How productive was your day today in Ramadan?

[hamza81]

Asalaamu Alaikum,

This is a thread dedicated to us posting how productive we think our day was this Ramadan with regards to worship so that we can give tips to each other effective tips, help and advice on how we can get the most out of everyday this Ramadan.

Also post if you need tips on how to maximise your day if you think you are not spending your day productively enough.

[hamza81]

Tip 1: Praying in a well ventilated room:


We should always try and pray in a well ventialted room otherwise we will feel more tired and lazy. In particular Tarawee should be prayed in a room whilswhich is well aired and ventilated so that we are not uncomfortable because of the fact that we have to pray a lot of Raka'a's. The same goes for the Masjid that we should try and stand in a place in the Masjid where there is good air flow so that we are comfortable whilst praying because Masjids can get quite hot especially when there are so many people praying together in one room. The last couple of days many of us have been praying outside of the Masjid because it has been so hot and one can definately concentrate better and feel more comfortable when there is good air flow.

Tip 2: Eradicating everything that wastes time:


We must try our best to slowly eradicate everything that wastes our time. We are so used to wasting our precious time everyday watching useless TV programs, playing video games, having useless discussions with friends and even on the forums as well as wasting out precious time in many other ways. We need to learn the true value of time and know that time is not on our side. Our life can end at any second and then on the day of judgement we will have eternal regret for the precious time we wasted.

So one of the best things we can do this Ramadan is to save as much of our precious time as possible and avoid any distractions or that which will be of no benefit to us in this world or the next. We must not just save our time in this precious month but we should start saving our time now so that we can continue saving our time for the rest of our lives and use that time in doing good deeds and pleasing Allah.

So it is about using our time wisely and only foing that which will benefit us in this world and the next and keeping away from that which is of no benefit at all and anything that is not beneficial is harmful to us.

Mu'adh [RA] narrated Rasulallah (sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The Inhabitants of Paradise will not be grief stricken or sorrowful about anything they did in the life of the world except for the time they spent without being in the remembrance of Allah” (Tabaraani)

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Tip 3: Reciting the Qur'an in abundance


With regards to reciting the Qur'an then we should recite as much as possible for the reward of every letter is multiplied by ten so if there is ten rewards for one letter outside of Ramadan then if we multiply ten by ten that makes 100 rewards for one letter of the Qur'an. Subhaanallah.

Therefore we should set a realistic target for ourselves of how much of the Qur'an we will recite depending on what we have to do in our day. If we are free then alhamdulillah we should aim for a minimum of 3 Qur'an in this month or more. If we are working and busy then one Qur'an is possible.

It is best to break down what you will recite in manageable chunks. For example read half a juz before Dhuhr, Half after, half before Asr, Half after, A half before Maghrib and then half before sleep etc. In this way we can recite the Qur'an a little bit at a time and that way not feel fatigued.

So set yourself daily targets of how much Qur'an you will recite and devote much of your worship on reciting the Qur'an as it is the month of the Qur'an.

Tip 4: Doing excessive Dhikr of Allah


Regarding Dhikr of Allah then surely this is the easiest of all worship and only requires our hearts. It is the least physically demanind but also the most rewarding. Therefore we should put all of our hearts into the remembrance of Allah and glorify him night and day.

The easiest thing about dhikr is that it can be done ANYWHERE and at ANYTIME no matter what you are doing. You can remember Allah at work, whilst shopping, with family, with friends, in recreation, whilst at the gym, whilst jogging, whilst weight training while playing with children whatever the situation you can remember Allah and glorify him in your heart.

What i would suggest is everynight if you are up around Tahajjud time then before or after tahajjud for a few minutes at least to sit there close your eyes, relax and glorify Allah doing any good dhikr you know and imagine Allah in front of you and reflect over his magnificence and his wonderful creations, of his love and mercy, of his compassion, of his generosity of his utter love for his slaves, of his highest honour, of him being the master of the universe. If you want to cry you can do so and then you can do dua to him and cry and beg of him for his mercy, forgiveness and for whatever you like.

