This Ramadan, you might be looking for ‘easy rewards’ in busy times, but at the same time also truly feel connected to your Lord.
In the unique event of not being able to attend the mosques for taraweeh, meet others for community or family iftars, and perhaps being extra busy at home with all household or work at home obligations; self-care is crucial. Yet productively focusing on your relationship with Allah, the Most High, in a time of isolation and all its challenges, might be difficult.
Here are five rewarding ways to easily increase your love and seek Allah’s love in Ramadan, one step a day!
1. Love an Ayah
Each day choose one verse to implement. Ibn al Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) advised:
… Try to understand something from every ayah and apply it to the disease of your heart. These ayat were revealed (to treat) the disease of the heart, so you will be healed, by the permission of Allah.
Do we realize how any verse of the Quran can teach us a daily life lesson and change us as a person and lead us to a cleaner heart? Here are five points on how to let the Quran speak to you:
1. When you read or hear a verse, say to yourself, “this is Allah” – these are Allah’s words, direct from Him. Then think that these words are directly addressing YOU. At the moment you read a verse, Allah is watching you and how you react to His words!
2. Whatever you read or hear, take the advice as “that advice is for me.” Don’t take the verses as, these are for hypocrites, disbelievers, idolaters, etc. What’s in there for you?
3. Everything is part of Qadar (destiny), even the exact amount of oxygen we breathe every second of the day. Every verse you read is part of your destiny. So ask yourself: “Why is Allah making me read this today?”
4. While reading a verse, focus your eyes, ears, your brain and your heart, don’t think of anything else. Use your imagination; visualize.
5. Thank Allah, glorified and exalted be He, sincerely, by action!
Start your ‘Ayah Journal’
Take control and know it is you who will bring back the message of the Quran to your daily life; no one else. Start this Ramadan, one verse a day with this five minute, daily exercise.
Every day:
1. Open the Quran and pick one verse.
2. Read the translation, understand the meaning and APPLY it to your own life: (To your problems. To your social circle.)
3. Jot down the verse in your journal and state in keywords:
a. The theme of the verse
b. Your personal action point.
For example, verse 65:3:
a. Reliance on Allah
b. Today I will ask Allah for tawakkul (reliance) and try a 24 hours no complaining challenge!
4. Make acting on the verse your mission for the day.
5. Share the verse and your personal lessons with someone else.
Make a sincere intention, start as soon as possible and most importantly, stick to it. Picking one verse a day for 30 days in Ramadan will set a habit for the rest of the year, by Allah’s will.
Get rewarded for reading Quran (each letter!) and be rewarded for acting upon the Quran!
2. Love a Blessing
Each day choose one blessing to truly focus on. Allah, the Most High, said:
And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful. (Quran, 14:34)
Reflect on this: Your life is nothing more than a love story. Between you and God. Nothing more. Every person, every experience, every gift, every loss, every pain is sent to your path for one reason and one reason only: to bring you back to Him. (Yasmin Mogahed)
Shukr, recognizing a blessing of Allah, and showing thanks for it is effortless, yet highly rewarding!
Each day choose a blessing to reflect on and action that day: For example the Quran.
First:
Imagine your life without that blessing: How would my life look like without the Qur’an? How would it be if I had to travel days to access one verse of the Quran?
Second:
Say to yourself, “Today I will realize how blessed I am to have a Book of complete guidance in my life.”
Third:
Make a dua’ related to the blessing you chose: “O Allah, I thank You for having easy access to Your Book and to be able to read it. Please help me to use this blessing to please You only, forgive me for neglecting this blessing and let this blessing be one of the means to lead me to Your Paradise. Ameen!”
You can do this with any blessing: health, family, guidance, food, clothes, safety, nature, knowledge etc. And have those blessings increased, by Allah’s will!
3. Love a Sunnah
Each day choose one sunnah to revive. Reviving a sunnah will bring you enormous benefits, of which Allah’s love! And you can choose whatever sunnah fits best in your life, or in that day. Dusting your bed, taking your left shoe off first and rubbing your face when waking are effortless, but you’ll get rewarded for reviving a sunnah in the most blessed days!
Here are 3 beautiful posters to use as checklist with Sunnahs to revive:
4. Love your Prayer
Each day choose on a different aspect of your prayer to improve. Your prayers in Ramadan carry even bigger rewards, make it a mission to add at least one ‘sunnah act’ to your obligatory prayers a day.
Revive a Sunnah in Salah: 15 Prophetic Ways to Propel Your Prayer!
Use this selection of fifteen, simple, highly rewarding voluntary acts relating to the prayer. These sunnahs are aimed to: maximize the rewards of your prayers and increase your love for prayer!
You’ll find practical Action Points per Sunnah, a Printable ‘Daily Checklist: 15 Sunan’ for a quick overview of all sunnahs, as reminder on the wall and to help with memorization. And a Printable with ‘Intentions for Salah’ and *whilst reading the Quran’ to be hung on the wall and kept in your Quran!
Free to download here:
Make sure to share it so you get rewarded each time someone revives a sunnah of prayer, by Allah’s will, rewards up for grabs in the most blessed Month!
5. Love Allah’s Names
Each day choose one (or more) Beautiful Names of Allah to learn, reflect on and start living by! Have these five intentions by studying Allah’s Names, one by one: to fulfil your purpose of creation, to attain Paradise, to improve your character and deeds, to actively use these Names for remembrance of Allah and to convey the knowledge.
Know and learn to apply 99 Names of Allah, in 30 days, by His will.
O Allah, we ask You for a Ramadan of love; love for You and from You, love for Your Book, love for Your blessings, love for the Sunnah, love for the prayer and love for Your Beautiful Names, ameen!
(From Discovering Islam archive)