How productive was your day today in Ramadan?

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Asalaamu Alaikum,

this is a thread dedicated to posting how productive we think our day was this Ramadan with regards to worship so that we can give tips to each other effective tips, help and advice on how we can get the most out of everyday this Ramadan.

Also post if you need tips on how to maximise your day if you think you are not spending your day productively enough.
 

Shak78

Junior Member
I know yesterday was not productive after about 1pm for me. I got all the stuff I needed at the store, made all my prayers but was so tired do to the heat and no water by about 6 I was pretty worthless. I am better today, spent some time reading some hadiths and sunnahs, watching the youtube stream of makkah.
 

MalikBrother

Junior Member
Today was good day for me, and indeed, it was quite productive day for me.

After finishing Taraw'ieh, got home, and have had dinner (for the fast in the morning), and therefore, took little nap maximum 2 to 3 hours, and got fine sleep, and woke up after half an hour, drinking mostly (should take snack...etc,) before the Sehri time is over, and then Fajr prayer begins, after finishing Fajr, then i read Holy Qur'aan, till the end sun rise, and then took nap, and then woke up, and pray Dhur (Afternoon Prayer), then to resume the reading Holy Qur'aan, and then, Asr, and little break right now. I plan to read Holy Qur'aan at least, 1 hour at least, and then take a shower before Maghrib, after the breaking the FAST, and little snack, and then, straight to Maghrib prayer, then come back for food to enjoy comfortably. After half an hour, Do ablution again to be prepare for Isha and Taraw'ieh. I think i have done reasonable well yesterday and plan to repeat the similar Insha'Allaah, and of course, my contribution to read Holy Qur'aan that kept my mind off (on Hunger and Thirst).

I am free in Ramadan, Thank to Allaah (SWT), and therefore, i would do everything in my power to seek closure to Allaah (SWT) for the whole month, and this is month we should strive to be Best Muslim we can, and Insha'Allaah, with the help of Allaah (SWT), we will be.

Praise be to Allaah (SWT) - Lord of the Worlds!
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
I know yesterday was not productive after about 1pm for me. I got all the stuff I needed at the store, made all my prayers but was so tired do to the heat and no water by about 6 I was pretty worthless. I am better today, spent some time reading some hadiths and sunnahs, watching the youtube stream of makkah.

Asalaamu ALaikum, if it is hot then it is best not to do a lot of physical activity otherwise we will feel tired, drained and therefore not as productive as we would like to be.

So we should try and reserve your energy as much as possible in the day and if you need to do shopping then try and get it done after Maghrib.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Today was good day for me, and indeed, it was quite productive day for me.

After finishing Taraw'ieh, got home, and have had dinner (for the fast in the morning), and therefore, took little nap maximum 2 to 3 hours, and got fine sleep, and woke up after half an hour, drinking mostly (should take snack...etc,) before the Sehri time is over, and then Fajr prayer begins, after finishing Fajr, then i read Holy Qur'aan, till the end sun rise, and then took nap, and then woke up, and pray Dhur (Afternoon Prayer), then to resume the reading Holy Qur'aan, and then, Asr, and little break right now. I plan to read Holy Qur'aan at least, 1 hour at least, and then take a shower before Maghrib, after the breaking the FAST, and little snack, and then, straight to Maghrib prayer, then come back for food to enjoy comfortably. After half an hour, Do ablution again to be prepare for Isha and Taraw'ieh. I think i have done reasonable well yesterday and plan to repeat the similar Insha'Allaah, and of course, my contribution to read Holy Qur'aan that kept my mind off (on Hunger and Thirst).

I am free in Ramadan, Thank to Allaah (SWT), and therefore, i would do everything in my power to seek closure to Allaah (SWT) for the whole month, and this is month we should strive to be Best Muslim we can, and Insha'Allaah, with the help of Allaah (SWT), we will be.

Praise be to Allaah (SWT) - Lord of the Worlds!

Asalaamu Alaikum, When you wake up for Sehri try your best to wake up a little earlier so that you can make wudu and pray Tahajjud. This is the best Nafil prayer and at this time dua's are readily accepted.

So we should pray 8 raka'a (4x2) and make long sincere dua begging Allah to forgive us and asking of him. Praying Tahajjud is a means of getting closer to Allah and attaining the top ranks of Jannah inshallah.

Also if you worship after Fajr until sunrise then you should do 4 raka'a (2x2) of Salaatul Duhaa and get immense reward.

