[Phenomenon]

I know you guys are excited and looking forward to Ramadan since it's only a few weeks away.

So if anyone would want to share any articles, stories, lectures and etc that will InshAllah help one in the preparation of this blessed month then please do so.

InshAllah, I will post some literature, lectures and etc…soon.

[Phenomenon]

Preparation of the Winners in Ramadan

The following is a reminder of some matters that help one to be among the winners in Ramadan by using its days and nights properly. “Remind, for indeed reminding benefits the believers.” (51:55)

1. Mujaahadah: struggling against the nafs

“As for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths.” (29:69)

Do you want guidance? Do you want steadfastness? Struggle against your soul, for if we bring ourselves closer to Allah, Allah will come closer to us.

2. Having high aspiration and determination

Ibnul Jawzi said, "The sign of completion of the mind is high aspiration, for he who is satisfied with low aspiration is disgraceful, and I didn't see a severer shortcoming than that of people who are capable of completion yet don't aspire for it."

3. Knowing the virtues of the month and its distinguishing characteristics

He who knows something develops interest in it and preserves it. Even if there was nothing in Ramadan but Laylat ul-Qadr (the Night of Power), which is better than one thousand months, that would suffice.

4. Recognizing Ramadan's few days and its speed of departure

“A fixed number of days…” (2:184) [From the verse, “(Observing fast is) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days”].

Yesterday we were congratulating each other for the beginning of Ramadan and today we give each other condolences for its departure. This is how both days and life are, passing quickly. So hurry up to benefit in Ramadan.

5. Competition of the righteous people in doing good deeds

The righteous people compete for good deeds, while the others are captives of their lusts and slaves to their desires.

“Then We gave the Book (the Qur'an) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose. Then of them are some who wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah's Leave, foremost in good deeds. That is indeed a great grace.“ (35:32)

6. Remembering death and bewaring its suddenness

You might not reach another Ramadan, so watch for yourself!

[Phenomenon]

An Excellent Article on Ramadan

Answered by Sidi Suheil Laher

O who believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you; perchance you will guard yourselves.

...

The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down, a guidance for the people, and clear verses of guidance and criterion. [Quran: Chapter 2, 183]

Ramadan
by Suheil Laher

It is appropriate that every Muslim should receive the blessed month of Ramadan with repentance, sincerity, resoluteness and earnestness. He/she should make the intention to perform extra acts of devotion and worship therein, including the Night Prayer (qiyam), recitation of Qur'an, and abundant charity to the poor and needy.

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), used to say the following when the month of Rajab began. "Oh Allah! Bless us in Rajab and Sha`ban, and bring us, oh Allah, to Ramadan." [Narrated by Tabarani and Ahmad]

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, "Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all." [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says, "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted." [Narrated by Tabarani]

The preceding hadiths bring attention to readiness and preparation for receiving Ramadan. This is achieved by having a clear understanding of this month in one's mind, and greeting Ramadan with love and yearning. Also, one should have the determination and intention to perform good deeds and worship, and one should lay down a program to accomplish this in the days of the blessed month.

It is communally obligatory upon the Muslims to seek the crescent at the time of sunset on the 29th day of Sha`ban, and the 29th day of Ramadan, in order to verify the status of the start and end of their fasting. When seeing the crescent, it is sunnah for the Muslim to supplicate with the following supplication, which has been reported from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

On the authority of Talhah ibn `Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him): when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw the crescent, he used to say, "Oh Allah! Cause it to appear over us with prosperity, faith (Iman), security and Islam. (Then to the moon) My Lord and your Lord is Allah." [Narrated by Tirmidhi, who said it is a good (hasan) hadith.]

Qatadah said that he was informed that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say, when seeing the crescent, "A crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation. (To the moon) I believe in Allah who created you." (Three times), and then he would say, "Praise be to Allah who has taken away such- and-such month and brought such-and-such month." [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

The month of Ramadan has excellences over the other months, as is testified to by the Qur'an and Sunnah, and out of these we will bring to attention the following virtues:

1. It is the month of the Qur'an, with regards to revelation and study. ("The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur'an." [Qur'an, 2:185]). On the authority of Ibn `Abbas: Angel Gabriel used to meet the Prophet every night in Ramadan and used to study Qur'an with him.

2. It is the month of seclusion. Ibn `Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to seclude himself for the last ten days of the month of Ramadan."

3. It is the month of generosity. Ibn `Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to be at his most generous in Ramadan."

4. It is the month of standing (in voluntary night prayer). On the authority of Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Whoever stands (in voluntary night prayer) during Ramadan, with faith and in expectancy of reward, his previous sins are forgiven him."