I think it would be very beneficial to write out a long dua list of everything you want to ask of Allah. This is because we will not be able to remember everything we want to ask Allah whilst we are in dua but if we write it out then we can go through the list and make even longer dua's paticularly because dua's are most accepted during Ramadan like during fast and between Asr and Maghrib and just before opening fast, tahajjud time etc

[hamza81]

Tip 5: Daily Dhikr


Here is a list of daily dhikr we can do everyday this Ramadan as much as we can. Set yourself a target. 100 of each in the morning and evening or however much you can manage:

1. Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee - Recite this abundantly during the last ten nights of Ramadan.

2. Subhaanallah

3. Alhamdulillah

4. Allahu Akbar

5. Laa ilaaha illallah

6. LA HAWLA WA LA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH-HIL ALIYYIL ADHEEM

7. Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay

Or short version: Asthaghfirullah

8. SUB-HAAN'ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM'DIHI SUB-HAAN'ALLAH-IL ADHEEM

Or short version: SUB-HAAN'ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM'DIHI

9. Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm

10. Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr

Or the shortened version:

Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer

We should also recite much of durood e Ibrahim which is the durood that is recited towards the end of Salaah.

Or the shortest durood is: Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim


Tip 6: Ramadan Planner and Worship Monitor


Here you can download a Ramadan hourly planner where you can set yourself daily targets regarding how much Qur'an you will recite and how much dhikr you will do:

Ramadan Planner:

http://www.4shared.com/document/QJoWg3bN/Ramadhaan_Planner.html

Here is a worship check where you can check and monitor your daily worship so that you can do even more the next day:

Ramadan Worship check:

http://www.4shared.com/document/2BNat9vk/Ramadhaan_Time_Table.html

[hamza81]

TIP 7: Listening to recitation of Qur'an:


Listening to the recitation of the Qur'an is the perfume of the souls, the calmer of hearts, and the food of the spirit. Is is one of the most important psychological medicines. It is a source of pleasure, even to some animals – and pleasure in moderation purifies inner energy, enhances the functioning of the faculties, slows down senile decay by driving out its diseases, improves the complexion, and refreshes the entire body. Pleasure in excess, on the other hand, makes the illnesses of the body grow worse.

Abu Nu’aim states, in his Tib an-Nabbi, that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that the benefits of listening to recitation are increased when it is understood – that is, when its meaning is understood.

Allah Himself says:…so give good news to My slaves, those who listen to the word and then follow the best of it…(Qur’an: 39.17-18)

So we should certainly listen to some Qur'an everyday for the above reasons. On top of that i think it is important to do a variety of worship with which we can put into our daily worship schedules. In this way we will be less likely to get fatigued with doing one type of worship. Although much of our worship should consist of reciting the Qur'an as Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an and reciting the Qur'an is among the best of all worship.

TIP 8: Taking regular breaks


It is VERY important to rest and take regular breaks in order to avoid burnout . You can read your favourite "halal" book lol. Go for a walk in the park to freshen your head. Call a good friend who havent spoken to for a while (remembering not to partake in idle talk), or just relax with family.

So by having regular rests we will be able to re-focus again on the task at hand. Overwhelming ourselves can do more harm than good as it may cause us to suddenly slip and fall and not be able to get back up again. So regular little breaks are very important.

Tip 9: Take a nap in the afternoon


If one is tired then rest. I would suggest having a little nap before or after Dhuhr or late afternoon for about an hour to half an hour. No more than an hour though. This nap is called Qayloola and is a Sunnah. Having a short nap in the afternoon will help us to re-energise and feel rejuvenated and revitalised for the rest of the afternoon and evening.


TIP 10: Serving Parents


Regarding serving one's parents: A man once asked the Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallim):

"'Should I join the jihad?' He asked, 'Do you have parents?' The man said, 'Yes!' The Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallim) said, 'Then strive by serving them!'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 5972)

Therefore serving one's parents is even better than jihad so serve your parents as much as you can and gain rewards you can NEVER imagine!

Treating your parents the best:

To be obedient and to show kindness to parents has been enjoined in the Holy Quran in such a manner as to say that among the noble deeds, to obey parents, treat them respectfully and to show kindness to them is next to worshipping Almighty Allah.

