Preparing for Ramadhan 2011

i thought ramadhan was starting early august, so more than 35 days to go?

I meant 65 :/

I'm too keen for it to start you see 8) 😛 😃

dreading it.

Actually, I am not. I am ignoring its approach.

The fasts are going to be loooong!

wooooooo for the enthusiasm!

Its coming around waaayyy to fast (Ironic).
But actually, im really excited... Ramadhan gets everyone together, like for taraweeh and iftar. Its the one chance where your soul will be fed (inshallah) and you can feel a proper bond with Allah(swt). Oh and sometimes you can lose a few pounds! 😃 (but not if you pile up with the kebabs and samosas)
But can you imagine ramadhan withought a good helping of asian fatty food at iftar? 😃

I actually can't wait for Ramadhan, not just for the amazing food i will eat at Iftar. It's the one time you don't have anything holding you back, so much ibaadah to do and so little time. I especially love how everyone around you is just thinking about the akhira and how to please Allah(swt) and how everyone is reminding each other to stay away from sin.

The way i look at preparing for Ramadhan is like when someone trains for a marathon, you can't just expect to finish the race without training for before hand. Not only do you want to finish the race but you should aim to finish with a decent time, so the way i should prepare for Ramadhan is the same. I should try to slowly increase the amount of ibaadah i do every day by maybe reading more quran, try praying nafl salat more often whatever you think you need to do more of just start now slowly.

I once heard that the Sahabah R.A used to prepare for Ramadhan five months prior to it and the spiritual boost that gave them lasted another 5 months after.

May Allah(swt) guide us all. Ameen

even though ramadan is going too be hard coz its longer...we're GOING TO BE AT HOME!!!which means no homework, no going out to school,no useless studying. just RAMADAN.

i always aim to finish the whole Quran.

i'd like to see other ideas as well..coz usually, in all my spare time i just READ QURAN lol.

i guess also do ALL my morning and evening dhikr (oh..there's going to be LOADS of time to get this done)

I'm going to have h/w unfortunately :/

Already know there's some kind of 'project' for sociology and I'm sure other teachers will give me h/w too :/

Ah well, it's a long day; enough time for everything, iA 😃

[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE]

Ah well, it's a long day; enough time for everything, iA :D[/quote]

thats what im talking about!

Im good to go, samoosas are ready.

Why would you be doing that, the only time where all the muslims are together actually uniting hehehe (lol, me getting happy)its such an amazing time. Love going out at night to do taraweeh its soooo perfect for remiding your self of allah (swt) 🙂

[quote=Angel In Disguise]Why would you be doing that,[/quote]
doing what?

-

My motivation's gone down. 🙁

Anyway, I need to pick a topic to read up on and then we will be having little talk thing at home, everyday.

Dunno what to choose. Thought I'd read and listen to talks about tafsir's of a few surahs then share that info but that's seems to complex for me to understand atm :/

So yeah, maybe focus on the life of The Prophet ﷺ or the sahaba (ra).

Any recommendations?

You could talk about the Prophet Ayyub (as) about how he always had faith in Allah no matter what Shaytaan tried to do to misguide him. You could talk about how he had everything from health to wealth and alot of children and how slowly all of that was taken away from him yet he still had full faith and trust in Allah.

It's a great story for everyone and one that we can all relate to in one way or another. It teaches one to have sabr and to be thankful to Allah.

Make the most of time!
Learn that time is valuable and do not waste time.
And iA will continue this practice after Ramadan.

(: i was replying to this comment

'dreading it.

Actually, I am not. I am ignoring its approach.'

Why you be dreading/ignoring its approach ramadan is better than a 1000 months so like yeah.

p.s- having them little talks things with your family, ah i remeber them.... :/ my dad was the one who did most talking but like it was interesting whilst it lasted.

[quote=Angel In Disguise](: i was replying to this comment

'dreading it.

Actually, I am not. I am ignoring its approach.'[/quote] ohh! Next time click 'quote' so it's clear what you're replying to 🙂

[quote]
p.s- having them little talks things with your family, ah i remeber them.... :/ my dad was the one who did most talking but like it was interesting whilst it lasted.[/quote]
sounds good, why don't you ask your dad to start doing them again? 🙂

[/quote] ohh! Next time click 'quote' so it's clear what you're replying to 🙂

Ahaha, yeah shows what kind of newbie i am 😛

[quote]
p.s- having them little talks things with your family, ah i remeber them.... :/ my dad was the one who did most talking but like it was interesting whilst it lasted.[/quote]
sounds good, why don't you ask your dad to start doing them again? :)[/quote]

Tbh, i actually don't know... allahu a3lam (:

Reminds me i could make this my first target for ramadan inshallah

wow that reply looks so bad, you can't tell who wrote what, oh well...

press edit, then delete all the quoting stuff. then just copy what Power of silence wrote writing "power of silence wrote: "..." " then you reply underneath.

when you want to quote, in the future, just press the quote button on the post you want to quote. it will quote EVERYTHING in that post. just leave it and dont temper with it. UNDERNEATH you write your answer. that should work.

