The month of Ramadan is almost here and like every year before the start of the month, our E-mail inboxes flood with inspiring E-mails reminding us about the countless blessings of this noble month. Ramadan – as most of these reminders emphasize – is the Month of Quran, the Month of Taqwa, the Month of Prayers, the Month of Charity and the Month of Remembrance of Allah. This month provides a system to help us organize, struggle and liberate ourselves from the addictions, temptations and unbridled desires that sometimes drive our lives more than our thought out plans and good intentions. Ramadan is therefore a month for the spiritual and physical rejuvenation of oneself and the wise and fortunate amongst us are those that reap the most of what this month has to offer.
In preparing ourselves for this year’s Ramadan, it may be beneficial to recall last year’s Ramadan to assess how successful were we in aligning our behaviors with the spirit of Ramadan. If we reflect and ponder, we can most likely recognize the many ways where we may have fallen short in fulfilling the spirit of Ramadan and how we can refocus to potentially make this year’s Ramadan better than last.
Getting the Food Mania Under Control
First, let’s discuss what’s hard to ignore in Ramadan – FOOD. Food, as we all know, becomes the center of attention in this month. Walk in any store frequented by Muslims a day or two before Ramadan and Muslims’ food frenzy becomes quite clear. The sight of a Muslim’s shopping cart – packed to the brim with a variety and volume of food offers an amazing as well as an amusing scene. Such a view is common only when people are restocking to get ready for an emergency like an impending hurricane. It just can’t be that everyone’s kitchen shelves become empty immediately at the start of the month. More likely, this can be attributed to a defense mechanism that the subconscious triggers against an impending trauma – a defense to cope with the hunger and thirst while fasting during the day. However, stocking for food isn’t that problematic usually – until that shopping frenzy translates in overeating and other eating disorders and habits.
Barring any health and medical challenges, fasting otherwise is known to provide numerous health benefits. However, overeating during iftar and suhoor, eating fatty, fried and other unhealthy foods, and stuffing our bellies too quickly are some of the major health hazards that potentially can nullify the health benefits gained during fasting. In addition to controlling the size of our portions, we do not have to eat or taste everything that crosses our tables, though our temptations may tell us otherwise. In this Ramadan, let’s strive to substitute unhealthy items with healthy foods. Keeping our food and drink intake to moderate and light levels also provides the added benefit of helping us to stay focused in prayers that follow Iftar and Suhoor rather than feeling physically uncomfortable and guilty of unhealthy eating. Remember, the prophet’s food intake was very light and he (saws) said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265).”
Use Time to your advantage
“Time” in Ramadan, as we all know, passes quickly. The prayers at their prescribed times, Taraweeh prayers, Iftar and Suhoor meals leave little time for other activities. To top it all off, by packing social activities in the remaining pockets, the time goes even faster. The amount of time spent on “food” related activities in Ramadan can become excessive. Add up the time for shopping for food, waiting to eat, preparing food, planning for all social activities related to food (e.g. Iftar) and the time spent socializing during the Ramadan feasts can compromise the spirit of Ramadan.
The theme of Ramadan – we should tell ourselves and others – is not supposed to be food, socializations, lavish iftar parties, and fashion shows. By not dedicating time to Quran, extra prayers, reflection and repentance, Dua to Allah, and so much more, we lose opportunities for personal atonement and heavenly rewards. Good deeds in this month get multiplied manifold. So, why not be careful with our time during Ramdan?
For this Ramadan, we should strive therefore to make a few deliberate and focused changes to collect more blessings and rewards. Rather than merely going with the flow of the family and the community members around us, we can plan to take charge of our time. By substituting self centered and social activities with Ramadan specific activities such as Quran recitations, extra prayers, dhikr, helping the needy, etc. we can hope and pray to get closer to Allah this time. Perhaps, that can help in washing away those sins that we accumulate courtesy of our temptations and unbridled desires.
Atonement for Sins
Ramadan is the month of seeking forgiveness from sins. It helps to ponder on how we accumulate sins, the way sins impact our lives, and how cleansing from them can make our life in this world and in the hereafter better. Sins are those roadblocks that we personally put on our own paths to worldly happiness and in the hereafter. We engage in those sins by the hour – daily, weekly and yearly. Yet, do we repent for those sins? Do we commit ourselves to not commit those sins again? Unfortunately, in many cases we are not even aware of committing those sins. Ramadan provides us the opportunity to ask for heartfelt forgiveness from those sins. The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent.” (Ibn Maajah). In this Ramadan, let’s strive not to be amongst those unfortunate ones who barely spend anytime reflecting on their sins and transgressions.
