The month of fasting (Ramadan) is a once-in-a-year experience. It is a season gifted to you for devotion, purification and gaining rewards in multiples.
Allah
says: “Every good deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for it is for Me and I will reward it.” 1
It is also a month for making a lot of excuses and procrastinating in many ways. Not utilizing the opportunities the month brings – while feeling stressed and depressed at the wasted moments is something all of us are guilty of.
I have good news for you! No more excuses as you hear it from Muslims fasting for 20-21 hours, busy parents, students of knowledge and full-time working prefessionals.
Listed below are some practicable tips from your regular IOU blog Team Members, which you can use to maximize your Ramadan and gain the most out of it insha Allah. So, if you would like to improve your Ramadan, read on.
Hussein Alghouleh: “One practice that I actually began to use on a daily basis last Ramadan is that when we sit down for suhoor, I ask each family member, “What special act will you do for the sake of Allah today?” Of course we agree to set a question and make the answer not related to something which we usually practice. It should be unique for each day, and at iftar we report to each other what we did. Alhamdulillah, this practice carried on even after Ramadan, but instead of suhoor and iftar, it became breakfast and dinner. Of course, in Ramadan each act had a special taste to it subhan Allah.”
Nasmira Firdous: “What I’ve been doing for the past two years is learn, memorize and use the 99 names of Allah while making dua during Ramadan, so my tip would be:
On Day 1 of Ramadan, learn the first 3 names of Allah, their attributes and meanings. Use those three names while making dua in sujood.
On Day 2, learn the next three names and continue to do the same thing until the end of the month.
Keep adding the new names to the old ones in your dua list (you can make a list of these names in your personal diary and look at them each day, because it can be a little daunting to remember all the names all at once). For example, Al Wahhab is the giver of gifts. Make your special dua using Al Wahhab and so on and so forth.
By the end of Ramadan, you would have learnt almost all the 99 names and would have used them while making dua. This is the fastest and most effective way of getting your duas answered in the best month of the year, because you are *realizing* the meaning and beauty of His names, there’s khushoo in your dua, and your sincerity automatically flows in.
Ramadan is THE best month to kick start your project of getting to know Allah on a whole new level, because the moment we learn the beautiful names of Allah, we’ll realise that there *is* a solution to every difficulty we face in life.”
Zahra Anjum: “I feel the best thing about Ramadan is spending time with the Qur’an, giving it special preference over everything. I try to use every opportunity I can to recite and ponder over it.
Moreover, I download the best tafseer lectures to listen to in Ramadan.
The effect of Quran you get in Ramadan is so profound! The verses comprehended on these days stick with you throughout the year.”
Aishah Ahmed: “Preparation for me starts right from Shaban, as recommended by our Prophet 
on fasting a lot in the first 15 days of Shaban. This prepares us mentally as our mind and heart are set into momentum, just like we would do before some very important event in our life. This is like the beginning of the countdown, before the first of Ramadan dawns on us!
Whilst in Ramadan, I try to make maximum use of the specific times throughout the day that have been described as important in sunnah. For example, from fajr till shurooq, the time between adhaan and iqamah, just before breaking our fasts and night time. If carefully observed, these times are split quite well through out the day, giving time to involve in ibadah as well as take a break for ourselves too. 
Simply put, do not overburden yourself. Do little, but do it sincerely. Converse with Allah and you will see changes in your intention and sincerity.”
Hira Adnan: “The best thing about Ramadan for me is that the day is awesomely long, so I get the chance to be in the state of fast most of the time, that is around 20-21 hours!
I also get the chance to revise more Quran (as I am a Hafidha, alhumdulillah).
I feel blessed and honored to have so much time to earn rewards. So reading the Quran during Ramadan, while in the state of fast and with loads of time to engage with it – that’s the best thing, alhamdulillah!”
Sana Gul: “What has always worked for me is to maximize the morning time as I am a morning person.
So, don’t sleep after suhoor. Pray Fajr, read the maximum portion of the Quran, or any other “mind” work, like studies or any heavy duty cooking so that as the energy levels go down, you don’t feel overwhelmed or anxious with the amount of pending work.
