative that a Muslim prepares for it before hand and be reflective of all that the month carries and how one can extract the maximum blessings and mercy from it. The lines below discuss the importance of the month of Ramadan, the way a Muslim must reflect upon it and how one should prepare for it before it actually arrives.

Importance of Ramadan:

There are numerous hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and ayahs of Quran that emphasize on the importance of Ramadan in Islam. For the sake of general understanding, the ayah of Quran that stresses on the importance of Ramadan is mentioned below:

“O you who believe! Observing al-sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious).” (2:183)

From this ayah of Quran, it becomes clear that fasting is nothing new or special that was bestowed upon Muslims, rather the earlier nations of the earlier Prophets also kept fast. Moreover, in this ayah Allah Almighty also mentions the objective of fasting in Ramadan, and which is to make one’s self pious. Therefore, for Muslims fasting is of grave importance as it helps them purify their souls and transcend to a higher level of piety.

Reflecting Upon Ramadan:

When a Muslim hears about the arrival of Ramadan, the first thing he or she needs to do is to reflect upon the purpose of Ramadan. Allah Almighty does not need the fasting, the thirst and hunger of a Muslim, rather it is all for the personal good of a Muslim and the well-being of a society.

Although in the aforementioned ayah of Quran, Allah Almighty has mentioned the purpose of fasting, and that is to make a person more pious. However, if one reflects upon the reasons behind fasting, there may come numerous other objectives as well.

1. Firstly, in Ramadan, all the Muslims pray extensively and cordially, therefore, it is quite natural that this month presents a chance for increasing the reward balance and seek forgiveness for the sins that a person has committed.
2. Secondly, the hunger and thirst in the month of Ramadan help a Muslim relate with the other people in the world who are unfortunate and don’t have access to ample food and drinking water. When a Muslim keeps a fast, actually he or she empathizes with such people and feels the way they feel and the way go through the day with such limited provision.
3. Thirdly, when a Muslim goes through the day with limited energy, although it effects at a physical level, however, the real effect of it is seen on the attitude of a person making him or her more humble and patient. Therefore, during a fast, a Muslim is supposed to be at the best of his or her character in terms of patience and humility.

In addition, we advise you to read do’s and don’ts of fasting in Ramadan as well to avoid bad things and follow good habits.

Preparing For Ramadan:

Muslims anxiously await the arrival of Ramadan so that they can get on with the process of praying and gaining blessings, mercy and forgiveness from Allah Almighty. The arrival of Ramadan brings a complete or at least a major change in the routine of a person, therefore, those who don’t prepare beforehand, find it difficult to settle in and get used to with the Ramadan routine once its upon them. Therefore, the objective of preparations is to make a person transit into the routine of Ramadan and waste not any of its precious moments. The lines below give the major tips that can help in preparing yourself better for the Holy Month.

Have The Right Intentions:

The first thing that a Muslim needs to do pertaining to preparation for Ramadan is having the right intentions. You must really intend to make the most out of this month only then will you be able to enjoy Ramadan and gain the blessings it offers. On the other hand, if you just want to go through the month, then nothing will come to avail and despite whatever situations of ease you create for yourself, Ramadan will be futile and hard for you. Therefore, try having right intentions pertaining to preparing for the month.

Get Into The Habit Of Tasbeeh:

Tasbeeh is a verbal praise of Allah Almighty which a Muslim does by either reading phrases or words of praise of Allah Almighty. In Ramadan, each and every moment gets sanctified, therefore, to get the maximum reward from the days of Ramadan besides prayer, a Muslim must do Tasbeeh as well. When you start performing Tasbeeh a month before the arrival of the Holy month, then by the time the month comes, you are already in the habit of recitation of Tasbeeh, while sitting, walking, or doing any work.

Make Your Prayers Regular:

In Ramadan, the number of people in congregational prayer gradually increases. However, there are people who initially find it hard to make time to go to a mosque and offer prayer in congregation in the beginning days of Ramadan. Therefore, in order to make sure that you offer prayers with congregation at the first day of Ramadan, start making time for congregational prayer a month before the arrival of the Holy month. For those who do not know how to accurately perform the Salaat, Step by Step Salaat is a perfect guide in form of mobile app to learn namaz on your own. In addition, to learn in depth, you must know the key elements to consider while offering Namaz.

Try Keeping Few Nafli Fasts:

The initial few fasts of Ramadan are quite hard on Muslims, as they suddenly get exposed to hunger and thirst and don’t know how it is to spend a day on low energy. They don’t know the foods that make them feel satiated for longer, they don’t know the drinks that keep the thirst in control and they don’t know how they should adjust their routine during fast. For this very reason, it is imperative that a Muslim keeps a few Nafli fasts before the Ramadan in order to know about the changes that are to come during the fast, so that when Ramadan comes, he or she is prepared for it.

Quran Reading:

Quran recitation brings blessings and reward from Allah Almighty, however, in order to read Quran, it is imperative that a Muslim has sufficient time. Therefore, in order to make the most out of Quran reading in Ramadan, it is imperative that a Muslim starts reading Quran before Ramadan so that he or she knows that how much they can read in a particular time and when do they have time for it. This way, when Ramadan comes, they already know when to read and how much to read. And for those Muslims, who are naive to reading Quran in Arabic, it is the perfect time to start learning to read Quran as the reward of learning In Ramadan is 70 times higher than learning in any other month. So, to help you cash this much reward, Online QuranReading.com Academy is here to help you. Register yourself now and start learning to read the Holy Quran.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, it is imperative for a Muslim to contemplate over the purpose of Ramadan, so that he or she is able to experience and incorporate that purpose into his or her personality. Moreover, the preparation of the Holy month before its start also helps in enjoying the month in a better way and experience the true essence of it with minimal hassle.