Training ourselves for prayer and masjid etiquettes
Ramadan is the month of prayers and Taraweeh. Through longer prayers and Quran recitation, Taraweeh provides us more time to be closer to Allah and listen to and ponder on Quran. By staying focused in a state of Khushu or piety for that long can be challenging, but longer prayers also provide the opportunity to correct and calibrate those Khushu levels every time our minds lose focus. Taraweeh prayers are not about merely taking credit to stand behind the Imam while he finishes the Quran in melodious recitations. Rather, Taraweeh is about understanding what is being recited and to become closer to the One for whom you made all that effort in the first place. By perfecting khushu levels during Taraweeh prayers we can extend this benefit to other prayers as well. After all, the reward for each prayer is proportional to the quality of our prayers.
According to Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) “The basic meaning of khushoo’ is softness of heart, tranquility, submission and humility. If the heart is properly focused in this manner, then the rest of the body will follow it in focus, because they follow it as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “In the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire body will be sound, but if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt. Verily it is the heart.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (25) and Muslim (1599).” Jaami’ al-‘Uloom al-Hukam (1/35). (Ref: islam-qa.com)
A side note to review some misconceptions about Taraweeh prayers. Although the larger number of people at Taraweeh prayers may make it appear as if these prayers are more important than the obligatory prayers, they are not. Many of us still would rather exert extra efforts to pray Taraweeh than attend obligatory prayers. That behavior needs to be corrected.
As attending mosques is one of the highlights of Ramadan, we should also ensure that our physical presence in the masjid should not in any way be displeasing to other Muslims. Every Muslim should ensure that others in the masjid are protected from the displeasing appearance or smell of his or her clothes, mouth or body in general. Any offensive smells from smoking, garlic, onions, etc. are not permitted according to hadith and many scholars. For example, the prophet (saws) said, “Whoever eats garlic or onions, let him not approach our mosque and let him pray at home.” And it was reported that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The angels are offended by the same things that offend the sons of Adam.” (see Hadith by Muslim (564). Therefore, it is very important that every person is careful not to offend the person standing next to him or her in prayers and at other times.
Remembering not to forget the “Remembrance of Allah”
Ramadan is about remembering Allah. Remembrance of Allah (also known as Zikr or dhikr) extends beyond the obligatory prayers to remembering Him at other times (when walking, driving, sitting, laying down, etc.). The benefits for reciting azkars are numerous but are not part of the scope of this post. Suffice it to remind ourselves, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the most pleasing to your Sovereign, those that raise you most in status, and that are better than your giving gold and silver, …………..” They said: “Yes,” He said: “Remembrance of Allah (dhikr), may He be exalted.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3373) and Ibn Maajah (3790); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
While attaining the discipline to attend 5 obligatory prayers may be more common, many of us need to strive further to remember Allah outside those prescribed prayer times. It may be difficult at first to put that discipline in action. The prophet (SAWS) through his Ahadith has prescribed numerous prayers (about thanking Him, praising Him, seeking forgiveness, etc.) that we should recite during the day – outside the prescribed prayer times. But the point is to adopt a discipline to remember Allah through saying of those salutations in the various pockets that we find during the day. (See for a link on the side of this page where you can download a book of Azkar and Dua’s).
So, with a little effort, we can change the theme of this month for ourselves and for our families. Let’s strive to not make this the month of food or month of socializations and to instead substitute that time with activities, which are more in line with the spirit of Ramadan. Let’s make use of this month to achieve taqawa, the ultimate objective of Ramadan.
Allah says in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” – Quran [al-Baqarah 2:183]
Everything else that we do in Ramadan is just a means to that end. Let’s constantly gauge our hearts and if our actions, deeds, and heart and soul are not attuned to Allah and to the spirit of Ramadan, we may have adopted a theme for this month not sanctioned by our prophet (saws).
May you have a happy Ramadan and that all our good deeds are accepted! We ask you for your dua’s and prayers!
Share with everyone any ideas that you have to make this Ramadan better than before!
Books on Dua and Quran



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Back to the Ramadan page
Masha’Allah… JazakAllah khair Inshallah !!
Good information.
The best aspect of ramadhan is that, the big shayateen are chained up by Allah (swt), so therefore it makes a person feel more incline towards proforming good deeds. Also one good deed in ramadhan mutiplied by 10 times. So if we pray Surah 112 Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) 3 times we get the reward of the entire quran, but in ramadhan you get the reward of 10 quran recited.
the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) has said
“O People! The month of Allah (Ramadan) has come with its mercies, blessings and forgivenesses. Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. The days of this month are the best among the days and the nights are the best among the nights and the hours during Ramadan are the best among the hours. This is a month in which you have been invited by Him (to fast and pray). Allah has honoured you in it. In every breath you take is a reward of Allah, your sleep is worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations are answered.
