Who are your role models? Movie stars? Sports stars? Celebrities? Do we have any role models for Ramadan–people we can look on to and learn from? Let us take a glimpse at how our pious predecessors and the early generations spent their Ramadan.
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>.
