The countdown for Ramadan has begun. Some would say, “A long way to go still…”, while others would say, “It is so close!”. It’s a matter of perspective: how do we look at a situation. In the case of Ramadan, perspectives don’t count. The fact is that Ramadan is around the corner and we need to start our preparations. But, what should be the goal of our preparations?
Allah 
says,
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” 1
The goal has been laid down: to have taqwa, to become righteous, to become the muttaqoon!
What is Taqwa?
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah states that taqwa includes doing everything that Allah has enjoined whether it is waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended), and avoiding all that He has forbidden, whether it is haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked). 2
The scholars in Islam have said that:
“Taqwa is an abundant treasure, a precious trait, an honorable substance, a great success and it assembles the best of both worlds. Those who have taqwa are the friends of Allah. Allah has promised them success at the time of death and deliverance from Hell on the Day of Judgement. They will abide forever in Paradise next to their Gracious Lord…….Every intelligent person envies such prestige and only a fool undermines such privileges. So beware! Do not become among the foolhardy lest you regret on the day when remorse and sorrow will have no effect.” 3
Prepare To Achieve Your Target
This is the ultimate goal of our Ramadan preparations; to be among the righteous, for now and forever!
Let’s talk facts. Do we expect to become muttaqoon overnight? The Ramadan moon is sighted and BOOM!!! the taqwa seed blossoms into a radiant flower within us? NO, of course NOT!
In order to have the privilege of being among the righteous, we have to start now. For the moment, we can think about preparing ourselves with this goal for Ramadan and then, let this goal become a part of our lives too insha’Allah. We have already delayed our responsibilities as a Muslim for a long time or just attended to them in the month of Ramadan and have ultimately become “Ramadan Muslims”. This is the sad reality of the ummah today. So, how can we rectify our mistakes and achieve the goal of becoming muttaqoon? Let’s find out:
1. Fasting The First Half Of Sha’ban:
‘A’ishah 
said: “The Messenger 
used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’ban.” 4
I refer to this as starting my “internal countdown timer”! These fasts tend to send a 30-day advance notification to your mind and body. You will experience the spiritual foundation being laid within yourself. You will have also succeeded in following the advice of the Prophet , and in turn obeying Allah . Also, if your intention while observing these fasts was to please Allah sincerely, you have managed to multiply your rewards!
2. Begin The Countdown
Put all your social media to beneficial and productive use. Share Ramadan posts, tips, ahadith, articles, ayahs and so on. When the hype goes up, the excitement grows and the preparation increases ten folds! By this, you will get into the spiritual ‘groove’ quite early, thereby, increasing your acts of ‘ibadah.
3. Stock” Your Mind
We know how to stock our pantry for Ramadan. How about doing the same with our mind? Confused? I am referring to seeking knowledge. Read, read and read more! Gather information on the sunnah practices to be observed during Ramadan, how to enhance rewards in this blessed month, how to purify yourselves, how to please Allah and so on. The topics are endless and so are the resources. You are not expected to become an ‘aalim/’aalimah overnight. Start small: maybe one hadith/ayah per day with explanation, an inspirational article, stories about our Prophets or Sahabas, anything will do. Just make a start!
4. “Mirror Mirror On the Wall!”
Look past your skin, flesh and bones, deep into your soul. You know what kind of haraam activities you are involved in- big or small. Train yourself from now to get rid of them, one at a time. Punish yourself for repeating it and thank Allah each time you refrain from it. Being a responsible Muslim, it’s time to learn self-control.
5. The Pre-Ramadan Plan
Education plans, career plans, wedding plans, etc. – we are great at all of it. Then why not a pre-Ramadan plan? You know your life, your schedules and your commitments. Keeping these in mind, chalk out a daily/weekly task plan (you could do this mentally too) that should include at least one Islam oriented activity- nafl fasts, nafl salaah, dhikr, Qur’an recitation, reading an Islamic book/article, listening to a lecture, charity and so on. The point is to ‘Islamisize’ your time. Of course, this is not only a pre-Ramadan, post-Ramadan or during-Ramadan plan alone, but something you should make a regular habit of throughout the year.