The rest of my tips will follow this post.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 1: Saving our precious time in this blessed month


Firstly we should slowly eradicate everything in our day that will waste our time. We are so used to wasting our precious time everyday watching useless TV programs, playing video games, having useless discussions with friends and even on the forums as well as wasting out precious time in many other ways. We need to learn the true value of time and know that time is not on our side. Our life can end at any second and then on the day of judgement we will have eternal regret for the precious time we wasted.

So one of the best things we can do this Ramadan is to save as much of our precious time as possible and avoid any distractions or that which will be of no benefit to us in this world or the next. We must not just save our time in this precious month but we should start saving our time now so that we can continue saving our time for the rest of our lives and use that time in doing good deeds and pleasing Allah.

So it is about using our time wisely and only foing that which will benefit us in this world and the next and keeping away from that which is of no benefit at all and anything that is not beneficial is harmful to us.

Mu'adh [RA] narrated Rasulallah (sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The Inhabitants of Paradise will not be grief stricken or sorrowful about anything they did in the life of the world except for the time they spent without being in the remembrance of Allah” (Tabaraani)
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 2: Reciting the Qur'an as much as possible:


With regards to reciting the Qur'an then we should recite as much as possible for the reward of every letter is multiplied by ten so if there is ten rewards for one letter outside of Ramadan then if we multiply ten by ten that makes 100 rewards for one letter of the Qur'an. Subhaanallah.

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.

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.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 3: Regarding Dhikr of Allah then surely this is the easiest of all worship and only requires our hearts. It is the least physically demanind but also the most rewarding. Therefore we should put all of our hearts into the remembrance of Allah and glorify him night and day.

The easiest thing about dhikr is that it can be done ANYWHERE and at ANYTIME no matter what you are doing. You can remember Allah at work, whilst shopping, with family, with friends, in recreation, whilst at the gym, whilst jogging, whilst weight training while playing with children whatever the situation you can remember Allah and glorify him in your heart.

What i would suggest is everynight if you are up around Tahajjud time then before or after tahajjud for a few minutes at least to sit there close your eyes, relax and glorify Allah doing any good dhikr you know and imagine Allah in front of you and reflect over his magnificence and his wonderful creations, of his love and mercy, of his compassion, of his generosity of his utter love for his slaves, of his highest honour, of him being the master of the universe. If you want to cry you can do so and then you can do dua to him and cry and beg of him for his mercy, forgiveness and for whatever you like.

I think it would be very beneficial to write out a long dua list of everything you want to ask of Allah. This is because we will not be able to remember everything we want to ask Allah whilst we are in dua but if we write it out then we can go through the list and make even longer dua's paticularly because dua's are most accepted during Ramadan like during fast and between Asr and Maghrib and just before opening fast, tahajjud time etc
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
Tip 4: Daily Dhikr:


Here is a list of daily dhikr we can do everyday this Ramadan as much as we can. Set yourself a target. 100 of each in the morning and evening or however much you can manage:

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
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member

Shak78

Junior Member
I was very productive after Maghrib last night, I finished the first juz of the Qu'ran and am halfway through the second one. Spent time in prayer, reading more Hadiths and Sunnah as well until about 2, got back up at 4:15, had a light meal then said Fajr.
 

Shak78

Junior Member
Asalaamu ALaikum, if it is hot then it is best not to do a lot of physical activity otherwise we will feel tired, drained and therefore not as productive as we would like to be.

So we should try and reserve your energy as much as possible in the day and if you need to do shopping then try and get it done after Maghrib.

:salam2:

Dear Brother, normally I don't do anything until after Maghrib but we had no food for my son nor diapers for him so I had no choice but to go out and get what he needed.
 

True_Sultan

A logical believer
My ramadhan has been eh okay. So far I have read 30 pages of the quran, I am planning to finish it it by the 19th, my quran has about 848 pages, so 50 pages a day should be suffice, but for some reason the past two days, i have not been able to read it as in, for some reason i saw myself lazing out. What to do?
 

ShahnazZ

Striving2BeAStranger
I find it extremely helpful to create an agenda for Ramadan. For example, take a minute and write down everything you hope to achieve this Ramadan (i.e. certain surahs you want to memorize, certain nawafil salawat you hope to pray, certain adkhar you want to recite) and keep it with you at all times. You can either create an actual schedule where you do these things within a certain timeframe or you can "free-style" and just make sure you get them done during the day. Either way, you'll accomplish your goals and make the most of each day in Ramadan. Plus, we need to remember that our fasting isn't simply abstaining from food. It's literally a mental and physical detoxification program where the goal inshAllah should be to have the average Muslim be completely transformed in positive ways by the end of Ramadan. InshAllah, this is what I hope to achieve.

By the way, alot of my goals were taken from Brother The_truth's many threads on ibaadah tips for Ramadan. JazakAllah khair akh!

