How to be successful in Ramadan

The Victor’s Template to Ramadan

Throughout our lives, we have been experiencing Ramadan countless times,year after year, everything by the will and mercy of Allah. However, with such a huge blessing from Allah, have we been really taking full advantage of the virtues and significance of Ramadan that He has bestowed upon us? Or have we been neglectful and just passing the month like any other with additional hunger and thirst?

This short-writeup wishes to inspire and empower every Muslim to achieve success this Ramadan and every Ramadan that comes after. Verses of the Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ) have been given for greater clarity for each step towards our goal of success. May Allah ease our path and grant us strength in pursuing His pleasure.

Knowing the Value and Significance of Ramadan

Before we start navigating our way to success this Ramadan with our actions, the key is to begin everything by knowing the essence of Ramadan and what it entails; of its value, rewards and significance. By doing so we are able to appreciate this month better and perform everything we can of due importance to gain the pleasure of Allah.

If one were to talk about Ramadan, the first unquestionable thing that comes to mind would be fasting. This is not something to be shocked about especially when it is the fourth pillar of Islam. In addition to this, Allah has promised a huge reward for those fasting.

Narrated from Abu Hurayrah: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” 

(Al-Bukhari, 2014 | Muslim, 760)

The rewards and virtues in Ramadan aren’t just limited to fasting, in fact it includes performing our prayers too. Narrated from Abu Hurayrah: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

(Al-Bukhari, 2008 | Muslim, 174)

Note: What is meant by previous sins here are minor sins and not major sins. The majority of the scholars, or the jumhur opines that to expiate major sins is by performing tawbah. Some scholars even reported an Ijma’ or consensus on this matter. (Ibn Battal in Syarh Sahih Bukhari, 2/155)

Besides the rewards related to our worship, what are other spiritual occurrences that happen during the month of Ramadan? This sacred month is filled with countless blessings and divine mercy, making it a time of immense spiritual transformation for believers. In this blessed month, Allah the Almighty opens the gates of Paradise, closes the gates of Hell and He chains up the devils. As narrated from Abu Hurayrah: that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said,

“When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” 

(Al-Bukhari, 1898 | Muslim, 1079)

Moreover, Ramadan is the time where Muslims are encouraged to reach out for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness especially as every night throughout the month Allah has people whom He redeems from the Fire.

Narrated from the hadith of Abu Umamah: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“At every breaking of the fast, Allah has people whom He redeems.”

(Ahmad (5/256) | Authenticated by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih al-Targhib, 987)

Maximising Ramadan with Knowledge

It is imperative to know that knowledge precedes actions, for actions must be based on knowledge. And it is more crucial that our ibadah are based on knowledge that has its basis in Islam from the Qur’an and Sunnah upon the correct understanding of our pious predecessors. Many a time we see enthusiasm in individuals to perform and make themselves closer to Allah, but when zeal is coupled with ignorance it spurs people to act recklessly without comprehension thus preventing their efforts from being fully utilised.

And we can see this from the way Imam Al-Bukhari placed the title of his chapter in the Book of Knowledge in his Sahih, “Knowledge before speech and action”.

When actions are based on knowledge, not only are we able to be certain of its practices but we are able to obtain more of its rewards and virtues when we perform it based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. For example, when a person in a dire state is guided by knowledge he is able to make du’a during the time of mustajab allowing him to increase the possibility of his du’a to be accepted. So what is other knowledge that we can equip ourselves with to maximise our Ramadan?

The Knowledge of Notable Times, from them are:

• The Last Third of The Night

As mentioned in the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ

“Our Lord, The Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls on Me so that I may answer him? Who asks of Me so that I may give to him? Who asks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?”

(Sunan Abi Dawud, 1315 | Authenticated by Shaykh Al-Albani)

Fasting in the month of Ramadan really eases us in practicing and applying this hadith especially when we are waking up for our pre-dawn meal or sahur. Spare a few minutes before or after our sahur and have a personal time with Allah by making du’a or reciting some dhikr. Isn’t it beautiful how Allah is reaching out to us in this manner? The only thing left is for us to respond to his call, knowing that He always listens to our pleas.

• Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Decree)

Laylatul Qadr is a very important night that happens once throughout the year during Ramadan. It is the night where Allah sent down the Qur’an for mankind and has made this night worth more than a thousand nights as mentioned in Surah Al-Qadr,

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ١

Indeed, ˹it is˺ We ˹Who˺ sent this ˹Quran˺ down on the Night of Glory.

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ ٢

And what will make you realize what the Night of Glory is?

لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ ٣

The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months.

