How can we honor the month of Rajab and use it as a preparation for Ramadan?

                   How can we honor the month of Rajab and use it as a preparation for Ramadan?

Reflect on your Life and Deeds. Take some alone time and ask yourself the hard questions we normally don’t like to think about: If I died today, where would I stand with Almighty Allaah? Have I prepared for Ramadan?

Have I been conscious of what I am saying and doing to those around me? Am I stagnant in my worship?  

Deprive your Nafs (lower self).

“Teach your nafs a lesson. We shouldn’t always give it what it wants.” 

This does not mean that we starve ourselves or do not take care of our bodies. One of the goals of Ramadan is to increase in our God-

consciousness by not indulging ourselves with what our soul desires.

Eat a simple meal for a few days instead of an expensive or huge meal.

Wake up early and go for a walk. Pray extra prayers. Go to the mosque

for Fajr if you normally do not do so. Exert yourself and do something to

“teach your nafs a lesson.”

Fasting. There is no better way to prepare for Ramadan than to fast some extra days…. In Rajab and Shaban.

Remember the Hereafter.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Hell complained to its Lord saying: O Lord! My parts are eating (destroying) one another. So Allaah Almighty allowed it to take two breaths, one in the winter and the other in the summer.

The breath in the summer is at the time when you feel the severest heat and the breath in the winter is at the time when you feel the severest cold.”

                                                                         (Bukhaari)

 

Charity. Most of us do some act of charity every day without realizing it. In this sacred month, be charitable with the intention of pleasing God.

Being courteous, helping someone, feeding another, saying a good word, sharing a reminder and even abstaining from doing a bad deed are all non-monetary forms of charity taught to us by our Beloved Holy Prophet ﷺ.  

Supplicate (make du`a’) to Allaah Kareem. Ask for His forgiveness and guidance. Ask HIM to bless us to reach Ramadan and to make the month of Rajab, and the following month of Sha’ban, a means for us to prepare for Ramadan.