Author: Admin

Increase your Knowledge
The Prophet (saw) said, “seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” This refers to the obligation of every Muslim to seek basic knowledge of their Deen in order to practice it. More than basic knowledge, the Prophet (saw) said, “the angels lower their wings for the one seeking knowledge in approval of what he is doing.” When living in times when much of the culture around us praises ignorance, it is important to remember the immense benefit of seeking knowledge, in order to better ourselves as Muslims in the world.

Connect to Those Around You
Allah has made humans to be highly sociable animals, and our religion encourages this sociability by encouraging us to find and stick beside righteous companions. One reason the Muslims at the time of the Prophet (saw) were able to overcome the Quraysh was their solidarity, companionship and love for one another. Your companions, if they are righteous, can be enormous benefit to you and you to them. Ensure you surround yourself with good companions, reminding yourself that the Prophet (saw) said, “a person is upon the religion of his companion.”

Life Goals
If you have been following these reminders and trying to benefit from them, you may have reflected on your life goals and general attitude towards life. If you have identified something you want to do in order to bring you closer to Allah, four tips in order to make this goal be successful are:

• it must be measurable, not open-ended
• it must be attainable, not out of reach
• it must be realistic, not just chasing impossible dreams
• it must be time-related, so you can make it a specific, actionable goal, and not one that goes on forever

Zakatul-Fitr

Zakatul-Fitr becomes obligatory on the Muslim when the sun sets on the last day of Ramadan. It is disliked to delay giving it beyond the Eid prayer. The wisdom of giving zakatul-fitr is an important act of charity to ensure that nobody should go hungry on the day of Eid and everyone can partake in the celebration. Ensure you have given your zakat!

Self-Cleansing
As you are in the last days of Ramadan, make a serious effort to cleanse yourself of vices, particularly anger. Living in fast-paced cities can make us angry and frustrated, but we must remember the hadith of the Prophet (saw) where a man asks him for advice and he replies, “do not get angry.” Anger (while necessary at times) can be a huge corrupter of a person’s soul if one is enveloped in it. So, look in yourself and see if you can expel any deeply-held anger within yourself, turning to Allah for aid in this, and replacing that anger with mercy and love for your fellow Muslims.

Remembering Allah

As you are fasting, it is important to remember Allah throughout the day. There are numerous ahadith pointing out forms of dhikr we can do, whether saying alhamdulillah, subhanAllah, la ilaha illa Allah, astaghfirullah. Yet the best form of dhikr we can do is to recite the Quran, and the best way to do that is in salah. From there, make a concerted effort to make tasbih and istighfar throughout the day, wherever you are. 

What is your Direction in Life?

Everyone says they want to be a good Muslim, but these words require action in order to achieve. But what is a “good Muslim?” We must ensure that we live up to our intentions of being a good Muslim by orienting our direction in life towards submitting to Allah fully and completely. Our wealth, relationships, and even maintaining good health should be for the sake of Allah. If we achieve this orientation, we can Insha’Allah find complete satisfaction and success, in this life and the next.

Laylatul-Qadr
The rewards of Laylatul-Qadr are known and immense. This night is greater than 1000 months, and the Prophet (saw) said, “whoever stands in prayer on Laylatul-Qadr, out of iman and anticipation, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” The night will most likely be in any of the last ten nights of Ramadan, but we cannot say for certainty on which one. Achieving the benefit and reward of Laylatul-Qadr should make us further intensify our efforts in the last ten nights. Ensure you are at the masjid or spending your nights in Qiyamul-Layl!

I’tikfaf-اعتکاف
The Prophet (saw) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in the masjid. It is a highly recommended and rewarded act, and many who have performed it can speak to the benefit of performing it. While it may not be feasible for many to perform, if you are able to, consider going to a masjid and performing it. It is a great opportunity to make the most out of Ramadan.

Praying in the Night
Qiyamul-layl is to spend some of the night in worship, which in Ramadan includes the taraweeh prayers. There is immense reward in praying in the night, as the Allah (SWT) said, “And rise at ˹the last˺ part of the night, offering additional prayers, so your Lord may raise you to a praised station (Jannah).” (Quran, 17:79). 

Furthermore, the Prophet emphasized the taraweeh prayer, saying “whoever stands (in night prayer) in the month of Ramadan, then his past sins will be forgiven.” As we approach the last nights of Ramadan, make sure to pray taraweeh!