However, Allah’s mercy doesn’t end there. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“Whoever spends the night of Laylatul Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

(Al-Bukhari, 1901 | Muslim, 759)

The Knowledge of Notable Actions, from them is:

• Giving Iftar to A Fasting Person

From the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

“Whoever gives iftar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.”

(al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Majah, 1746 | Authenticated by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, 647)  

There are more practices from the Sunnah that one can perform during Ramadan specifically or even general practices, this includes hastening one’s breaking of fast (Al-Bukhari, 1957), eating sahur (Al-Bukhari, 1923), praying with the imam until he finishes (Abu Dawud, 1370) and more. So do not just stop with this short article, but continue in seeking knowledge of other virtues and practices we can perform this Ramadan!

Personalise your Ramadan with a Plan

After knowing the significance and importance of Ramadan and everything that it comes with of its rewards and virtues, consequently what comes after that is to act. And what better way to act than by personalising your Ramadan in the best way possible that suits you? 

Set some time aside for yourself or with your loved ones to plan what you want to do from the start of Ramadan until the very end. It can include all the goals you wish to achieve this Ramadan from reciting the Qur’an on a daily basis to starting each day with an authentic dhikr from the Prophet’s morning supplication or adhkaar al-sobaah. It can even extend to deciding which mosque to go to for taraweeh and tahajjud or which Islamic lecture do you want to listen to while commuting to work or at home with your family? This may also be encapsulated through adopting a better lifestyle such as lowering one’s gaze, being more generous and kind to others and other praiseworthy acts! 

Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

احْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْجَزْ

“Strive for that which benefits you, and seek help from Allah, and do not feel helpless.”

(Muslim, 2664)

Beyond making plans which benefit you, don’t forget to plan to leave off things that do not benefit you in this life nor the hereafter too. In fact, Ramadan is the best time to drop off all our bad habits, normalised sins and addictions. It could be things we have picked up for years or even things we have fallen into recently. Smoking, exposing our awrah, watching and looking at things that are unlawful such as pornography and not to forget other ill traits like arrogance, selfishness, ungratefulness or having suuzhon (negative thinking) of Allah amongst others.

Back to Basics & Istiqamah

Ramadan is the perfect time for us to go back to Allah. This best goes with the concept of going back to the basics or core fundamentals. Back to the basics of Islam – seeking the pleasure of Allah by leaving what’s unlawful for His sake and striving for the best of what is lawful for His sake. All of these are to be done with Istiqamah – i.e. continuous and consistent in practice. As mentioned in the hadith,

Narrated by Aishah: that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said,

أَنَّ أَحَبَّ الأَعْمَالِ أَدْوَمُهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ قَلَّ

“The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.”

(Al-Bukhari, 6464)

This is done in hopes that after being consistent this Ramadan for Allah, it will be a catalyst and motivation to continue even after the holy month has ended. However, being on the path of Istiqamah can be quite challenging, but an important guide is to always know yourself. When it comes to our actions, prioritise what is obligatory first and when there is more room then fulfil what is Sunnah or the optional encouraged acts of worship. When it comes to performing the Sunnah, perform a considerable amount that can last you a long time just as what is mentioned in the hadith. The last thing you would want to have is experiencing a burnout that lasts ages.

With all that has been mentioned, what does it truly mean to be successful in Ramadan? True success lies in attaining closeness to Allah and earning His forgiveness. 

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

 “‏ رَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ ذُكِرْتُ عِنْدَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَىَّ وَرَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَمَضَانُ ثُمَّ انْسَلَخَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لَهُ وَرَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ أَدْرَكَ عِنْدَهُ أَبَوَاهُ الْكِبَرَ فَلَمْ يُدْخِلاَهُ الْجَنَّةَ ‏

“May the man before whom I am mentioned – and he does not send salawat upon me – be humiliated. And may a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated. And may a man whose parents reached old age in his presence, and they were not a cause for his entrance to Paradise, be humiliated.”

(Al-Tirmidhi, 3545)

This hadith shows that experiencing the month of Ramadan is a huge bestowment from Allah and a gift of mercy from the Most High. An opportunity to come back to the Creator regardless of everything that a person has gone through from his mistakes and errors in life no matter how big it is in the eyes of mankind.

We ask Allah that He eases our pursuit of being better individuals with Istiqamah this Ramadan. And that He allows us to be amongst those who are forgiven in this month and not from the ones that are humiliated. May this article benefit its readers, inspire us to do more for Allah and may He allow us to achieve success this Ramadan and what is after until the day we meet Him.