بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamu Alaikum.

Ramadan is almost at our doorstep.

The Muslims as a whole are always excited about Ramadan. However, many are unable to fully capitalise on this great month. Here’s an analogy that might help with that.

Imagine that you got news that a bank vault would be opened in a few days time.

And the vault is full of GOLD.

It would be open for 30 days and in that time, you could come in and take as much gold as you liked. After that, the vault would be closed.

For the last 10 days, the gold made available will be of a higher value than what was available in the first 20 days.

What would you do? Well, most people would be motivated to take as much gold as possible. However, in order to do that, planning is required. After planning, it is also mandatory to execute that plan.

In order to get the best results (i.e. get as much gold as possible), you would need to focus on three things:

1. To prepare beforehand

You have to plan certain things before heading into the bank vault.

• How many hours a day can you dedicate for this? Can you put a stop to some of your less important activities? Can you delay some projects until after these 30 days? Perhaps you can finish some urgent stuff in the few days before the vault opens?
• How many people are allowed in? If you can take multiple people, who will you take? Some men need to be in the group to carry the gold out of the vault.
• How will you carry that gold out? Are trolleys allowed inside? And can you go in and out at any time or is there a limit?
• How long is the vault open for in a day? If it is open for the whole day (i.e. 24 hours), you might want to cut back on sleep for 30 days (especially in the last 10 days) so that you have more time to collect the gold.
• How will you plan your meals so that you don’t waste a lot of time on them? Perhaps you might decide to eat only 2 meals a day, or perhaps have small snacks throughout the day whilst working on taking out the gold.
• Is the bank vault far from your home? In that case, you might need to check into an affordable hotel for this month, if possible, or be prepared to drive back and forth.
• Do you have a car to take the gold back with you? And how much gold would it be able to handle?

You might also work on your health and conditioning as you would want to be ready for all the work to be done during these 30 days.

As you can see, there are multiple issues that need to be looked at before the start of the thirty days. You don’t want to be haphazard as too much is at stake. This gold could last you a lifetime and take care of all your needs so you want to start off the gold collection on the right foot and give it your best shot.

2. To be focused during those 30 days and do your best throughout this time

You need to be at the entrance of the gold vault before it opens so that you can enter as soon as it is opened. You do not want to waste any time because that means less gold for you. As you already have a plan in place, you would start working on collecting the gold immediately.

You would pace yourself throughout the 30 days, being sure to give more attention and energy to the last 10 days when the higher value gold is available.

You would also work hard throughout the day, taking breaks when necessary. If anyone gets tired, they would motivate themselves by thinking about how life would be different after getting all the gold. Also, the members of a team would motivate themselves in order to keep going.

What if unexpected things pop up? Well, you would need to adjust your goals accordingly. What if you have other work to do? Well, you would try to do that and also collect gold when possible.

The whole 30 days might not go smoothly but you would make sure to keep striving and also end the month well so that you can carry that momentum forward.

3. Spend the money that you’ve collected in a wise manner

At the end of the 30 days, how would you feel? Those who have collected lots of gold would be thrilled and happy. Those who wasted their chances and came away with very little gold would be upset with themselves.

Nobody who has collected less gold would be happy after these 30 days because that would not make sense. We feel happiness after success, not after defeat.

Now, once the 30 days is over and you have your gold, it is important to spend it in a wise manner. If a person gambles it away or wastes it on frivolous things, then they have undone all their hard work during these 30 days. So they would need to control themselves and spend their money on things of value.

You would also use the success of these 30 days as a springboard to be inspired to try more things.

Now what if the opening of the bank vault became a yearly thing? People would be thrilled. Those who did well would use the same plans again and fine tune it further. Indeed, they might even spend the months prior to this event to get everything ready.

Those who did not do well in the past would change their plans and vow to get more gold this time. Imagine if a person who was unsuccessful tries the SAME plan every year? That would not make sense at all.

What if a person was not all motivated to go into the bank vault? We might have to explain to this person the importance of this event and how it would enliven their future and make matters easy for them.

Now what about Ramadan?

Yes indeed. What about Ramadan? Ramadan is better than that bank vault.

So, if Ramadan (especially the last ten nights) is so amazing, why are we so lax about it?

