How productive was your day today in Ramadan?

The_truth

Well-Known Member
my everyday of ramadhan is ordinary as it is in other days. just pray, fast,study, sleep.

Asalaamu Alaikum, We should not be in Ramadan how we are in normal days outside of Ramadan for we should increase ourselves in every aspect of worship and goodness.

We should devote it to reciting much more of the Qur'an, doing more dhikr and longer and more sincere dua's. We should avoid all the sins we normally are negligent of and make even better use of our time. We should improve our manners and the way we conduct ourselves towards others.

If we are in Ramadan how we are on normal days outside Ramadan then we really need to realise that we are not doing as much as we are capable of doing. We must do much more in order to maximise our time in Ramadan. For this month is short and it is already flying by so we should capture it before it flies away completely and make the best of it for it could be our last and we will regret for eternity what we missed out on in this most blessed month.

If you need any help with anything at all then please do not hesitate to ask. Ma'asalaam
 

hayat84

I'm not what you believe
my everyday of ramadhan is ordinary as it is in other days. just pray, fast,study, sleep.
:salam2:
don't make of your Ramadhan an ordinary month.there are people who really get up every morning with the only purpose to come back to their home and sleep,and wake up again without making any reflections about what they did.This month is made of Dhikr and there are many blessings from which you can get a good example.first of all you purify your soul,you have the chance to increase the remembering of Allah.Fasting is not only the restriction from eating/drinking/smoking(even if it's damageous)and having contact with the own partner...Ramadhan is a month in which you can think how to improve yourself and how to achieve the goal that maybe all muslims have:the "Sakiina"(the peace of the heart).be stronger to be a better person.:)
 

Murad206

La ilaha illa-Allah.
Assalamu alaikum, today was productive day alhamdulilah. At night I prayed tahajjud and witr, then ate a little before Fajr. I then prayed the nawafil of Fajr and Fajr and went to bed. Before going to sleep I did the sunnah thing's of going to sleep like reading the 3 last surah's and surah Baqarah. Then I woke up and took a shower and made ghusl for Jumah and went to the Masjid to pray congregation prayer. Now i'm at home and going to finish reading surah Al-Kahf insha'Allah.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Productivity tips regarding how to maximize recitation of the Qur'an during this blessed month:


Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an so we should do our utmost to recite the Qur'an as much as possible for the reward of every good act is multiplied by 70 during Ramadan. So if there are ten rewards for reciting one letter of the Qur'an outside of Ramadan then if we multiply ten by 70 then that makes upto 700 rewards for reciting just one letter of the Qur'an. Subhaanallah.

Those who struggle reciting the Qur'an get double the reward:

So those who struggle to recite the Qur'an get upto 1400 good deeds for reciting each letter. The bigger and better our intentions then the more Allah will reward us for every good act. So these rewards are just minimum.

Set targets: Therefore we should set a realistic target for ourselves of how much of the Qur'an we will recite depending on what we have to do in our day. If we are free then alhamdulillah we should aim for a minimum of 3 Qur'an in this month or more. If we are working and busy then one Qur'an is possible.

It is best to break down what you will recite in manageable chunks. For example read half a juz before Dhuhr, Half after, half before Asr, Half after, A half before Maghrib and then half before sleep etc. In this way we can recite the Qur'an a little bit at a time and that way not feel fatigued, restless and avoid getting bored. We should also take regular breaks and even do Dhikr in between or just rest for a while.

So set yourself daily targets of how much Qur'an you will recite and devote much of your worship on reciting the Qur'an as it is the month of the Qur'an.
 

Daenerys

New Member
This has been a very exciting couple of days in my first Ramadan. I'm learning the daily prayers, reading a juz of the Qur'an per day, and am cautiously trying to fast as much as my health allows (I have to make sure I drink water during the day because of a chronic health problem). I've memorized the first surah, and I'm practising my (extremely poor) Arabic and trying to learn a new word or phrase each day.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
This has been a very exciting couple of days in my first Ramadan. I'm learning the daily prayers, reading a juz of the Qur'an per day, and am cautiously trying to fast as much as my health allows (I have to make sure I drink water during the day because of a chronic health problem). I've memorized the first surah, and I'm practising my (extremely poor) Arabic and trying to learn a new word or phrase each day.


