Ramadan - a month that Muslims around the globe look forward to each and every year. For those of us who get to cross paths with Ramadan once again, we should be truly grateful. This means that we have been blessed with another year to live, another year to worship, another year to do good, and another year to repent! Before the start of Ramadan, it is important that we reflect on the month of blessings that is to come and determine how we can make the greatest use of it!

1. Seek Knowledge About Ramadan
Before Ramadan begins, do your research! What is Ramadan? Why is it important? What does it entail? It's vital that you seek answers to these questions and truly understand the importance of Ramadan. This way, you can ensure that you do everything that you are required to do, and refrain from anything that you are discouraged/prohibited from doing throughout the month. By reading articles or  books, and listening to videos or podcasts, you can ensure that you have the correct mindset and intentions before the start of Ramadan.

2. Make a Plan
For those of you who like routine in order to get in the habit of doing things, creating a plan is essential. Your plan could look something like this:

3 am - Wake Up, Read Nafl, and Have Sehri
4 am - Pray Fajr & Read Qur'an
5 am - Sleep
7 am - Wake Up for Work
1:30 pm - Lunch Break: Pray & Read Qur'an
6 pm - Reach Home, Pray, Read Qur'an
7 pm - Rest
8 pm - Prepare Food for Iftari
9 pm - Open Fast, Maghrib Prayer
9:15 pm - Eat, Clean, Prepare for Tomorrow
9:45 pm - Go for Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque, Pray Ishaa
10:00 pm - Read Qur'an, Sleep

In order for a plan like this to be fruitful, you must keep it at the forefront of your mind at all times. If you don't intend to wake up for Sehri or go to Taraweeh prayers, it is likely that you will not! Our minds and bodies need to follow a schedule to successfully get things done. And the first step in getting things done is setting intentions!

3. Set Goals
With "Making a Plan' comes 'Setting Goals'. Some goals consist of:

• Finish Holy Qur'an x1
• Read 5 Islamic Books
• Keep All Possible Fasts
• Read Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque

6. Stack Pantry Items
If you can, stack your pantry with items that won't go bad. This way, you won't have to go out in the heat, while fasting, to grab your groceries. Instead, you will have many pantry items, which can make your trip to the grocery store much shorter!

7. Meal Prep
Before Ramadan begins, cook staple foods and freeze them for days when you have little time or energy to cook a huge meal for either Sehri or Iftari! Freezing certain foods early will definitely help you throughout the month!

I hope that these tips are helpful for you as you prepare for Ramadan. May this Ramadan be a blessed experience for all of us, and may we extract all of the blessings that this month brings with it. May we be better Muslims by the end of this month than we are at the start, Ameen!

1. Pray Your Salat
The importance of Salat has been emphasized in the Qur'an countless times. Allah has stressed that Muslims offer Salat regularly in order to achieve the benefits that come with it.

• Gain Nearness to Allah: With prayer, we can develop a bond with our Creator and learn to pray to thank Allah and seek help during difficult times.
• Taqwa: Piety or righteousness is achieved through Salat. This is because Salat keeps us away from wrongdoing, ensuring that we learn to do what's right in order to please Allah.
• Reward in the Hereafter: The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The first thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgement is prayer, Allah will say to His angels: "Look at my servants prayers. Were they complete or not?" If they were complete It will be written as complete. If they were not fully complete Allah will say: "See if my servant has voluntary prayers, If he has them Allah will Say: Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his voluntary prayers." Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same manner", (Reported by Abu Dawood).
• Protection from Satan: Satan is an enemy of the believers and tries to stray them from their path of righteousness. Not offering prayer is actually a sign of us following Satan, whereas those who offer prayer are resisting temptation from Satan.

In the Holy Qur'an, Istighfar is seen as drawing the strength and support of Allah which leads to attaining nearness to Allah and salvation. The Holy Qur'an states:

But surely the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs, receiving what the Lord will give them; for they used to do good before that. They used to sleep but a little of the night; and at the dawn of the day they sought forgiveness...[51:16-19]

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1. Designated Worship Room/Area: 

Many of our homes are filled with pictures, wall-art, TVs and other distractions. Thus, setting aside a room/area of the home that has none of these distractions, rather access to the material needed to worship and remember Allah (i.e. a Prayer mat, Qur'an), is a great way to stay focused while praying or reading the Qur'an. Moreover, passing by this room/area can serve as a reminder to pray and remember Allah.

Source: http://room-decorating-ideas.com/muslim-prayer-room-design/

2. Islamic Library: 

In the Holy Qur'an, Allah has commanded us to constantly seek knowledge. As well, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) advised us to:

'Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave'.

The only way to do this, is to have access to the resources needed for attaining this knowledge within our reach. Nowadays, so many Islamic books are available online (i.e. ebooks), and so having a hard copy is not necessary. However,  having hard copies of a few key books (i.e. prayer books, commentaries of the Qur'an, etc.) is a good idea. The attention and focus you will have on a book that's in your hand, will far exceed an electronic copy, due to several other distractions. It's also a good way to rest your eyes and write notes on the books to better understand the content. Also, if you have young children, having kids Islamic books on these shelves will teach them how to rely on these books for knowledge. Reading these books will help you gain knowledge on living a better life.

Source: http://www.switchconsignment.com

3. Written Reminders:

4. Get Rid of Negative Noise:

5. Lead By Example:

With all of the above said, it is very important to live by example. Read your prayers on time, recite the Qur'an, constantly pray to Allah, stay calm, don't raise your voice, etc.  By keeping yourself absorbed in the remembrance of Allah, and living your life following Allah's commands, you will be a role model for your parents, siblings, spouse and children. On the other hand, if you listen to foul music, watch inappropriate TV shows, yell, never remember Allah, and remain stressed, your home will never attain peace. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Each of you is a sheperd, and each of you is responsible for his flock...A man is a sheperd in charge of the inhabitants of his household and he is responsible for his flock; a women is a sheperdess in charge  of her husband's house and children and she is responsible for them..."

