Ramzan Ul Mubarak

Personal worship tips for Ramadan

2010-08-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Personal worship tips for Ramadan

1. Make sure your intentions are only for Allah Azza Wajal's regardless of what you're doing, may it even be work!
Intentions are very important for every action. Scholars say that the person will not be rewarded if he does not have the right intention. Some people are shy and, therefore, hold the view that the intention cannot be to achieve paradise or to marry hoor al-ayn. However, most of the scholars say that such intentions are also valid for expecting reward from Allah Azza Wajal. Though the best intention would be to please Allah Azza Wajal.

2. Put sincerity in your Salah!
Don’t treat your Salah like something you hate and you’re forced to do it. This perspective will usually get you late at the mosque. Put love and sincerity in it and perform it as perfectly as you can. You’ll be surprised how much you enjoy it. In other words, you have to do it either way so better have fun with it.

3. Wake up early in the morning, or rather, late at night, for Tahajjud!
Calculate the time between Maghrib and Fajr. Divide it by 3. The 3rd part will be the one in which the Ajr for Qiyam ul Lail is greatest. Note the time that you're sleeping on. Calculate the likely times for you to wake up considering in mind the sleep cycle time. Choose the multiple of the sleep cycle time which is nearest to the Tahajjud time that you calculated. Tune your alarm clock for that time. Wake up and pray as many rakahs (in 2s) as possible before you start Sehr. Make sure your sujood, rukoohs and every part of Salah is much much more longer than usual and that you make dua during Salah especially during Sujood.

4. Make sure that you do not miss even a Sunnah! In fact, add a few nawafil too!
According to one Hadith, in Ramadan, the reward of a nafl reaches the reward of a Sunnah, the reward of a Sunnah reaches the reward of a fardh and the reward of a fardh is increased by 70 times. Now, I don't think any sensible person would want to miss out on such a profitable business!

5. Make sure you make it to the mosque 5 times a day!
If you don't usually go to the mosque, start getting regular. If you are already regular, try making it to the very first row every time. If you are already able to reach to the first row every time, try being the one who stands directly behind the Imam or if the Muezzin stands there, aim for the position next to him. Moreover, make sure you never get late just like you try never to get late to school or work because this is actually much more important. In case you live in a non-Muslim country and there’s no mosque near your house, get a few of your Muslim neighbors to arrange a place where you people can gather together for the Salah. If you’re married and there’s proper arrangement for women, take your wife along. Take your children along too if you think they won’t disturb the people during Salah.

6. Start memorizing the Quran!
Take some time out in the morning and evening and start memorizing the short Surahs of the Quran especially the ones you take a special liking to. The recommended time would be before Ishraq (sunrise) and before Maghrib (sunset), in other words at Fajr time and at Asr time. Remember you get rewards for memorizing this whereas you won’t get anything for memorizing the songs which most people usually listen to. Rather, in a lot of cases, you get sins due to their explicit lyrics.

7. Read the Quran and understand it!
Not everyone gets enough time for memorizing passages but most can take out enough time for reading those passages. Leave your books, especially the fiction ones, stop watching useless programs on TV and pick up the Quran for a month, at least. If you’re a non-Arabic speaking Muslim, it won’t take a lot of effort to read its translation, in your language, along. Though you won’t get rewards for reading the translation however, if you follow what you read, the reward might exceed much more than the 10 words per letter method.

8. Make wudu before every Salah!
Usually, the Prophet Muhammad (S) would make wudu before every Salah so put that into practice. Though that doesn’t mean reading more than one Salah with the same wudu isn’t allowed. At the time of Hajj, he (S) prayed more than one Salah with the same wudu just to show the people that it is allowed. Make sure that you don’t delay it till the last minute. Do it as soon as you get time. You might have to suddenly go somewhere and might not get enough time for doing wudu again.

9. Pray your Sunnah and Nawafil Salahs at home!
The Prophet Muhammad (S) recommended people to pray their fardh salahs at the mosque and the other extra ones at home. Though that doesn’t mean you delay it beyond the time or miss it if you know you won’t be able to reach home by then.

10. Leave the bidahs and replace them with the Sunnahs!
Overtime practices that had nothing to do with Islam were introduced by many new Muslims. Though not all were introduced with the intention of corrupting the Islam, they still shouldn’t be practiced as the Prophet Muhammad (S) told us that bidahs (innovations) lead to dhalala (misguidance) which, in turn, leads to naar (hellfire). Compare your practices with those of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and leave the ones which contradict the Sunnah.