The motivation factor for many Muslims is like this for most of Ramadan:

However, if the people have the chance to attain some of this:

Then their motivation factor would be like this:

The reasons that we consider the bank vault more precious than Ramadan are because:

1.We don’t understand the purpose of life

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). [Adh-Dhaariyat (51):56]

Worship is not just limited to prayers and fasting, rather anything pleasing to Allah is regarded as worship. Here’s an article that explains what worship means.

We were created to worship Allah alone. This is the purpose of life. However, many Muslims only focus on worshipping Allah in Ramadan, and that is not correct.

The reason for the Ramadan-only motivation is because they do not understand the purpose of life. We need to worship Allah throughout our lives, not just in Ramadan.

2. Sadly, we prefer the life of this world

Many of us are Ramadan-only creatures because this world is too dazzling for us.

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا

وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ ‎

Nay, you prefer the life of this world; Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. [Surah Al-Alaa (87) : 16 – 17]

The life of this world is not worth much at all.

عَنْ سَهْلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ : مَوْضِعُ سَوْطٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا، وَلَغَدْوَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ رَوْحَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا

عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِشَاةٍ مَيِّتَةٍ شَائِلَةٍ بِرِجْلِهَا فَقَالَ ‏ :‏ أَتُرَوْنَ هَذِهِ هَيِّنَةً عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا وَلَوْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا تَزِنُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ مَا سَقَى كَافِرًا مِنْهَا قَطْرَةً أَبَدًا 

The real victory is attaining Paradise.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ

Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing). [Surah Aal-Imran (3) : 185]

Remember, Paradise is ETERNAL happiness.

3. We don’t realise the immense virtues of Ramadan

Ramadan is a great chance  of attaining Paradise.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ :‏ إِذَا كَانَ أَوَّلُ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ صُفِّدَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ وَمَرَدَةُ الْجِنِّ وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ النَّارِ فَلَمْ يُفْتَحْ مِنْهَا بَابٌ. وَفُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ فَلَمْ يُغْلَقْ مِنْهَا بَابٌ وَيُنَادِي مُنَادٍ يَا بَاغِيَ الْخَيْرِ أَقْبِلْ وَيَا بَاغِيَ الشَّرِّ أَقْصِرْ وَلِلَّهِ عُتَقَاءُ مِنَ النَّارِ وَذَلِكَ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ ‏

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “On the first night of the month of Ramadan, the Shayateen (devils) are shackled, the jinns are restrained, the gates of the Fires are shut such that no gate among them would be opened. The gates of Paradise are opened such that no gate among them would be closed, and a caller calls: ‘O seeker of the good; come near!’ and ‘O seeker of evil; stop! For there are those whom Allah frees from the Fire.’ And that is every night.” [Jaami At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 682. Graded “sahih” (authentic) by Al-Albani.]

The last ten nights are more important that the first 20 days due to an important night they contain.

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم : إِنَّ هَذَا الشَّهْرَ قَدْ حَضَرَكُمْ وَفِيهِ لَيْلَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ مَنْ حُرِمَهَا فَقَدْ حُرِمَ الْخَيْرَ كُلَّهُ وَلاَ يُحْرَمُ خَيْرَهَا إِلاَّ مَحْرُومٌ ‏

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik (radiallahu anhu) said: “Ramadan began, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: ‘This month has come to you, and in it there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived of its goodness except one who is truly deprived.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadeeth No. 1644. Graded “hasan sahih” (authentic) by Al-Albani.]

One Ramadan can make a huge difference to the Hereafter of a person.

عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ، مِنْ بَلِيٍّ قَدِمَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَكَانَ إِسْلاَمُهُمَا جَمِيعًا فَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَشَدَّ اجْتِهَادًا مِنَ الآخَرِ فَغَزَا الْمُجْتَهِدُ مِنْهُمَا فَاسْتُشْهِدَ ثُمَّ مَكَثَ الآخَرُ بَعْدَهُ سَنَةً ثُمَّ تُوُفِّيَ ‏.‏ قَالَ طَلْحَةُ فَرَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ بَيْنَا أَنَا عِنْدَ بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ إِذَا أَنَا بِهِمَا فَخَرَجَ خَارِجٌ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَأَذِنَ لِلَّذِي تُوُفِّيَ الآخِرَ مِنْهُمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَأَذِنَ لِلَّذِي اسْتُشْهِدَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَىَّ فَقَالَ ارْجِعْ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ يَأْنِ لَكَ بَعْدُ ‏.‏ فَأَصْبَحَ طَلْحَةُ يُحَدِّثُ بِهِ النَّاسَ فَعَجِبُوا لِذَلِكَ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ وَحَدَّثُوهُ الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ مِنْ أَىِّ ذَلِكَ تَعْجَبُونَ .‏ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا كَانَ أَشَدَّ الرَّجُلَيْنِ اجْتِهَادًا ثُمَّ اسْتُشْهِدَ وَدَخَلَ هَذَا الآخِرُ الْجَنَّةَ قَبْلَهُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏:‏ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ مَكَثَ هَذَا بَعْدَهُ سَنَةً ‏‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏:‏ وَأَدْرَكَ رَمَضَانَ فَصَامَهُ وَصَلَّى كَذَا وَكَذَا مِنْ سَجْدَةٍ فِي السَّنَةِ ‏‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏:‏ فَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا أَبْعَدُ مِمَّا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ ‏ ‏

It was narrated from Talhah ibn Ubaidillah (radiallahu anhu) that two men from Bali came to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). They had become Muslim together, but one of them used to strive harder than the other. The one who used to strive harder went out to fight and was martyred. The other one stayed for a year longer, then he passed away. Talhah said: “I saw in a dream that I was at the gate of Paradise and I saw them (those two men). Someone came out of Paradise and admitted the one who had died last, then he came out and admitted the one who had been martyred. Then he came back to me and said: ‘Go back, for your time has not yet come.’” The next morning, Talhah told the people of that and they were amazed. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and they told him the story. He said: “Why are you so amazed at that?” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, the first one was the one who strove harder, then he was martyred, but the other one was admitted to Paradise before him. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Did he not stay behind for a year?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “And did not Ramadan come and he fasted, and he offered such and such prayers during that year?” They said: “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “The difference between them is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadeeth No. 3925. Graded “sahih” (authentic) by Al-Albani.]

Once we understand this, how do we go about having a great Ramadan?

How to have a great Ramadan

The first thing you’d need to remember is that Ramadan is not the goal. Let’s use another analogy, this one about a staircase and an elevator.

Here are my own words from another article I wrote:

“Suppose you met someone waiting for an elevator. The person tells you that he is desperate to get to the top floor of that building. Unfortunately, the elevator is not working at that time.

The person makes no attempt to take the stairs, preferring to wait for the elevator instead. What does this mean? It means that he is really not that desperate to get to the top. Had it really been that important to him, he would have taken the stairs for now, and would have used the elevator when it became available.

The top floor is attaining the Pleasure of Allah and Paradise. The elevator is Hajj and Ramadan. We use them to “get up” faster. The stairs are the other times of the year.

Yes, it’s a little harder to increase our iman  (faith) and attain Paradise in those times but it can be done. It is much easier to increase our iman and attain Paradise during Hajj and Ramadan.

However, even after they are gone, we still need to keep trying to get to the top floor, because until we do, we have not attained our goal.”

So, the goal is pleasing Allah, praising Him and glorifying Him, and attaining Paradise. This is a goal in Ramadan and outside of Ramadan, which means we increase in striving for it in Ramadan and continue striving for it after Ramadan ends. We need to continue striving to attain this goal until we die.

Now that we understand what the goal is, we need to start planning and then implement that plan. You could use a Ramadan journal for this.

1. Pre-Ramadan

Here are some questions to ask yourself in the days leading up to Ramadan:

• What can you start doing before Ramadan that will ensure that you have a great Ramadan? E.g. making up fasts, reciting more Quran, doing more voluntary prayers, walking more, being more well mannered, etc.
• Are there any projects or tasks that you can finish before Ramadan?
• If you are working or studying, can you take time off during the last 10 nights of Ramadan?
• What are your goals for Ramadan? It might be finishing the whole recitation of the Quran once or praying Taraweeh every night. Write down 3 doable goals and work on those throughout Ramadan.
• How much time will you spend on the Quran this Ramadan? Will you use a Quran journal?
• How much knowledge will you seek this Ramadan?
• Are you able to understand Arabic? If not, start learning it NOW so that you can understand it next Ramadan, if not this one. This will benefit you in Taraweeh and Qiyam Al-Layl (the night prayer).
• What bad habits do you want to stop this Ramadan (forever)?
• Will you have anything wholesome and healthy this month, or the usual fried stuff which will suck the life out of your mind and body?
• Is itikaf in the masjid (mosque) a possibility this year? If so, how many days?

