The sacred month of Muharram is now upon us, and a new year has begun alhamdulillah. InshaAllah I wanted to remind you all and myself of the great sunnan this month has for us:

Rasulllah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "The best of fasting after Ramadaan is the month of Allah, Muharram, and the best of prayer after the obligatory prayers is prayer at night (qiyaam al-layl)." [Saheeh Muslim, #1163]

This month contains the day of Ashoora, which, like the day of Arafah, expiates the past years sins. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Fast the day of 'Arafah, and I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it. And fast the day of Ashoora, and I hope Allah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it." [Saheeh Muslim, #1162]

For more information about fasting in Muharram and Ashoora, visit this IslamQA question.

We are also recommended to fast the day before Ashoora (which is the 10th of Muharram), the day known as Tasoo'a (the 9th of Muharram).

Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (رضالله عنه) said: When the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) fasted on the day of 'Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, "O Messenger of Allah, this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians." The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, "Next year, if Allah wills, we will fast on the ninth day." But by the time the following year came, the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) had passed away. [Saheeh Muslim, #1916]

The scholars state many additional reasons why we should fast the 9th; for more information, click here.

In these sacred months, sinning should be controlled, because sinning in these months is greater than sinning in the other months; because Allah says:

Translation: O you who believe! Do not violate the sanctity of the symbols of Allah, nor of the sacred month. [Surah Maida, verse 2]

(Two things Allah prohibited in this month, because of their sanctity, is to fight in battles, and sinning.)

And, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "The division of time has returned as it was when Allah created the Heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, four of which are sacred: Three are in succession, (they are:) Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram; and (the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of) Mudar, which comes between Jumada (Ath-Thaniyah) and Sha'ban." [Saheeh Bukhari]

May Allah accept all of our fasting and ibadaat, ameen!

Congratulations! You have been one of those lucky few who lived to receive this great blessing from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), this chance to get all your sins forgiven! Because the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

So rejoice! Spend today with your family! And remember, Ramadan is the excuse killer. All of those things you started doing--praying in the masjid every day, fasting every now and then, reading Qur'an often, praying extra (nafl) prayers--that's taqwa. Keep doing those things. And all those things you stopped doing--lying, cheating, backbiting, arguing, listening to music, wearing immodest clothes, boycotting your boyfriend or girlfriend--that's taqwa. Keep avoiding those things. Forget about Shaytaan being on the loose, that's just an excuse--be strong, and ask Allah to help you.

Brothers and sisters, remember, you start with a clean slate after Ramadan! Don't let the future be like the past! Take a moment, right now, and decide on some changes that will, insha'allah, be for your akhira, your eternal life. Decide NOW to:

• Be a better son or daughter to your parents
• Be a better husband or wife to your spouse (if you're married)
• Cut out at least three haraam activities from your life, permanently, starting today
• Block, delete, and break contact with non-mahrams of the opposite gender you have communication with--whether your boyfriend or girlfriend, that sister on facebook, or someone else.
• Ask Allah, As-Sittiyr, to cover your sins and help you overcome them.

O Allah, make us among those people who benefit from every Ramadan, who have our sins forgiven and become better people for all time after that! Ameen ajma'een!

'Eid Mubarak to you and your families, from Ilm Fruits!

(P.S. If you're interested, check out this excellent Flash presentation on 'Eid--what to do and not do, and what it's all about.)

Or is it because Allah is worthy of worship, and only He deserves your fast? That you are seeking His reward? This is what the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said--"Whoever fasted Ramadan with belief, hoping for the reward from Allah, all his previous sins will be forgiven." [Bukhari/Muslim]

Listen to the podcast below and remind yourself of THE best reason to fast! Props out to Living Halal for this amazing ilm-tastic podcast!

Listen to the podcast below to figure out how to plan your Ramadan! Props out to Living Halal for this amazing ilm-tastic podcast!