11. Remember to make dhikr!
Remembering Allah Azza Wajal through dhikr is the one thing which the people of Paradise will regret not doing enough. Find out the adhkar to which the Prophet Muhammad (S) attached special importance, such as سبحان اللہ و بحمدہ سبحان اللہ العظیم, reciting Surah al-Kahf on Fridays etc., and keep on reciting them as much as possible whenever you remember. You do not have to take out a specific time for it. Just do it whenever you’re doing something which doesn’t require talking whether it’s at work or at school or at a train station.

12. Go for Salat ut Taraweeh!
Most of the mosques arrange for Salat ut Taraweeh after the Isha Salah. Try making it there every night. If you’re an Arabic speaking Muslim, pay special attention to what is being recited. However, that does not mean that the non-Arabic speaking Muslims let their thoughts wander away. They should also concentrate on their Salah. Maybe they could read the translation early on in the day so that it helps them understand what is being recited. Again, the same applies here, as mentioned previously, that you should arrange for it yourself if no such arrangement has already been made. Moreover, the married Muslim men should try to take their wives along too if there is proper arrangement. Children should only be taken if you’re sure that they won’t disturb the people during Salah.

13. Spend more on the needy!
In every community, there are poor and needy people. Buy them food and surprise them by making it an anonymous gift. It is narrated that many of the Salaf (pious predecessors) used to provide food to the needy of their community without them finding out who it was who was helping them. They would only find out when that person died and they stopped receiving food. Most of the children like to play around, ring their neighbor’s doorbell and run away. Go do that to some needy person but remember to leave some food on the doorstep. Of course, for the ones without a house, you’ll have to find them and give it to them personally.

Cooking tips for Ramadan

2010-08-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

Cooking tips for Ramadhan

1. Make a plan for the daily Sehr and Iftar menu!
This will save you a lot of time as you won’t have to decide everyday what to make. Make a list of your housemates’ favourite foods. Get a blank calendar from a nearby shop and jot down the different foods that you plan to make on different days. Create a shopping list. Label the groceries and other cooking stuff that you buy so that you don’t have difficulty in distinguishing the different types of food while they are frozen.

2. Buy in bulk!
Remember that you’ve got to save time for other activities during Ramadan. Buying in bulk would mean that you would have to go to the stores less. You can then utilize this time better by engaging in some other activities. This will also help you if some surprise guests show up for Sehr or Iftar.

3. Prepare the cooking stuff well in time!
Specify a time every day for preparing the stuff, such as washing the meat and adding salt to it etc., that you’ll need to cook. Make it early in the day so that you won’t be very tense about the lack of time in the evening especially near Iftar time when you’re feeling very tired.

4. Clean as you work!
Normally, you would have to take out some extra time to clean your kitchen and the dishes etc. after Sehr or Iftar. This does take a lot of time. However, if you clean as you prepare the stuff and cook, you’ll be left with very little work to do once the dishes are brought in for washing.

5. Stay hydrated as you cook!
Although most people don’t take care of this, this is very important to maintain one’s energy in the kitchen. Though you cannot drink during fasting, remember to open the windows and doors and turn on the fan to diffuse out the heat more quickly. Of course, after Iftar, if you’ve specified a time for cooking too, remember to have enough drinks.

6. Use the leftovers wisely!
Most people tend to cook more than what is required. Remember to use these leftovers in the next meal. This would actually result in saving a lot of preparation and cooking time. If you were expecting guests and no one came, you could even use these leftovers alone for the next meal if they are enough.

7. Have a backup meal ready and set the table before sleeping!
There are times when your sleeping plan doesn’t work out as you expected it to and when you wake up, you realize that it’s too late to make anything. Have a backup meal ready for such occasions. Moreover, set the table before you go to sleep so that you don’t have to waste time for that in the morning when you’re feeling sleepier than usual.

8. Do dhikr while cooking!
Most people don’t talk much while cooking especially if they’re cooking alone. If you’re one of those people, you could utilize this time in doing dhikr or revising some Surah that you have memorized.

9. Utilize the extra hands that you might have!
If you’ve got a huge household, there might be people who aren’t doing anything at all and would be able to help you in your cooking. Ask them to do errands for you. However, if you think that the person might actually cause you to waste more time, send him on an errand which won’t involve you at all knowing that he’ll be able to manage it alright.