PS: you can press edit on any of YOUR post.

wouah! MAJOR deja-vu feeling.

there is a hadith somewhere i think where Allah says that He will not let anyone feel thirsty on the day of judgement if they fasted (for His sake) in the midday heat.

my reply wasnt just for you. i was hoping it would contribute to everyone. maybe you're tired. im going to shut up.

Im getting butterflies in my stomach.... Ramadhan is making me nervous.... I have no idea why though!!!!

Regarding the topics about faih, you could talk about Bilal (ra) or Summayah (may Allah be pleased with her) who stuck to their faith when they were being tortured by the non muslims...

What if we changed our perspective and started planning for Ramadan the way we would plan for a marathon? How different will our experience be if we were already prepared, sprinting into Ramadan with full iman gusto? The way we can do that is by training way in advance in order to build our spiritual stamina. Whether we are preparing for Ramadan or any other event in our life there are a series of steps we need to take in order to achieve our goals:

“ A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Larry Elder

1. Write down the goals, prioritize based on importance and make a plan.
Break down large goals into small, achievable goals. For instance, if one of our goals is to complete the Quran during Ramadan then make a plan to read for instance 4 pages after each prayer. This will make it easy to achieve. By starting ahead of time and taking small steps towards the goal, once Ramadan comes along we will be prepared & trained.

To start with the end in mind means to have a clear understanding of the destination. Stephen R. Covey

2. We need to focus on what we want to achieve and what kind of outcomes we want. Visualize achieving the goals. We need to see ourselves overcoming our temptations, reaching our goals and having success. See yourself achieving attainable goals for Ramadan.

What the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve! Napoleon Hill

3. Ask yourself good questions: The questions we ask or the questions we fail to ask shapes our destiny. The way we evaluate our life is by asking questions; therefore if we ask good questions then our mind can come up with good answers which will affect our interpretation of events. We need to ask what is good about this situation? What can I learn from this test? How can I bring out the best in this person? How can I make the most of Ramadan?

It’s not the events that shape our life that determine how we feel and act, but rather, it’s the way we interpret and evaluate our life. Anthony Robbins

4. Be optimistic: Having a nice, positive attitude makes all the difference in achieving any goals. When a person is hopeful, puts trust in Allah and makes the necessary effort, anything is possible.

Right now we need to start implementing the steps to achieving our Ramadan goals in order to get the maximum benefit:

Start fasting Mondays and Thursdays to prepare your body for Ramadan – this would be equivalent to 2 intensive work outs during a week to prepare for a marathon.

‘A’isha said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to take care to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.” [at-Tirmidhi]

2. Increase your baseline in worship by simply increasing your worship – so if you currently only pray the obligatory prayers, start praying sunnah and also do the thikr afterwards – this would be like increasing the amount of weight you are pumping in the gym.

3. Set goals for reading Quran daily- reading the Quran nourishes the soul the way healthy, nutritious food rejuvenates the body. So start feeding your soul!

4. Start praying tahajud even if it’s once a week – this will prepare your body and soul for the upcoming spiritual awakening

5. Gather all your clothes, toys and household goods to give away in Ramadan to multiply your rewards. This will get your generosity muscle flexed and prepared for a month of giving of the things you love most like money & your free time.

Full article

I wouldn't turn up for a marathon.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa heheheheee can't wait 'shahra ramdhanu ahsan min alfi shahr' for those who dont speak arabic 'the month of ramadhan is better than 1000 months' i get like this weird butterfly feeling you know the kind you get when you think you've found your 'perfect match' .... okay thats weird but like yeah i love ramadan sooo much (: (: (: (: (:

[quote=Angel In Disguise] when you think you've found your 'perfect match' .... okay thats weird but like yeah i love ramadan sooo much (: (: (: (: (:[/quote]
😂 can't say I've experienced that feeling, but good stuff 😛 😃

I'm actually preparing myself this year. Or I think I am.

Its easy in Turkey with my current routine and lack of fitnah, but I am going back to London just before Ramadan starts.

Thank God there is no uni this year to distract me.

OR does the real test begin after the month is over.

O Allah (swt), please give us more than just hunger and thirst from our fasts. Ameen!

[quote=Ya'qub]I'm actually preparing myself this year. Or I think I am.

OR does the real test begin after the month is over.

O Allah (swt), please give us more than just hunger and thirst from our fasts. Ameen![/quote]

True say! Ameen! 😃

Ameen

I need a diet. something that will include everything i need to it so as not to miss anything out of my diet and start dying...

coz the fast will be long. i will have to devise a strategic battleplan as to what goes in and what stays out.

or..i could just get vit suplement? lol