My ramadhan has been eh okay. So far I have read 30 pages of the quran, I am planning to finish it it by the 19th, my quran has about 848 pages, so 50 pages a day should be suffice, but for some reason the past two days, i have not been able to read it as in, for some reason i saw myself lazing out. What to do?

Fight it, akhi! Don't let the sloth win out! Remember Shaytan's dangling in chains right now so you need to take advantage. I've found that it's easier for me to do good deeds in this Blessed Month and I'm trying to abstain from worldly temptations. Every time, I feel the call to watch TV, I remind myself to just go another day without it. InshAllah it'll get me through to the end.

Just remember all the hasanat you can get from every act of worship. Every single Quran letter you recite, every single salah you pray, every act of charity is MULTIPLIED. So use that as your motivation to do as much of it as you can.

Another thing you can do is take short breaks. For example, there really is such a thing as religious burnout, where someone becomes so religiously over-zealous that they literally eat, breathe, and sleep religion. This can stress them out and take a toll on them. I once heard a Sheikh address this and his advice to the student was to simply go and read a book. Not a book about Islam, but just a regular book (void of haram content of course). This will help you refresh and re-energize. I've taken to doing just that. After doing all my ibaadah, I'll read a few pages from the book I'm currently reading before I go to bed. It really does energize you. Just make sure it isn't haram. It's okay to take a breather before jumping back into the ibaadah.
 

Shak78

Junior Member
I do that via video games. I have a football game and when I am feeling burnt out I'll play a game to rest my mind then go back to reading the Qu'ran or praying, it really does help.
 

aisha16

Junior Member
My day was very productive, Alhamdulilah. I woke up around 3:30 for Suhr, ate and then stayed awake till Fajr being 4:49, prayer Fajr and read some Qur'an. BTW It's really amazing how much you can do in the early hours, they really are a blessing. But from there I did chores, listend to a few lectures, cooked, and cleaned around some more. Unfortunately I stupidly read a Muslim/Islam bashing comments thread and felt a little down but Then Prayed Asr. And that's where it stops for me thus far. But I hope to end this day on a good foot. Insha'Allah. No taraweeh prayers tonight but hope to do something equally as rewarding hopefully.

Tips'

Stay up after Fajr for the rest of the day

Set a schedule, a really clear one, with activities set around specific times

Don't bother yourself in reading comments on a Yahoo article. Especially when 80% of them are pure hateful.

And from there things will hopefully turn out well.

Peace.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
I was very productive after Maghrib last night, I finished the first juz of the Qu'ran and am halfway through the second one. Spent time in prayer, reading more Hadiths and Sunnah as well until about 2, got back up at 4:15, had a light meal then said Fajr.

Asalaamu Alaikum, Mashallah keep it up. Surely the best way to be productive is to EAT LIGHT. As soon as we eat until we cannot move then we are not going to be as productive and we are also going against the purpose of whole purpose of fasting. How can we control our desires when we eat until we are filled? So we must continue to eat moderately.

When we see nice food then eat from it but SMALL portions. Then a few hours later have another small portion. In this way we are giving our body a decent amount of food to digest so that we do not get tired or weighed down.

What i would say to you is maybe try to recite more Qur'an if you can as this is the month of the Qur'an and reciting the words of Allah is better than dua and dhikr.

What i would suggest is for you to read small portions of the Qur'an, take a break, do some dhikr , prayer or dua and then go back to reading the Qur'an. Then take another break and then maybe read a few Hadith or tafseer etc.

Try that tomorrow and you will notice that you will end up getting through more Qur'an.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
:salam2:

Dear Brother, normally I don't do anything until after Maghrib but we had no food for my son nor diapers for him so I had no choice but to go out and get what he needed.

No problem sis. We should try and stock up next time around so that we are not inconvenienced by having to go to the shops, mall etc which will waste quite a number of hours of our day. Planning is crucial to make the best of each day.

So next time you go shops stock up so that you do not need to go to the shops again until a later date.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
My ramadhan has been eh okay. So far I have read 30 pages of the quran, I am planning to finish it it by the 19th, my quran has about 848 pages, so 50 pages a day should be suffice, but for some reason the past two days, i have not been able to read it as in, for some reason i saw myself lazing out. What to do?

Asalaamu Alaikum, Throughout most of the year we are not used to doing this much worship and so it does take a little bit of time to get into the flow of things. But we MUST be consistant and strive to do as much worship as we can.