The most important thing is to utilize the morning hours and the best energy times for the most important work of the day and then sleep. (*Especially recommended for stay-at-home or flexible work hours mothers*.)”
Gregory Morse: “There is a “best energy” part of the day and its best to use it wisely or lose it. This is generally not long after awakening due to brain chemistry. But it also depends on environmental factors nowadays that are may be out of our hands. We may need to adapt to modern environmental forces outside our control that Allah is testing us with.”
Ibtihal Al: “I made it a point last Ramadan to consistently watch ustadh Nouman Ali Khan’s Qur’anic Gems’ series. Even though it was more of reflections than a detailed tafsir, the amount of depth and valuable lessons in every ayah just never failed to amaze me, subhanAllah.
Therefore, my tip is that we continue learning the book of Allah and to have a deeper understanding than we already do – to allow us implement its beautiful teachings in our daily lives.
May Allah make us of those who truly realize the value of the Qur’an and who implement it accordingly, Ameen.”
Final Tip
I would like to share one personal tip with you before I wrap up.
Choose one of the tips from above and use it to set a goal for yourself in Ramadan, then write it down. Whether its making daily duas, memorizing the 99 names or reciting and learning from the book of Allah ; it is important to set a goal, then write it down to solidify the commitment and give you something worthy to aim for in Ramadan.
I practically write down everything, mostly in the form of mind maps; from my Ramadan goals, duas, passion projects to time blocks to be utilized for productive work and even meal plans.
I leave you with these simple tips to utilize, modify and share with friends and loved ones. Don’t just read and move on to the next post. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on the opportunity to improve your Ramadan and ultimately your life with these tips.
Your turn, which of these tips will you commit to and incorporate into your Ramadan goals? Please share below… then write it down. 🙂
38 replies on “IOU Team Members Share Their Favorite Ramadan Tips”
Asalamualikum wa rahmat allahi wa barkaatahu
JazakAllah for sharing such beautiful tips 🙂 They serve as useful reminders to all.
I will in sha Allah incorporate the memorization of Asma ul Husnaa this time on priority. I have trying to memorize them since a long time now, but have not yet memorized all. SO that will be one of my goals, i wish to accomplish in this ramadhan, biiznillah.
Second, I actually love to ask Allah for everything, making prayers as much as i can. Last year i prepared my duaa list before ramadhan which went on quite some pages (I have a journal for it now). I loved it last year, so in sha Allah this year too i plan to write down all the duaas, for my deen, for my duniya and for aakhira, for me and all my loved ones and the general ummah in the same journal.It actually helps a lot, if you have them written somewhere.
I pray that this ramadhan be a very productive ramadhan for all of us. amy Allah swt accept it from all of us.
Wasalaam
Wa alaykum salaam wa Rahamatullah wa Barakatuhu dear sr. Sarah.
Baarakallahu feeki.
And amin to your duas.
I wish you every success with your goals. You’ve started out right by making this great intention, insha Allah. May Allah (swt) accept it from you.
And keep it up with the journal. I have one too with duas and reflections from many Ramadan years back, Alhamdulillah. It can be addictive, but in a beneficial way.
Do share your golden practice with friends and loved ones and encourage them to build on it so they can benefit insha Allah.
Wassalam ‘alaykum
Assalamualaikum wa .rahmat Allai wa barakatuhu
I am very very happy to get lots of useful tips from here. In sha Allah I will memorize 99 names of Allah subhan Allahtayala. I also want to shear everything with my family members. From last few years my husband and I went to mosque ( at Rooty Hill in Sydney, Australia) for Quiyamullail salat ( last 10 days) from 11:30 p.m. to 02:30 a.m. In sha Allah this year We will take our son too ( my daughter will be in USA at that time). I always enjoy to make jalebi for everybody who participate on Quiyamullail salat and fasting breaking time on holiday. Please pray for me, I want do it this year too. Allah help us to do all good deed in this Ramadan and rest of our life. Ameen.
Wa alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu dear sr. Nafiza,
Alhamdulillah, I am happy that you have found many useful tips from the article. Baarakallahu feeki.
