Ramadan: How to achieve greater rewards
By Razaq Haruna
One of the most virtuous months in the Islamic Hijrah Calendar through which a Muslim can achieve greater rewards is the Blessed Month of Ramadan (the 9th month of the Islamic Hijrah Calendar). Therefore, in order to be entitled to this greater rewards (of the blessed month of Ramadan), below are some guidelines to follow:
(1) To keep in mind the conditions for the acceptance of deeds in Islam; namely: iman (belief, faith in Allah), ikhlas (sincerity, by doing deeds for Allah’s sake only) and mutaba‘a rasulu (doing deeds in accordance with Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) instructions) while carrying out all deeds during Ramadan.
(2) To identify each of the meritorious acts in the blessed month of Ramadan, their status (e.g. obligatory or supererogatory), the proper ways to perform the acts (e.g. according to authentic sources of Islam, giving preference to obligatory acts from Qur’an and sunnah over supererogatory acts from Qur’an and sunnah etc.) and try to put the deeds into practice according to one’s capability.
(3) To rejoice with and congratulate one another at the beginning of the month. The Prophet (SAW) used to share with his Companions the good news of the onset of Ramadan, and urge them to make the most of it. Abu Hurairah (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month. Allah has made it obligatory on you to fast (this month). During it, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. In it, there is a night that is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed”. (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, 4/129; Sahiih al-Targhiib, 1/490).
(4) To hasten to repentance and turning back to Allah.
(5) To have the right frame of mind and fear Allah when performing the deeds of Ramadan.
(6) To fast, according to the laid down rules. These include:
(i) To have the intention of fasting before fajr (break of dawn). The Prophet (SAW) said: Whosoever did not intend his fast during the night (before fajr), there will not be record of fasting for such person on that day. Intention is the resolution in the heart to do something; speaking, it aloud is bid’ah (a reprehensible innovation), and anyone who knows that tomorrow is one of the days of Ramadan and wants to fast has made the intention. (Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam, 25/215). The intention may be made at any point during the night, even if it is just a moment before fajr.
(ii) Desire to take sahuur (the early morning meal) and delaying it until just before the adhaan of fajr.
(iii) To avoid things that void fast such as eating, drinking, sexual intercourse etc. from fajr till sunset. Allah said: “…then complete your fast till the nightfall…”.
(iv) To keep away from sin, because the Prophet (SAW) said: “When any of you is fasting, let him not commit sin…”. (Bukhaari)
(v) To keep away from things that can destroy one’s good deeds and bring bad deeds and these include: allowing oneself to be distracted by movies, idle gatherings, hanging about in the streets with evil people and time-wasters, etc.
(vi) Not allowing one to be provoked, because the Prophet (SAW) said: “If someone fights him or insults him, he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting”. (Bukhaari)
(vii) Being generous by sharing knowledge, giving money, using one’s position of authority or physical strength to help others, and having a good attitude.
(viii) To hasten the iftaar (breaking of the fast) because the Prophet (SAW) said: “The people will be fine, so long as they do not delay iftaar”. (Bukhaari). Breaking one’s fast in the manner described in the hadith.
(ix) Not eating too much sahuur and iftar, because the Prophet (SAW) said: The best sahuur for the believer is dates”. (Sahiih al-Targhiib, 1/448). He said in another hadith that: “The son of Adam fills no worse vessel than his stomach”. (Tirmidhi, no. 2380; he said: this is a hasan sahiih hadiith).
(x) To combine fast with feeding the poor, since it is one of the means of attaining Paradise, as the Prophet (SAW) said: “In Paradise, there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside and the inside can be seen from the outside. Allah has prepared them for those who feed the poor, who are gentle in speech, who fast regularly and who pray at night when people are asleep”. (Ahmad 5/34)
Source : https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/ramadan-how-to-achieve-greater-rewards/
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