Asalamu Alaikum, mashallah that is very good to hear. Reading a juz a day is a good achievement so if you keep it up then you wll hav completed the whole Qur'an by the end of Ramadan. Your Arabic will get better in no time inshallah. Just keep practising and reading with an experienced teacher who will help you to master Tajweed (Correct pronounciation).

Hope the following threads help you to make the best of this Ramadan:


12 Ways to Maximise everyday of Ramadan

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78578


Ramadan Worship Checklist

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87211


Daily Ramadan Worship Routine

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87246


Immense Rewards for Reciting the Qur'an in Ramadan

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78890


Trillions of Rewards in just a few Seconds

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78806


10 steps to getting closer to Allah this Ramadan

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87294


15 Easy Good deeds to do throughout Ramadan!

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78630


5 Good deeds that carry the Reward of Hajj & Umrah

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87287


May Allah give you the best of this world and the hereafter. Ameen
 

Daenerys

New Member
Sadly my doctor has told me not to fast fully at the moment - my blood pressure and blood sugar level dropped too low for it to be medically OK. I'm disappointed, but I'll continue with everything else I'm doing. Are there any alternatives to full fasts that I could do, as I'd like to take as full a part in Ramadhan as I can? Maybe giving to a charity to feed people less fortunate than myself, or taking a class?
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Sadly my doctor has told me not to fast fully at the moment - my blood pressure and blood sugar level dropped too low for it to be medically OK. I'm disappointed, but I'll continue with everything else I'm doing. Are there any alternatives to full fasts that I could do, as I'd like to take as full a part in Ramadhan as I can? Maybe giving to a charity to feed people less fortunate than myself, or taking a class?

You can do everything stated in the following thread:

12 Ways to Maximise everyday of Ramadan

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78578

That means you can pray the five daily prayers, pray voluntary prayers, recite Qur'an, read the translation and meanings of the Qur'an, Make supplication (dua), repentance, dawah (inviting towards Allah and enjoining good and forbidding evil, read Islamic books, remember and glorify Allah, ponder and contemplate about the greatness of Allah, attend Islamic talks for women or attend sisters Islamic circles in your local area, volunteer for a charity, particularly a Muslim one as that way you can meet like minded sisters whom you can befriend, feed fasting people by sending food to the local Masjids or feeding the poor, giving in charity, giving Zakat which is obligatory upon very Muslim who can afford it if you have not already done so.

If in your case a person is ill then you will have to pay fidya which is an expiation for not being able to fast due to illness. This can be calculated by a Muslim charity in your country. Just call them up or e mail them telling them that you want to pay fidya for the month of Ramadan as you are not able to fast and they will tell you how much you need to pay. That will cover you for not being able to fast and also enable you to gain great rewards. Just to give you a rough idea in the UK it is £45 which covers the month of Ramadan

When your on your menses then the only thing women cannot do is fast, go Mosque, pray or recite the arabic Qur'an but you can still do so much more. Refer to the following thread:

9 things a Women on Menses can do in Ramadan

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78747

If you need anymore help or advice then please do not hesitate to ask.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 17: Had a bad day of not doing much worship:


If you have had a bad day today where you have not read much Qur’an or done much dhikr etc. then do not let it put you off or let it ruin the rest of the evening or following days worship. Just pick yourself up and carry on. Do not let the time we have wasted make us waste even more time.

The main thing is not to overwhelm ourselves but also not to underwhelm ourselves. So we should strike the right balance so that we can continue doing a good amount of good deeds daily. But what we must never do is let our lack lustre performance with regards to worship deter or stop us from improving and progressing. We must keep striving and keeping in mind the blessings of this month.

We must also try our best to imprint, internalise and always keeping in our minds the following:

“I cannot afford to waste a second of this blessed month and that I must say and do everything that will please Allah and that will benefit me in this world and the next and that I must leave anything which may anger or displease Allah and may harm me and not benefit you in this world or the next.”

Write it down somewhere where you think you will be able to keep referring to it. Even print it out and hang it up. This should be the way we live each and every second of our lives.

If we lived with this concept then surely we will be successful inshallah!
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 18: Have a fresh start for the last 10 days of Ramadan and prepare to change your life forever!


Do you feel that you have not made the best of Ramadan so far? Do you feel down thinking that Ramadan is almost over and you feel as though you hav not gained much from it like you expected to or wanted to and that you could have done so much more.

Well all is not lost as the best is still to come and you can still redeem yourself in the most blessed days of Ramadan which are the last 10 days and nights of Ramadan!