Remember, it was narrated by Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa'eed that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said

"No people sit in a gathering remembering Allah, But the angels surround them, mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them and Allah remembers them before those who are with Him."

So remember Allah along with your loved ones so that your home can be surrounded by angels and always be at peace.

It is important to eat and drink right during Sehri (Suhoor), in order to survive the long and hot summer fasts. Sehri is an important part of keeping a fast, and thus should not be skipped.


It is important to indulge in a hydrating and nourishing Sehri to give our bodies the strength to make it through the fast. Unfortunately, many people are starting to skip Sehri in order to sleep in longer. However, doing this, they are missing out on the rewards and blessings that come with this important part of keeping a fast.

Be sure to include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.

Here are some quick and easy options:

DRINKS

• Banana, Strawberry, Peach: granola, nuts, greek yogurt, chia seeds
• Mixed Berry: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, spinach
• Mango: mangoes, yogurt, milk, banana
• Banana-Peanut Butter: bananas, peanut butter, nonfat milk, honey  

During Ramadan, I've noticed that many people tend to drink glasses upon glasses of water at Sehri and then Iftar. Many times during Sehri, those who are fasting try to drink as much water as they can before Fajr. Whereas, during Iftar, those who are opening their fast drink glasses of water to get rid of their thirst. For this reason, I wanted to redirect you to the following Hadiths:

Take a moment to ask yourself, 'Who do I hang out with the most?' for the majority of us the answer will be 'my friends' (consisting of students or colleagues). We share the majority of our life with these people. It's human nature to adapt to the lifestyle of those that we spend most of our time with in order to fit in. Unfortunately, many times we tend to adopt the negative habits of these friends. For this reason, it is important to surround ourselves with friends who will make us better people, not worse. This takes me to the following Hadith:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was reportedly asked: "Which of our companions are best?" He replied: "One whose appearance reminds you of God, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter."



In another Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "A person is on the religion of his companions. Therefore let every one of you carefully consider the company he keeps." [Tirmidhi]

I've slowly come to realize the influence people who strive towards Allah and the people who don't, have on me. As well as, the impact I have on these people. In the past, I've had groups of people who I've considered friends, who've had no connection with Allah through any religion. It was such people that made me feel like religion wasn't important. Unfortunately, I was too interested in having friends, then caring about their religious background or character. Looking back now, I realize how lost I was and how drawn to the world I had become. Slowly, my group of friends changed to girls who had a strong love for their Creator, consisting of: A Hindu, A Buddhist and two Muslims. It was their positive and pious vibe that increased my love for Allah. Hanging around such people made me understand their faiths, as they understood mine. I no longer had to make up excuses of 'being busy' to avoid parties and mixed gender hangouts. Only because they knew my comfort level and reasoning, as I knew theirs. Just as they impacted me, I was constantly told by them, the impact I had on them. I had one Muslim friend, who wasn't overly consistent in prayers, nor did she aim to have a better relationship with Allah. However, she noticed me saying things like 'Be right back, I have to pray', 'I read in the Qur'an that...' and the simple words: InshAllah, Alhamdulillah, MashAllah and Subhanallah. Once she realized the positive impact Islam had on my life, she strived to do the same. Sometimes I would receive a message from her saying, 'Guess what? I read all five prayers today!' Seeing this excitement within her, made me glad to have been a minor influence on her bond with Allah.

Some of you may not have a tight-knit group of friends who guide you to the path of Allah. But this does not mean that you will never be able to achieve the tranquility of your heart. If we find that our companions are unable to influence us to be more mindful of Allah, then we must take on the responsibility of changing this atmosphere. We should also seek for ways of finding company that will guide us to Allah. Whether this be friends from local Masjids, religious conferences, or community groups. Make the effort!

"The believer sees his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain fearing that it might fall on him, while the sinner sees his sins as a fly that lands on his nose, he just waves it away." [Bukhari]

One-third of the total food bought in many developed countries ends up in the waste.

WEALTH
By thinking it's a norm to spend money and follow society, it can be quite wasteful of our wealth. When in reality, the permissible limit of expenditure is not the same for everyone in a given society. You may copy others in the extent at which they prepare their meals, when in reality they may not be exceeding their limits, whereas according to your income etc., this could cause you to exceed yours.

PHYSICALLY HARMFUL
Overeating (exceeding our limits) in eating is known to be harmful for our health, leading to many health problems, illnesses and diseases.

POVERTY & DESTRUCTION
When you make it a habit to waste the reasources that you've been blessed with, you're naturally inclined towards destruction. By always wanting more than you have, you are destroying your bond with Allah (by being inappreciative of Him), and you may also spend more than you have, leading to poverty.

As Ramadan approaches, I'm sure many of you have already decided of all the good you wish to accomplish during this month. Whether that be finishing the Qur'an, doing good deeds and staying away from bad, being regular in prayers, or memorizing a bunch of Surah's. However, I also know that a lot of times we think that we have a lot of time during Ramadan to get all of this accomplished, forgetting that 30 days isn't a lot of time. So, for your ease I've created two calendars: Basic and Advance.


BASIC
The basic calendar consists of Prayers, Ahadith, Stories, Attributes of Allah, History of Islam and more. It is made for the younger kids who may not be able to finish the Qur'an during the month of Ramadan, but you still want them to get the most out of this Ramadan. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

ADVANCE
The advance calendar consists of longer Surah's and Books for those who intend to finish the Qur'an this month, but still wish to gain lots of extra knowledge during this month. It can be downloaded by clicking here.