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12 Ways to Maximize Everyday in Ramadan



The most beautiful month has come upon us. Almighty Allah says:

“The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down, a guidance for mankind, clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion; so whoever amongst you witnesses this month, let him fast it." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)

In this blessed month good deeds are multiplied:

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever draws near to Allah during it (Ramadan) with a single characteristic from the characteristics of (voluntary) goodness, he is like whoever performs an obligatory act in other times. And whoever performs an obligatory act during it, he is like whoever performed seventy obligatory acts in other times.” (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 1887)


We should thank Allah abundantly for giving us the opportunity to be able to benefit from such a blessed month. But as we all know life is very uncertain & unfortunately many will have passed away before the coming of this blessed month & so it may well be our very last Ramadan as we may not be alive to see the next.

Therefore we should treat this Ramadan as our last and do our utmost to ensure that we maximize each precious second in this blessed month to ensure that we gain maximum benefit from it.


The following are 12 ways we can maximize each precious day in Ramadan:

 

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1. Purifying our intentions


"Verily actions are judged by intention." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

It is crucial that we purify & correct our intentions before doing any acts of worship. This is because we may have other underlying intentions in our hearts without even realizing it. Like for e.g. we may have in our hearts that we fast because we don't want to look bad in front of our family or friends or because others fast etc.

So before doing any good deed we need to align & focus our intention to ONLY pleasing Allah. By doing this we will increase the sincerity in our worship & acts of virtues & by having better intentions when doing any good act is a means of earning greater rewards for whatever good deed we are doing.

Ibn Al-Mubaarak said: "Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention."

Even daily routines like eating, drinking, sleeping, waking up, traveling etc can be a source of great reward by having the right intentions. Having good Intentions is easy & great rewards can be gained without making any hard physical effort. By just spending a couple of seconds having the right intention in our hearts we can turn a whole day to a day of worship. It is like turning dust into gold.

 

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2. Schedule & Monitor Daily Worship



One of the best ways that we can maximize each day in Ramadan is to plan & schedule our time effectively. By doing so we will have clearly defined goals and targets which we can strive towards achieving each day. In this way we can also check & monitor our daily progress & make adjustments & improvements accordingly.

The following two downloads will help us to plan, check & monitor our daily worship throughout Ramadan:


1. Daily Ramadan Worship check

Ramadan Planner.pdf

 

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3. Avoiding distractions



There will be many things getting in our way & distracting us from our worship. But we must take all necessary precautions & measures in order to avoid any possible distractions.

The first thing we must do is to avoid major distractions like TV for a month or at least as much as possible. Putting away games consoles. If we meet with friends then not getting into useless & idle discussions. Not going to places like the mall or high street's unless it is absolutely necessary.

We must also not spend hours on end cooking a table full of food every single day for Iftaar for this is contrary to the purpose of Ramadan. We should spend as little time as possible on things other than worship. We should fulfill our daily duties as quickly as possible & spend as much time as possible in worshiping Allah.

 

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4. Avoid eating excessively



Al-Hassan Al-Basri (RA): “The test of Adam (AS) was food and it is your test until Qiyamah.

Al-Miqdaam ibn Maadiy-Karib (RA) said: I heard the Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wasallam) saying: “No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath.” (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasaa’I, Ibn Majah )

There is no doubt that excessive eating is not only a cause of many diseases but is also a major factor in stopping us from maximizing our daily worship.

Ibrahim al-Nakha’i (RA), one of the teachers of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) mentioned: “The people ruined before you were done in by three characteristics: too much talking, too much eating, and too much sleeping.”

There is nothing worse than fasting the whole day & when time comes to open our fast we end up over eating until we can't move. Surely this will make us feel heavy & lazy in worship & make it harder for us to pray & to get up for Sehri.

Ash-Shafi’I (RA) said: I have not filled myself in sixteen years because filling oneself makes the body heavy, removes clear understanding, induces sleep and makes one weak for worship.

It used to be said: Whoever takes control of his stomach gets control of all good deeds.

Over eating goes against the very purpose of Ramadan which is to be moderate in eating & to remember those who have less than us. How can we remember the unfortunate if we constantly over eat before and after fasting?

One day, Al-Hassan (RA) offered some food to his companion who said: I have eaten until I am no longer able to eat.

