July 13, 2012 Supercharged Ramadan: 10 Lethal Ramadan Tips - Brother Raja Zia ul Haq The glorious month

of Ramadan is right around the corner Look at the lives of the sahaba and righteous predecessors After Ramadan was over for about 6 months they would make dua tht O Allah accept what we did in Ramadan. And for the next 6 months they would make dua for a long life in order to reach the next Ramadan and experience it. Tip #1: The master plan If you fail to plan, uou plan to fail. Ask yourself: what do you intend to gain out of this month? What happens in the middle of Ramadan? No people in masjid? Imagine the month of Ramadan as a marathon race (a lot of ppl at the beginning and the end) these ppl are called the spectators bu the real players are the ones who you find in the middle. If you plan to succeed, you have to be consistent all month. Which masjid? Where tarawih? What are you going to memorize Quran, dua? Tafsir? Islamic lectures? Write all of this down now! If you start to plan during the month of Ramadan, it is like showing up at the airport and saying, Ill think about where I want to go with no idea. Where do you want this Ramadan to go? We don't want to have a good Ramadan. We want to have an awesome Ramadan! Al Baqarah 2:183 O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed upon you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you many become Al-Muttaqun (people of taqwa). So one way to evaluate yourself is to see have you canged from the beginning of the month? Have you become more muttaqin? What is taqwa? Deeper reflection: in the month of Ramadan Allah commands you that you are not going to eat from sunrise to sunset and no relations with spouse. You prove to yourself that when Allah commands you, you stay away from halal. So that means that throughout the year you can stay away from haram! You have proven it to yourself by getting through Ramadan. So the plan you devise for yourself during Ramadan should make you increase your taqwa! That is your goal! Al Imran 3:76 Allah loves the one who has taqwa Hadith: when Allah swt loves someone, He calls Jibrail and tells him that He loves so and so and commands him to love that person. Jibrail calls out to angels and commands them to love them, then Allah swt makes the people of the earth also love that person.

Tip #2: All about Intentions What is the importance of intentions? What can my intentions do for me in Ramadan? What is your intention for the month of Ramadan? Is it a food festival for you? Is it a weight loss program for you? Allah swt rewards you even for your intentions! If you make the intention of doing something good but you dont do it you get the reward for whatever you intended! If you actually compete the good deed you get at least 10x the reward, maybe even much more. How much time does it take to make an intention???? Make the intention NOW! As long as you keep making the intention, you keep getting the sawab for it. Think about a muslim community in which everyone continuously makes intentions for good deeds: hospital, Islamic community center, etc etc even in 10% ppl actually fulfilled their intention, how much a better place would it be. So THINK BIG! Tehre is nothing stopping you except your own imagination. Tip #3: Dua (never useless) Al Baqarah 2:186 This ayat is sandwich between the ayat talking about Ramadan! Why? Because if there was ever a time to make dua, the month of Ramadan is the time! When a believer breaks a fast, it is the best time to make dua. 3 outcomes of dua: 1. Fulfilled in this life 2. Answer in hereafter 3. Calamity avoided in place of dua Hadith: comes on DOJ and sees rewards because of the duas that were left unanswered he says, I wish they were none of my duas were ever answered How long does it take to make dua??? Use this month to make as many duas as possible make it part of your plan. Tip #4: Seek forgiveness Angel Jibrail (AS): May Allah rub his nose in the dust, one to whom Ramadan comes and he does not attain Allahs forgiveness. Prophet (SAW) said amen. Whos to blame if you cant get Allahs forgiveness in this month? Hadith?: If you fast the month of Ramadan and you dont control your tongue, Allah is not in need of your hunger and thirst. Hadith: Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. (Sahih Bukhari, Muslim)

Hadith: Give the month of ramdan the respect that it deserves! Tip #5: Goodbye to Shayateen Hadith: There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates are closed and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. (an Nasaai, ahmad) Good manners feed poor charity In Ramadan, you only have to fight against your own nafs!!! The rest of the year, you have to fight both nafs and shaytan! Do what you are struggling to start doing in Ramadan because it is an opportunity to make yourself more muttaqi and better in Allahs sight. Tip #6: Control your nafs, dont let it control you Who is not in chains? Your own nafs. Your nafs is like a wild horse. What happens when the rider tries to get on top of a wild horse? Must be strong to tame the horse despite pressure from the reins! Must stick on for a certain small amount of time then the horse is tamed beautiful beast is in your control.. It is only a difference of a few minutes of persistence. This is how your nafs is. The first time you start anything, your nafs will kick you and try to get you off. Eg. Fajr prayer.. bed is cozy etc. If you keep persisting, the nafs will submit. In this month, the only enemy is your nafs. What is your plan to deal with your nafs this month? Tip #7: The clever imam Ponder this: what is the routine of the imam who leads the tarawih prayers? When the imam wakes up for the fajr prayer what is his routine? Does he go back to sleep after fajr? No he has to practice the Quran that he is going to recite at night. Why is he resting? It is an act of worship because he wants to revitalize himself for the tarawih. Does he eat like crazy at iftar? No, its impossible because he has to recite, concentration, focus. He will eat barely enough to give him enough energy to stand for tarawih prayer. He cant take a day off because he has to do it every night. If this is the plan of the imam, what is your plan? You have to compete with this!

Tip #8: Awesome night prayer Hadith: Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer. (Abu Dawood) It doesnt matter if it is 8 or 20 rakahs, just pray with imam! Pray even witr with the imam because it will be recorded as the entire night. It is a golden opportunity to get such a huge reward for 2 hours! Tip #9: Last stretch Al Qadr 97:1-5 Laylatul Qadr does NOT fall on 27th every year. Hadith: odd night in last 10 ashra What about laylatul qadr if Ramadan started 1 day early? It good be an even night as well! ALL last 10 nights are extremely important Plan for Ramadan should include this. Take it easy , slow and steady until the last 10 days and then put it into full throttle. You cannot miss out the night of qadr! The person who sits in aitikhaf in last 10 nights has for sure found laylatulqadr. Buy your eid gifts and clothes today, Do NOT spend your last 10 days in buying clothes etc.

Tip #10: Post Ramadan Hadith: Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with 6 days of Shawaal, it will be like fasting for a lifetime / or 1 entire year. (Muslim) Once Ramadan is over, it is not really over! Whatever you have gained at the end of the month, do your own evaluation. Are you still doing your acts of ibadah? Have you become a better person or has the turbo charger gone dead? Bottom line: the hour is near so earn as many good deeds as possible. What have you prepared for the hour??? May Allah swt make us firm upon taqwa, ikhlas, and get all our sins forgiven..