How to get ready for Ramadan to get the most out of it?

The blessed month of Ramadan is the most awaited month of the year. How to get ready for Ramadan? How to spend a productive Ramadan? Having it just around the corner, all the Muslims are finding out the ways to get most of the blessing out of it and make it the best Ramadan of all the past years. We will explain how to get ready for Ramadan in the next few steps:
 

Analyze how did you spend your last Ramadan?

Start with the weakness you had last time. For instance, you can find out the areas you got failed in and the areas you achieved less than what you determined to get. Renew your determination and make a sincere prayer that Allah S.W.T makes it easy for you and make it ever productive blessed month of Ramadan.

Your weaknesses for examples:

• A lot of hours were spent on home chores last year.
• You offered fewer Iftar meals to other Muslims.
• Most of the time spent in Suhur and Iftar preparation.
• Your time was not spent in Dhikr and Nawafil.
• You missed a prayer in the Mosque.
• You did less charity and Sadaqah.

Write all those you missed in your diary and make good homework on them.

For example, doing the following acts will make a good impact on improving all of them.

• Organize all home chores and see if you can get them done before Ramadan as well like ironing your clothes, gardening, and setting up a home, etc.
• Make a schedule and budget for Iftar meals for all the neighbors and relatives nearby you.
• Start preparation of Suhur and Iftar early and prepare some stuff before Ramadan that can be frozen and used afterward as well to save time.
• Make a schedule for Dikar and Nawafil.
• Get a Tasbeeh and add more Masnoon Azkar daily.

How to prepare your own body and How to get ready for Ramadan?

Our body is naturally built to accept the changes taking some time and days. As Ramadan approaches, it needs a lot of changes like eating habits, sleeping, and waking uptime. So the following are the points you need to consider beforehand:

• Fix your sleeping habits one week ahead of Ramadan so that your body can fit into the required habits in Ramadan.
• Start voluntary fast like twice a week as Prophet PBUH did to make your body fit fasting in the month of
• See a doctor have a health checkup before Ramadan.
• Start light exercise to make your muscles adopt the habit of standing in Qiyam.
• Drink more water and have fruits to increase stamina for Qiyam and Siyam.
• Get your Eid preparation before the start of Ramadan and avoid visiting markets in Ramadan.
• Get a good Miswak for yourself and your family.
• Use perfumes to refreshing yourself to welcome Ramadan.
  

 How to prepare your home for Ramadan?

• Home cleanliness should be done early after the Fajar prayer.
• Fix a place for prayer and recitation at home and make it calm and clean.
• Minimize your time on TV and Phone or social media.
• Make your groceries in advance for non-perishable items and get vegetables and fruits at the time when markets have no rush.
• Select some authentic Islamic books like Riadh usalaiheen, Fadail Amal and place them in the specified place for Prayer and Recitation of the Quran to read aloud with all home members.
• Engage your kids if you have, with fasting and get them involve in Suhu and Iftar preps.

Remove all wall-hangings if they are of animals and photos from your home.

What to do make your soul ready for the month of Ramadan?

Our soul is the most important part of our life. It is from the order of Allah as said in the Holy Quran. It needs food like our body and its foods are from heaven as Zikr, Prayer, and recitation.

Following is a list of some important elements to add value to strengthen your Eman and soul.

• Develop your relationship with the Holy Quran by giving more time to it.
• Increase the recitation of the Holy Quran than the regular times/
• Fix a milestone to memorize some of the important Surahs if you have not done already.
• Join the Quran Classes online or locally if you need to improve your recitation.
• Increase Tasbeehat, Zikr and Durood, and Salam on Prophet PBUH.
• Increase Nawafil and make sure you listen to the full Quran in Taraweeh as it is a regular Sunnah.
• Especially take care of your tongue from lie and yourself from anger.
• Lower your gaze and avoid completely from the music.
• Give Zakah, charity, help your relatives and needy people.
• Make special Dua at Iftar time and after your Zikr and prayers more than other months.
• Prepare yourself to wake in the last 10 nights of Ramadan for Lailatul Qadr.
• In the end, on Eid night, it is also a special time to get rid of the hellfire and make sure you make special dua in that night for yourself and for all Ummah.

We hope and wish you a blessed month of Ramadan ahead. In-Shaa-Allah.