The opportunity to make positive changes to our lives:

We can still change our lives for the better forever during these blessed days and nights. Within the nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan there is a night better than 83 years of worship and it is a night where we can gain an entire lifetime of forgiveness.

The reason why Allah has made the night so ambiguous is so that we can search for it. When i say search for it i mean so that we can worship as much as possible in the last ten days and nights.

So this is our opportunity to redeem ourselves this Ramadan. This is our opportunity to gain MORE THAN A LIFETIME of worship reward in just one night. This is an opportunity to have ALL of our vast sins wiped out in just a single night. This is an opportunity for us to change our lives for the better forever. But it is not enough to just grab the immense rewards available to us and not change ourselves or strive to go towards Allah.

This is a unique and special opportunity for us to beg of Allah, cry to him and ask of him to forgive us and enable us to get closer to him and for us to fulfill our obligations unto him. If we do not pray then this is our chance to begin. If we are far away from our deen and from Allah then this is our chance to get closer to our deen and closer to Allah.

If we are not working and investing in the hereafter then this is our opportunity to work for and invest in the hereafter.

If we do not grab this opportunity now to make the necessery changes and we were to die then what will we answer to Allah? He gave us SO many opportunities to change yet we did not take heed.

We may NEVER get this opportunity again! Therefore we MUST make these changes now for tomorrow may never come and surely we will be of those who will ask of Allah for one more chance but by then it would have been too late! We do not want to be of the regretful ones. The losers of the next world or chased this world but got nothing from it nor did we get nothing in the Hereafter.

The nights are short so beware and do not to let the nights pass without making the best of them for they will pass very quickly!

So let us prepare ourselves for the best days and nights of this month where we can still redeem ourselves and change our lives FOREVER!
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tips 19: It is more about quality Dua's than length or quantity of Dua's :


It is not necessarily the quantity or length of Dua's that is important but it is the quality of one's Dua which really matters the most. Quality in that we make Dua to Allah like a slave and begger in proper humility and meekness asking of Almighty Allah the Lord and master of the Universe the majesty of honour and generosity, the most high and honoured one whereas we are most low and insignificant like a speck of dust.

Let us ask of him because we are in need but know that he does not need us. Even if every human was to stop worshipping him then that would not take anything away from his majesty and honour.

It is very important that we concentrate and be mindful of Allah whilst doing Dua and do not let our minds wonder. We should not be neglectful in our dua's because if we do not focus on Allah in our Dua's then why should he focus on us whilst we are making Dua?

Whilst in Dua we should try to imagine Almighty Allah in front of us watching us make Dua to him. We should try to be as sincere as possible whilst in our Dua’s, so it is far better if we try to cry out of meekness and humility and are most remorseful of our sins past and present and that we resolve never to repeat them again. We should cry for the salvation of ourselves and our parents and families and those of our families. We should cry like sincere beggers and slaves to the master of the Universe. We should cry for the sad state our Ummah and for our brothers and sisters that are being oppressed and for those that are ill and those that are starving and in poverty. But if we cannot cry then we should at least make our face like we are crying.

It is also recommend to make a Dua list that one can refer to it whilst in Dua so one does not forget what to make Dua for. We should try to mix our worship so we do not feel tired or bored. Therefore we should devote much of the night to the Qur'an and make much Dhikr and Dua in between. We should also pray Tahajjud and make Dua after it as Dua is readily accepted in the latter part of the night and just before Fajr begins.

So let us make the best of each and every second of this most blessed and precious month and make the most quality, sincere and intense Dua's as we will NEVER get this Ramadan back again once it is gone and there is no guarantee that we will make it until next Ramadan.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 20:

Follow these tips below to assist you in increasing your worship and connection with Allah (subhana wa ta’ala):

1. Grab a nap

Carving out time for a 10- or 20-minute nap during the day will make you feel more alert and boost your mood, concentration and motor skills. If your schedule allows for it, find a cool quiet place to lie down to make it easier to fall asleep. Make sure you don’t nap for much longer than 20 minutes or you’ll wake up groggy. Take your nap just before Asr so that you’re good to go for taraweeh.

2. Hit the gym

It may be the last thing you want to do when you’re already tired, but exercise is an excellent way to recharge, according to Beth Mansfield, a clinical exercise physiologist and registered dietitian in Ottawa. Any amount of physical activity—even a 10-minute walk—will increase blood flow to all parts of your body making you feel more energetic. Take three 10-minute breaks for exercising throughout the day, or even before taraweeh.

