Bismi Llahir Rahmanir Rahim
by Naielah Ackbarali
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the doors to the Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained.” [Bukhari]
From these words, we are taught how special Ramadan is to Allah Most High and how easy He makes it for us to perform acts of good. The intelligent person takes advantage of this vast opportunity to be with Allah and uses it as a time to earn Allah Most High’s eternal pleasure.
In fact, the Prophet ﷺ was the most avid of people to do good, especially within Ramadan. [Bukhari]
The best part is that one’s good deeds are multiplied in Ramadan. There are so many acts of good that we can do during this blessed month. Here are a few suggestions:
Make Du’a & Tawba
Allah Most High looks upon His servants in the month of Ramadan out of mercy. This is a fantastic time to ask for whatever one wishes and to beg for forgiveness. Ramadan is a chance to clear our book of bad deeds and start new. Refer to our website for articles on the best times to make duʿāʾ, how to perform tawba, and much more.
Read & Listen To The Qur’an
Ramadan is the month when the Qurʾān was sent down to mankind. One should strive to spend as much time as possible with the Qurʾān during this blessed month. One can set a goal to finish a khatm of recitation by reciting a juz a day. Since women usually experience menstruation once a month, it may be better to read a few pages more each day in order to finish the entire Qurʾān before the month is over.
Angel Jibrīl (may peace be upon him) would review the Qurʾān with the Prophet ﷺ during the month of Ramadan. [Bukhari] This is an excellent time to revise one’s memorization too.
Listening to the Qurʾān is also recommended. One can spend time listening to tafsīr lectures to understand the deeper meanings of the Qurʾān. InshaAllah it will add more spirit to one’s worship.
Pray Tarawih & Tahajjud
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever stands the night in prayer during Ramadan out of sincere faith and seeking reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhari]
The tarāwīḥ prayer is performed after praying the ʿIshāʾ prayer. It is to pray twenty rakaʿāt for Allah Most High. Performing the tarāwīḥ prayer is an emphasized sunna for women, and a woman can pray it in her home or at the mosque.
The tahajjud prayer is best performed at the last part of the night. When one wakes up for the pre-dawn meal (suḥūr), tahajjud can be prayed at this time, even if it is only two rakʿas.
Perform ‘Itikaf
The mother of the believers, Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Prophet ﷺ would always perform ʿitikāf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah Most High took his soul ﷺ.” [Bukhari]
The ʿitikāf of woman is performed in the prayer area of her home, which is the place that she designates for praying her obligatory and nafl prayers.
For information on how to perform ʿitikāf, please read our article: How To Perform ʿItikāf.
Give Charity
The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of people, especially during Ramadan. [Bukhari]
There are so many Muslims in need of our charity. Ramadan is a time to empty our pockets of extra cash, give away clothes that we no longer wear, and spend on others.
Feed Fasting People
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) to feed other fasting people. He ﷺ said that the host would share in the reward of the fasting person’s fast, without diminishing anything from their reward for fasting. [Tirmidhi]
Host others whenever possible, or offer to bring a dish to a friend’s ifṭār if it is difficult to host a gathering.
Spend Time As A Family
Ramadan is the perfect month to strengthen family ties. Take care to:
- Eat suḥūr and ifṭār together as a family.
- Talk to each other during ifṭār time. Do not zone out with TV or phones.
- Read to each other at ifṭār, even if it’s children’s Ramadan stories.
- Allow children to help cook and prepare meals for ifṭār.
- Teach children Ramadan greetings in different languages.
- Pray tarāwīḥ as a family or go to the mosque together.
- Do qiyām al-layl for the 27th night.
- Designate a children’s prayer corner and encourage them to pray.
- Play Qurʾān memorization games and participate in competitions.
- Finish a Qurʾān khatm together as a family.
- Make dhikr and ṣalawāt together.
- Memorize Prophetic sayings and supplications.
- Learn Islamic songs and sing them.
- Call and email relatives to wish them Ramadan Mubarak.
- Decorate the house for Ramadan.
- Bake Ramadan treats together and give them as gifts to friends.
- Create Ramadan arts and crafts projects, like making Eid cards.
- Go moonsighting together. Try to sight the first night of Ramadan, the 15th night, and the night of Eid.
For more family ideas, please read our list of family activities on our website.
For ideas of what to do while menstruating,
please read our article: Worship In Ramadan For A Menstruating Woman.
May we all benefit from the spiritual atmosphere of the month of Ramadan and strive to do our utmost for the sake of Allah Most High.
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