Ramadan Preparation for 2022

One of the five pillars of Islam is the daily fast in the holy month of Ramadan. The importance of this command makes us realize to have Ramadan preparation in advance.

To illustrate the importance of preparing for the holy month of Ramadhan, the Sahaba *(the companions of the Prophet s.a.w) and the early generations of Muslims used to prepare for Ramadan up to six months prior and they even made du’a to save them until they fast in the month of Ramadhan.

Hence it is important to get into Ramadhan with the right mindset.

Pre Ramadan Preparation

Allah s.w.t states in the Quran that the month of Ramadan is the month the Quran was sent down, in surah Al Baqarah (Ch 2: v185):

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

If you analyze this verse, you will realize that Allah mentioned the Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan, before He mentioned the commands of fasting in the month of Ramadan. This gives us a great lesson to remind ourselves that:

• Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink,
• Ramadan is about connecting ourselves to the Book of Allah SWT, the Quran.

Make plans to be closer to the Quran in the month of Ramadan, by reading the Quran, contemplating its meaning, and try to complete reading the Quran in the month of Ramadan.

This means that pre-Ramadan, we have already started reading the Quran on a daily basis, to try to understand the guidance, the commands by Allah S.W.T. in the Quran.

For instance, if you are not a native Arabic speaker and you’re not currently studying Arabic, at least try to read a word-by-word translation of the Arabic Quran. The goal is to understand the Quran when it is being recited, especially during prayer, such as Taraweeh prayer (the night prayer after the obligatory prayer during Ramadan), where once you hear the words being recited, you understand it. There is sweetness in it when you understand what you hear in the Quran recitations, and it will enter your heart better, inshallah.

The more you understand the recitation of the Quran, the more you will enjoy it being recited and will taste the sweetness of iman (faith in Islam).

Also Read: Why is Ramadan important? Ramadan a month of many facets

Ramadan Preparation Checklist

• Make sincere intention to have the best of Ramadan.

• Make du’a that Allah SWT will grant you the ability to fast and perform ibadah (acts of worship) in Ramadan

Preparation Habits For Ramadan

• Do extra sunnah fasting pre Ramadan, so that your body will be ready for Ramadan.

For people who have missed a few days of fasting in last year’s Ramadan, they should fast before the beginning of this Ramadan with the same number of days of fasting that they previously missed.

Remember the intention of fasting, is not for the purpose of losing weight, but purely to gain the pleasure (Ridha) of Allah s.w.t.

• Perform the Qiyam ul layl (the night vigil prayer) before Ramadan begins, at least one or two weeks prior, so that your body and your mind will become accustomed to it.

• Food preparation – if you can prepare some precooked food and freeze them prior to month of Ramadan in order to make food preparation during Ramadan easier, whether it is for the iftar (breaking of the fast) or for the suhoor (the dawn meal), then it would it be better.

This is because many people have confused Ramadan to be a sociable month, of gathering for iftar, for obligatory prayers, and Taraweeh prayers. They want to celebrate Ramadan in a social manner, that food preparation overtakes their priority, and prepare excess of food for iftar, that causes wasting of food in Ramadan. This is the opposite of what Ramadan is about.

• Ramadan is a month of abstention – abstaining from food and drinks, marital relations, during the day, and abstaining from anything bad, or time wasting. This also includes abstaining from time wasting, in today’s terms, such as from tv entertainment, social media and anything that is non-beneficial for your faith. If you can cut down on your entertainment time prior to Ramadan, then inshaallah that you will gain a beneficial Ramadan.

Lastly, let us all strive to be better for the sake of pleasing our Creator, Allah s.w.t., and gain the benefits of Ramadan.

Farah I, Writer & Researcher

Farah Ishak is a Content Writer at Halalop. She grew up in the United Kingdom where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Management. Later, she completed her MBA and held senior-level positions in Malaysian based MNC. She left the corporate world to be with her young kids. She is passionate about issues concerning Muslim women, Startups and Muslim businesses in general.