Goals for Ramadan

1. Eat, drink and be moderate 
Almost all of us do it – once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it’s hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we’re supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let’s try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.
2. Give a dollar a day in charity…or five or ten
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let’s open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it’s the intention that counts.
3. Memorize 4 new Surahs 
Memorizing the Quran often seems like a daunting task. But the key is doing it in small bites. Since there are four weeks in Ramadan, try to memorize one new Surah a week. Start off with a short, easy one. Once you’ve started, you’ll build momentum and may even want to memorize a longer one the following week.
4. Go to Tarawih prayers 
Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan’s blessings. Don’t miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least one week.
5. Attend the Tarawih prayer in which the recitation of the Quran will be finished
Call the local mosque and find out which day the Imam will be finishing the recitation of the Quran in prayer. Attend to not only hear part of the Quran’s recitation in prayer, but also participate in the heart-rending Duas that follow it.
6. Stop swearing and/or backbiting � with a special box
It’s hard not to shoot our mouths off when someone’s upset us. Whether we utter those four-letter words or backbite about someone to our family and friends, we know this isn’t the God-approved way of letting off steam. In Ramadan, when we want to build our spirituality, we’ve got to wage Jihad against our bad habits.
Try this: get a box and every time you catch yourself swearing or backbiting put some money in it. It could be a buck or less. The point is to choose an amount that makes it feel like punishment.

At the end of the month send the money to a charity or buy a gift for the person whom you’ve backbitten the most against.
7. Call/email your relatives 
You’d think that given the easy access to email, competitive long-distance calling rates, phone cards, etc. these days, we’d keep in touch with family and friends more often. But the opposite seems to be the case, as we get caught up in life’s “busyness.”

Strengthening ties with family members and keeping in touch with friends is part of our way of life and an act Allah is very pleased with. This Ramadan, call family and friends or at least email them a Ramadan card and ask them how their fasting is going.
8.Go on a technology diet 
Even if you work in the IT industry, you can do this. Avoid checking personal email and surfing the web during your fast. After Iftar, instead of plopping yourself in front of the screen, go to Tarawih. The same goes for the television. The point is to try to give our full attention to spiritual elevation this month.

9. Read 5 minutes of Quran a day…just five, not more, not less Even if you feel you’ve got absolutely no time, set a timer or the alarm on your cell phone and find a relatively quiet place. You can read the first page of the Quran you open or follow a sequence. The choice is yours. The point is simply to connect with God through His revelation in the month of the Quran.
10. Forgive everyone who has hurt you
Still got a festering wound from the fight with your friend last year? Still upset about something your spouse said during a heated argument? Or are you still bitter about the way your parents sometimes treated you as a kid? Let go of the anger and pain this Ramadan and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving someone is not only good for the body, but it’s also great for the soul. And in Ramadan, ten days of which are devoted to Allah’s forgiveness, shouldn’t we lesser beings forgive too?

If you find it very difficult to forgive everyone, forgive at least three people.

Ramadan Preperation

Ramadan is just around the corner. Here are some tips of how to make the best out of this blessed month.


TIPS:

1. Clean up the time:

a) Telephone: Try to minimize your chat on the telephone. If you are used to chat with your friends on a regular basis, try to make it short. Share with her the importance of this month & tell her that you want to devote yourself for Ibaadah in order to get the maximum reward in this month. Try to share with her these tips.

b) Cooking: Try to cook something simple during Ramadan as this is a month of Ibaadah & Quraan, not a month of food. There are some husbands who push their wifes to cook different varieties of food & sisters have to spend their time in the kitchen. If its very necessary, keep a tape of Quraan in the kitchen & listen to it while you are busy in Kitchen, or keep your toungue moist with the Zikr. [Try to find out some short cut & tips to prepare the food quickly]
C) Shopping: Try to get all your shopping done before Ramadan. Make a list of the things/grocery/ items, that is enough for one month & buy it all together.