6. Sincere Dua’
Do not under estimate the power of dua’ and do not over estimate your capabilities. You may have had a sincere intention but maybe, you did not ask Allah Beg for His forgiveness, yearn for His Mercy, ask for His Guidance, for the ones who are truly guided are the ones guided by Allah! to help you achieve it. If that’s the case, you will eventually end up giving up on it. Remember that without the Will, Mercy and Help of Allah , you cannot be successful. You must make an attempt to turn to Allah . Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to make you steadfast in your pursuit, ask Him to help you attain His pleasure. We are the slaves of Allah . Submit to Him with humbleness. Beg for His forgiveness, yearn for His Mercy, ask for His Guidance, for the ones who are truly guided are the ones guided by Allah! 5
7. Small Beginnings
Start small. Set achievable goals. Do not overburden yourself. Else, you will run out of steam in a week. Always set aside some “me” time too, but bear in mind to keep it halal.
There are many ways in which you can make small beginnings. You can include sunnah salaah to your daily prayers, fast at least 1 nafl fast per month, read one page Qur’an daily, include the daily adhkaar before eating, leaving the house, entering the washroom, etc. This hardly takes 10 minutes out of 24 hours. Are we not ready to set aside such a small amount of time for the One who has blessed us with this life? Selfish we are indeed!
Brothers and Sisters in Islam, do not be “Ramadan Muslims” who only remember their religion in the month of Ramadan. Allah is calling us to righteousness and success. How long will we live in this world? 40, 60 or maximum 80 years? What next? Have we polished ourselves with the taqwa that Allah has asked us to? Have we submitted ourselves in totality to our Creator?
Make this Ramadan the turning point in your life. Break free from the deceptions of this world and indulge into the sweetness of eeman. Trust me, you will never regret!
Please share your suggestions on how we can boost our taqwa in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you. 🙂 You can comment using Facebook and Google+ as well. Just see comments section 🙂
Until next time,
Assalamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu!
- Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 183 ↩
- From the essay of al-Wasiyyah al-Jaami’ah li khayr al-Sunya wa’l-Aakhirah : http://archive.org/stream/AdviceForOnesAffairs-IbnTaymiyah/AdviceForOnesAffairs-IbnTaymiyah_djvu.txt ↩
- Taqwa: The Provision of Believers. Compiled by Aby Maryam Majdi, Al-Firdous Ltd from the works of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali ↩
- Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 1833; Muslim, no. 1956; Also refer: http://islamqa.info/en/13726 ↩
- Surah al-Kahf, 18:17 ↩
99 replies on “The Pre-Ramadan Preparation – The Taqwa Boost”
Baraka Allahu fik..
Subhanallah .. This is My first Ramadan and You have given me a clear guideline. And I agree we should all do this all the time. In Sha Allah. Keep up the good work.
May Allah make it easy for all of us to follow His commands and take maximum benefits of this blessed month!
ASLAM O ALAIKUM SISTER…..
may Allah make this easy for you…plz pray for my forgiveness too..
Wa’alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu
Ameen. May Allah make it easy for you too and envelope us all in His encompassing mercy and forgiveness.
Really inspirational post and btw there is no number six it goes from five to seven 😀
JazakAllah Khairan for drawing attention to it. The error has been fixed now.
Wow that’s amazing , hope its the best Ramadan for you sister!! May Allah make this month nothing but peace and fulfillment for you 😀
Ameen! 🙂 May Allah make it the same for you too!
Masha Allah…May Allah reward you for this….
MashAllah! Thanks for uplifting my spirit and to Aishah, jazakalahu kheir for the good work. I wish all Muslimahs would be like you who use their energy in the cause of Allah s.w.
BarakAllahu feeki Sister. May Allah make it easy for us to take maximum benefits of this blessed month!
In Sha Allah MAy our Pre-Ramadan become our Lifes ways Daily Ameen
Ameen! 🙂
Jazakumullah Khair. Very beneficial post.
BarakAllahu feek. May Allah make it easy for all of us to follow His commands and take maximum benefits of this blessed month!
Maa Shaa Allah!! May Allah reward you abundantly for the post n In Shaa Allah, may make this pre-Ramadhan be our life time Ramadhan’s lives!!
Ameen! 🙂
MASHA ALLAH AND JAZAKALLAH KHAIR FOR THE EMAAN BOOSTERS
BarakAllahu feek Brother. May Allah give us the guidance to implement and work on His commands.
Walaicumussalam… Jazak Allahu Khairan for extremely helpful tips. May Allah help us in adopting them all. Ameen.
BarakAllahu feeki. Ameen!:)
In Sha Allah MAy we harvest the fruits of the good seeds we planting…in this world and the hereafter. Allah swta help us all
Oh Allah! Guide us to become a true Muslim and follow the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (pbuh). Ameen
Ameen!
