This post was originally written on May 17, 2018.
First of all, I want to wish all of you a very blessed Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah SWT make all of your fasts easy and may all of your fasts be accepted throughout this holy month.
There is so much barakat (blessings) during Ramadan. This is the month the Qur’an was first revealed. This is the month when doing good acts will lead to closeness to Allah SWT and the duties we are obligated to will be considered fulfilled. If a person does their obligatory duties, such as reading the five daily prayers, taking care of parents, and children, or giving in alms, it will be as if the individual has fulfilled seventy obligatory duties. The reward of this month is immense and filled with gold – that’s pretty much what I’m saying – it’s gold.
It is also the month when our duas are more accepted and answered by Allah SWT, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan when the night of Laylatul Qadr will occur in any one of the odd nights. The night of Laylatul Qadr, known as the Night of Decree (or Power) is a very important night. However, we are told it is in any one of the odd numbers of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and we are not sure exactly what night that could be.
For the most part, the majority of the world assumes the 27th of Ramadan to be Laylatul Qadr. It is believed that the first verses of the Qur’an was revealed during the time of Laylatul Qadr.
Why is this night so special? The Night of Decree/Power?
Have you heard of Surah Al ‘Alaq? This Surah means The Clot.
It starts with the following verse:
“Iqra bismi rabbikal laze khalaq. Khalaqal insaana min ‘alaq”
Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created.
Has created man from a clot (of blood)
These verses form the beginning of this Surah, which was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when he was in the Cave of Hira. Thus, began the revelations of the Quran for the period of 23 years, until the death of the Prophet (SAW).
This is the night Allah SWT decrees who will be forgiven for their sins. It is the night of blessings, mercy, and when duas are answered the most. It’s not to say our duas are not answered most in other times outside of Ramadan, rather, Ramadan is the most holiest of months and the more we pray, the more it is answered. During Suhoor (Sehri) and Iftaar, when one makes dua, Allah SWT answers it for Allah SWT says He answers the supplicaitons of the person who is fasting.
During the month of Ramadan, sins will be forgiven for the good deeds we do. If we offer iftaar to someone who is fasting, Allah SWT will forgive us of our sins more and good deeds will be written.
Fasting in itself is a benefit for our health and well-being. In fact, we should fast often, which is why we have supererogatory (beyond the call) days of fasting during other months, such as the six days in Shawwal.
In fact, I decided that I will start fasting at least 3 times per month, and more during the winter months because of the spiritual cleansing, and closeness that is created with Allah SWT during the fasting period.
For the last ten nights of Ramadan, it’s great to have a plan as far as supplicating and being in more prayer. Even if Laylatul Qadr falls on any of the odd nights, one should supplicate, and do as much dhikr as possible during each of the ten nights of Ramadan.
Every night, for as long as you can stay awake, do dhikr of the following:
- Durood/Salawat
- Istighfar (my favorite one is “Allahumma inni astaghfiruka min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaik” or “astaghfarullahi rabbi min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaihi“
- Third kalimah Tamjeed (read the virtues of this kalimah here)
- “Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanallahil azeem”
Read Quran – if you are trying to finish reading the Quran, then I suggest you double up on your reading as much as possible.
The best thing that one can do in the last ten days is reflect. If you like to journal, I suggest you find a nice journal from your closest bookstore, or office supply store, and use it as a reflection journal for Ramadan. What has this month taught you? What areas have you seen improvement in regarding your imaan? What areas do you feel you need to work more on to increase your deen? What have you noticed about yourself in this month that has been different from other months?
It is good to reflect upon the fact that Ramadan teaches us firstly, how to be patient. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we are dealing with long days of fasting – 16 to 18 hours for the majority of us, and some it’s even longer, up to 22 hours depending on the location. For those in the Southern Hemisphere (think Australia, Southern America, South Africa, etc.) we are dealing with shorter fasts. Iftaar is longer and there is time to eat, and spend time in taraweeh.
Heck, those of you in the Southern Hemisphere are mashallah, so lucky and can eat Suhoor later, while also having your 8 hours of sleep. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere don’t sleep. I’m not! I am sleep deprived!
Ramadan not only teaches us patience, but it also teaches us the benefits of fasting. We aren’t just fasting physically. We are fasting spiritually. Our mouths have to fast so that we are not cursing or saying bad things about others, or of ourselves. Focus on how during Ramadan, we refrain from looking at things that may not be good for us – we try not to hurt others. We work on our own spiritual well-being – gaining closeness to Allah SWT.
Ramadan brings us awareness toward our supplications – the duas we make to Allah SWT that we want fulfilled becomes the forefront of our prayers and fasts.
Ramadan also brings us awareness about what poor people go through everyday. They don’t have any food or water to drink and may have to wait days before they even get a decent bite to eat, or water to drink. Often, the children end up getting vitamin deficiency diseases because of the lack of water and food. We go through a period of anywhere between 10 to 20 hours of no food or drink and it’s hard for us to deal with it, but imagine those who do not have a choice. Allah SWT brings us this mindfulness so that we may feel their pain, and sacrifice so we can be able to help them in some way.
With that said, I would love for all of you to please take the time to donate to a few charities that are in need of donations, especially for those who are in humanitarian need for aid in Gaza.
Ramadan is a month of spiritual cleanness, a month to really hone in on our deen, and become more aware of what is going on around us, as well as within us. However, the spirituality of Ramadan must be celebrated all year around. There are people who become “religious” during this month, then forget everything and go back to doing the same things again and again, such as gossiping, forgetting prayers, etc. As an ummah, we must strive to maintain our spiritual balance, and continue to develop our relationship with Allah SWT even after Ramadan is over.
Please keep me, and everyone in your duas during this beautiful month of Ramadan. Mabrook!
-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi