hassana elkoussi
Junior Member
During Ramadhan
1. Wake up during Fajr to eat the pre-dawn meal (sahur) and stay up to read a portion of the Qur'an before and after Fajr.
2. Try and get a little shut-eye in the day. Even a half hour nap will leave you feeling refreshed.
3. Be nice. A major aspect of Ramadhan is being charitable to others and controlling oneself... bite your tongue, count to 10 if you're having a hard day. If someone's out to give you a bad time, just be patient.
4. Give generously. It doesn't matter if it's a smile to a co-worker or a hundred pounds to a homeless derelict, it's the season to give sadaqah (not to mention the Prophet's Sunnah).
5. Don't overeat at iftaar. Start with dates and something liquid (water, juice, milk, shorbaa, a smoothie) and eat sparingly of the spread. Save your main meal for later in the night. If you're cooking iftaar, bake and broil instead of frying.
6. Drink up! To combat dehydration, drink lots of water between iftaar and sahur -- try having at least two glasses of water at a go. Keep off fizzy drinks and opt for herbal teas or unsweetened juices.
7. Attend and organise community iftaars and taraweeh. Don't forget to invite people who tend to get overlooked. Focus on 'connecting' with others in the community and discovering common ground, instead of 'networking'.
8. Save some quality time with Allah. It's easy to get overwhelmed by life and forget that this month is essentially about renewing one's personal connection with God. The Qur'an says (the translation of which means): "When you are free from your affairs, then turn to your Lord." Wake up in the night and pray as much as is easy for you. Stay in seclusion (i'tikaaf) if you can for a part of the month, even if it's only a weekend.
9. Seek the Night of Power. There is a night in Ramadhan that is considered better than a 1000 months, by virtue of the blessings that descend in it. Seek the Night of Power in the last ten days of the month.
10. Make arrangements to give Zakaat al-Fitr on time This can be done anytime before the 'Eid prayer.
Post-Ramadhan
1. Reap the benefits of Ramadan. Ramadhan presents a great opportunity to regulate our lives. The best benefit that can be derived from Ramadhan is to carry the lessons learned from it -- moderation and discipline -- to the year that follows.
2. Do an alternative if you are unable to fast. If you're among the group of people who are exempted from fasting -- persons traveling and the ill whose illness can be made worse by fasting; menstruating women and women with post-partum bleeding; pregnant and nursing women; people who are not capable of fasting, either due to old age or incurable diseases -- there's still something to be gained. Feeding the poor on the days one is unable to fast is a highly recommended act.
3. Fast six days in Shawal.That will give u the ajr of fasting the whole year.:salam2:
Pray on eid day as u have been praying the entire month of ramadan and dont wear the stuff that bcmz too hard to handle during Salah.