So i would like to end with this please make Dua for in Ramadhan and also remember the entire Ummah..
Asalamualakum.
Masha Allah may Allah (SWTA) accept our worship ameen. I found this advise very useful and may Allah guide us right ameen.
My adcice to everyone – Always, Be knowlegable in what you do. As without knowlege there will be no ibadah.
May Almighty Allah continue to increase the author and all the memeber of iqraSense with blessing of the earth and the hereafter.
Let every one try his/her level best to try and put it in practice.
Let us wish each & every one, Happy Ramadan.
Wishing every Muslim happy and rewarding Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem.
May Allah help us to witness many more of Ramadhan in good health!!! Let us reform ourselves and vow not to go back to forbidden acts after Ramadhan.
Ma salam
Masha Allah.. great piece of information. I normally don’t read long piece of lectures where things are normally very repetitive but I must say, this article tried to put things in perspective. I think Ramadhan brings us great opportunity for us to become better person!
Salam. This indeed is a reminder. May the almighty Allah bless u with the full reward, Aljannat Firdous.
May Allah bless each one of you ,may each one of us strive hard to make the coming ramadhan month be the best for all of us.
Was-salam
May Allah swt guide us all to the right path and accept our ibadhat. I would like to personally wish the writer the best in this ramadan period and may Allah swt reward him for his work n time.
Lets all take the advice above and put it in to practice and see how Allah swt will reward us all. Maasalam
Thank you to IqraSense authors for your effort and in sacrificing your time. May the lord of paradise grant you peace and harmony to you all . To all Muslims in the whole world, please let us adhere to this wonderful advice and reframe ourselves from from all such acts that invalidate our fast.
May Allah accept our Fast all
Amen
Jazakhallau Khairan.
May Allah continue to strengthen your Knowledge and efforts. The piece is very refreshing!
Ma-Salam.
Salam. May Allah bless you. I found this advise very useful and may Allah guide us right ameen.
May Almighty Allah continue to increase you in knowledge and may He bless you abundantly especially during this ramadan. You have really affected my spirit positively with this information.
May Allah guide each and every muslim through out this holy month and bless us with full reward, especially IqraSense, the authors of these useful information regarding Ramadan. Wishing you all a happy and rewarding Ramadan.
Happy Ramadan,
May Allah continue to bless and enrich you in knowledge.
Ma-salam
ramadan mubarak,
may ALLAH give us all the courage to utilise this month of blessing at its best…the author did a great job and i will avail this oppertunity to request all of you to please pray for me and everyone this holy month. JAZAKALLAH
Thank you very much for such a beautiful and rewarding piece of information.May Allah (sw) guide us throgh this holy month of Ramadan and bless all our deeds.
InshaaAllah, with this message iam re-committing myself to dedicating every second of this Ramadan to Almighty Allah. Jazakumullah khayran
Salam,
This is an excellent piece. It is well articulated. May Allah in His infinite ways reward you for the good work of propagating Islamic awareness and knowledge.
Jaza Khallah
Ramzan mubarak 2 all, may we all have a v. Blessed month. Ameen.
May the Almighty ALLAH give us the strength and understanding in performing this year’s ramadan.This article has really got me fired up.I hope it does the same to all those who have found time to read it.Ma-salam
Thank you to IqraSense authors may Allah guide each and every muslim through out this holy month and bless us with full reward may Allah guide us all to the right path and accept our ibadhat
amen
Salam. This indeed is a reminder. May the almighty Allah bless u with the full reward, Aljannat Firdous.
excellent piece, may allah guide us all, RAMADHAN MUBARAK and please do dua for me
ameen
JazakALLAH ho khair…very useful stuff,Ramadhan Mubarak
Salam,
Ramadan Mubarak to you all!
For those who dont know, its not correct to say Ramadan Kareem. Rather, Ramadan Mubarak is correct.
Allah is kareem, meaning most generous.
Please ask your Imams for a clear understanding.
Jazakallah Hairun
Siddique
Very well done, useful information and reminder to all muslim brothers and sisters.
Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone and lets pray for each other.
Jazakala khair ! Doing Umra ,in the holy month of Ramazan, is as good as doing ” Hajj” with our dear Prophet Muhammad ( pbuh ).We should try to seek ” Lailutal Kader “Night ,in tha last ten nights of Ramazan i.e.In 21 ,23 ,25 ,27 ,29 Ramazan. the Reward for, Praying during this Night ,is better than praying for ” Thousand Months”.In the Holy Month of Ramazan, Saitan is Chained & Rewards of Good deeds is multiplied , to many folds.
