It’s so kind of blowing how it felt like yesterday when we all welcomed Ramadan & now we are farewelling it with a heavy heart. As we want to keep this blessed month for as long as we can.
So if you are feeling disheartened as a mama that you didn’t do as you hoped, listen to what Hasan al-Basri said:
“Improve your performance in what is left (of time) and you will be forgiven for that which has already passed. So take special care of the time you have left because you do not know when your soul will be turned over to Allah’s Mercy.”
Don’t give up yet mama you still got time to catch up & attain the mercy of Allah swt. Below are some practical tips a dear friend of mine had shared with me to encourage us to make the most out of these blessed days.
11 Practical deeds to do during the last 10 nights of Ramadan.
1: Pray Tarweeh
As much as you can make sure to not miss taraweeh prayer even if it means praying at home if you have little ones that can not accompany you to masjid.
As the prophet peace be upon him said :
“ If anyone prays during the night in Ramadan because of faith and seeking his reward from Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven for him.”
2: Pray with 1000 ayah / verse at night
If you can try to pray more than 10 verses to 1000 verses during these blessed nights as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever prays qiyaam reciting ten verses will not be recorded as one of the negligent. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one hundred verses will be recorded as one of the devout. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one thousand verses will be recorded as one of the muqantireen.”
The muqantireen are those who will be given a qintaar of reward. Meaning a large amount of gold reward. So do set some time to pray qiyaam ( night prayer ). And to put it into context if you recite juz Amma & juz tabarak it equals to 1000 verses how great is that.
Make it your goal.
3: Set a time to complete your daily Qur’an recitation.
This is the month of the Qur’an and what a great way to connect more with the book of Allah than in Ramadan.
Read this Hadith with your heart;
Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he used to be more generous than ever in Ramadan, when Jibrīl would meet him. He used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur’an with him.
So try to set a time to recite, let it be after fajer if you want that quietness when everyone is sleeping or bring your kids aboard with you & tell them the reward of reciting Qur’an especially during Ramadan. Have the intention to follow the footsteps of the prophet peace be upon him so you can attain this barkah which will motivate you to give more as we dive into the rest of the Hadith in the next tip.
4: Give charity
In this blessed month is when you race with other believers to give charity. I want you to imagine the state of the prophet’s peace upon him when it comes to giving charity during Ramadan.The Sahabah ( companions ) described him as “Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was more generous than the fast wind.” Can you even imagine what a fast wind could do ? Imagine giving donations & being generous as the fast wind ?! I’ll let you think of it & if you can follow this Sunah of your beloved prophet.
5: Recite surah Al Ikhlaas.
I know how it feels to be a mother in Ramadan who wants to race other believers, especially completing the whole Quran at least once. I don’t want you to give up what I’ll say to you if Dan fluently recites the Qur’an. Try to exert as much as you can to finish it even if it was the night of Eid. And if you are just making your way through learning how to recite the Qur’an don’t despair from the mercy of Allah swt.
In fact you have many rewards striving & struggling to recite it. But it all comes finding all the doors that will lead you to please Allah swt & attain his mercy during this month. And if you want to have the same reward as someone who read the Qur’an from one end to other then I have a good news for you, read the following Hadith:
Abu Darda’ reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as said:
“Is any one of you incapable of reciting a third of the Qur’an in a night? They (the Companions) asked: How could one recite a third of the Qur’an (in a night)? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: ‘‘Say: He is Allah, One’ is equivalent to a third of the Qur’an.”
So surat Al Ikhlas is equivalent to a third of the Q’uran, if you recite 3 times it will be as if you read the whole Qur’an once. How rewarding it is to make sure to read as much as you can.
6: Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.
My dear mother, are you longing for a heart that’s full of contentment & tranquility? Then this is where you attain it. Allah swt said in the Qu’ran: “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
When the believers increase the remembrance of Allah, their heart is filled with comfort & happiness. As they have him their protector & supporter through all stages of their lives.
And what a perfect time to start now in Ramdan & keep going post Ramadan to be your habit as mother whenever your daily tasks become challenging. You have the solution to find that comfort & suport.
7: Recite Salawat upon the prophet peace be upon him as much as you can.
Continuing on the previous point above, if you heart is satisfied & comforted, what else would you like ?! How about if all your hardship were made easy & your sins were forgiven, would you do anything to attain it?!
Absolutely, I would do
You might ask, but wait how?!
Your answer lies within this Hadith. Just learn from the companion called Ubai Ibn Ka’ab he was so keen to collect as many rewards as he can so one day he asked the prophet peace be upon him:
“ O Messenger of Allah, I supplicate often, so how much of my supplication should I devote to you?’ He replied, ‘as you desire’. I said, ‘a quarter of it?’ He said ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘half of it?’ He said, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘two-thirds of it?’ He said again, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ Finally I said, ‘and if I dedicate my supplication in its entirety to you?’ He said, ‘then your needs will be satisfied, and your sins forgiven. ’’
And in addition to that you will be fulfilling a command of Allah swt as mentioned in this verse: ” Indeed, Allah and His Angels send blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to send] blessing upon him and peace”
8: Feed a fasting person , especially those in need.
We all know the Benefits of Feeding a fast during the month of Ramadan And in the following Hadith you have nothing to lose if put the effort & implement.
The prophet peace be upon him said :
“ Whoever feeds the person who is breaking his fast, he will have his reward (for his fasting) without decreasing anything from the reward of the fasting person.”
Don’t complicate this simply donate through a trusted organisation or ask others around if there’s a family that is going through difficult times supporting them.
9 : Make lots of duaa.
If you want to feel how Allah swt is close to you , make duaa. Let us ponder on the verse that came after the obligation of fasting:
“When My worshipers ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the supplication of the suppliant when he calls to Me; therefore, let them respond to Me and let them believe in Me, in order that they will be righteous.”
This is the time when you should 10x your duaa. Many sisters have shared in the past with me how all their duaas & affairs they asked during Ramadan always got accepted post ramadan with the grace of Allah swt. And that’s possible for you too inshaa’Allah
10: Make duaa to your fellow Muslim’s.
There’s a blessing & you are actually encouraged to always not limit your duaa to yourself only. Because simply you can make duaa for your brothers & sisters in Islam in their absence & your duaa is 100% granteeded to be accepted.
As it was narrated in the Hadith below
“The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence will certainly be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel appointed for this particular task says: “Ameen! May it be for you too,”
11: Recite the duaa for latylatul Qader.
And finally make sure to continuously recite the duaa of laylutul Qader ( the night of power ) that is greater than 1000 months. And if you witness it will be equivalent to 83-84 years of Ibadah.
When Aisha (may Allah be well pleased with her) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) “O Messenger of Allah, if it is Laylatul Qadr, then what should I supplicate with?” he replied with the famous dua: “Allahumma, innaka Afuwwun Karimun, tuḥibbu al-afwa fa‘afu anna” – “O Allah, indeed You are Pardoning and Generous; You love to pardon, so pardon us.”
May Allah grant us all laytul Qader & accept all our good deeds in this month of Ramadan. And May he grant many Ramadans to come whilst we are in good health & Emaan. Ameen
I hope these tips will motivate you to finish Ramadan strong & keep you going post Ramadan.
Till we meet next stay blessed & safe.