3. Eat for energy

Even a modest amount of sleep deprivation can affect grehlin and leptin, the hormones responsible for keeping your metabolism working properly. This can make you feel hungrier and may lead to cravings for high-calorie, high-carb foods. But munching on those will only make you feel zonked again later when your blood sugar crashes. To eat for energy, start your day with a suhoor/breakfast made up of healthy carbohydrates, such as oatmeal with one-half cup of fruit, or cottage cheese.

4. Fill your cup

Lack of fluids can make you feel fatigued, so make sure you’re drinking about 1 mL of fluid for every calorie you eat, says Mansfield. That means if you consume a 2,000 calorie diet, you need about eight cups (2,000 mL) of fluids per day to stay hydrated and energized. Water isn’t your only option: you can also hydrate with milk, tea and wet foods, such as yogurt and soups. If you’ve got a coffee habit, drinking caffeine will temporarily make you more alert by blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain. Just be sure to limit your intake to one 8oz. (250 mg) of caffeine per day to ensure that your coffee habit won’t block out your mind.

5. Do a mini-meditation

Meditating can re-energize you by relaxing your mind and body, says Toronto mind-body therapist Louise Gabrielle. In the middle of the day, spend five minutes doing a conscious relaxation exercise: lie down on the floor with your legs on a wall, your arms at your sides and your head on a pillow (keep your hips close to the wall to avoid knee strain). Focus your mind’s attention on each body part, inviting your whole body to relax. Another option is lying on the ground with your calves and feet up on the seat of a chair. “When your legs are raised up, it’s very good for regenerating the body,” Gabrielle advises. If you like, add in some gentle breathing, inhaling slowly and fully.

So there you go- Get energised and get going!

Source: http://ramadanpdp.wordpress.com/
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Top 10 ProductiveMuslim advice for a productive Ramadan

1. Have sincere intentions, work hard and make lots of dua for an ultimate productive Ramadan!
2. Plan your day each day of Ramadan, the night before. Choose 3 important tasks you want to achieve the next day and record it in your diary or our ultimate taskinator!
3. Never EVER miss Suhoor, wake up at least 1 hour before Fajr and have a filling and balanced meal.
4. Start working on your most important tasks right after Fajr and get at least 1 or 2 done.
5. Try to get an afternoon nap, not more than 20 minutes, either just before Dhuhur or after Dhuhur.
6. Plan your Ramadan days (and life!) around Salah times, not the other way round!
7. BLOCK at least one-hour for reciting Quran each day.
8. Break your fast with dates and milk or dates and water; go pray Maghreb, then come back for a light meal.
9. Give lots of ‘Physical Sadaqah’; get involved in organising community iftars, charity drives, helping orphans etc. Earn reward working for others.
10. Don’t miss an opportunity for Dawah! When someone asks you why you’re not eating, give them a beautiful explanation of Ramadan and Islam.

Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/top-10-productiveramadan-tips-if-you-read-nothing-else/#ixzz36A8uL000
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
8 Tips for a Productive Ramadan

A month full of enormous spiritual wealth and reward, Ramadan is an incredible opportunity that we shouldn’t lose out on.
However, many of us often suffer from lack of productivity during Ramadan and not making the most of the special blessed month.
With the start of Ramadan, I have put together eight steps that will help us reap the benefits of the special month and allow us to experience a spiritual transformation this coming Ramadan Insha’Allah.

1. Be Prepared

The key to a productive Ramadan is to prepare for it well in advance. God encouraged us to fast and do extra good deeds during the months of Rajab and Sha`ban as a means of preparing ourselves for Ramadan. Rajab and Sha`ban can be considered the months of sowing, while Ramadan the month of reaping.

To really have good harvest in Ramadan plant your seeds in those months; train your body to wake up one hour before fajr prayer, read more Qur’an during the day; fast on the preferred days, such as Mondays and Thursdays; and practice doing extra good deeds. By doing this, you will ease your way into Ramadan and performing those extra ‘ibadat (acts of worship) during Ramadan will become very easy for you Insha’Allah.
If you haven’t prepared for this Ramadan, make the intention to do it next Ramadan.

2. Be Realistic, Consistent

We usually enter Ramadan with very high aspirations and make promises to ourselves that we often can’t keep due to the impracticality of our goals. If you haven’t trained yourself before Ramadan for the ‘ibadat you wish to carry out, you will most likely not be able to sustain them.