The Quran says, "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour." - Surah Al Isra (17:23).

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) said:“What a loss is for him! What a loss is for him! What a loss is for him!” Someone asked: “Who, O Allah's Messenger?” He replied: “He whose parents reach old age, either one or both of them, and he does not use their presence (by being good to them, etc.) to cause him to enter Paradise.” (Muslim)


Abdullah bin Mas'ood (RA), observed: "I asked Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) which deed was the best." He replied: 'The Prayer at its appointed hour.' I (again) asked: "Then what?" He replied: 'Kindness to the parents.'... (Sahih Muslim: 120)

So we should do our utmost to serve our parents in anyway that we can like for eg clean the house so that our parents do less, tend to their every need etc. Surely this will be please Allah a lot and we will gain unimaginable rewards!

Bonus tip: No matter what you are doing throughout the day, whether you are laying, sitting or standing then keep your lips moistened with dhikr (Remembrance) and glorification of Allah. Just keep repeationg simple dhikr like "Subhanallah", "Alhamdulillah", "Allahu Akbar", "La ilaha ilallah" and "Asthaghfirullah". constantly repeating dhikr in the end of your tongue is so light and easy yet so rewarding and heavy on the scales.

[hamza81]

TIP 10: Controlling anger


Whilst we are fasting then there is much more chance that we will lose our temper and become angry and this is because we are deprived of food, drink and sleep. So it is even more important that we do everything in our power to control our anger when it arises so that we do not end up ruining our fasts.

So what steps can we take to control our anger?

1. Saying the word of protection:

a`ûdhû billâhi min ash-shaytân ir rajîm

2. Changing bodily posture:

So when angry, sit down if standing — and lie down if sitting.

3. Washing the face etc, arms, hands:

Make ablution with water.


Medicines recommended by Imam Al-Ghazalî for controlling anger

Below the medicines of anger after one gets angry. This medicine is a mixture of knowledge and action.

The medicine based on knowledge is of six kinds:

(1) The first medicine of knowledge is to think over the rewards of appeasing anger, that have come from the verses of the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Your hope for getting rewards of appeasing anger will restrain you from taking revenge.

(2) The second kind of medicine based on knowledge is to fear the punishment of God and to think that the punishment of God upon me is greater than my punishment upon him. If I take revenge upon this man for anger, God will take revenge upon me on the Judgement Day.

(3) The third kind of medicine of anger based on knowledge is to take precaution about punishment of enemity and revenge on himself. You feel joy in having your enemy in your presence in his sorrows, You yourself are not free from that danger. You will fear that your enemy might take revenge against you in this world and in the next.

(4) Another kind of medicine based on knowledge is to think about the ugly face of the angry man, which is just like that of the ferocious beast. He who appeases anger looks like a sober and learned man.

(5) The fifth kind of medicine based on knowledge is to think that the devil will advise by saying: " You will be weak if you do not get angry!" Do not listen to him!

(6) The sixth reason is to think: " What reason have I got to get angry? What Allah wishes has occured!"

So let us act upon this and train ourselves not to get anger so that we may apply this to the rest of our lives inshallah.

[hamza81]

TIP 11: Sleep pattern

There is no doubt that Ramadan can play havoc with one's sleeping pattern for the first few days especially as the body gets used to the changes that we are experiencing in our daily routine. Sleep is one of the things that are affected by these changes.

In order for us to be most productive in Ramadan we need to be active for as long as possible in the 24 hour day. In order to do this it will take a few days of getting used to but the following should be done:

1. The best way of making the most out of Ramadan is to sleep at the earliest point possible so straight after Tarawee. Do NOT eat heavy at Iftar or before sleeping for that will make you tired and lazy. Eat light meals and just watch how fresh you will feel. Drink plenty of water.

Then one should wake up half an hour before sehri ends, make wudu and pray Tahajjud, make long dua and then eat something LIGHT for suhur.

2. The best way of having a productive day is to stay awake after Fajr for the mornings are blessed times and one would have the whole long day to pray and worship Allah. But if one is very tired and needs more sleep then one should sleep. But one should aim NOT to sleep until after 8 am. That will give one around 6-7 hours of sleep altogether which is perfect.