Important: Try to do the Eid shopping NOW. The last ten days of Ramadan when we have to be doing more Ibaadah & spend our time in doing good deeds, most of the muslims are busy in doing shopping for Eid & their kids.
Sisters! These ten days, we has to exaggerate ourself in doing more ibaadah & to catch Laila-ul_qadr. Try to make this Ramadan a very different from all the previous ramadaans.
D) Dinner Party/Iftaar: Iftaar parties during ramadan are getting very common now. This is the Month for you sisters. we have the rest of the full year to do parties & to get socialize. Indeed its a great reward to break someone’s fast but try to give food to people who are needy & poor. The prophet Sallalahu alaihi wasallam said,
�Whoever gives food to a fasting person with which to break his fast, will have a reward equal to his, without it detracting in the slightest from the reward of the fasting person.� (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3/171; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/451).
E) Sleeping: Cut less the time of sleep during this month. Its a month of Ibaadha, doing good deeds. Who knows this could be our last ramadan. try to reduce your sleeping hours. Its only one month & then you can get back to your normal routine.
F) Computer & Internet: this is my personal request.I am spending lot of time on the internet, though visiting Islamic sites & checking & sending emails. Try to spend less time on the internet.
Now when we have cleaned up a big amount of time, lets schedule it for Ibaadhah.

1) Fard: Pray the Obligatory salah on time with Khushoo. Get yourself ready as soon as the salah comes in. Make duaa to Allah to give you Khushoo. & try to get rid of all the thoughts & waswaas that comes in the mind. Think of that you are standing infront of your LORD the Almighty.
2) Sunnah: If you are already praying the 12 sunnah, continue them & add the 2 rak’ah of sunnah after Zuhr. [making them 14 altogether].
The prophet Sallalahu alaihi wasallam said,
�Whoever maintain 4 rak’ah before Zuhr & 4 rak’ah after zuhr, Allah will make the fire Haram on that person” [Ibn-Majah]
4 rak’ah before Asr: The prophet Sallalahu alaihi wasallam said,
�may Allah have mercy on him who prays 4 rak’ah before Asr”. [Tirmidi]

Salah Al-Duha: Increase the no. of Rak’ah if you are already in a habit of praying salah al-Duha.

3) Qur’aan: Ramadaan is the month of Quraan. Try to schedule it all the moments you have. If you are working, try to keep a pocket size Quraan with you & read it whenever you get the time,like, coffee break, lunch break, etc
Try to read with reflection. Read slowly in a beautiful voice & reflect on its meaning. Try to read this time, with translation & tafseer.
3) Traweeh & Qiyaam-ul-lail: Try to read the traweeh in the mosque where the Imaam is doing long Qiyaam.
4) Tahajjud: Try to get up little earlier to pray 2 rak’ah & make duaa. Its the best time for making duaa & accepntance of duaa.
5) Du’aa: Write all the duaa you want to make for yourself, your children, family or any duaa that you want to make. Each day try to focus on duaa, & keep on repeating it throughout the day & at times when the duaa is accepted. Make duaa to Allah to give you Ikhlaas, khushoo, make duaa that you catch lailat-ul-Qadr. make duaa for the whole Ummah.
[repeat the duaa that are important to you,during the last ten days of Ramadan]
6) Zikr: Select one zikr for a day & focus on it daily, reflecting on its meaning & thinking about its reward. [ get the Duaa book "Hisn-ul-muslim or hisn-ul haseen from any store]
7) Charity: Try to give as much charity as you can, as the reward gets more during the month of ramadan. Give food to the poor & needy people & help those in need.

 Last 10 days: Double & triple the amount of Ibaadah you are doing during the last ten days of Ramadan. Sleep less & worship more.. pray as much as you can & make a lot of duaa.

Keep strong family ties (hadith)

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whosever desires to have expansion in his sustenance and a prolonged life, should treat his relatives with kindness.” (Bukhari & Muslim) 

According to a Hadith, “One who joins ties when family members are co-operative and returns the same affection cannot be said to be one who joins family ties, rather the one who can truly be termed a person who joins ties is he who upholds and maintains the ties when the other family members have severed ties with him.” (Bukhari)  

A cursed person is one who is deprived of the mercy of Allah. It is an indication of this deprivation that this sin is punished in this world as well as in the Hereafter. “There is no sin more deserving of having punishment meted out by Allah to its perpetrator in advance in this world along with what He stores up for him in the next world than oppression and severing ties of family.” [Tirmidhi].  

