How to prepare for Ramadan 2021?

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened.”?

Sahih al-Bukhari 1898 Book 30, Hadith 8

Introduction

Some years ago, there was a vibe about the way Muslims approached the holy month of Ramadan. Preparing for the blessed month had its own charm, its own flavor. But life has become so haphazard, so messy in the 21st century that we have forgotten the traditions of our Prophet (PBUH). Yes, He (PBUH) used to prepare in advance for the holy month of blessings! It makes all the sense in the world as well. You see, fasting doesn’t refer to just abstaining from food. Rather, you should think of it as a refresher course that tweaks your character back to a refined version. The acts, the deeds which help you celebrate Ramadan in proper spirit! If you are looking for an article that helps you recall these acts so that you are well prepared for Ramadan 2021, then you have landed on just the right page!

Five acts essential to the preparation

Of course, there are more than just the five acts that can help you prepare for Ramadan 2021. But because of the obvious limitation of time and space, we are going to discuss the top five habits you need to adopt, at least three months before Ramadan 2021!

1-Fasting

Fasting before fasting, yes you read that right. If you had the misfortune of missing a few fasts in Ramadan 2020, here is your chance to make up for the lost opportunities. There is enough time left for you! But even if you are on schedule, you can still fast for the sake of your health. The junk that we keep eating all year accumulates into our body cells, in the form of toxins. Fasting will definitely help you get rid of these toxins, and contribute to be an amazing transformation in your life. It is a matter of control more than anything else, and fasting before Ramadan will give you that control for sure!

2-Praying

Not talking about obligatory prayers here! But if you have missed some of your obligatory prayers since the last year or so, now is your chance to make up for the lost chances. However, if you are on schedule in terms of your prayer count, you should use this time to pray Nawafil. The benefits of praying Nawafil are too many to be covered in this limited space. All we can say that if you make a habit of praying Nawafil now, it will be much easier for you to carry the routine moving into Ramadan 2021!

3-Repenting

We sin, we repent and then we sin again. Allah’s (SWT)’s mercy is something many of us take for granted, but when one has an opportunity to think about things, one becomes more and more cognizant of the fact that we don’t deserve this benevolence as sinful beings. The fact that the doors of benevolence are open for us till the last breath tells you a lot about how much Allah (SWT) cares for us, his (SWT)’s mere subjects! Now, we all are living busy lives, hence the opportunities to take some time and self-evaluate are scarce. Ramadan is one such opportunity that you should definitely avail of. But that process of self-evaluation has to start sometime before Ramadan, and it has to start now!

4-Eating

You are complaining about fasting because you aren’t doing it the right way! While it is understandable that some key elements are missing from your diet while you are fasting, you have to work out a way in which you can replenish yourself with these lost items in your pre-dawn meal and iftar. There is still some time left before we welcome Ramadan 2021, use this time to evaluate the nutritional content of different food items. Do not let your cravings get the better of you, go for healthy! Overeating and hunger strikes are two extremes, one should adopt the way of moderation. And that is going to be possible only if you can make a diet plan which supplements you with enough energy!

5-Donating

Although the donation is not bound by a specific time or month, Muslims love to donate more in the holy month of Ramadan. And the reason is simple, everyone wants to double the blessings and the promised rewards on offer in return for charity! Apart from Sadaqah, zakat is the symbol donation of Muslim charity. And if you have paid zakat previously, you will know that calculating zakat can be a real challenge. So, if you are going to pay zakat in Ramadan 2021, now would be the best time to prepare your zakat sheets in Excel! You will also need to identify the candidates who are worthy of your zakat money. One option that you can consider is charity organizations and NGOs. One organization that you can donate your zakat money to is Transparent Hands!

Pay Zakat Online A bit about Transparent Hands

Transparent Hands is the largest technological platform for crowdfunding in the healthcare sector of Pakistan. It offers a complete range of free healthcare services including medical and surgical treatments, medical camps, and telehealth facilities to the underprivileged community of Pakistan. The platform provides visibility to underprivileged patients and builds a personal and trusted bond between patients and donors while ensuring complete transparency. It also sets up free medical camps in the rural areas of Pakistan in which, free medical consultation, free medicines, and free diagnostic tests are provided to deserving patients. Donors from all over the world can use the Transparent Hands crowdfunding web portal and donate through 100% secure payment modes. They could select any patient, fund the treatment, and receive regular feedback and updates until the patient has recovered completely.