3. There is NO need to sleep more than 6-7 hours for we want to be as productive as possible in this precious month. So put 2 alarms on and put them both on for 8 am 5 minutes apart and put them somewhere far away so you will have to get up and turn them off.

It may take a bit of getting used to at first but you will slowly get into the habit of waking up everyday at 8 am and you will have a whole long day of worship alhamdulillah.

4. When you wake up then do some stretches which will really help you to feel freshed and then if you want to have a shower which will freshen you further. If you want to take a little walk then it will be beneifical because a little fresh air and exercise will stimulate the mind and body and will make you more fresh and that way you will be ready and prepared to focus on worshipping the whole day as best as posible inshallah.

[hamza81]

TIP 12: Beating laziness in Ramadan.


It is essential that we remain as productive as possible throughout Ramadan. Ramadan is not a quick sprint but a long 26 mile Marathon. It requires perseverance, patience and the ability to beat laziness and procrastination when it arises. Therefore it is crucial that we stay on top of laziness in Ramadan so that we may achieve as much as possible. To do this we must firstly get our sleep patterns right. The tips for sleep pattern are above. Then we must NEVER over eat but we must eat light meals until we are satisfied and NOT until we are full. The tips for eating have also been mentioned. You must drink a sufficient amount of water if you are to be at your best this Ramadan. I would recommend at least 1 and a half - 2 litres from Iftar until Sehri.

It is simple as long as we have a good sleep pattern with a short nap in the afternoon to re-energize and we never over eat then we will stay on top of laziness. In the mornings do the Sunnah of awakening which is to rub face gently with Dua. Then do some light stretches. These will help your body to wake up. Have a shower which will also help you to freshen up. It is also nice to go for a nice walk in the mornings as this will freshen and stimulate your mind and body and so wake you up even further preventing you from feeling tired and lazy. But do not tire yourself out by physically exerting yourself too much otherwise you will feel tired and lazy in a few hours as de-hydration kicks in.

Fatigue can also kick in especially when we do too much of a certain worship like if we are sitting there reciting Qur'an for several hours then fatigue will kick in but we should break down our worship into manageable chunks. So recite 2 or 4 pages or even half a chapter and then have a break or switch to another worship like making Dua, doing some dhikr or praying nawafil etc. In this way we will never feel restlessness and fatigue associated with doing too much of one thing without a break.

So whenever you start to feel a bit tired then don't lay down (unless your are going to have your afternoon nap) but get up and get some fresh air or what i would recommend is to get some cold water and splash some on your face and all over your neck particularly the back of the neck. Do some more stretches if need be.

Most of all have a focus. What is your focus everyday in Ramadan? Tell it to yourself every time you wake up. Internalise in your mind what you will achieve throughout the day. Write it down in the Ramadan planner i have provided in the previous tips. You should have goals and targets which you will work towards achieving. Focus on achieving those goals and targets to the best of your ability and keep in mind that EVERY second in the blessed month of Ramadan is too precious to waste and we will NEVER gain these seconds again.

Also keep in mind that this may be your very last Ramadan and your FINAL opportunity to gain immense reward and blessings in the most beautiful of months. This is because life is uncertain and many have passed away before they could meet this month again and next year we may not be alive to see the next Ramadan so we MUST treat this as our last Ramadan.

Let us also ask of Allah to help us to maximise every second of this month and to help us to overcome laziness and procrastination so that we may be as productive as possible. Let us act upon these tips so that we can make the best of every second in this blessed month in order to please Allah and get closer to him.

[hamza81]

TIP 13: Grab what you can for just 30 days!!!

Imagine you were given an opportunity to go through a huge shopping centre and grab whatever goods you wanted for a whole 30 days.

You can grab whatever goods you like for it is a free for all. People would go crazy to get such an amazing opportunity. Think about it a free shopping spree grabbing everything you can for a whole 30 days.

This same analogy applies to the blessed month of Ramadan. We have a once in a year opportunity for just 30 days to grab as many HUGE rewards as possible and best of all an opportunity to please Allah and get closer to him. This is the time of the year where all of this is made easier for us!