 

Keep strong family ties!

Quran verses
16:90 (Y. Ali) Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.
2:177 (Y. Ali) It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin…
4:36 (Y. Ali) Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious.
Narrated Jubair bin Mut’im: That he heard the Prophet saying, “The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Paradise.”(Bukhari 8:73:13)
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “Who ever is pleased that he be granted more wealth and that his lease of life be pro longed, then he should keep good relations with his Kith and kin.” (Bukhari 8:73:14)
Narrated  Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) The Prophet said, “The word ‘Ar-Rahm’ (womb) derives its name from ‘Ar-Rahman’ (i.e. Allah). So whosoever keeps good relations with it (womb i.e. Kith and kin), Allah will keep good relations with him, and whosoever will sever it (i.e. severs his bonds of Kith and kin) Allah too will sever His relations with him. (Bukhari 8:73:18)
Narrated Abdullah bin ‘Amr: The Prophet said, “Al-Wasil(one who maintains good relations with his kin) is not the one who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him.” (Bukhari 8:73:20)

Action Plan

When we say “family” we mean the traditional definition of it namely husband, wife and children. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins , in laws and other relatives are also part of the extended Muslim family.
1.  Have at least one meal daily together  as a family preferably supper/dinner -- so you can catch up with each other.
2. Pray together -perform a salaah together as a family.
3. Learn something together i.e hadith, quran, arabic
4. Play board games or sport with each other.
5. Be loyal to each other, support each other and always consult the family when making big decisions.
6. Join a charity organisation and encourage the family to volunteer and assist with the cause.
7. Be nurturing to each other.Be able to communicate openly with respect to each other.
8. Set up family rules.
9. Ensure all the family chores are dealt with fairly.
10. Listen and understand each other.
 
Ideal Muslim home should be:
1. Simple and not ostentatious, for the Holy Prophet said: “Eat, drink, give sadaqah (charity) and wear good clothes as long as these things do not involve excess and arrogance.”
2. Clean, for the Noble Prophet said: “Cleanliness is part of faith.”
3. Free from statues or revolting pieces of art, for the Holy Prophet said, “God is beautiful and loves beauty.”
4. A place where there are the basic necessities of food and clothing; where meals are eaten together, and where there is hospitality and generosity.
5. A place where the greeting of Salaam (Peace) is heard at dawn and at night, and at times of going and coming.
6. A place where tenderness, love and mercy are the norm, for the Quran says: And we have made between you love and tenderness.
7. A place where the recitation of the Quran and the performance of salaat [prayers] is a daily occurrence, and where knowledge is imparted and pursued.
8. As a Muslim, one is required to maintain a close and caring relationship with one’s relatives. According to the Holy Prophet, one is required to visit relatives, inquire about their circumstances, spend on them, and give them sadaqah (charity) if they so deserve.

Taking notes!!!

1) Active listening. "Passive" listening is what you do when you watch a sitcom or have a casual conversation. In contrast, active listening is when you listen carefully to make sure you understand and learn the information that is being conveyed. Here are some things you should do to listen actively.

• Listen for the main point and major subpoints. Don't just write everything down. Listen carefully and make sure you understand what the purpose of this lecture is. As you take down notes, keep the main point in mind and make sure you understand how these notes are related.
• Listen for an organizational structure. Unless the teacher is a terrible lecturer, his or her notes are probably organized into some kind of outline. Listen carefully to figure out how the ideas are organized and they will make more sense. Of course, if your professor provides an outline by writing on the board or using PowerPoint notes, take advantage of this.
• Pay attention to organizational cues. Listen carefully for words and phrases that reflect the organizational structure of the lecture. Pay close attention to the introduction, as it will probably indicate how you should organize your notes. If the lecture begins with, "Today I'm going to talk about three ethnic conflicts in the Middle East," then you have a good idea of what's going to follow. Listen for "signpost" words to indicate a transition for one point to the next, such as "next" and "finally" and numerical signposts like "first" or "third."
• Listen with your eyes. Speakers communicate information through nonverbal communication. Watch the professor, and be aware of how he or she uses hand gestures, eye contact, and other body language to convey points.
• Remove distractions. Don't tempt yourself! Put away all potential study distractions, such as the campus newspaper, your Sudoku puzzle, your cell phone, and anything else that might be more interesting than the lecturer.
• Practice. Learning to concentrate and listen actively is an endurance skill. Make yourself do it, and it will get easier over time.