TIP 6: Splitting up what you recite of the Qur'an

Rather than read 50 pages in one go try splitting it up. So read 5 pages before Fajr and 5 pages after. 5 Pages before Dhuhr and 5 pages after. Then for Asr the most precious time for worship is between Asr and Maghrib so you can read half a juz (chapter) or even one juz. Then recite 5 pages before sleep.

In this way you have broken down all of your recitation into manageable chunks so you don't feel fatigued or overwhelmed.


TIP 7: How to stay motivated


A good way of motivating yourself is to think to yourself that outside of Ramadan we get 10 rewards for reciting each letter of the Qur'an. But in Ramadan all deeds are multiplied by 10 so you get a minimum of 100 rewards for each letter you recite. Subhaanallah. That is immense rewards! So everytime you get lazy or feel demotivated just imagine missing out on 100 rewards for each letter and think to yourself that this offer is only available ONCE a year for just 30 days.

These rewards we will desperately need on the day of judgement as we will BEG others for just ONE good deed but no one will give it to us because they will also be in desperate need. So can we afford to miss out on 100 rewards for just one letter? Thats hundreds of thousands of rewards each day if we read a reasonable amount of Qur'an. Subhaanallah. So keep these rewards in your mind and whilst your reading imagine getting 100 rewards for each letter. That is just minimum Allah can reward MUCH more.

TIP 8: Take regular breaks


Throughout the day you will be taking a lot of breaks so as to not overwhelm yourself because it is important to have some "me" time. So you can relax or go for a short walk and clear your head or just relax and do dhikr. Meditation is very good for you and relieves stress. So meditating about the signs of Allah is a wonderful way to relax and at the same time gain immense rewards.

Taking regular breaks will help to avoid burnout . You can read your favourite "halal" book lol. Go for a walk in the park to freshen your head. Call a good friend who havent spoken to for a while (remembering not to partake in idle talk), or just relax with family.

By having regular rests we will be able to re-focus again on the task at hand. Overwhelming ourselves can do more harm than good as it may cause us to suddenly slip and fall and not be able to get back up again. So regular little breaks are very important.

Hope that helped. Please let us know your progress inshallah. Also remember us in your dua's.
 

The_truth

Well-Known Member
I find it extremely helpful to create an agenda for Ramadan. For example, take a minute and write down everything you hope to achieve this Ramadan (i.e. certain surahs you want to memorize, certain nawafil salawat you hope to pray, certain adkhar you want to recite) and keep it with you at all times. You can either create an actual schedule where you do these things within a certain timeframe or you can "free-style" and just make sure you get them done during the day. Either way, you'll accomplish your goals and make the most of each day in Ramadan. Plus, we need to remember that our fasting isn't simply abstaining from food. It's literally a mental and physical detoxification program where the goal inshAllah should be to have the average Muslim be completely transformed in positive ways by the end of Ramadan. InshAllah, this is what I hope to achieve.

By the way, alot of my goals were taken from Brother The_truth's many threads on ibaadah tips for Ramadan. JazakAllah khair akh!



Fight it, akhi! Don't let the sloth win out! Remember Shaytan's dangling in chains right now so you need to take advantage. I've found that it's easier for me to do good deeds in this Blessed Month and I'm trying to abstain from worldly temptations. Every time, I feel the call to watch TV, I remind myself to just go another day without it. InshAllah it'll get me through to the end.

Just remember all the hasanat you can get from every act of worship. Every single Quran letter you recite, every single salah you pray, every act of charity is MULTIPLIED. So use that as your motivation to do as much of it as you can.

Another thing you can do is take short breaks. For example, there really is such a thing as religious burnout, where someone becomes so religiously over-zealous that they literally eat, breathe, and sleep religion. This can stress them out and take a toll on them. I once heard a Sheikh address this and his advice to the student was to simply go and read a book. Not a book about Islam, but just a regular book (void of haram content of course). This will help you refresh and re-energize. I've taken to doing just that. After doing all my ibaadah, I'll read a few pages from the book I'm currently reading before I go to bed. It really does energize you. Just make sure it isn't haram. It's okay to take a breather before jumping back into the ibaadah.

Asalaamu Alaikum, Mashallah jazakallahu khayran for the wonderful tips.

It is VERY important to rest and take regular breaks in order to avoid burnout . You can read your favourite "halal" book lol. Go for a walk in the park to freshen your head. Call a good friend who havent spoken to for a while (remembering not to partake in idle talk), or just relax with family.

By having regular rests we will be able to re-focus again on the task at hand. Overwhelming ourselves can do more harm than good as it may cause us to suddenly slip and fall and not be able to get back up again. So regular little breaks are very important.



Jazakallahu khayr sister and continue giving beneficial tips and letting us know your progress.
 
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