The Special offers are:

EVERY Nafil prayer rewarded like a Fard prayer!!!

Every Fard prayer rewarded like 70 fard prayers!!!

Every letter of the Qur'an rewarded a minimum of 100 good deeds and double for those who struggle reciting who get minimum of 200 for each letter!!!

EVERY good deed multiplied by 10!

So come on GRAB as many good deeds as you can before its too late. This may be your last chance to ever experience this blessed month for you may not be alive next year to benefit from these special offers ever again!

Surely on the day of judgement we will BEG each other for just one good deed but we won't get any because we will all be in need on that day. So grab what you can now before its too late!!!

[hamza81]

TIP 14: Organizing our time


A Muslim should learn how to organize their time, and make a realistic plan for their worldly and religious duties, without any of them overlapping the other. That is to say that one should know how to arrange one's priorities: the most important and the most urgent comes first, and carried out according to schedule. Organizing time also includes leaving a place for relaxation and entertainment.

One of the methods of managing our time properly is for a Muslim to get up early and sleep early, for early hours always yield great blessings. Starting our day with prayer and the supplication of the morning brings the Muslim Allah's grace. A Muslim should always bear in mind that every time has its own task that suits it. Doing tasks in their due times brings about peace of mind and comfort.

Verily, time is very important for our success both in this temporary world and the eternal world to come. If we waste time, if we abuse it, then we waste and abuse our lives. In the Life Hereafter we will be among the losers, who will suffer the torments in the Hell Fire, if Allah the Almighty will not forgive us. Therefore, if we really give value to our lives then, we must give due value to the importance of time.

There is NO time that a Muslim should try and make the best of than in the blessed month of Ramadan. This month is a mercy for us and it is a time of the year like no other. So special significance must be placed especially in this month to make the best use of our time and for us to organize our schedules and days so that we achieve as much as possible spiritually doing everything we can to please Allah and refraining from anything which angers and displeases him.

Once we have gained the habit of making good use of our time we must NEVER let go of it and carry this habit with us until our last breath because we do not know when our appointed time will come.

To make the best use of our time you can download a Ramadan hourly planner where you can set yourself daily and hourly targets and plan your day everyday this Ramadan:

Ramadan Planner:

http://www.4shared.com/document/QJoWg3bN/Ramadhaan_Planner.html

Here is a worship check where you can check and monitor your daily worship so that you can do even more the next day:

Ramadan Worship check:

http://www.4shared.com/document/2BNat9vk/Ramadhaan_Time_Table.html

May Allah help us to make the best use of our precious time and to spend every precious second we have in his remembrance and worship. Ameen

[hamza81]

Tip 15 - Productivity tips regarding how to maximize recitation of the Qur'an during this blessed month:


Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an so we should do our utmost to recite the Qur'an as much as possible for the reward of every good act is multiplied by 70 during Ramadan. So if there are ten rewards for reciting one letter of the Qur'an outside of Ramadan then if we multiply ten by 70 then that makes upto 700 rewards for reciting just one letter of the Qur'an. Subhaanallah.

Those who struggle reciting the Qur'an get double the reward:

So those who struggle to recite the Qur'an get upto 1400 good deeds for reciting each letter. The bigger and better our intentions then the more Allah will reward us for every good act. So these rewards are just minimum.

Set targets: Therefore we should set a realistic target for ourselves of how much of the Qur'an we will recite depending on what we have to do in our day. If we are free then alhamdulillah we should aim for a minimum of 3 Qur'an in this month or more. If we are working and busy then one Qur'an is possible.

It is best to break down what you will recite in manageable chunks. For example read half a juz before Dhuhr, Half after, half before Asr, Half after, A half before Maghrib and then half before sleep etc. In this way we can recite the Qur'an a little bit at a time and that way not feel fatigued, restless and avoid getting bored. We should also take regular breaks and even do Dhikr in between or just rest for a while.

So set yourself daily targets of how much Qur'an you will recite and devote much of your worship on reciting the Qur'an as it is the month of the Qur'an.