2) Proper techniques for writing and lecture notes. Learning to write down all the important information in an organized way is a challenge as well. Here are some tips to help you out:

• Write down the date and the topic of the lecture. This will help trigger your memory when you are studying.
• Learn to write quickly. Or type quickly, if you're using a laptop. Use lots of abbreviations. Don't worry about getting down every word, especially words like "a" and "the." Don't worry about writing neatly. As long as you can understand your notes, it's neat enough.
• Write down definitions. If your instructor defines a term, make sure you write it down and understand what it means. .
• Don't copy outline or PowerPoint notes word for word. Here's a common problem: a teacher puts a PowerPoint slide up, and students are so busy writing down every word on the slide that they stop listening to the lecture. This causes them to miss information that was discussed in the lecture but not written on the slide, and it also makes active listening impossible. Instead, use the notes to help you follow along.
• If your instructor indicates that something is important, mark it. This is a strong clue that something may be on the test.
• If your instructor is going too fast or is unclear, say something. Even the best lecturers get a little garbled sometimes. There's nothing rude about asking your teacher to clarify a point.
• Err on the side of writing down too much. Excess notes are probably not going to hurt you on the exam. Not writing down enough will.

3) Reviewing your notes. This is very important, but students don't do this nearly enough. Review your notes to make sure you understand all the information and to keep it fresh in your head. Here are some note reviewing tips:

• After the class period is over, rewrite or type your notes as soon as you can. This can help quite a bit with retaining the information.
• Read over your notes before each class period. This doesn't take very long and helps you contextualize the new information.
• As you look over your notes, mark anything that doesn't make sense to you. Stop by the instructor's office hour and ask for clarification, or ask a fellow student to help you out.
• Make friends with a studious fellow student. Find someone who goes to class all the time and who takes good notes, and sit down together once in awhile to compare notes with each other. Even if you listen actively and come to class all the time, you're bound to miss a point here and there, so this can help you both out.
• Get help if necessary. If you're having problems, show your professor your notes and ask for some guidance. Or stop by your campus study skills center and have someone go over your notes with you.

Read more at Suite101: How to Take Effective Class Notes: Active Listening and Lecture Note Taking Skills for College Students http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_take_effective_class_notes#ixzz0uolJxv9b

Friday Reminders

Recite Surah Kahf
Abu saeed khudri (R.A) says that Rasulalah (S.A.W) has said that :
"Whoever recite Suratul-Kahf on Friday (the night between Thursday and Friday) enjoys the illumination between two fridays."(Nasai)
Hazarat Abdullah Bin Umar(R.A.) says that the Rasulallah(S.A.W) has said that: "Whoever recites Suratul-Kahf on Friday, will enjoy a light shining from his feet to the heaven and will have his sins forgiven comitted between the two Fridays." (Ibn Marduya)
Friday Bath:
Hazrat Abu Amama (R.A.) says that the Rasulallah (S.A.W) has said that: "The bath of Friday, pull out every sin of the man from its root." (Tibrani)
Read "Ale-imraan" after Maghrib
Abdulla Bin Abbas (R.A.) says that Rasulallah (S.A.W) has said that: "Whoever recites Suratul-Aale Imran on Friday, angels enjoy the divine shouwer of salutation on him till sunset." (Tibrani)
Read "hha-meem-Dukhan"
It is reported from Hazrat Abu Huraira (R.A.) that Rasulaalah (S.A.W) has said that:"Whoever recites Suratul-Ham-Mim Dukhan on Friday (the night between Thursday and Friday) enjoys the prayer of 70,000 angels for his forgiveness and gets all sins forgiven."(Tirmizi)

"Strive for your life in the Hereafter as if you will will die tommrow.....
and strive for your life on Earth as if you will live forever." (Islamic teaching)