Advices for Ramadan By Liyakat ShahIn the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
From the book Khulaasatul Kalaam by Shaykh
Jaarullah
1. Fast Ramadhan with belief and truly seeking
the reward of Allah the Most High so that He may forgive you your past sins.
2. Beware of breaking your fast during the
days of Ramadhan without a valid Islamic excuse, for it is from the greatest of
sins.
3. Pray Salat ut-Taraweeh and the night prayer
during the nights of Ramadhan – especially on Layatul-Qadr – based on belief
and truly seeking the reward of Allah, so that Allah may forgive you your past
sins.
4. Make sure that your food, your drink and
your clothing are from halal means, in order that your actions be accepted, and
your supplications answered. Beware of refraining from the halal while fasting
and breaking your fast with the haram.
5. Give food to some fasting people to gain a
reward similar to theirs.
6. Perform your five prayers on time in
congregation to gain the reward and Allahs protection.
7. Give a lot of charity for the best charity
is that of Ramadhan.
8. Beware of spending your time without
performing righteous deeds, for you will be responsible and reckoned for it and
will be rewarded for all you do during your time.
9. Perform `umrah in Ramadhan for `Umrah in
Ramadhan is equal to Hajj.
10. Seek help for fasting during the day by
eating the sahoor meal in the last part of the night before the appearance of
Fajr.
11. Hasten breaking your fast after the sun
has truly set in order to gain the love of Allah.
12. Perform ghusl before fajr if you need to
purify yourself from the state of major impurity so that you are able to do
acts of worship in a state of purity and cleanliness.
13. Cease the opportunity of being in Ramadhan
and spend it with the good that has been revealed in it – by reciting the noble
Quran and pondering and reflection of its meanings so that it be a proof for
you with your Lord and an intercessor for you on the Day of Reckoning.
14. Preserve your tongue from lying, cursing,
backbiting and slander for it decreases the reward of fasting.
15. Do not let fasting cause you cross your
boundaries by getting upset due to the slightest of reasons. Rather, fating
should be a cause of peacefulness and tranquility of your soul.
16. Upon completion of fasting, be in a state
of taqwa of Allah the Most High, being aware of Allah watching you in secret
and in public, in thankfulness for His favors, and steadfastness upon obedience
of Allah by doing all what He has ordered and shunning all that He has
prohibited.
17. Increase in remembrance of Allah, seeking
of forgiveness, asking for Paradise and protection against the Fire, especially
when fasting, while breaking the fast and during suhoor, for these actions are among greatest
causes of attaining Allahs forgiveness.
18. Increase in supplication for yourself,
your parents, your children and Muslims, for Allah has ordered making of
supplications and has guaranteed acceptance.
19. Repent to Allah with a sincere
repentance
in all times by leaving sins, regretting those that you have done before and
firmly deciding not to return to them in the future, for Allah accepts
repentance of those who repent.
20. Fast six days of Shawwal, for whoever
fasts Ramadhan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he
fasts all the time.
21. Fast on the Day of `Arafah, the 9th of
Dhul Hijjah, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the last year and
the coming year.
22. Fast on the day of `Aashuraa, the 10th of
Muharram, along with the 9th, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of
the past year.
23. Continue being in a state of iman and
taqwa and perform righteous actions after the month of Ramadhan, until you die.
And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death).
[Quran 15:99]
24. Ensure that you attain the positive
effects of your acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, zakat and hajj,
sincere repentance and leaving of customs that are in variance with the
Sharee`ah.
25. Invoke a lot of salawat and salam upon the
Messenger of Allah, may Allahs blessings and peace be upon him, his Companions
and all those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.
O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who
fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadhan based on belief and truly
seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.
O Allah make us of those who fasted the month,
attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission
of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.
O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to
forgive, so forgive us.
O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the
All-Hearing, all-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and
honor.
May Allah Subhanahu Wa ta'ala Have Mercy & Blessings upon Me & whole Ummah forgive all our minor and major sins and get a place in Jannatul Firdaus.
Mr. Liyakat Shah