To which Al-Hassan (RA) said: Subhaana Allah! Does a Muslim eat until he is no longer able to eat?

So let us control the amount we eat & instead have smaller meals. Have some fruit & dates for Iftaar then pray Maghrib & then have a small meal until we are satisfied. After Tarawee we can have another small bite to eat. In this way we are not over eating but spreading out what we eat. So we will not feel heavy or lazy but satisfied & full of energy which we can utilize for worship.

 

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5. Recite the Qur'an abundantly



Ramadan is the month the Qur'an was revealed:

"The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down, a guidance for mankind, clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion.. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)

It is the month of the Qur'an so it should be recited in abundance:

Az-Zuhri used to say upon the coming of Ramadan, “It is only about reciting the Qur’an & feeding the poor.”

Abdur-Raziq said, “When Ramadan came, Sufyan Ath-Thawri would give up all acts of (voluntary) worship & devote himself to the recitation of the Qur’an.”

Outside of Ramadan there are 10 rewards for reciting each letter of the Qur'an:

Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) says: "Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a hasanah (good deed) from it (i.e. his recitation), and the hasanah is multiplied by ten. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter, and Meem is a letter." [At-Tirmidhi, Ad-Darimi]

But in Ramadan ALL good deeds are multiplied by 70 or more. So for each letter of the Qur'an we recite we will gain 70 rewards or more. Can you imagine how much reward we would gain for reciting the entire Qur'an just once? How about twice? Subhaanallah!

Therefore we should concentrate most of our efforts this Ramadan in reciting the Qur'an. We should make a target of how much Qur'an we will recite each day. For e.g. 1 Juz (chapter) half a juz, 4 pages etc. We should aim to complete the Qur'an at least once by the end of Ramadan or as many times as we can.

Along with recitation we should also learn the meanings of what we are reciting & contemplate over the verses. We must try & implement what we learn into our daily lives. That is where the true reward is of reciting the Qur'an.

Note: We should try & recite Surah Ya-sin everyday particularly after Fajr time. We should also recite Surah Mulk before we go to sleep & Surah Kahf every Jumma. Other Surahs we should recite much of are Surah's Zilzalah, Al Kaafirun & Al Ikhlas

Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas & Anas Ibn Malik (RA) reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, ‘Whoever recited Surah Zilzilah (99) would get the reward of reciting half the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah al Kaafirun (109) would get a reward as if reading a quarter of the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah al Ikhlas (112) would get a reward as if reading one third of the Qur’an’. (At-Tirmidhi 2818/A

 

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6. Implementing the Sunnah into daily life



Following the Sunnah is a command from Allah:

"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran: 3:31)

Almighty Allah says: “There certainly is an excellent example in Allah's messenger for he who fears Allah and the last day and remembers Allah abundantly” (al-Ahzaab 21)

By following the Sunnah in every aspect of our daily lives, everything we do will become worship, even going to the toilet, having a bath, dressing & undressing etc.

Annas (RA) reports Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised, “Whoever cherishes my Sunnah, indeed he cherishes me & whoever loves me will be with me in Jannah.” (Tirmidhi: 2678: Ibid)

So let us cherish & revive the Sunnah this Ramadan:

Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Tirmidhi)

The following free E book contains daily Sunnah's & dua's we can do from awakening in the morning up until going to sleep at night:

Download Beautiful Daily Sunnah's

 

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7. Nafil (Voluntary) prayers



What better way of drawing closer to Allah this Ramadan than by doing voluntary prayers:

Allah says in Hadith Qudsi:

....and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nafil (voluntary deeds) until I love him, [Bukhari]

Want the company of Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in Jannah? Then increase in Nafil prayers:

Rabi'ah Ibn Malik al-Aslami reported that the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam said: "Ask (anything)." Rabi'ah said: "I ask of you to be your companion in paradise." The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: "Or anything else?" Rabi'ah said: "That is it." The Prophet Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam said to him: "Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., Nafil prayers)." (Muslim)

The reward for fard prayers outside of Ramadan is the greatest a Muslim can gain but in Ramadan we get the same reward for praying a Nafil prayer. Subhaanallah! What other time of the year are Nafil prayers rewarded equal to that of a fard prayer?

Therefore we should strive to pray as many Nafils as we can in order to get closer to Allah, gain the company of Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in Jannah & gain the rewards of a fard prayer! So we should set ourselves daily targets of praying as many Nafils as we can.