May the Almighty ALLAH give us the strength and understanding in performing this year’s ramadan.This article has really got me fired up. I hope it does the same to all those who have found time to read it.
May Allah (swt) guide us through this Holy Month and may the teaching of the Prophet (saw) be our light this month and for the rest of our lives.
Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Raheem
Ramadan is a mounth of Qur-An
Ramadan is a mounth of Rahmah = The frist 10 days
Ramadan is a mounth of Mgfirah = The Scond 10 days
Rmadan is a mounth of Free from fire/Nar in arbic/ = The last 10 days
Plese lets pray for each other this holy month. Jazzakumu Allh kheyren
Thanx unlimited for such a valuable information regarding Holy “RamadaN”.InshaAllah these valuable guidelines will help to all muslims to follow the procedures in right way.
Salaam everyone, I hope everyone is doing fine and in good health. I must say that I liked this article very much. I have always enjoyed reading articles and texts that help better me and make me a better muslim. Your site, the authors, and everything you guys write mean so much to me and i’m sure to many other muslims. Keep up the good work and Inshallah Allah(SWT) helps each and everyone of us to gain the strength in order to keep us on the right path. Take care everyone and Ramadhan Mubarrak. Ma’salama
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Islam, ASAk! Thanks for such an enriching article. May we all strive to extract as much blessings of this holy month as possible. Ramadan Mubarak to all the Muslims. May Almighty Allah guide us on the right path and as my friend just e-mailed me, which I would like to share with you – “Lets keep the Ramadan to the T”, i.e, Tilawah, Tahajjud, Taraweeh, Tasbehaat, Tadharruh (Fervent Dua), Tatawwu (nafl Ibadah), Tasahhur (Eating Suhur), Tawbah (Repentence), Tawadhu (Humility) & Tafakkur (Contemplation). Ameen. Ma-Salamah – Irfan
Thank you very much for the reminder of the importance of the Month of Ramadan to the Muslim community. Indeed this is a month of blessing of Allah for the believers in many ways. One can rejuvenate spiritually as well as physically provided one pays a little more attention to ones life which this month provides.
Happy RAMADAN to Everyone.
Dr. Shahid
Very informative and benificial
Thankyou
Very well done, useful information and reminder to all muslim brothers and sisters.
Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone and lets pray for each other.
good article an informative one i’ll formward to every one i know may allah bless all.
Asalam aleikum dear brothers nd sisters al the best inshaallah Ramadhan mubarak Amin Ya’rab
Jazakumllah khairah…
May Allah ease our tasks for us & make Al-jannah our ulimate gain.
Ramadan Kareem….. to all muslims!!!!
Jazakallah khair. Very informative article. Ramadan Mubarak to Muslims worldwide.
ASSALAAM ALAIKUM WARAHAMATULLAH. WISHING ALL MUSLIM A VERY HAPPY AND REWARDING RAMADHAN, AM APPEALING TO MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO UTILISE THIS CHANCE SEEKING BLESSINGS FROM ALLAH S. W.
YOU MUST KNOW IN MIND, YOU MAY NOT BE ON EARTH NEXT YEAR FOR RAMADHAN, SO FELLOW MUSLIMS USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE BEFORE THE END OF THIS HOLY MONTH, U HAVE AQUIRED SOMETHING. CHANGE AND BE A GOOD RELIABLE MUSLIM. MAY ALLAH BLESS THIS MUSLIM UMMA.
Alhamdulillah.I’ve enjoyed this article very much.It is helpful in a muslims life particularly in ramadan.Ramadan will be starting from tomorrow.So,accept my wishes.
Wassalam……..alm@mun.
Ramadan -a month of obligatory daily fasting in Islam is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Daily fasts begin at dawn and end with sunset. Special nightly prayers called, Taraweeh prayers are held. The entire Quran is recited in these prayers in Mosques all around the world. This month provides an opportunity for Muslims to get closer to God. This is a month when a Muslim should try to:
==> See not what displeases Allah
==> Speak no evil
==> Hear no evil
==> Do no evil
==> Look to Allah with fear and hope
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become God-fearing.” (The Quran, 2:183)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Lailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven (Bukhari, Muslim).