Let’s welcome the fasting month with big and purposeful intentions, and keep asking for Allah’s guidance and steadfastness through the month. May Allah make it easy for you to do many good deeds in the blessed month, even more than you did last Ramadan.
May He preserve you and your family through the month in good health and strong faith.
Remember the IOU team in your prayers throughout Ramadan please.
Wassalam ‘alaykum
I would either sleep from sunrise to sunset or just eat a lot from sunset to sunrise
That’s just one option.
Or you can choose to make this your best Ramadan ever. Go to link below to learn how.
http://blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com/six-tips-to-make-this-your-best-ramadan-ever/
Wassalam
Insha Allah I will memorize Allah Name in this Ramadan….Shall I where I get Allah name and its detailed meaning…
I pray you achieve this goal insha Allah.
And may it be means of getting you closer to Allah (swt) and increasing in consciousness of Him.
In shaa Allah I will memorize quran and listen to tafsiir. The other beneficial thing for me is I will memorize the 99 names of Allah and it’s meaning.
Assslamoalekyum wa rehmatullahi wa barakatuhu
Amazing tips u share with us.. Thnx alot..
Nd pls remember me in ur duas..
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Beautiful and beneficial tips.
I’ll memorise the ninety nine Names of Allah Subhanaho and read the blessed Quran fail inshaAllah.
Many blessings to Dr.Bilal and all brothers and sisters in deen
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuhu.
JazakallAhu bi khair for these vital tips, and in shaa Allah I’ll try to memorize and use the 99 names of Allah while making dua during this Ramadan.
Alhamdulillah i learnt alot in this site . i must commend that its indeed a very educative site to be. Sister May Allah reward you i am taking after you this time around by learning @least 3names of Allah and pray with them during my Salaat In Shaa Allah
Jazakallahu khair to all in here
I love the idea of remembering the 99 beautiful names of Allah. Will introduce this in the family incha’Allah. Also starting and ending the day with a goal is such a good idea. This post also gave me a good idea to work out with my younger siblings. Think I’ll try to make a Ramadan calender with them. Kinda like the christmas callender idea. But then filled with the names of Allah, fun little games and candy or something like that ^^ Dzazakou Allahu khairoun for the motivation!
All the above tips are interested and beneficial. As for me. My primary focus will be on learning new surahs, getting their tafseers and memorizing them.
Then learning new dua and their meaning then applying them in prayer for my needs..jazakAllahu bi khair , may Allah strengthen your eeman and may we be amongs those who will receive Allah’s mercy in this Ramadan.
These are brilliant tips mashaAllah! I am going to try and memorise the 99 names of Allah this Ramadan inshAllah!
Assalamoalaikum
This was one of the best posts of the day. Loved the tips. Personal favourite was learning and pondering over the Quran. I’ve been procrastinating in this for so long. Would love to do all my studying this Ramadan. Thank you for sharing. JazakAllah Kher.
P.S greetings from Pakistan 🙂
Kind Regards
Hamza Malik
Alhamdulilah very helpful tips,
May Allah reward you and us.
Ameen.
zazakalla khair.
I will try my best to follow all tips.may allah bless everyone to gain maximum blessing of allah.
thank you
Jazak Allah for an excellent post
Assalam o Alaikum wrwb,very useful tips JazakAllah Khair..I will try to learn the 99 names of Allah
Wa alaykum salaam wa Rahamatullah wa Barakatuh,
Great goal. Remember to write it down and break down in a simple manner you can achieve it over the month in sha Allah.