Conclusion

Well folks, time to wrap up this debate about Ramadan preparations, but we do hope you learned a lot from this discussion! Apart from becoming familiar with how you can prepare for Ramadan 2021, you now also know of a place, a route through which you can help the underprivileged members of society. Hopefully, any ambiguities that you had in mind before reading this discussion are now gone. And with that happy thought, we bid you farewell from this discussion! Source: transparenthands.org

how to Pray Tarawih at home – Do I Pray 8 or 20 Rakat? Can I Read From a Quran? All Answered

Q: What is tarawih?

A: Tarawih prayers are Sunnah (1) prayers performed at night after Isha (2) Salah during the month of Ramadan. These night prayers have been emphasised in Ahadith (3) and can also be called “qiyam al layl” (night prayers). Tarawih prayers are classed as either Sunnah mu’akkadah (emphasised Sunnah) or nafil (optional).

Q: Why should I pray tarawih?

A: There are many rewards for praying the tarawih prayers: Additionally, as the rewards for good deeds are multiplied during the month of Ramadan, the rewards for tarawih are even greater: During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the tarawih prayers were prayed in congregation for a short period of time, after which the Prophet ﷺ changed this practice and performed the prayer at home. This was done out of fear that people would start to consider it to be compulsory. During the time of Umar ibn al Khattab (the second caliph), may Allah be pleased with him, twenty rak’at (6) of tarawih prayer were led in congregation daily. These practices established by Umar ibn al Khattab came to be recognised as Sunnah, based on the hadith:

Q: How do I pray in congregation at home? For a female-only congregation:

The woman who leads the prayer (imamah) will stand in the first row, between the other women in her row. A second woman (preferably not the imamah) will say the iqamah*. The imamah will recite everything as she normally would. Qur’an recitation, and all the takbeerat for changing positions, should be said out loud. Anyone who is following her in prayer (in technical terms called a muqtadi) should follow her actions and make sure that they don’t precede her—e.g. a muqtadi cannot go into prostration before the imamah does! For a congregation with a male imam: As a muqtadi, there is no difference between following a male or female imam, and the prayer will be made in the same way. The only difference is in the formation of the rows: a male imām will stand in front of the rows of men and women (on his own), rather than between them. Praying at the mosque vs at home

Q: Where do I pray tarawih?

A: You can pray tarawih in congregation in a masjid, as most masajid (15) will hold tarawih prayers (when not in lockdown!). However, you can also pray tarawih at home, alone (please see above for the how to), or in congregation with family and friends. I have fond childhood memories of gathering with cousins and attempting to finish twenty rak’at amidst laughter, tiredness and midnight snacks! As the tarawih prayer is not one of the five compulsory prayers, it is actually recommended to pray it at home so that you can vary its length according to your own concentration levels.

Q: What about if I start praying some rak’at in the masjid and complete the rest at home?

A: That is absolutely fine; you can pray some in the masjid and some at home. This is usually nice as you get to experience both types of prayer: the congregational prayer and the solitary prayer .

Q: If I pray at home, can I take a break or a nap in between, or do I have to pray it all at once?

A: Taking breaks or taking naps in between is fine. It’s important to make sure your body is rested so that you can concentrate as much as possible in your salah. May Allah accept all our acts of worship this Ramadan.

Footnotes & Reference Information

1.Sunnah: an act that was carried out by the Prophet ﷺ; it is recommended that we follow in his footsteps and get rewarded on acting upon these acts. 2.Isha: The last compulsory prayer of the day 3.Ahadith: plural of hadith: Sayings of the Prophet ﷺ 4. Bukhari and Muslim 5. Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah 6. Rak’at: plural of Rak’ah: unit of prayer 7. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi 8. Fard: compulsory 9. Witr prayer: an odd number of prayers (either 1 or 3 rak’at), prayed after Isha, with a special qunoot du’a. 10. Bukhari and Muslim 11. Narrated by Musnad Ibn Abi Shaybah, although this hadith has been deemed as weak. 12. Bukhari and Muslim 13. Suwar: plural of surah: chapter of the Quran 14. Quranic scripture 16. Masajid: plural of masjid: mosque Source: amaliah.com