Are you excited about the month of Ramadan? I am! - From a tender age, Ramadan was and still is an exciting time that I love to prepare. I thank Allah (The Most High) and my parents for instilling this love in me. It’s never too late to make the intention to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan and the aim of this humble article is to provide some practical advice no matter whether you are a beginner, intermediate or consistently practising. But why should we prepare? What is the intention? Why do you intend to fast during the blessed month of Ramadan? Intention (Niyyah) is the basis of the action or deed that focuses on the goal or objective. Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam to fast and; the intention is necessary. The scholars have advised that intention can be done from the heart but is better if expressed by speech. Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah have mercy upon him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Islam is built upon five: to worship Allah and to disbelieve in what is worshipped besides him, to establish prayer, to give charity, to perform Hajj pilgrimage to the house, and to fast the month of Ramadan.” [Hadith, Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhari 8, Ṣaḥiḥ Muslim 16] According to scholars, there are two types of intention: The first type is to know the difference between one act of worship and another to become closer to Allah (The Most High). For example, before we start to pray, we say the following dua: “I intend to pray __(name of prayer)___ facing the qibla for Allah, the Great.” The second type of intention is to do acts for the sake of Allah or in the way of Allah (The Most High) and not for the sake of people or personal desires. The Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him) would prepare themselves for the blessed month of Ramadan in the month of Shaaban and some months before that as they are role models and; their importance is highlighted in the following hadith: ‘The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter..’ [Hadith, Sahih Al-Bukhari] The following dua as a stepping stone before the month: Making the intention in our day-to-day lives. Let us reflect on the general importance of setting the intention to achieve our goal. When we have an objective in mind, we prepare ourselves by utilising our emotional, mental and physical energy to create the necessary research to understand, make a plan and keep at it. However, sometimes the plan does not come into action due to several factors but the intention is what counts right? You intended to do it but could not complete it. This is why that when one intends to do something it is SMART. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, he will get rewarded for it as if he did it. And if he does it, his reward will be multiplied ten times." [Hadith, Muslim, 130] However, some factors are inevitable such as poverty, time, illness and even death where the action is incomplete, but the intention was there. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are people in Madina, whenever you cross a valley or march towards battle they are with you in reward. They only stayed behind because of a valid excuse." [Hadith, Al-Bukhari, 4423]. When making the intention and ensuring it is measurable and achievable, it is important to renew and purify intention to confirm who are you doing the act for, just like polishing a metal. For this is what Allah (The Most High) will look at: “Say Indeed my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living, my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds.” [Quran, Surah Al-Anaam (The Cattle), 6:162] The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The deeds are considered by their intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intentions. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration will be for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration would be for what he emigrated for." [Hadith, Al-Bukhari, 1] What is the intention behind fasting of Ramadan? There is a reason behind every intention, here are common reasons why many intend to prepare and fast during the month of Ramadan. The love and fear of Allah (The Most High) As much there is love for Allah (The Most High), there is fear, for there will be an appointed time where all of our deeds in this life weighed and; the fear of the Hell-fire is a natural reaction to perform acts with good intention. To get closer to Allah (The Most High) When you devote your time with your family and friends, it increases closeness. On a more spiritual level, devoting the time to Allah increases closeness to Allah (The Most High). Each day we need to try to intend to better ourselves, our personalities and, we need to increase our closeness to Allah (The Most High). This is through seeking forgiveness and increasing in acts of worship. It is also a form of gratitude for the blessings that Allah (The Most High) has bestowed upon us with the ultimate intention of seeking reward from Allah (The Most High). “Oh you who believe, fasting is prescribed upon you, as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may attain God-consciousness (taqwa)” [Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:183]. When the close bonding develops, there will be a sense of calmness and happy chemicals released such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin to stabilise the mood, love and healing. The above verse highlights how Allah (The Most High) ordered us to fast to do it sincerely for Him. Fasting purifies and cleanses the soul from any form of evil, ill behaviour and narrowing the pathway of the Shaytan. Practical steps moving forward The intention of the type of charitable acts and worship to strengthen the relationship needs to be achievable because each person varies in what they can do. Some individuals are beginners where they want to begin fasting or reading the Quran or pray or others actions. Some individuals are intermediate, where they frequently perform good actions but not consistently. Other individuals are consistent and; they perform these actions but aim to improve further via alternative ways. However, regardless of the status, renewing the intentions is vital. Below are ideas of practical ways in how you can make the intention: - Create a spider diagram or bubble on plain paper to jot down ideas of the reasons why you want to fast. Please highlight the keywords and purpose to make it stand out. You can hang it in the kitchen or room where you can remind yourself and renew yourself. - Keep making the dua of the intention of fasting: “O Allah, Make the months of Rajab and Shaaban blessed for us and let us reach the month of Ramadan.” [Hadith, Al Tabarani and Ahmad] - Create one specific goal you want to achieve in the preparation and during the month of Ramadan, focus on it and complete the SMART table. Example of a spider diagram Example of a SMART table
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AboutThe AFT team have organized a series of weekly inspiration, every Wednesday to help motivate and prepare you for this amazing moment we all yearn for. ArchivesCategories |