5. It is the month of the compulsory fast, because of Allah's saying, "So, whoever among you witnesses the month should fast." [Qur'an, 2:185] A terrible error prevalent among people is to talk about Ramadan just as they talk about the obligation of fasting, as if Ramadan and fasting are synonymous, each carrying the meaning of the other and not anything more nor less. Yet, fasting is one of many acts of worship in Ramadan.

Many reports have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) explaining the distinction of Ramadan, of which we have selected the following.

"The month of Ramadan has come to you; a month of goodness and blessing." [Ibn Khuzaymah]

"The Master of the Months is Ramadan, and the Master of the days is Friday." [Ibn Khuzaymah]

"Whoever fasted Ramadan with faith and in expectancy of reward, his previous sins are forgiven him." [Bukhari and Muslim]

"When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained." And in a narration from Nasa'i, the following words are added: "and a caller calls out every night: 'Oh seeker of Good, draw near! Oh seeker of Evil, desist!' "

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...&ID=287&CATE=6

[Phenomenon]

No one can go anywhere without preparation, and no one invites a guest without preparing to welcome him/her. Similarly, to welcome Ramadan, the month of fasting, one has to prepare. Here are some tips:

Try to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as of today.

Start reading the Quran everyday after Fajr prayers.

Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran.

Train yourself to go bed early so that you do not miss the Fajr prayers.

Keep yourself in a state of Wudu most of the time.

Evaluate yourself each day before going to bed.

Thank Allah for good deeds, and repent to Him for your mistakes and sins.

Give yourself time alone, so that you can meditate, make dhikr and tasbeeh.

Start giving Sadaqah each day, no matter how little. Make it a habit like eating and drinking.

Spend more time reading Islamic books, especially the Quran, Seerah, Hadith, and Fiqh.

Find time to help others with your wisdom, knowledge and talent.

Try to write articles on Islam for Muslims and non-Muslims.

[JammyDodger]

Subscribed.

[Mahatma Randy]

Nice one.

[Mahatma Randy]

lol @ my avatar.

[OSIRIS]

Nice thread pheno.


lol @ your avatar too vito.

[LEGEND]

lol I guess we need another one of those threads

[hershee317]

great thread! ill post stuff later. once i find it. :)

[Ghost]

last year i didnt keep any fasts, this year i hope to improve on that

[improper]

im stressed out from all this preparation.

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by improper

im stressed out from all this preparation.

all the eating?

[improper]

well not the eating, just the meditation needed to achieve the will to not eat for half a day. it's going to be hard, i dont do it all the time, except every day.

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by improper

well not the eating, just the meditation needed to achieve the will to not eat for half a day. it's going to be hard, i dont do it all the time, except every day.

:S..

[Phenomenon]

Preparing for Ramadan with Halal Tube | Halal Tube

[Mahatma Randy]

I kept a fast today & man, it was so tough. I wonder what's going to happen in Ramadhan.

[Der Kaiser]

I've posted this elsewhere but I'll drop it here too...

Ramadan: Aspects Less Mentioned



If you look at Ramadan not as a religious month but as just 30 days of the year, those thirty days shine a light upon our action in the other 335.

For thirty days every muslim doesn't eat or drink during the daylight hours. However though we may simplify it, the intentions and intents of this Holy month run a lot deeper. I think it's demeaning to describe this as a month when we starve ourselves, I find it annoying when I see people just writing it off as an act of simple mindless obedience, just starving ourselves for a few weeks, because this is only one aspect of a greater act of spiritual and physical nourishment.

This month is in equal measures a testament to the the Human Spirit, and also our relative weaknesses it is our untapped potential.

Now moreso than when I was younger I'm always reminded of how much I eat normally, how I have the freedom and sheer luck to eat whatever I want. Pizza today, chinese tomorrow, I live in a country which affords me an almost infinite amount of choices. More importantly I become so much more aware of how I waste so much. Just think about the amount of food we throw away, and there's people in this world that would be grateful for a slice of bread. It really signifies how little we need for sustenance and how much excess we have in our lives.

We cannot however afford to forgot how strong we are to forego food and water day after day because it does take it's toll especially if you work or study. It's not easy, nor is it as hard as some may think.

One thing I've come to notice in the last couple of years as well is how Ramadan affects non-Muslims as well. I'm sure we all have non-muslim friends, colleagues and acquaintances. In the past few years that I've been working during the holy month I've noticed that my work colleagues show more empathy and interest in Muslims during this month. I'm sure we've all had that conversation with people at work which goes something like this :

So you fast for 30 days?
Yes.
And you can't eat ANYTHING?
Yes.
Not even water? *cue look of shock*
Yes.
How doooooo you do it?