Masaallah!!! I have desire to pray Tahajjud prayer in every night before sehri!!!! Already um practising!!! Do’a for me brothers & sisters… zazakallahu khairan…. salam….
BarakAllahu feek. May Allah make it easy for you and us too to follow His commands and be among those He loves.
Jazakom Allah
Wa Alaykum Salam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Masha Allah! JazakAllahu Khair!
Alhamdulillah, it is the most rewarding achievement to have Taiwan and by striving to continue to grow our Taiwan for the sake of Almighty Allah!
May Almighty Allah have mercy and guide us all to righteousness! Ameen!
Wa Alaykum Salam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Masha Allah! JazakAllahu Khair!
Alhamdulillah, it is the most rewarding achievement to have Taqwa and by striving to continue to grow our Taqwa for the sake of Almighty Allah!
May Almighty Allah have mercy and guide us all to righteousness! Ameen!
BarakAllahu feeki. Ameen!:)
insha’Allah as new revert i hope to learn the Quran in arabic and be a good role model for my children so they know the greatness of Allah in their hearts not just their lives
May Allah make it easy for you and reward you immensely for your noble intentions! 🙂
May Allah guide us All and help us to achieve Taqwa. Aameeen
Ameen!
I seek , Almighty forgiveness and show me the right path . Ameen very informative Ramadan plan, please Allah , I seek your help in getting near , thus plan.
Sincerity in intentions and dedication to please Allah are the key factors which will help us achieve this goal. Allah will recognize our efforts and make it easy for us. May Allah forgive our shortcomings and guide us to the path that He loves.
MashAllah! Very nice post. It will help me to increase my taqwa. May Allah help us.
BarakAllahu feeki. Ameen!
Al hamulillah…I re start quran with understanding..n do full moon fast.this year I plan read prophet bpuh biography.in sha allah
May Allah accept our efforts.
Jezakellah kheyren! It’s so relevant to have such daewa pre Ramadan times and Inshaallah Allah will guide us as those the righteous!!!
Ameen!
Assalamualaikum,
I have been reading your posts and sharing it on FB. I would like to make a request to you that you, please, write about the uselessness of idol worship as stated by ALLAH (SWT) in the Quran in diff verses in diff places. E.g. Ask the idol-worshippers, can the idols hear or speak or see or even help them. And verses like these which can be used to impress upon my Hindu friends. I can do it myself but your posts are impressive. As my friends are far-off I think me sharing the posts results in at least few of my school friends reading them.
I do the balaag personally to people whom I meet. And I do use direct strike method in order to make them understand the uselessness of idol worship using the same words as by ALLAH (SWT) in diff. verses. asking them Who created the universe? to which they answer, ALLAH. I also ask them if a fly were to take away something from the food offered to the idols, will these idols be able to bring it back from the fly. Also where ALLAH had told us to ask them, Can the Idols create even a blade of grass?
Alhumdoolillaah, the answers that I get from the people are exactly the same words as narrated by ALLAH (SWT) in the Quran.
And Wallah, this Balaag does really increase my faith in ALLAH (SWT), His Messenger (PBUH) and His Quran.
Wa’alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu Sister Shireen,
Your suggestion has been noted. In shaa’ Allah, I will try to incorporate it in my future posts. 🙂
Masaallah!!! I have desired to pray Tahajjud prayer in every night before sehri!!!! Already um practising!!! Do’a for me brothers & sisters… zazakallahu khairan…. salam….
Alhamdullillah enjoyed reading it .gr8 effort
Such amazing tips but when i read this and other posts like it my heart fills with dismay as this will be the 2nd year in a row when i cant fast as last year i was expecting a baby and this time i am nursing him. I am do grateful that allah gave me a child but Without the spiritual boost of the fast no matter how much i read or make dua or pray its not the same for my iman level. My husband consoles ne that inshallah next year but we can never be sure of that. What should i do to make thw best of ramadan without fasting???
May Allah reward you for your intentions! Sister, whenever I feel the ‘spiritual boost’ lacking, I usually listen to lectures about the life of our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the Sahabas radiyallahu anhum, repeatedly! Their lives are filled with so much inspiration which will immediately get us on our toes. Also, if you are a non-Arabic speaker, you can search for a Qur’an translation that you understand very well. Listen to it and experience Allah talking and commanding you. You will definitely feel the bubbles of eeman bursting within you.
Asalam alaikum..