Salam to everyone. To be very honest, am so nervous of this coming Ramadan. I am so use to 8 or 10 hours fasting. Now am in Finland which the weather requires 20-21 hours fasting. It seems strange and almost impossible, may Allah SWT make it easy for everyone . I have been readI got may article concerning this long hours fasting and I came across one which state that one can use the Maghrib time of the nearest Muslim country or Mekka time to break one’s fasting regardless of the sun here. Please how true is this? May Allah forgive us and grant us his mercy. Amin
Salam to everyone. To be very honest, am so nervous of this coming Ramadan. I am so use to 8 or 10 hours fasting. Now am in Finland which the weather requires 20-21 hours fasting. It seems strange and almost impossible, may Allah SWT make it easy for everyone . I have been readIng lot of articles concerning this long hours fasting and I came across one which state that one can use the Maghrib time of the nearest Muslim country or Mekka time to break one’s fasting regardless of the sun here. Please how true is this? May Allah forgive us and grant us his mercy. Amin
Assalam o alikum warahmatullah sister 🙂
May Allah make it easy for you. I am sister Hira, you can see my name in the article as well 🙂
I am also living in Finland for past 5 years and I have been fasting 20-21 hours
Your question was asked by Dr. Bilal as well and he is of the same opinion that you should fast until your own maghrib time since we do have sunset and sunrise here
I hope you are living in that part of Finland where there is sunset etc
Even for those parts, like Lapland etc, you are supposed to follow magrib timings of your nearest cities and countries, and not the Makkah time 🙂
Please read this for detailed answer
http://islamqa.info/en/5842
With regard to the timings of their fast in Ramadaan, those who are accountable should refrain from food, drink and everything else that invalidates the fast each day of Ramadaan, from the time of dawn until sunset in their countries, so long as the night can be distinguished from the day, and when day and night together add up to twenty-four hours.
I follow this opinion and Dr. Bilal is also of this opinion
I can assure you that it is not hard and summers here are very nice and you will be able to do a 21 hour fast in shaAllah 🙂
May Allah make it easy for you. Ameen
Assalamualaikum everyone.I m preparing from today to make this ramadan the best ramadan in my life and jazakhalla khair for this beautiful post and make dua for me!……………
Wa alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullah.
Wa iyyak…. Include us in your duas too.
Jazak Allahu Khairan for such beautiful tips, Subhan Allah! I can relate to more than one of them. The one I will focus on this Ramadan Insha Allah will be learning the 99 Names of Allah SWT and its meanings. As well as I’d like to 2 nd the tip of listening to the Quaranic Gems from Ustad Nouman Ali Khan was so beneficial , I looked forward to reading them everyday and pondering over its meanings. Another year, I listened to Mufti Ismail Menk talking about the all the Prophets may Allah send blessings upon them all and I learnt so much about them and ways in which I could incorporate some powerful dua’s in my life that they used. Alhamdulilah! I pray that this Ramadan will be beneficial for all of us and make the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH be united. Aameen
Amin to your lovely duas.
Thanks for sharing some of your tips from the past Ramadan years.
Indeed this blessed month is one for self-improvement. May we remain on this path of self-improvement even beyond Ramadan.
Asalamu alaykum brothers and sisters in Islam! Alhamd. Thanks so much for tge sharing the amazing tips that people can apply during tge July month of Ramadan so that we can get the most out of and use it for the rest of our lives. In shaa Allah am setting the goal starting this Ramadan to make daily duas, memorizing the 99 names and also reciting from the book of Allah in shaa Allah. Thanks so much once again and may give us all long life and good health. May we witness tge holy month and fast it all till end and may Allah accept our deeds.
Amin to all of your Duas dear sister.
I pray that you accomplish your goals in Ramadan and that it becomes a habit afterwards.
Remember to write it down and break it down into baby chunks you can accomplish easily over the 29/30 days in sha Allah.
Allah hu Akbar. ..
Shubhan Allah. ..
Ya rehman
Ya rahim
Ya razzaq
Insha’Allah I will go for the NINETY NINE names ALLAH for each day of Ramadhan three names for dua in sujood, jazakalahu khair….
Wa iyyak.
May Allah accept our duas in Ramadan and beyond.
May He make it easy for you to make long and sincere prostrations that are most pleasing to Him.
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatuai wa barakatuhu,
inshallah i will make strong efforts to learn 99names of Allah and try to understand more duas
i will kick start to gain the knowledge in quran to solve problems in life
i am starting my under graduation after ramadan month so insha Allah i get mercy from my allah
JazakAllah Khair for sharing these tips.
Great info!