The following are Sunnah & Nafil prayers we can pray everyday in Ramadan & throughout our lives:


1. Pray 12 Raka'ahs of Sunnah daily: - 2 Sunnah of Fajr, 4 Sunnah & 2 Sunnah of Dhuhr and 2 Sunnah of Maghrib

Umm Habibah Ramilah bint Abu Sufyan (RA) narrated she heard the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) saying: “A house will be built in Paradise for every Muslim who offers twelve units of Prayers other than the obligatory ones in day and night, to seek pleasure of Allah.” (Muslim)


2. Salaatul Duhaa (Can be prayed from 20 mins after sunrise up until 20 minutes before Dhuhr begins)

So we should remain seated after Fajr prayer & recite the Qur'an or do Dhikr up until 20 minutes after Sunrise and pray Salaatul Duhaa. If not then we can pray it anytime before midday.

'Salat al-Dhuhaa consists of 2 - 12 Rakaats and it is preferable to perform 8 Rakaats.' (Raddul Mukhtaar vol.1 pg.505)

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said: Whoever prayed twelve rakaats (before midday), then Allah will, as a reward, prepare a palace of gold for him in Paradise. (Mishkat, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

3. 4 Sunnah, 2 Sunnah & 2 Nafil of Dhuhr

Umm Habibah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever sticks to the habit of offering four rak`ahs before Noon Prayer and four rak`ahs after it, Allah will shield him against the Hell-Fire.” (Abu Dawud & At-Tirmidhi)

4. 4 Raka'ahs Sunnah of Asr

The Prophet (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi wa sallam) said: "May Allaah have Mercy on the one who offers four (Raka'ahs) before 'Asr prayer."(Abu Dawud)

5. Two Raka'ahs Sunnah after entering Masjid

Abu Qatadah (RA) narrated the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as saying: “If any one of you enters a mosque, he should pray two rak`ahs before sitting.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

6. Tahiyyatul Wudu - 2 Raka'ahs Sunnah after doing Wudu (Ablution)

Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) saying to Bilal (RA): “Tell me about the best of your deeds (i.e. one which you deem the most rewarding) since your embracing Islam because I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise.” Bilal (RA) replied: “I do not consider any act of mine more rewarding than that whenever I make ablution at any time of night or day, I perform Prayer for as much as was destined for me to do.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)”


7. The MOST REWARDING Nafil Prayer of all is Tahajjud

Allah Most High said: “Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of the night, and (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn is ever witnessed. And some part of the night awake for its recital, as voluntary worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised estate.” (Qur’an, 17: 78-79)

Imam Abu Sa'id al-Khadimi said,

"There is scholarly consensus (ijma`) that among the best of virtuous acts is the night vigil prayer." [al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya]

The scholars derived the following in regards to Tahajjud from the Qur'an and prophetic Hadiths:

1. The minimal night vigil prayer is 2 Rakaats. [Hindiyya, quoting Fath al-Qadir]

2. Its optimal recommended amount is 8 Rakaats, because this was the general practice of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) [Hindiyya, quoting Fath al-Qadir]

3. Lengthier recitation of Qur'an is superior to a larger number of Rakaats prayed. [Durr al-Mukhtaar, Radd al-Muhtar]

If one has not memorized much of the Qur'an then one should recite whatever they know or recite Surah Ikhlas 3 times after Surah Faathiha in each rakah to gain reward of reciting entire Qur'an.

4. It is recommended to start the night vigil with two short Rakaats, because of the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (RA) that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "If you get up for night prayer, start with two short Rakaats." [Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud]

During Ramadan we should aim to pray Tahajjud every night. We can do so by awakening a little earlier for Sehri, making Wudu & praying a minimum of 2 Raka'ahs, but best to pray 8 Raka'ahs.

Abu Hurayrah (RA), related that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).

So the last third part of the night is the most blessed & dua's are readily accepted at this time. Therefore by praying Tahajjud it gives us the best opportunity to get closer to Allah & to make sincere dua, repenting for our sins past and present & to crying & asking of Allah for whatever we want.

If we cannot cry due to the hardness of our hearts then we should at least make the face as if we are crying. Just as a mother tends to her baby quicker & more promptly when it is crying in the same way Allah tends to his servants quicker when they are crying.

Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him) was asked, "I cannot pray at night." He said, "Your sins have prevented you."

 

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8. Doing excessive Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah



Utter regret for each second wasted without remembering Allah:

Mu`adh Ibn Jabal (RA) said that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: "The People of Paradise will not regret anything except one thing alone: the hour that passed them by in which they made no remembrance of Allah." Narrated Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman (1:392 #512-513)

The highest rank in Jannah are for those who remembered Allah the most:

Abu Sa`id (RA) narrates the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was asked, "Which of the servants of Allah is best in rank before Allah on the Day of resurrection?" He said: "The ones who remember him much."I said: "O Messenger of Allah, what about the fighter in the way of Allah?" He answered: "Even if he strikes the unbelievers and mushrikin with his sword until it broke, and becomes red with their blood, truly those who do Dhikr are better than him in rank." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, & Bayhaqi)

Therefore we should remember Allah as much as we can & glorify him night & day, not just in Ramadan but until our very last breath. What better time to start remembering Allah more than in this most blessed month.

So we should set ourselves daily targets of doing as much Dhikr as we can. We can remember & glorify Allah whatever we are doing throughout the day. At work, whilst cooking, shopping & even whilst relaxing. We should remember Allah in our heart's & not just by our tongues. We should also contemplate over his magnificence & his creations & imagine him in front of us as we glorify & remember him.


The following are 10 Dhikr, supported by Hadith that we can recite throughout the day & night in Ramadan until our last breath:

Note: We should try & aim to recite each of these 10 Dhikr a 100 times each which makes a total of 1000 a day minimum.

1. Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee - Recite this abundantly during the last ten nights of Ramadan.

2. Subhaanallah

3. Alhamdulillah

4. Allahu Akbar

5. Laa ilaaha illallah

6. LA HAWLA WA LA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH-HIL ALIYYIL ADHEEM

7. Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay

Or short version: Asthaghfirullah

8. SUB-HAAN'ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM'DIHI SUB-HAAN'ALLAH-IL ADHEEM

Or short version: SUB-HAAN'ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM'DIHI

9. Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm

10. Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr

Or the shortened version:

Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer

We should also recite much of durood e Ibrahim which is the durood that is recited towards the end of Salaah.

Or the shortest durood is: Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim

 

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9. Dua & Repentance



Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an:

"When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me." [2:186]

The place of Dua is so high in front of Allah, that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim) has said: "Nothing is more honourable to Allah the Most High than Dua." [Sahih al-Jami` no.5268].

Allah loves repentance & loves those who turn to him in sincere repentance:

Truly Allah loves those who turn [to Him] in repentance... (Qur'an 2:222)

Many of us rush our Dua’s & quite often our hearts are not present whilst we are making dua to Allah. That is why we lose out on much of the benefits & blessings of Dua. Therefore we should not let our minds wonder whilst in Dua & we should concentrate more, making sure our hearts are present whilst asking of Allah. Whilst we are in dua we should imagine Almighty Allah in front of us & so we should humble ourselves in front of him in a state of meekness & humility.

It may also help if we made a list of what we want to ask Allah during our dua’s. We can then refer to this list as a reminder so that we can cover everything we need to ask him, which may help in making our Dua’s longer & more sincere. This is because we will not always remember everything we want to ask Allah unless we note it down & refer back to it when we need to.

The times when Dua's are most accepted during Ramadan are:

1. The third portion of the night shortly before sehri ends. 2. Whilst fasting. 3. Between Asr & Maghrib. 4. Just before fast opens. 5. On Jumma before & after khutba. 6. Between Adhan & Iqamah. 7. Whilst raining. 8. After Qur'an recitation. 9. The Night of Qadr

Let us not be of those who pass by Ramadan without gaining any forgiveness:

Rasullullah (sallahu’ ‘alaihi wasallam) said: ...the angel Jibra’il appeared before me and said: Destruction to him who found the blessed month of Ramadan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness...’ Upon that I said: ‘Amin.’ (Al-Bukhari, Al-Tabrani)

We should ask of Allah to accept all of our good deeds & efforts throughout Ramadan & be hopeful that Allah will accept it from us. We should also have FULL hope that Allah will accept our Dua’s if not in this world then in the hereafter. We should accept his decree for he knows best in all matters.