They always find the no water issue the hardest to take. Also I think they are interested to see how it is that so many Muslims still practice their religion actively. I've known a few people that have kept fasts with their Muslim friends. When for the rest of the year they probably wouldnt mention religion once unless it's in the news, which is rarely good. I think part of it is that so many more people work with Muslims and of course Islam is a lot more high profile these days, but I have always been quietly surprised by my interactions with non-muslims I work with. I guess the fact that I don't have that many non-desi friend does bear upon this a little.

This month is a great reminder every year of how much of our lives are really just based on routine, habit and laziness, how much better we could be. Every year for four weeks we have to break out of our habits and we all do it. We all adapt so easily, and we don't question it, we look forward to it, we look forward to being better Muslims and better people. When this month rears it head in the weeks prior I always feel a palpable sense of anticipation within myself, my friends and family. Ask any Muslim and they will tell you this is their favourite time of year.

In the course of writing this post the following thought crossed my mind:

We (are supposed to) pray 5 times a day, in essence because it keeps us aware of the Almighty constantly because the next Salaat is only hours away. It is a mechanism for keeping us aware of our actions and God. I see a similarity with Ramadan, not in terms of reminding us of God as much, but similarly I believe in some ways it can be seen as a mechanism to remind us of what strengths we have and also highligting our weaknesses. While at the same time making us more aware of our place in the world.

We have a month to see what we are capable of, how much we waste, how little we need to sustain us, how strong we are emotionally, physically and mentally, how EASY it is to be decent and respectful to others. I could write a long list of things that cross my mind.

Every year we have this time when we are constantly reminded of how far we have to go to be the best we can be in so many different aspects of our lives, and deep down all of us I'm sure hope that Yes! This year! This year will be the one when I stick to it afterwards... and every year we come to fail in the months afterwards. How quickly we gain and subsequently lose that discipline.

How quickly do we run back to those negative paths. Is it really that hard to quit all these negative things? Smoking, bad eating habits, being rude for no reason? serving our egos constantly? Is it so hard to practise good habits more often, reading Qu'ran, spending more time to reflect upon ourselves and God, praying regularly, being more aware of our own actions? This month shows us how easy it can be. How many people do you know that smoke and find it so hard to quit yet have somehow managed to not smoke from dawn to dusk for the past few weeks. What I find so funny is they fail to realise this strength of willpower they have shown and the moment they break the fast, run outside for a cigarette, 'I NEED A CIG MAN! I JUST CAN'T DO IT!', What?? but you just did... Don't you see?

It's not the end of the world though. I don't believe God put us on this earth to be perfect robots, I believe life is about striving, and making a positive effort in life.

I have a very good friend who is non-muslim and thinking of embracing Islam and this year is her first Ramadan. During a conversation I told her, don't think about religion, focus on God, and think about how this month affects you on a purely personal level and take what you will from it. I think honestly that's something we should all do. We can all learn from from people that embrace Islam, they make a tremendous change in their Lives when they choose this path, so it is there within us all Muslim and non-muslim to make positive changes to ourselves. It's neither as easy as we may wish it was nor as diffcult as it may initially seem.

Alhumdulilah let's hope that every year we can take one big step forward during this month to not necessarily be good Muslims but to pick up good habits that allow us to at least in some small way become better people to one another, and help one another on this path also.

It's up to us what we take from it. It can be a one dimensional act of starvation or it can be a month when we enlighten ourselves to our better nature and see what strength and resolve truly resides within us. I believe Ramzaan is more about those people fasting; gaining a deeper knowledge of themselve physically, mentally and spiritually, and being more aware of their place in the world. It was only while writing this that I came to the conclusion that this holy month is a lot more for Us than it is for Him.

Because ultimately what this month is. A simple reminder.

That in so many ways we are simply creatures of habit. You are not just the way you are, you are how you allow yourself to be. It's just mental conditioning. Maybe Ramzaan can be the first step to stripping away this facade and set us upon the path to self-realisation and self-actualisation.

Just imagine if we didn't have this month. We'd be the same all year round. We'd never know we're capable of so much more.

[TANK]

Originally Posted by improper

well not the eating, just the meditation needed to achieve the will to not eat for half a day. it's going to be hard, i dont do it all the time, except every day.

I wasn't aware that 14 hours accounted for half a day. I'm guess in some parts of the world it does?

[TANK]

Originally Posted by Der Kaiser

I've posted this else but I'll drop it here too...

I remember you posted this before, it was a good read then, and it still is. Thanks for sharing =]