Ramadan: Tips & Treats! :D

Ramadhaan is just round the corner people! 🙂  So here are a few tips on 7 spiritual habits you must try to cultivate this Ramadhaan, that I came across today 🙂

Source: ILoveAllah.com

The following 7 Spiritual activities you should try to develop as Habits during the days of Ramadan so that hopefully you can continue with them after Ramadan. I consider these activities as the spiritual ‘bread and butter’ of any ProductiveMuslim, and to develop them as habits is the essence of starting your journey towards the love of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and constantly increasing in your Imaan inshaAllah:

1) Praying the Sunnah Prayers before and/or after Prayer:

I know it’s easier to just pray the obligatory prayers and rush out of the mosque, however, when we realise the rewards we’re missing from not praying these sunnah prayers, we won’t leave them. Over the years I learnt there’s only ONE way of getting yourself to pray these Sunnah prayers constantly: Get into the habit of praying them! Soon they’ll become part and parcel of your Salah. Also read this article  “Advice to Those Who Are Not Praying Any Nawaafil Prayers”

2) Remembrance of Allah after Salah:

Again, it’s easier to rush out of Salah to our busy lives, but honestly, how long does it take to recite thesupplications after Salah? (answer: 5-7 minutes!). If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, you may find the supplications here.

`Abdullah bin `Amr reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: There are two acts that no Muslim worshiper does consistently but that he will enter Jannah. And though they are easy , only few people perform them:

1. After each of the five prayers, say tasbih (SubhanAllah) ten times, tahmid (alhamdulillah) ten times and takbir(allahu akbar) ten times. This makes one hundred and fifty (daily extollments) by tongue, and one thousand five hundred (good deeds) in the scale.

2. Upon going to bed, say takbir thirty four times, tahmid thirty three times, and tasbih thirty three times. This makes one hundred extollments by tongue and and one thousand good deeds in the scale.

So who among you would commit two thousand five hundred sins in one day( to counter that)?

The Prophet then added:

Satan comes to a person while he is ready to sleep, and makes him fall asleep before he finishes saying them; and he comes to him after the prayer and reminds him of something he needs to do instead of saying them.

(Reported by Tirmidhi 3410, Sahih by Albani, Ibn Majah 926, Hasan by Zubair Ali Zai, Abu Dawud 5065, Sahih by Albani, Nasai 1348, Sahih by Albani and Musnad Ahmad 6910, Hasan Isnaad by Shoaib Aranout.

(The wording “upon going to bed, say takbir thirty four times, tahmid thirty three times, and tasbih thirty three times” is reported only in Abu Dawud where as rest of the hadith in other books says”when he goes to his bed let him say tasbih, tamhid and takbir 100 times”)

Prophet Muhammad (sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “There are) two words which are dear to the Beneficent (Allah) and very light (easy) for the tongue (to say), but very heavy in weight in the balance. They are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)’. [Bukhari: Hadith No:673, V:8] and [Bukhari, B:9, V:93, Hadith 652]

Again, get into the habit of reciting them daily after each Salah and they’ll become part of your Salah experience.

3) Morning/Evening Remembrance of Allah:

These are beautiful set of duas/remembrances from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which he used to say before sunrise and before sunset. They are true stress relievers, and energy boosters, and never fail to make my day/evening feel blessed. [You can find the duas here]

4) Night Prayer:

Alhamdulillah, during Ramadan we’ve the wonderful Taraweeh prayers to attend. These are of course part of the Night prayer or tahajjud of the Night. If you’re new to night prayer or don’t pray it constantly during the year, make sure you attend taraweeh prayers each and every night, and give yourself a ‘no-excuse’ policy. Continuing to pray them for the entire 30 days, will set you on better footing to continue with Night Prayer after Ramadan inshaAllah.

You can also read this article: 7 Practical Tips for praying Qiyaam al-Layl

5) Duha Prayer:

If you want a Muslim’s secret to a productive day, it’s these 2 rak’ahs, known as Duha prayer which you may pray at anytime between after sunrise all the way till before the sun reaches it’s zenith (around 30 minutes before Dhuhur). The reward of this prayer is similar to giving charity on behalf of every bone in your body, and the energy and buzz you feel during the day is amazing.

You can learn about Duha Prayer here..

6) Supplications before you Sleep:

You just had a long day, and you’re super tired. You climb into bed and you want to hit the sack… but wait! Before you do, can you give yourself just 10 more minutes to recite the supplications before sleep? That’s all. Try them and watch your yourself have the most beautiful sleep ever and waking up for Fajr easily inshaAllah

7) Reciting one hour of Quran each day:

Notice: I said here recite one hour of Quran each day and not one juz’ or one surah. The amount of Quran you read here is not as important as the quality of your understanding. If you spend one hour reciting one verse but understand it fully, that’s more important and beneficial then reciting lots of Quran at break-neck speed and not understanding a word.You can also read Online Quran from here.

So there you go, 7 spiritually productive habits you can develop this Ramadan starting TODAY!

and rememember

Narrated ‘Aisha (Radi Allahu Anha): The Prophet (sallahu AlayhiwaSallaam) was asked, “What deeds are loved most by Allah?” He said, “The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few.” He added, ‘Don’t take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability.” [Bukhari :: Book 8 :: Volume 76 :: Hadith 472]

Source: ProductiveRamadan.com – Republished with slight editorial modifications by Shadman.