As-Salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatahu!: March 2016

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The Pre-Ramadhan Plan

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A little less than 80 days before Ramadhan. Seriously. That soon!

I can literally remember my last Ramadhan down to what I ate for Suhoor and Iftar. Time flies.

Well I am very excited that this month is almost here - Allah alone knows how much my soul needs this. And I am praying that we all live to see this month, and that He grants us the tawfeeq (divine ability) to do as much Ibaadah as possible and gain maximum results. Allahumma Ameen.

Now, I know - and you may be aware of this - that it is difficult to just switch on the Ramadhan mode. It doesn't work that way. If you can do it, kudos to you! But for most of us, it's not happening!

Knowing that Ramadhan is around the corner, I thought to myself that I should really use this time to set goals that I wanted to accomplish before Ramadhan commences in sha Allah. Below I've included a list of things that we can try to do. Of course, doing all of them is hardly likely, but if you are up for the challenge....!

15 THINGS TO DO BEFORE RAMADHAN

1. Study and/or memorize the 99 Names of Allah

This one of my favourite things to do. It is only through studying and learning His beautiful names can we truly get a better understanding of His Beauty, what it means when we say Allahu Akbar, and we can call Him by His beautiful names in our du'as.

2. Qadha (make up) missed fasts

Yes, those fasts that we missed out on since last Ramadhan or maybe the Ramadhan before that... Wouldn't it be lovely to start this blessed month off on a clean slate in sha Allah? (Sigh!) We can also use this opportunity to get into the habit of observing Sunnah fasts (like Mondays and Thursdays) by just intending Qadha on these days! #winwin

3. Qadha missed salah

.... And get into the habit of getting up for Tahajjud at the same time! Remember, the fardh salah is more important than nawaafil, so let's get up for Tahajjud and use this time to Qadha missed salah, and in sha Allah, we WILL receive the rewards of Tahajjud. And if you don't have any salah to Qadha, just get up anyway. In doing so is a great benefit to our own selves!

4. Get (back) into the habit of getting up for Tahajjud

Yea, we discussed that already....

5. Read books/ hadith about Ramadhan

Get inspired by the stories of the Sahaba and the great people of the past, remind yourself of the virtues, and pretty soon your soul will be yearning to witness and take benefit from this great month ahead of us.

6. Read the Qur'an

This should be done all year round, but unfortunately sometimes we just get too busy... Stop making promises to read when Ramadhan is here! Start now. Make reading the Qur'an something you do every single day. Start with at least 1 juz a day, and if that is too much then half, or quarter, or even a ruku, and if you still can't do that then just do a few Ayaat. But let it be something.

7. Read the English translation of the Qur'an

Because there is no greater feeling than being able to recite the Qur'an and being able understand what is being said or what is being recited in Tarawih! Subhanallah. Some people can also do this during the month of Ramadhan. I tried, but I honestly couldn't keep up so I'm getting a head start now. Join me!

8. Plan/Think about your personal Ramadhan goals

... From now!

Don't wait until the day before to get this list together. And plan realistically. You would not be able to do every single thing that is advised, so just consider your daily activities, responsiblities, etc. and plan wisely.

And it is very important to get this list out of the way early. Remember last Ramadhan when you decided the day before to plan how you'll be planning your days only to realise that the sun has set, Ramadhan is here, it's time for Tarawih, you forgot to go to the store, you didn't pick out the books you wanted to read, nor updated your library or play list, you can't find your du'a books, you didn't complete your work, your kid won't stop whining, your mom needs help, your sis won't stop talking, your bro won't start listening, your phone is blowing up with "Ramadhan Mubarak" greetings and you start tripping because the first few days WILL NOT be going so well for you...

You don't remember?....

Me either.

So just plan ahead, okay?

9. Make du'a

Du'a should be a part of our daily lives - generally. But sometimes we get so busy that as soon as we complete the Salaam to finish our salah, we are already on our feet! No. Let's sit a few minutes and make a little du'a for ourselves, our families, this Ummah...

