Here we are, counting our last precious days before the end of Ramadan 2017. Amazed at how quickly time flies with a hint of regret. Everyone of us faced a different test this Ramadan, some of us had to come face to face with our biggest demons; whether it was the feeling of loneliness when everyone else enjoyed Ramadan as families but you were alone, or the negligence you felt when you just couldn’t read those extra pages of Quran you intended to, giving up bad habits that you enjoy so much like binge watching TV programmes or letting your social become a distraction to your worship of Allah. Even the more deep issues that trouble us, like learning to accept painful situations in our lives and trusting Allah’s wisdom. Trusting His plans for you more than your own plans for yourself.
Ramadan brings out all the our insecurities and makes us face them. This challenge is a gift from Allah we receive each year to make sure we are always and continually bettering ourselves more than the last.
It’s time to take an honest look and ask ourselves these questions, rate yourself accordingly:
( 1: lowest – 10: highest )
1. How well did I guard myself from sins so far this month?__
2. How well did I do with my Qur’an reading goals? __
3. How much effort did I make to pray taraweeh every night? __
4. How much sincerity/concentration did I have in my Salah? __
5. How productive was I with my time this Ramadan? __
6. How much sincerity and desperation did I have in my du’as? __
If you scored more than 8 on most of those questions, then congratulations! If you scored less than that on most of them, it’s not too late. Despite how you score yourself in those questions, each one of us has to bring our worship up many notches as we enter the the last ten days just as our Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did.
6 words practical ways to do this:
Just for these 10 days, minimise or better yet, eliminate all iftar parties or social events. This will give you the time and space to really use those few hours at night in the best way.
Actively seek Laylatul Qadr. Remind yourself of what it actually is by listening to lectures and reading up on it. Anticipate it, reflect on the magnanimity of it! Think about the fact that this could be the night Allah decides every single thing for your next year; your life or your death, your increase in health or decline of it, the money you make or lose, the people you will meet and love or hate. Absolutely EVERYTHING. Reflect on that after each salah while you do your dhikr.
Make a list of 5 or 6 du’as that you want answered by Allah. Your goals for what you want to accomplish or gain in the next year. Make them as specific as you can and word them so they charge you up and excite you, you can make a dream du’a board to visualise your du’as. Use the different names of Allah and ask Allah by them every single night and imagine your du’as coincide with Laylatul Qadr!
After eating Sahoor every night, dedicate those remaining minutes to just sit down and focus on making your du’as with every ounce of sincerity you can find in yourself. Ask after every salah and any other time that you know there is increased chance of acceptance (i.e. at breaking fast, the last hour on Friday). Seek out those moments and feel your connection with Allah.
Increase your time with the Qur’an, even if its by a page or two or as much as an entire Juzz. The point is to push yourself beyond what you are doing now, beyond what you think you can handle so that even after Ramadan, you can maintain your Qur’an reading at a good level even if falls minimum. Remember that Qur’an is addictive, the more you consume it, the more you want it! The rewards of your reading couldn’t be more than it is in Ramadan so rake them in!
GIVE IN CHARITY. Even if it’s as little as a pound or dollar. One way to do it is to find different charities that you are passionate about and donate a sum of money every night during the last 10 nights. Remember that our Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam told us that a deed on Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months. Imagine your charity being counted as thousands in your book of deeds just because you gave it on this special night!
Lastly, remember all of your brothers and sisters around the world in these special nights of Ramadan, ask Allah to alleviate the pains of this Ummah, make us succeed again and raise us in rank and status as we were once before. May we all have a successful Ramadan, may it be our rescue from the hellfire and cause for our entry into Paradise where there is no hunger, thirst, sickness or poverty. Just Allah and the pleasure of His closeness. And is the ultimate goal, the ultimate pleasure.
Written By Nadia Khair
Muslim Women Connect 