Their reading of Qur'an in Ramadan:

• Salam ibn Abi Muti' informs us that Qatadah used to normally complete reading the Qur'an in 7 days, but in Ramadan, he completed it in three days. Indeed, during the last ten nights of Ramadan, he read the entire Qur'an every night.
• Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman tells us that Sa'id ibn Jubayr would complete a reading of the Qur'an every two nights in Ramadan

How much of the Qur'an have YOU planned to finish this Ramadan? How much of it will YOU read with understanding and contemplation?

Their Night Prayers:

• Al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid relates: "'Umar b. al-Khattab ordered Ubay ibn Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari to lead the people in prayer in Ramadan. They would each read hundreds of verses at a go, until we had to support ourselves with canes due to the length of time we had to stand. We would only finish praying close to the time of Fajr." [Recorded in Musannaf 'Abd al-Razzaq (7730) and Sunan al-Bayhaqi (4392)]
• 'Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, relates that he heard his father say: "By the time we finished our prayers in Ramadan, the servants would have to rush to prepare food in fear of Fajr coming in." [Recorded in al-Muwatta' (254)]

How much time are YOU spending in night prayers remembering Allah with humility?

Their Charity:

• Ibn 'Umar used to never break his fast, except in the company of the poor. Whenever someone came to him while he was eating and begged him for something, Ibn 'Umar took from his food what he deemed to be his rightful share, then he stood up and left the rest of the food for that person. He would then take what was in his hand and give it to his family, so that when he woke up the next morning to resume his fast, he would not have eaten anything the night before. [Recorded in Lata'if al-Ma'arif (314)]
• Yunus ibn Yazid thells us that during the month of Ramadan, Ibn Shihab engaged in nothing besides reciting the Qur'an and providing food for the poor.

How much of the money that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has bestowed upon you are YOU spending in the path of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) feeding the needy?

What made these people so successful? It was their focus on the hereafter, and proper planning, that they achieved all these amazing goals in Ramadan! They truly knew the value and blessings of Ramadan. They were not distracted by meaningless distractions such as emails, forums, TV, surfing the internet, chatting, socialization, etc.

Subhanallah, indeed the best of deeds are those that are done on consistent basis. Go through these examples once more, and observe how these pious people were consistent in their worships. Sa'id ibn Jubayr would consistently finish reading the Qu'ran every two nights!

So if YOU haven't planned out your Ramadan, do it NOW. Plan your Qu'ran reading goals, night prayer goals, and charity goals. Make it into a consistent habit that you can continue after Ramadan Inshallah. You never know, this could be your last Ramadan! So make the best of this Ramadan inshallah!

References:

Al-Oadah, Salman. "How Our Pious Predecessors Spent Ramadan." IslamToday.Com. 2005. 23 Sept. 2007 <http://www.islamtoday.com/showme_weekly_2005.cfm?cat_id=30&sub_cat_id=845>.

Ramadan is of a countable number of days, so we have to be smart, and think about how can we MAXIMIZE the rewards we earn! Inshallah following is a list of ibada that take less time and have big reward. We need to be smart and think like a businessman (small investment -> big profit)

Remember reward of every deed is multiplied in Ramadan.

• Get the reward of hajj and umrah every single day
• Be smart in your dhikar
• Get the reward of fasting many Ramadans
• Get the reward of performing salaah the whole night
• Earn the reward of reciting one third of Qur'an in few minutes:
  Imam Muslim (811) narrated from Abu Darda that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Is any one of you unable to recite one-third of the Qur'an in one night?" They said, "How could anyone read one-third of the Qur'an?" He said, "Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad (i.e. Surah Ikhlaas) is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an." [more]
• Fulfill various ibadah activities whenever you can--if you get a few minutes here or there, just pick one and do it! You can find a full checklist here.
• Create chain reaction:
  Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) as saying: He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.[Shaih Muslim Book 034, The Book of Knowledge]

Just pass on the hadith we just learned to 10 people, and you will get the reward of 10 hajj and umrah in a single day! Think of it as a chain reaction, every time someone learns something from you and acts upon it, you get the same reward! Fusion reaction!

May Allah(سبحانه وتعالى) give us the tawfiq to implement what was learned and to gain full benefit out of this Ramadan Inshallah.

