Assalamualaikum waRehmatullah waBarakatuh,
Insha'Allah I pray you continue to be in the strongest of Imaan, remaining firm and steadfast upon His decree and in the best of health-Ameen.
I wanted to give naseeha to myself first and foremost then to yourselves on the blessed month of Ramadaan coming up very shortly. Indeed it is a month of mercy and every day is a day that we are all in need of urgently spending it in full submission to Him the Almighty. The Sahabah used to prepare 6 months in advance for the days of rehma and after Ramadan would end they would further spend another 6 months asking Allah SWT to accept it. Due to submission like this they proved to be the successful ones.
I’d like to firstly advise you that before the month of Ramadan enters;
* Engage in much Taubah and Istighfaar for this opens many doors to different aspects of Ibadaah. By this I mean you are able to (after faraids) do extra Ibadaah e.g. Fasting, constant Dhikr, always supplicating etc. Sometimes sins prevent us doing things that are beloved to Him and we find ourselves very distant from Him. So seeking Allah’s forgiveness of past and present sins helps us get back on track and continue our Ibadaah enthusiastically and easily Insha’Allah. May Allah make you all amongst those who love to turn to Him SWT in repentance-Allah huma Ameen.
* Make targets – have some set goals of what you want to achieve in the month of Ramadaan. Whether it is to learn some Ahadith, some Surahs, Duas, etc. Your own personal achievement, because at the end of the day we should all try to better ourselves when we gain more understanding of the Deen even if it may be in manners and these are the deeds that will help us on a day we need it the most.
* Memorize verses of the Quran with translation – there are many Ayaats in the Qur’an which you as an individual are affected by them to the extent that it makes you shed tears in awe of them. Try to memorize Surahs with their meanings so when you engage in Salaat in the month of Ramadaan, your Khushu is at its peak focusing on nothing but imagining that you are in front of Him SWT. We are all guilty of lacking Khushu sometimes but what I have found that helps is knowing what your saying in front of Allah as this takes you into a different world leaving this Duniya behind Insha'Allah. So change your usual Salaat Surahs to new ones to avoid lack of Khushu and you might find that your tears accompany you whilst the Ayaats are recited. May Allah bless you the highest of Khushu and tears to extinguish you from the hellfire in fear of Him SWT-Ameen ya Rab.
* Dua – yes we make the usual duas of the Akhirah, but whilst remaining in this Duniya we have needs or even others may ask for your duas so make a list of what you want to ask of Allah and start memorizing these dua. Try to make the extra effort of translating the dua into Arabic as 1) Arabic is the language of the Akhirah 2) show Allah you are making more effort in worshipping Him. But do not worry as Allah is not restricted to one language, SubhanAllah He SWT understands every language, even the language of silence and tears that flow from your cheeks and indeed He SWT knows what we reveal and what we conceal. Sometimes the tears say what the heart cannot... nevertheless, He SWT alone knows.
* Plan out Qiyam ul-layls – SubhanAllah, the nights of Ramadaan are very short and can bypass very quickly if we are not careful. These are the blessed nights that one cannot afford to miss out and sleep. These are the nights one needs to be in Salaat, reciting the Qur’an, making dua, studying the Deen etc. We cannot waste it on sleep for we all have something we want from Allah SWT whether its Duniya matters or seeking Allah’s SWT’s Face on Yawm Al-Qiyamah. Spend these nights wisely in order to reap the most blessing from Allah Insha’Allah.
You see doing voluntary acts of worship is not something that we choose to do ourselves rather it is a ni’mah from Allah that He invites you to do these voluntary acts, because in these nawafilas do hearts find sweetness of Imaan and Taqwa. For example, when you wake up to invoke your Lord in the last portion of the night for the night prayer, you engage in sweet conversations with Him whilst all others remain asleep; A private seclusion with Him confessing your sins, repenting and asking of all your needs. SubhanAllah, such an amazing gift it is. In order for Allah to give you this ni’mah of Tahajjud Salat or Qiyam ul-layl you have to make the effort; you have to show Him you are worthy of this blessing by going to sleep with the intention of waking up for Tahajjud or staying awake and performing Qiyam ul-layl for His sake, asking Allah to assist you, eating lightly to help you wake up, going to sleep early so you can wake up on time, etc because if you’re lacking preparation to receive this gift of Ibadaah then your outcome would remain to just sleep, just like the rest of the people. Do not be foolish and miss out on opportunities of tasting real companionship with Him the Almighty, as He is there every day, on time, awaiting those who need Him or wish to seek His forgiveness and sufficient He is for us. Allah hu Akhbar wa Lillahil hamd!
Insha’Allah these are a few things I can advise you to do for the coming of the month of Mercy and I ask Allah that each and every one of you benefit from this reminder Insha'Allah and the relationship between you and Allah is like no other, fearing Him, loving Him, and having tawakkul in Him SWT. Forgive me for the mistakes as I am human and full of them indeed.
May our last deeds be the best deeds and the best day be the day we meet Allah SWT-Ameen ya Mujib
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