I am a born hindu. I am marrying a muslim. I started reading quran and sahih-al-bukhari. I believe in Allah (swt).
I read and listen quran translation in english. I do not know how to pray.how can I please Allah (swt)…what should I do in Ramadaan..when I m a born non.muslim and do not know how to offer salah.
Please advise.
JazakAllah Khairan
Wa’alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu
May Allah guide you to the righteous path and make your heart inclined towards the sweetness of this deen!
I would advise you to take IOU’s Diploma course: THE NEW MUSLIM which is completely free of cost. It covers all the details that would prove highly beneficial to you, in shaa’ Allah. Please visit this site for further details: http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/opencampus/
If you have any queries on how to register and further procedure, kindly e-mail info@iou.edu.gm.
I hope this is helpful, in shaa’ Allah. 🙂
Insha Allah..I will definitely read about it on the online university.
I am already registered on it.
JazakAllah Khairan
Your information was very helpful 🙂
Allah guide us all to the right path
Aameen.
great reminder. Can you plz throw some light on sunna izkar in Ramadan. And itekaf rulings specially for women’s with kids to look after.
Thank you
Sister, I do not wish to comment on this as I am not qualified to do so. You may try Dr Bilal Philips’ Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/DrBilalPhilips
In shaa’ Allah, he will help you with it. 🙂
BarakAllah feek. . Masha Allah very nice advice insha Allah let’s start doing these activities for the sake of Allah this Ramadan and ask Allah to keep it even after Ramadan with us..
Ameen!:)
[…] “plans” are what I am planning to get done before Ramadan this year. I am sure you might be having some great ideas too! Please share them with us so that we can […]
Jazak ALLAH khair sister Aishah. Masha Allah you are a very kind and helpful person. May Allah forgive you and give you more wisdom and energy to spread the message of Islam Aameen, please pray for me as i am struggling for the job as well as pray for my health too. I am mentally depressed and negative thoughts come into my mind when i pray. I am sure you will help me by giving good advice.
BarakAllahu feek. Ameen to the dua’s.
May Allah ease all your worries and grant you complete shifa’.
Negativity is the work of Shaytan; one of his tricks to pull you into the depressions of this dunya. Busy yourself with the dhikr of Allah and the Qur’an with its understanding. Beg for His forgiveness. Talk to Allah, literally. Pour your heart out to Him and you will see how better you feel. Ask Him to ease your sorrow and send tranquility upon you. Ask Him to help you to be patient in these times and be among those who are grateful to Him in difficulty and in ease. Trust Allah with the most sincere of intentions and know that He alone can help us. Remember that Allah never burdens us much more than we can bear. Allah has told us that:
Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.[Surah Ash-Sharĥ, 94:6]
Remember, that His promise is always true…
Add this small but powerful dua of Hazrat Noon a.s
Fa’daa rab’bahu anni mughlouban fantasir.
‘ So he asked O my Lord, I am poor/overpowered, please help me.’ Surah Qamar, ayat 10
BarakAllahu feek brother!
Hazrat Nooh A.S **
Well written article and very useful guideline as well. JazkAllah sister Aisha.
BarakAllahu feek Brother.
“You must make an attempt to turn to Allah SWT. Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to make you steadfast in your pursuit, ask Him to help you attain His pleasure. We are the slaves of Allah SWT. Submit to Him with humbleness. Beg for His forgiveness, yearn for His Mercy, ask for His Guidance, for the ones who are truly guided are the ones guided by Allah!” MASHA ALLAH! what a true inspiration! i loved and enjoyed every bit of this article. AISHAH AHMED we needed this most! JAZAKA ALLAH sister. may ALLAH SWT bless and reward you for this educative article.
BarakAllahu feek Brother. May Allah enable us to serve His deen in a way that pleases Him.
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JazakAllah khair….only Allak pak can give u rewards for these efforts u r doing for us to help us to see the right path…jazak Allah
BarakAllahu feeki Sister. May Allah accept it from us and may He give us the ability to strive on His path.
Jazaka Allahu kheiran and may Allah also bless everyone who has put tireless n priceless effort to see this account nourishing. May Allah , make us easy for everyon to learn n reflect His Seen and reflect to our life. Jazaka Allahu kheiran
BarakAllahu feek. Ameen!
Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullah. Jazak Allahu Khair for this beneficial article but i want to know whether we can keep fast for the first half of Shaban or anytime in the whole month.