Want to know more of these ibadas? Stay tuned!

"Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which, with Allah, is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month, which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies Him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite His Book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month.

"Remember the hunger and thirst of the Day of Qiyamah (Judgment) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in du'a during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, Replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if He is asked...

"O People! Indeed your souls are dependent on your deeds, free it with istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations (sujood); and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the Fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the Worlds.

"O People! One who gives iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven."

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?" The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the iftaar (meal) is a drink of water."

He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) continues, "one who has good morals (akhlaaq) during this month will be able to pass the Siraat (hair-thin bridge over the Hellfire which every individual must cross on the Day of Judgment) ... on the day that feet will slip ... One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the Day of Judgment.

"As for one who honors an orphan; Allah will honor him on the Day of Judgment. And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgment.

"As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him.

"Whoever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him. Whoever performs an obligatory prayer, Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

"And whoever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure. He who recites one verse of the Holy Qur’an will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Qur'an during other months.

"O People! Indeed during this month the doors of Heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; the doors of Hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytaan is imprisoned, so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."

"The Prophet's Sermon About Ramadan." In the Name of Allah,the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. 22 Nov. 2001. 13 Sept. 2007 <http://www.iit.edu/~syednoo/ramadansermon.htm>.

Ramadan offers us a very unique opportunity. Ramadan offers us the opportunity to start fresh. It may not necessarily have the "wash-away-all-your-sins" publicity that Hajj does, but Ramadan gives us a chance to put ourselves through a mind, body and soul detoxification.

Fasting has always been an excellent way to clean out the body of impurities. With Shaitaan locked up during Ramadan, we also get a bit of a mental break. Add to that extra Nafl and we have a spiritual jackpot.

My suggestion then, is to make this Ramadan "Detoxification Month."

What will this entail?

First of all, don’t skip suhoor! And for you suhoor-lovers, no more super oily extra heavy food in the morning. Second, small iftaars (follow the Sunnah!). And finally, don’t spend half the night cramming food into yourselves and the other half praying taraweeh. Eat modestly and let your body deal with it.

Make sure you’re still getting the right amount of water. Try to have salad with your food and eat healthy, balanced meals.

Eating well during Ramadan is like running the entire month on Premium fuel, while cleaning out your system of all the toxins it has built up throughout the year. By the end of the month you should be feeling great inshallah.

Cut out TV, music, the radio. All extra sources of noise and distraction should be put to rest. The point? Often times we don’t reach higher levels of thought because our minds are so bogged down with useless information. Take sometime out everyday to re-evaluate yourself. Write down everything that’s on your mind. When you’ve cleared your head, think about your relationship with Allah--think about where it is, and where you want it to be.

How do you detoxify your soul? Good question. Start by reading this: http://www.jannah.org/articles/ (scroll down to the "purify yourself" part. Ask Allah for forgiveness and ask Allah for purification.

If you’re able to work on these three areas of detoxification throughout Ramadan, inshallah you’ll leave Ramadan on a new level. And this will inshallah give your iman a new boost until next Ramadan.

The companions--may Allah be pleased with all of them--used to ask Allah for 6 months to accept their last Ramadan, and ask Allah for 6 months to allow them to live to see the next Ramadan.

THAT'S Ramadan for you!

And remember, if you're fasting, but not praying the fards--or you're praying taraweeh, but skipping Fajr, Dhur, Asr, Maghrib, or Isha--you have a big problem. Fasting and praying are both fard, and neither should be neglected; and taraweeh is not even fard, so why are you trading it for a fard!

Pick up the pace, and start praying your faraaid--once, twice, three times, four times, until you hit your daily five. Make that your goal--to establish salaah by the end of Ramadan.

Avoid things that eat from your fast, like backbiting, eating intentionally, lying, and so on.

We ask Allah to make us among those whose Islam rises every Ramadan to new heights, ya rabbil alameen! AMEEN!

Inshallah, join me on this journey as we go through some self-planning for this blessed month, and inshallah learn about the one action which is most noble in the sight of Allah...that action being du'a.