Trying to finish the Quran three or four times during Ramadan when you barely read a page a day before Ramadan or wanting to pray tahajjud (extra night prayers) every single night when you’ve been struggling with waking up for fajr, will put too much physical and psychological pressure on you. This will most probably result in you slipping after the first week, losing hope and then giving up entirely. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:

“The best deeds are those which are consistent even if they are small.” (Al-Bukhari)
If you don’t want to suffer from lack of consistency this Ramadan and end up feeling guilty about it, then be realistic in your expectations. Stick to a few `ibadat that you know you will be able to perform and be consistent with them.

For example, if you decide to complete the Quran only once during the month and pray only two rak`aat (units) tahajjud (late night prayers) every night, and actually sustain this throughout the entire month, it will be much greater in the eyes of Allah than if you put pressure on yourself to do more `ibadat than you can handle and then find you cannot follow through with them.

3. Don’t Eat too Much at Iftar

The mistake a lot of Muslims often fall into during Ramadan is making so many different kinds of foods and eating them.
Ramadan is a month of cleansing — cleansing of our souls and body. Fasting allows us to feel a little of the hunger pangs that poor people feel; and gives our overworked digestive system a break from continuous digestion. Unfortunately, it has become very common for Muslims to eat so much food at iftar (the meal after sundown that breaks the fast) time and late into the night that they often find that they have gained weight by the end of the month.

If you think about it, gaining weight defies the whole purpose of fasting. Instead of detoxing, we end up toxing; and instead of feeling hungry, we end up waking up the next morning feeling bloated and uncomfortable.

The mistake a lot of Muslims often fall into during Ramadan is making so many different kinds of foods and eating them. While the delicious, unhealthy fried food may be very tempting after a long day of fasting, it will just makes us lazy, sleepy and will most definitely result in an unproductive night. We may even be too tired to pray tarawih (the night prayer offered in Ramadan) after a heavy meal.

Thus, Iftar should be kept simple, balanced and healthy. Instead of relying mainly on empty carbohydrates that will fill up our stomach but give very little nutritional value to our body, we should choose foods that will nourish our body and provide us with sufficient energy for that night and the next day.

If you’re smart with what you eat at iftar and follow the Sunnah (prophetic behavior) of the Prophet, peace be upon him, by filling only a third of your stomach with food, a third with water and allowing a third for air, you’ll immediately notice a difference in your energy level while fasting and after you break your fast Insha’Allah.

4. One Hour before Fajr

The secret to a productive day is taking advantage of the times that God put barakah (blessing) in. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) taught us that there is barakah in the early hours of the morning. By spending the hour before fajr in prayer, recitation of Quran, and in the remembrance of Allah, you will get the spiritual nourishment your body requires for that day.

Just like we need to eat breakfast every morning to give us energy, the spiritual nourishment our body needs is equally important. Without it, we will not have much barakah in our time and we will find ourselves getting tired easily and not being very productive. Additionally, having suhoor (pre-dawn meal) gives us barakah. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

‘Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is barakah.’ (An-Nasa'i)

Make sure you wake up every morning before fajr, pray at least two rak`aat, make some du’as’ (supplication), read a bit of Qur’an, and have a bite to eat (even if it’s just a few dates). If you try this, I guarantee you, with Allah’s will, that one hour in which you deprive yourself of sleep for Allah’s sake will grant you so much barakah that day. You’ll find that you will finish your work early and still have plenty of time on your hands for your `ibadat.

5. Prepare for Eid Early

It is extremely important to prepare for Eid early if you don’t want to miss out on the treasures of the blessed last ten nights.

It isn’t by coincidence that the last ten days of Ramadan are the most blessed and contain the most reward. Allah purposely chose these days to be the most rewarding to test us because He knew that very few people will be able to maintain or increase their amount of worship towards the end of Ramadan.

As Ramadan comes to an end, not only do we become tired physically (from continuous fasting), but we are also preparing for Eid – making Eid sweets, buying Eid clothes and even doing Eid cleaning. Therefore, we find ourselves struggling on those last ten days trying to finish our Eid preparations that we end up not having much time for our `ibadat. This is why it is extremely important to prepare for Eid early if you don’t want to miss out on the treasures of the blessed last ten nights.