Wa’alaykum salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu
Brother, I do not wish to comment on this as I am not qualified to do so. You may try Dr Bilal Philips’ Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/DrBilalPhilips
Alternatively, you can also check the questions and answers on this thread: http://islamqa.info/en/cat/2038
I hope this is helpful, in shaa’ Allah.
[…] for Daw’ah or as a governor of a place, the Prophet made it a point to remind him to observe taqwa (God consciousness). This advice was given to Abu dhar Ghifari and also to Muad bin Jabal […]
Asalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!
May Allah Reward you sister Aisha for the excellent topic which really helped me in boosting my taqwa. I would also like to add that if only we Muslims try to make a plan before Ramadan we would be surprised to see that Almighty Allah would maximize the possibilities of our good actions in the month ahead. May Allah reward us with the best of rewards both in this world and the hereafter.
Wa ‘alaykumassalaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu
Ameen! Yes, that is true as Allah always makes it easy for us when we turn towards Him.
jazak Allaahu khayran sis Aishah for the timely reminder.
Assalamualaikum
I’m really educated with all this article s of yours.May Allah reward you abundantly
Wa ‘alaykumassalaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu
Ameen, wa iyyaki! 🙂
Alhamdulillah Jazaakallahu’kyaran….may Allah guide us and give us strength and faith
to worship him….4ever with all our abilities.(ameen)
Ameen!
Jazak Allah khairun sister for such a great article to understand the purpose of Ramadan.
I just want to suggest all my brothers and sisters that to implment the system of justice in the land of Allah is also Taqwa.
So we have to start from our family,friends and society to raise the standing of Muslims.
[…] delegation for Daw’ah or as a governor of a place, the Prophet made it a point to remind him to observe taqwa(God consciousness). This advice was given to Abu dhar Ghifari and also to Muad bin […]
[…] Realization of completing one level gives a boost of confidence to excel in the next, in turn, pumping more taqwa in our souls. If we take a minute and have a look at our mirrors, we should say to ourselves “Abdullah […]
[…] Realization of completing one level gives a boost of confidence to excel in the next, in turn,pumping more taqwa in our souls. If we take a minute and have a look at our mirrors, we should say to ourselves […]
[…] Realization of completing one level gives a boost of confidence to excel in the next, in turn, pumping moretaqwa in our souls. If we take a minute and have a look at our mirrors, we should say to ourselves “Abdullah (you), […]
[…] Time Management is divided between planning and application. Without adequate planning, there isn’t anything much to apply and the result is another Ramadan that just flies by. To plan for Ramadan, we need to be clear regarding the goals (Maqasid) of Ramadan, which is to attain taqwa. Therefore, our objective of Ramadan should be an increase in guidance and taqwa. […]
Jazakallahu khairann katheera May Allaah bless you and reward you for all your good works In Sha Allaah this will be the best Ramadan for all believes and IN Sha allaah more and more disbelievers will come to accept Allah’s Deen. Do remember in your prayers.
Really a good article. Such articles prepare us for life ahead.
InsyaALLAH. This article has opened my eyes to keep believing in ALLAH and his summons. Thank you.
This is what I wanted it inspired me motivated me and boosted my eeman. Great post may Allah bless you
Assalamualaikum. I am a doctor by profession. A mother of two children ( age 15yrs and 15yrs. )My husband is also a doctor. .I try to live with Taqwa. All day long l try to follow my sunnah besides my profession.
I want do more pray , more nafal ibadah, more rescite of Quran, more night nafal pray.But I can’t do that for my whole day tiredness. Some time I afraid of Allah, when will he angry with me. I think it is very less ibadah for me I do.In Ramadan, it more busy time for us women. I want to do more strong Taqwa and more nafal ibadah and more sunnah. Please give me guide line I can do practice over my business and tiredness. Thank you. Allah hafiz.
asalam o alaikum
mashaa ALLAH the article.u rite its.out standing nd beneficiel for all of us Aisha.
i hope.every one whi reads.this will surely act upon this in this ramadan nd making this bestest ramadan insha ALLAH as myself i realy appriciet of ur work for our deen ALLAH SWT gives knoldge of his deen to every one nd also give hidaya to act upon it
jazakALLAH.
[…] we still have a bunch of people amongst us who are unable to understand the importance of action plan for Ramadan. Even though we know all about the sacredness of the month of Ramadan and fasting, the […]
Assalamualaikum
Masha Allah sister.may Allah involves everyone to spread the msg of peace n , give hidayah to every knowledgeable sister to work like u.
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