Ramadhan is not promised. Reflect on how many of our loved ones passed before they could witness last Ramadhan. So make du'a that Allah makes us all among those that will live to see this Ramadhan and take the most from it.

10. Moisten the Tongue with the Remembrance of Allah

Whatever you're doing, wherever you're going, keep the tongue occupied in dhikr. It doesn't have to be any long Adhkaar, an easy yet powerful Subhanallahil Adheem as an example. In sha Allah, it will become natural and so much a part of us that during Ramadhan, the blessings will literally pour in abundance.

Morning and Evening du'as are also very important. It's not always easy to keep up with, but start now and you will see barakaat creeping back into your life in sha Allah.

11. Listen to Lectures for Inspiration

Lectures are great Iman-boosters and are available freely on YouTube! But who has time to sit before a screen all day? Unless, my video can continue to play in the background after I come out of the app, then YouTube ain't sayin' nuttin'!

I'm a die-hard multitasker, and it's very difficult for me to do one thing at a time...

So, what I do is convert these lectures to mp3 files and download them to my device so I can listen on the go. This is too easy! My favourite resource for conversion is www.listentoyoutube.com. Paste the YouTube URL and that file is converted within seconds! All you have to do now is download your mp3 and Enjoy! (By the way, I'm not being paid to say this!)

12. Learn to Read the Qur'an

I mentioned briefly a few lines ago that we should try to read the Qur'an daily.... Now if you don't yet know how to read, then use this time to find a maktab or teacher where you can go and learn. With the right amount of dedication and time, you WILL be reading before Ramadhan in sha Allah. But you have to start now.

And if you can read, then take a few days or so to brush up on your Tajweed rules and in sha Allah perfect your recitation. We all need improving in one way or another.

13. Plan your Vacation Days

If you're working, then you may want to pay attention to your vacation days and plan wisely. Whether you can take the whole month off or just the last 10 days, you should really go and see HR.

Remember Ramadhan is in the summer, and some people may want to take their vacation days then as well, so move early!

And if you're an Entrepreneur and you can afford to take some days then consider wrapping up your work before the month commences. If you can devote this entire month to Allah alone, then do so. You will not regret it.

14. Introduce Healthy Eating Habits

One of the biggest issues we face is not being able to control this vessel called the stomach. We eat with a vengeance during this month and pay little attention to what we eat and the effects that it has on the body.

I'm not saying to eat grass or take up any special diet! I don't believe in dieting but I am an advocate for clean eating and living... Even though I stray every now and then. It's quite alarming how fast macadamia nut cookies are put away! Sigh. Yum.

One of the most important reasons why we should incorporate good food and eating habits in our lives (-besidesgettingsickanddying! *covers mouth*) is because poor eating habits tend to make us lazy and lethargic especially when it comes to Ibadah. And in case you missed it! We will be fasting for a number of days and will need all the good energy we can get!

15. Make the Sunnah our sunnah

As much as possible, we should adopt and implement the Sunnah of our beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم into our lives. Start small and then go on to the bigger stuff. There are blessings in them all!

Grab a paper, and make a list of the sunnat you want to make a habit of doing and then just record the number of days you can keep up with it.

For you planner and organisation geeks, check out my Etsy Store for your A5-size planner inserts and keep on top of everything!

Phew! This was quite long! If you stuck with me until the end, I congratulate you!

Now this is a relatively long-term list of goals/ things to do. As we come closer to the beginning of the month, I will share a list of short-term goals we should all strive to accomplish before the month begins in sha Allah.

If you have anything to add to this list or any suggestions, please do let me know in sha Allah.

May Allah make it easy for us to accomplish any tasks we set for ourselves and grant us abundant rewards for any effort in His Path. Ameen!

Love & Du'as,

Umm D.

* This adorable floral icecream photo set can be found on one my favourite Tumblr blogs floralls.

As-Salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatahu!

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The Pre-Ramadhan Plan

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