10. Remember to pray for barakah (blessing) in your time!
Though you might have very little time for cooking, you could finish everything in that little time if you’ve got barakah in it. Remember to ask Allah Azza Wajal to provide you with that

Exercise tips during Ramadan

2010-08-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Exercise tips

1. A short jog/run early in the day!
You should take out about 5 to 10 minutes for this. Try taking care of this at Ishraq (sunrise) time. This is usually the time when the person can afford this exercise because they have eaten Sehr recently. Moreover, most of the Fajr prayer timings in the mosques in Ramadan are usually shifted to about 10 to 15 minutes after the actual Fajr time begins or Sehr time ends. Therefore, it might not be possible for everyone to manage this properly in between that time. Reasons might include the food that the person has eaten in Sehr and the short time might actually be better spent in praying the Sunnahs of Fajr. Locate a track near your home. It might even be the road in front of your house. Set a specified distance in your mind and make a combination of jogging one way while running the way back. This might vary from individual to individual. The jogging part should remain the same for everyone while the running part might be replaced with a jogging part or a brisk walking part if the person thinks running would be too much for them. Just to remind you again, make sure that this does not exceed more than 10 minutes because you've also got to spend the rest of the day in a productive way. However, it should also not be less than 5 minutes.

2. Take an active part in going to the people in need of charity, food etc.!
Usually Muslims who are fasting tend to stay at home after their work/study. Though they do give more in charity, they only send it to people who either come to them or send it through someone else to the people they know need it. A better way would be to go yourself and find the people who are in need. Even if you don't find anyone, which I think must be highly unlikely, it'll still be beneficial to you in the sense that you won't feel lazy.

3. For salah, walk to the mosque!
If you've got a mosque near your home or your office which isn't very far, i.e. it doesn't take you more than 10 minutes to walk there, don't use the car unless you miss a commitment which you had made or your work suffers. Let your legs work too. Moreover, you won't feel that lazy anymore.

4. Workout a bit before Isha!
Once you're done with the Iftar (Iftar details will also be discussed later on in the post, inshallah), take a rest of about 20 to 45 minutes depending on the time that you have and then get yourself warmed up by some light exercise. Don't exert yourself too much. Just a few pushups accompanied with a leg exercise would be enough. Another recommended exercise would be skipping. Go to the shop, buy a skipping rope and enjoy skipping. All in all, this workout shouldn't exceed 5 minutes. Don't forget! You've got to be fit for Qiyam ul Lail too.

Sleeping tips during Ramadan

2010-08-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ramadan sleeping tips

1. Make wudu with cold water just before sleeping!
People usually tend to think that doing wudu at this time, especially with cold water, might result in sleeplessness for a few extra minutes, thus wasting more of their precious time. However, you'll be surprised how that is not actually the case. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad (S) encouraged us to make wudu, just like we make for Salah, before sleeping.

2. Read the following adhkar before going to sleep, at least the first one!
a. بسمك اللهم أموت و احي
b. Surah Mulk
c. Ayat ul Kursi

3. Make the intention of waking up at the time you decided and ask Allah Azza Wajal to wake you up at that time!
As will be shown later on in this post, you need to decide before you go to sleep a specific time to wake up. Moreover, you simply cannot take the risk of sleeping in an unplanned way. You'll miss out on a lot of Ajr if you do that.

4. Plan your sleep according to your sleep cycle!
Every person has a sleep cycle of, on average, 1:30 hours or 90 minutes. If you wake up in between a sleep cycle, i.e. between these 90 minutes, you feel very tired as if you had too little sleep as many of you might have noticed. However, there are times when you wake up in a very fresh mood, ready for the day. This is usually when you wake up immediately after a sleep cycle finishes. Some people might still feel tired after the 90 minutes period. No need to worry! The average sleep cycle varies from 90 minutes to 100 minutes. With a little experimentation, you'll soon be able to find out the exact time of your sleep cycle, inshallah. However, make sure that you do it before Ramadan starts so that you don't disrupt your Ramadan plan, even in the first few days. Therefore, try to sleep for a time which is a multiple of 90 minutes.

5. Take power naps of about 20 minutes throughout the day, whenever you get time, at least once a day!
No fixed time but you could do it during your break from school or office, immediately after iftar etc. However, avoid it at Fajr time because it is highly recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (S) to stay awake at this time. It is usually not possible in most of the cases to get a sleep which actually fulfills the requirement of 6 hours of rest without missing Taraweeh and/or Tahajjud prayers. Therefore, along with the sleep cycle management, this will, inshallah, keep you fresh throughout the day!

The Glorious Quran

2010-08-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the verbal book of divine guidance and direction for mankind. Its text addresses the Arabic speaking"children of Israel". Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation.