Given what a great month Ramadan is, we need to be motivated, not lax.

2. During Ramadan

Ramadan starts at Maghrib the day before the first fast. If you are waiting for the new moon to be sighted, make sure you get into Ramadan mode as soon as the sighting is confirmed.

As you plan for Ramadan, ask yourself the following questions:

• How will you spend your Ramadan? What projects or tasks can you delay until after Ramadan?
• Which acts will you focus on in Ramadan?
• What are the biggest hurdles for you? How can you resolve them?
• How will the last  ten nights be better than the first twenty days of Ramadan?

You need to start working your plan as soon as Ramadan starts. You need to pace yourself so that you do not get exhausted in the first few days. Many people start Ramadan well and then fizzle out before the first week ends.

The last 10 nights need more attention and energy as that is when Laylatul Qadr is.

عَنْ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، – رضى الله عنهما -قال: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ :‏ الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ – يَعْنِي لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ – فَإِنْ ضَعُفَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَوْ عَجَزَ فَلاَ يُغْلَبَنَّ عَلَى السَّبْعِ الْبَوَاقِي ‏

Ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying: “Seek it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) in the last ten (nights). If one among you shows slackness and weakness (in the earlier part of Ramadan), it should not be allowed to prevail upon him in the last week.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 2621]

You also need to make sure not to waste time on a given day. Alternate between acts of worship and other work or studies you may have, all the while ensuring that you keep away from any forbidden activities – both whilst fasting and after breaking the fast. If you are tired during the day and want to sleep a while in order to refresh yourself, that is fine.

Remember, the most important thing is seeking Allah’s Help and not relying on oneself.

If you feel like you are losing motivation during Ramadan, try to read about the virtues of this great month. Also, talk to righteous friends or family members in order to get a boost.

What if something unexpected happens? Well, you need to adjust accordingly and remember that Allah is Al-Hakeem (the All Wise). We need to accept what is decreed for this. That is also an act of worship.

The whole Ramadan might not be smooth sailing but you should continue striving. Make sure to end the month in a good way so that you can enter Shawwal with a high level of iman (faith).

3. Post-Ramadan

What about after Ramadan?

• How will you keep up that Ramadan momentum?
• What would you like to get out of Ramadan?
• Do you intend to keep going after Ramadan?
• Will you also focus on the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah?

Think about how you want to feel on the Day of Eid Al-Fitr. You would want to feel happy, right? Well, imagine having a terrible Ramadan and feeling happy on Eid. That wouldn’t work at all. Rather you need to have had a good Ramadan in order to truly feel happy on Eid. So try to plan and do the righteous actions that will cause you to feel happy after Ramadan is over.

It is important to carry the Ramadan momentum throughout the Day of Eid (by continuing to worship Allah and staying away from forbidden activities) and beyond. If you regress, then what did you gain from Ramadan?? You would have undone all your hard work.

Also, this is not your first Ramadan (unless you are a new convert to Islam) so you should use your previous Ramadan experiences to understand what worked and what did not work for you.

Final words

At the time of writing this post (March 2024), Ramadan is only a few days away. It would be a real shame if we let yet another Ramadan go to waste. Let’s plan and take action NOW.

I’ll leave you with the following hadeeth:

عَنْ عَبْد الرَّحْمَن بْنَ أَبَانَ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ خَرَجَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ مَرْوَانَ بِنِصْفِ النَّهَارِ فَقُلْتُ مَا بَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ إِلاَّ لِشَىْءٍ سَأَلَ عَنْهُ ‏.‏ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ سَأَلَنَا عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ سَمِعْنَاهَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ مَنْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا هَمَّهُ فَرَّقَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرَهُ وَجَعَلَ فَقْرَهُ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَتِ الآخِرَةُ نِيَّتَهُ جَمَعَ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَمْرَهُ وَجَعَلَ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ 

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