Ten Key Tips For Every Ramadan Checklist
Spiritual preparations
It’s always a good idea to increase our levels of worship no matter the time of the year, but as we head towards Ramadan, now it’s a great time to set our niat for the holy month ahead and begin implementing more acts to help us ease into a (hopefully sustainable!) change for the better.
The Ramadan checklist that has been prepared on this occasion can be divided into the following categories:
A). Three tips related to the rights of Allah.
B). Five tips related to the rights of Allah’s slaves.
C). Two tips related to self-progress.
In the month of blessings, the reward for our good deeds and our Sadaqah are multiplied exponentially and our sins are forgiven. According to the hadith related by Ibn Abbas (RA):
The Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ) was the most generous of people and he was even more generous in Ramadan […] -Bukhari
As Muslims, we strive to emulate the Prophet (ﷺ) in every aspect of our lives. The month of Ramadan is an even better time to do this since performing good deeds is made easier for the believer, and the reward for them is doubled. In another hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” -Bukhari
We’ve put together a checklist of ‘to-dos’ that will motivate, inspire, and ensure you don’t miss out on any opportunity to reap the blessings and Barakat of this month.
Conclusion
Ramadan is a blessed month for Muslims. Hence, we must try to take advantage of it as much as possible. We can do this by focusing on the obligatory acts during the month, such as fasting. However, we should go above and beyond by also taking part in the sunnah and optional acts. Doing all this will help us get closer to Allah, which is the ultimate objective of this blessed month.
The first and most obvious thing to do is to fast during this month. Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking, engaging in marital relations, etc., between Fajr and Maghrib. Additionally, we must also avoid all sinful acts, which Muslims don’t necessarily pay attention to, but they should. This is a critical component of fasting, which should help us to build our overall character.
Sunnah's acts during Ramadan include praying Taraweeh, which is a widespread sunnah already. Many Muslims pray congregational prayer every night of Ramadan. Visiting the mosque should also be a regular part of our activities during this month. Moreover, we should give as much charity as we possibly can during this month. All good deeds get extra rewards during Ramadan, which should be enough motivation.
Among other beneficial things, we can do include reading the Quran. Making dua during this month is also essential, and we should also repent to Allah for our mistakes and evil deeds. Another excellent act is to mend relations with our friends and relatives. Ramadan is a month that we should all aim to benefit from. The aim should be to come out of how to prepare for Ramadan in a better position than how we entered it. The only way to do that is by worshiping Allah and getting close to Him, which is the only method of succeeding.