The last thing you want to be doing on the 27th or 29th night of Ramadan, which are considered two of the most blessed nights of the month and contain a tremendous amount of reward, is spending your time at a shopping center frantically trying to find a pair of shoes to match your Eid outfit or making those last minute Eid sweets. If you prepare for Eid early (preferably even before Ramadan), you will be able to utilize your time in those last ten days in prayer, recitation of Quran, remembrance of Allah and doing good deeds.

6. Du’as for Others

We often get excited before Ramadan as we know that the time Allah will Insha’Allah answer our prayers is just around the corner. Some of us even memorize special du’as and prepare du’as’ lists well in advance. This is a wonderful thing to do of course, but if we want to increase the effectiveness of our du’as, we should make du’as for others. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

‘Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’ (Muslim)

When we make du’as for our brother or sister in Islam, we are basically hitting two birds with one stone – praying for others and ourselves.
Due to the difficult time the Islamic ummah (community) is going through at the moment, let’s all plan to make a great deal of du’as this Ramadan for our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Libya, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and all the other Muslim countries.

Choose times in which du’as is answered, such as the last third of the night and when you break your fast, to make the du’as with all sincerity and a wakeful heart. God does answer the prayers of those who supplicate Him. However, the key to receiving an answer to your prayer is to be sincere in your du’as, consistent, and patient. May Allah answer all our prayers this Ramadan. Amen.

7. An Opportunity to Purification

Ramadan comes once a year, and when it leaves us we don’t know if we will live to see the next one

Fasting is not only about abstaining from food and drink but it is also about abstaining from anger, backbiting, jealousy, greed, thinking ill of people; and all the other diseases of the heart. Purification of the soul from the illnesses of the heart is not an easy task and the person who is able to free him/herself from these unhealthy qualities is truly the successful one:


{And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it; And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and righteousness, he has succeeded who purifies it."
(91:7-9)

We all suffer from the constant annoying whispers of the Satan (devil) that just won’t go away, thus making the task of purification even more difficult. For this, the blessed month of Ramadan is an ideal time to work on purifying our souls.

Not only does God lock away all those evil devils during the entire month; but fasting in itself is a form of purification. Fasting softens our hearts, weakens our human desires and instills in us the pleasant qualities of patience and will-power.

Unlike the normal days of the year, we feel more inclined to do righteous deeds and to keep away from committing sins. This Ramadan, let us all choose one unwanted quality about ourselves that we wish to change and make a conscious effort to purify ourselves of it.

8. Monitor Your Intentions

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:

‘The deeds are considered by their intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intentions.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

We usually make an intention before we perform good deeds such as fasting or giving sadaqa (charity). However, we often tend to forget to make an intention for the little everyday tasks we normally do. If you really want your hasanat (reward from good deeds) to soar during Ramadan, make a sincere intention for every little task you perform.

For instance, if you’re cooking iftar for your family, make the intention that the time you spend in the kitchen cooking in order to feed your fasting family is to please Allah. If you smile at a stranger in the street, make the intention that you are doing it because smiling at others is considered a form of charity, as the Prophet said:

‘When you smile in your brother’s face, it is charity.’ (At-Tirmidhi)

Even if you get into bed early, make the intention that you are doing this in order to be able to wake up early to pray tahajjud and have suhoor.
Glory be to God; when we make a sincere intention before performing these normal everyday tasks, they transform into `ibadat and we get rewarded for them — and the reward we get for doing good deeds in Ramadan is multiplied. Imagine the amount of reward we can get simply for sleeping — something everyone enjoys doing! Allah truly is merciful to His creation.

However, we must keep in mind that sometimes our initial intentions may be sincere but very slowly, due to the tricks of the Satan or our nafs (lower desires), our intentions begin to change and aren’t so sincere anymore. This is why it is very important to constantly monitor our intentions and check before we perform any good deed to see whether we are doing it purely for the sake of God or to please other people.

If you feel that the good deed you’re doing is to impress others, make a conscious effort to renew your intention. If you’re intention is pure and sincere, then Allah will make performing the good deed easy on you and you will be rewarded for it tremendously Insha’Allah.

Ramadan comes once a year, and when it leaves us we don’t know if we will live to see the next one, so let us strive to make the most of this Ramadan. May Allah grant us all a Ramadan full of barakah and blessings. Amen.

Source:http://www.onislam.net/english/heal...9648-your-circadian-rhythm-while-fasting.html
 
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