The holy Quran ( Meanning - the recitation) was revealed by almighty Allah through Angel Jibraeel (Alaihis-Salaam. The holy Qu’ran was reveleaed on Prophed Mohammad -last Prophet Muhammed Sallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Allah took the responsibility of keeping the Qur'an safe. The other names for Quran written in Quran itself are Al-Furqaan, Al-Kitaab, Al-Zikr, Al-Noor, Al-Huda. when the Qur'an was first revealed to prophet Muhammed Sallahu Alaihi Wasallam)through Jibraeel (Alaihis-salaam)his age was 40 years. Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) receive the revelation of the Qur'an in Makkah for 13 years and in Madina for 10 years. The first Surah was revealed in Makkah and the last in MadhinaIt took 22 years5 months and 14 days for the complete evelation of the Qur'an.

There are 86 Makki Surahs (chapters)and 28 Madani Surahs (chapters)There in the Qur'an. A total of 7 Manzil, 30 paara or Juz (parts), 14 Surahs, 540 ukoo (paragraphs), 6666 ayaath (verses)are there in Qu’ran. The word allah has been repeated in the Quran 2698 times and there are 10 different types of Aayaath (verses).The vowels were inserted in the Qur'an in 43 Hijri. The longest Surah (Chapter) in the Qur'an is Surah-al-Baqarah anmd the smallest Surah Surah-al-Kausar

There are 14 ayaaths (verses) on Sajda (prostation).In the 9th Paara, 7th Chapter-Surah-al-Araaf, Verse206, one will find the first verse about Sajda (prostation).The Qur'an stressed about Salaat or Namaaz (prayer)700 times, on Zakat Alms and charity 150 times.

Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has been addressed as Yaa-Aiyu-Han-Nabi 11 times and has been named as “Ahmed” in Paara 28, Surah Saff, Ayath 6. The name of Rasool-ullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)has been mentioned in the Qur'an A) Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) - 4 times Ahmed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) - 1 time.
Kaathibe-Wahi (copyists of the revelations) of the Qur'an were with Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu), Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu), Ali (Radhiallahu Anhu), Zaid Bin Harith (Radhiallahu Anhu) And Abdullah bin Masood (Radhiallahu Anhu. The first person to count the Aayaath (verses) of the Qur'an was Ayesha (Radhiallahu Anha). Hazrat Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu) decide to compile the Qur'an on the advice of Hazrat Omer Farooq (Radhiallahu Anhu). And finally on the orders of Hazrat Abu Bakr he Qur'an compiled completely in written form. The recitation of the Qur'an on the style of the Quraysh tribe was confines by Hazrat Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu). Out of the total copies Qur'an compiled by Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu), only 2 copies are present in today’s time. One in Tashkent and the other in Istanbul.

Prophet Muhammed (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam)was the first 'Haafiz' of the Qur'an. At the time of his death there were 22 Haafiz

The Prophet whos name is most mentioned in the Quran is Prophet Moosa(Alahis-Salaam.

The Quran is considered the eternal miracle of Islam. It is the complete and best guide for living one's life and seeking Allah's pleasure The teachings of the Quran are universal, addressed to all people throughout the world regardless of their creed and color. They enlighten man's soul, purify his morals, condemn all wrongs, order good deeds and call for the establishment of justice and fraternity through obeying Allah as the supreme authority. The Quran provides the regulations that create the proper relations between man and Allah and man and man. It leads man to understand his role in this world, encourages him to think and ponder, and guides him in the usage of natural resources. In short, the Quran provides all the guidance that humanity needs. Without the guidance of the Quran, humanity would still be groping in the darkness of ignorance.

Dua for Sehri and Iftar

2010-08-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

DUA FOR SEHRI & IFTAAR (FASTING IN RAMADAN)

Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, the month in which the Koran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. Fasting during this month is often thought figuratively to burn away all sins.
The Prophet Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open all the month and the gates of Hell would be closed and the devils chained up.
Lailat al Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night during Ramadan in which the Koran was first revealed to the Prophet. The Koran says that this night is better than a thousand months (97:3), and that on this night the angels descend to earth. This is a time that Muslims spend in study and prayer. It is not known exactly when the Night of Power falls, but it is thought to be in the last 10 days ofthe month. Because of this, many Muslims will treat the last 10 days of the month of Ramadan as a particularly good time for prayer and reading the Koran.

SEHRI

Wa bissawmi ghadann nawaitu min shahri ramadan '
Meaning: intend to keep the fast tomorrow for the month of ramadan'

IFTAR

Allah humma inni laka samtu wa bika amantu wa alaika tawakkaltu wa 'ala rizkika aftarto
Meaning: 'O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You (and i put my trust in you) and I break my fast with Your sustenance'