Monday, September 1, 2008

10 Goals for Ramadan

Assalamualaikum...

Insha'Allah everyone's fast went well today. I know I promised to take notes on 186 Rules of Ramadan, and Insha'Allah I plan on doing so, its just that my school load is a tad heavier than what I had anticipated and I have taken on a new goal (memorizing as many surah's as possible this month). I have been longing to compile a good, Ramadan-related post and Insha'Allah when one comes to mind, I will.

I came across this article that addresses 10 goals that anyone can set to acheive this Ramadan. I hope you find it useful.

Eat, drink and be moderate

Almost all of us do it - once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it's hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we're supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let's try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.

Give a dollar a day in charity...or five or ten

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let's open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it's the intention that counts.

Memorize 4 new Surahs

Memorizing the Quran often seems like a daunting task. But the key is doing it in small bites. Since there are four weeks in Ramadan, try to memorize one new Surah a week. Start off with a short, easy one. Once you've started, you'll build momentum and may even want to memorize a longer one the following week.

Go to Tarawih prayers

Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan's blessings. Don't miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least once week.

Attend the Tarawih prayer in which the recitation of the Quran will be finished

Call the local mosque and find out which day the Imam will be finishing the recitation of the Quran in prayer. Attend to not only hear part of the Quran's recitation in prayer, but also participate in the heart-rending Duas that follow it.

Stop swearing and/or backbiting Ð with a special box

It's hard not to shoot our mouths off when someone's upset us. Whether we utter those four-letter words or backbite about someone to our family and friends, we know this isn't the God-approved way of letting off steam. In Ramadan, when we want to build our spirituality, we've got to wage Jihad against our bad habits.

Try this: get a box and every time you catch yourself swearing or backbiting put some money in it. It could be a buck or less. The point is to choose an amount that makes it feel like punishment.

At the end of the month send the money to a charity or buy a gift for the person whom you've backbitten the most against.

Call/email your relatives

You'd think that given the easy access to email, competitive long-distance calling rates, phone cards, etc. these days, we'd keep in touch with family and friends more often. But the opposite seems to be the case, as we get caught up in life's "busyness."

Strengthening ties with family members and keeping in touch with friends is part of our way of life and an act Allah is very pleased with. This Ramadan, call family and friends or at least email them a Ramadan card and ask them how their fasting is going.

Go on a technology diet

Even if you work in the IT industry, you can do this. Avoid checking personal email and surfing the web during your fast. After Iftar, instead of plopping yourself in front of the screen, go to Tarawih. The same goes for the television. The point is to try to give our full attention to spiritual elevation this month.

Read 5 minutes of Quran a day...just five, not more, not less

Even if you feel you've got absolutely no time, set a timer or the alarm on your cell phone and find a relatively quiet place. You can read the first page of the Quran you open or follow a sequence. The choice is yours. The point is simply to connect with God through His revelation in the month of the Quran.

Forgive everyone who has hurt you

Still got a festering wound from the fight with your friend last year? Still upset about something your spouse said during a heated argument? Or are you still bitter about the way your parents sometimes treated you as a kid? Let go of the anger and pain this Ramadan and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving someone is not only good for the body, but it's also great for the soul. And in Ramadan, ten days of which are devoted to Allah's forgiveness, shouldn't we lesser beings forgive too?

If you find it very difficult to forgive everyone, forgive at least three people.


Source: IslamiCity.com

4 comments:

tee dimensionist said...

Salam alaikum!

Excellent post with great goals, all doable and much needed during this Holy month and all months that follow.
Thanks for posting!

Blogger said...

thanks for the comment. Yes I thought someone would think it's funny :)


Yeah I decided that would be most likely the best course of action in this case. It's just that wherever i go, there he is, making it obvious that he isn't looked at me. Like you said, it does make me feel wierd and nervous.

:)

Anonymous said...

salam

i no im not foolowin ur technology diet rightnow lol as im fastin n visitin ur site, but dnt worry , im doin science coursework research n browsin (at the same time kinda lol-my mind gets distracted if i do just work lol)

nice blog

ramadan mubarak and eid mubarak for when it cums inshallah
also: could u plz (and spread the word aswell maybe on ur blog, to frends etc) could u inshallah plz put up a comment leaving a reward on this post of mine:
http://hal786.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/leave-a-reward/
jazakallah

from ur sis in islam hal786

Amaat al Kareem said...

Jazaky Allahu khayr for the comment on my blog!

A goal of mine this Ramadan is to invite those to the knowledge :) (Ahem perhaps an upcoming class..) What better reward than invite someone to knowledge who will benefit. Kinda like Sadaqa jariya - whatever they learn will get passed on to someone else... And plus the shaytan is locked up so they "Give their excuses a black eye!" ;) In sha' Allah.