Ramadan ends with a day long celebration known as Eidul-Fitr. Eidul-Fitr begins with a special morning prayer in grand Mosques and open grounds of towns and cities of the world. the prayer is attended by men, women and children with their new or best clothes. A special charity, known as Zakatul-Fitr is given out prior to the prayer. The rest of the day is spent in visiting relatives and friends, giving gifts to children and eating.
thank u 4 the message, it was very useful…an inshallah will go by it.thank u once again
Alhadullilah. this is a very nice reminder to all muslem umma .may Allah subhanahu wata ‘Allah reward u with aljanna firdausi.
jazakallah wa khair. i m really very thankful to u as u have cleared a lot of misconceptions that persist in our society.may
Allah reward u for ur efforts. may Allah accept our duas ameen.
ramazan mubarak to all the muslims
Thanks a lot. May Allah give the strngth to put more efforts in the way of Allah. Jazakallahu khairan
Thank you for the woderful reminder, a reminder is a benefit to the believer. May Allah Ta Ilah accept your fast and your efforts to please him
Ramadan; the Golden Rule for the month in anyone’s book to be practiced. Thanks for the article and the spiritual boost.
GOD BLESS YOU!
VERY LOVELY ARTICLE!
RAMADHAN KAREEM!
Salamu alaikum. The above is a beautiful piece. May Allah bless the author and all the readers.
May Allah accept our ibadahs this glorious month and even after.
Bissalam
Masha Allah!
May this help us keep the spirit of Ramzan upp!
I was on my way taking a flight back home from Kuala Lumpur to my beloved island, Borneo..while waiting for embarkation, i dropped by the Bookstore at the Kuala Lumpur Airport. A book by MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN – MOHAMAD – A PROPHET FOR ALL HUMANITY caught my eye..its really to read ..
mashallah intresting . Thank You
Excellent information. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your spritual messages.Let us seek forgiveness from Allah a lot in this holy month and increase our righteous deeds. This might be a golden opportunity.Allah alone knows who will witness the next ramadan.
Iqrasense has proved her worth please keep this up, Allah will bless the operators and the subscribers.
Salaaam Alaekum
I was really curious to now entire massage of this month of Ramzan. Thank you for providing my expected feature. It has inspired me to follow the usual/ obligatory norms of Ramzan.
RAMADAN MUBARAAK to all muslims brothers and sisters,may the blessings it holds reflect on our respective likes wishes (ameen). HAPPY RAMADAN.
For those of us who are not very proficient in reading the Holy book, the month of Ramadan is probably the best month to improve our Quran reading skills. I recently came across this Quran Reading resource who teaches proper Quran reading to the adults and children.
Alhamdulillah ! May Allah give us the opportunity to make the best of Ramadan. Surely Ramadan is the month of great opportunities to correct our souls.
Jazakumullah airan for this. Fellow brethens in faith are also encouraged to:
Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins. Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and Allah’s Mercy! It’s never too late.
Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet’s (pbuh) warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the Ramadan fast!
Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything that Allah dislikes. Play the role of a Da’ee (one who invites to Allah) with zeal, passion, and sympathy.
Whats happening to Muslims around the world is That Ramadhan becoming a food fiesta and NON Muslims Hotels and restaurants owner are laughing all the way to the bank with profits from those spending lavishly on iftaar, when will they ever see the lights fo the true spirit of ramadhan of instead spending it to the needy?
salam,
I found the article very educative,interesting and self explanatory.May Allah (S.W.T.)continue to bless us with authors like you.
For muslim brothers and sisters,let us use judiciously what we have learnt from the article.
Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims.
In this unexpected time, i am reminded of Ramadan. In this unexpected time my eyes are filled with tears, there’s yearning, memory and the past. There is so much i have to cry about, to shed of a million tears for. Oh Allah keep saddness away from me. Afghanistan, i am reminded of you. How Ramadan was special, how the heart was filled with overwhelming happiness. Come and cry with me and remind me that the war is over evn though it is not. Tell me there is hope and it will be possible to return one day.
To all the Muslims out there, may this Ramadan bring happiness, unity, faith, sincereity and overwhelming amount of gratitute. May Allah bring you together and may your duas be answered. Forever and always, keep me in your prayers and duas for i too am a brother and a muslim but my heart is torned and burned.
Salam muslim brother and sister in this mounth allah accept our ar..ibadah happy rmd muslim
jazakallah keyiran.
Assalamu Alaikum WRB.May Allaah SWT take us through this Ramadan and those to come in future.Very educational and timely article.May Allaah SWT enhance IQRA team with knowledge so that Muslim Ummah can benefit.Jazak Allaah.Wassalam.
Oh people. Take this Ramadan as an opportunity to IMPROVE YOUR CHARACTER.