*Preparation for Ramadan and Protection from Afflictions*
Mufti Muhammad Abdul Hameed Shakir
Ramadan is not a month that arrives suddenly; rather, it is a great religious season, a complete curriculum for spiritual training, and a golden opportunity for self-improvement. Allah Almighty has made this month obligatory not only for hunger and thirst but also for the purification of the heart, piety, and training in good deeds. It is stated in the Holy Quran:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. (Al-Baqarah: 183)
Piety is a firmly established state that does not arise suddenly but requires continuous effort, self-assessment, and a pre-prepared environment. That is why the Sharia emphasizes preparation before Ramadan, and this has been the approach of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Companions (RA), the Successors, and the great scholars of the Ummah.
Chapter One: Preparing for Ramadan Before Ramadan
Preparation for Ramadan in the Prophetic Tradition ﷺ
Before the arrival of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would increase voluntary fasting in the month of Sha'ban so that the self and the Ummah would become accustomed to worship. Hazrat Aisha (RA) says that she never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fasting so much in any month other than Sha'ban (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Hadith: 1937; Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting, Hadith: 1153).
Hazrat Usama bin Zaid (RA) said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! You fast so much in Sha'ban that you do not fast in other months." The Prophet ﷺ said: "This is a month between Rajab and Ramadan that people neglect, although deeds are presented to Allah, and I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting" (Sunan Nasai, Book of Fasting, Hadith: 2350; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith: 19354).
The Approach of the Predecessors
Hazrat Mualla bin Fazl (RA) says that the righteous predecessors used to pray for six months for the arrival of Ramadan and six months for its acceptance (Lataif al-Ma'arif, Ibn Rajab, Vol. 1, p. 45). Hazrat Ali (RA) used to frequently make this prayer near Ramadan: "O Allah! Bring us to Ramadan, make Ramadan safe for us, and accept our worship" (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Vol. 2, p. 301).
The Successors used to say that a self that has been free for eleven months cannot suddenly become obedient in Ramadan. That is why they would start practicing eating less, sleeping less, speaking less, and engaging in remembrance and recitation before Ramadan. Imam Zuhri (RA) would limit his lessons near Ramadan and say: "Ramadan is the month of the Quran, not of debates" (Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Vol. 4, p. 212). Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi (RA) writes that the great scholars would assess their tongue, sight, and heart before Ramadan so that Ramadan would become a month of reform, not just a ritual (Faza'il-e-A'maal).
*Natural Stage: The Need for Preparation Before Every Big Task*
No major task in human life can be accomplished without preparation. Example of farming: When a farmer intends to cultivate, he levels the land several weeks before sowing the seeds, removes weeds and thorns, makes waterways, and arranges for fertilizer. If he ignores all these stages and suddenly sows the seeds, the crop is ruined. Similarly, Ramadan is also a field: without cleansing the land of the heart from envy, malice, negligence, and frivolity, the seeds of worship do not bear fruit. Therefore, reforming the heart, dividing time, and practicing worship before Ramadan are essential.
Similarly, an important stage like marriage requires months of preparation. The date is fixed, financial resources are collected, and arrangements are made for clothing, invitation, and accommodation. If someone says that they will think about everything on the day of the wedding, it is considered unreasonable. Ramadan, which is a renewal of the marriage of servitude for the entire life, also requires prior mental, spiritual, and practical preparation, otherwise this month also passes in disorder and negligence.
Similarly, if a student opens a book one night before the exam, success is not possible. He looks at the syllabus months in advance, makes a time schedule, and works hard continuously. Ramadan is also a great test in which patience, piety, and self-control are tested. A person who does not correct the timings of sleep, eating, and mobile in Sha'ban cannot achieve concentration in Ramadan.
A trader also buys goods in advance by looking at the season and the market, invests capital, and does not waste profit opportunities. Ramadan is the biggest season of good deeds, in which the profit is increased many times over. Wisdom is to prepare a capital of worship, a schedule of time, and a list of deeds in advance for this season, so that this month is not wasted in negligence.
Before traveling, a traveler looks at the route, packs provisions, and prepares the vehicle. Traveling without preparation causes hardship and loss. Ramadan is a spiritual journey that leads to Paradise; for this, provisions of patience, knowledge, moderation, and avoidance of controversial discussions are necessary.
A house builder first prepares a map, estimates expenses, and hires laborers and materials. If this preparation is not done, the construction remains incomplete. In Ramadan also, a map of the timings of Sehri, Iftar, Tarawih, recitation, and rest should be made in advance so that there is balance and continuity in worship.
*Abandoning Unnecessary Matters and Planning for It*
If we do not control the timings of mobile, social media, and sports before Ramadan, then these same pastimes will swallow up its time in Ramadan as well. Just sharing good messages is not worship, but rather acting on them yourself, taking out time, and making the self bound by discipline is the real preparation. Adopt moderation in Sehri and Iftar, allocate time for Tarawih, and refrain from unnecessary frivolities throughout the day, including watching gaming reels and making blogs, etc.
If complete avoidance of these abandoned matters is achieved, then in this way every moment in Ramadan will be used for worship, piety, and spiritual training, and protection from sins will be achieved, otherwise this one Ramadan will also pass like twenty other Ramadans.
*Comparison with Worldly Affairs*
Man plans for important tasks in the world:
Similarly, in Ramadan also, prior planning for worship, Sehri, Iftar, Tarawih, and remembrance and recitation, purification of the heart, and preparation of the body and time are necessary.
*Chapter Two: Protection from Afflictions in Ramadan*
Ramadan, while being a great opportunity for self-improvement, piety, and closeness to Allah, is also a month of afflictions, slips, and deprivations if a person is not careful. A great scholar says that many people find Ramadan, but Ramadan does not reach them; the main reason for this is the afflictions that eat away at the soul of worship.
*1. Affliction of the Tongue and Idle Talk*
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that whoever does not give up lying and acting upon it while fasting, Allah has no need for him to give up his food and drink (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Hadith: 1903). The meaning of this saying is that fasting is not only of the stomach but also of the tongue, eyes, ears, and heart.
On another occasion, the Prophet ﷺ said that fasting is a shield, so the fasting person should not engage in obscene speech, nor should he shout and make noise, and if someone quarrels with him, he should say: "I am fasting" (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1894; Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 1151).
Imam Ghazali (RA) says that without protecting the tongue, fasting remains merely a form; the reality does not remain (Ihya Uloom-ud-Din). Hazrat Hasan Basri (RA) used to say that the silence of the fasting person is also worship, provided that he is silent from sin.
*2. Affliction of the Gaze and Corruption of the Heart*
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has commanded the believers to lower their gaze (Surah An-Nur: 30). This command becomes even more important in Ramadan because the gaze is the door to the heart. The Prophet ﷺ said that the gaze is a poisonous arrow from the arrows of Satan (Tabarani).
Hazrat Ibn Masood (RA) used to say that protecting the gaze is part of the perfection of fasting. Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA) writes that whoever does not protect his gaze, his heart remains black even in Ramadan (Islah al-Rusoom).
*3. Affliction of the Stomach: Immoderation in Iftar and Sehri*
The practice of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was to have a simple Iftar. The Prophet ﷺ said that a man has not filled any vessel worse than his stomach (Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2380). Making Iftar a festival in Ramadan, excessive eating, and negligence destroy the soul of worship.
Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) used to say that filling the stomach makes the heart hard and worship heavy. The great scholars write that moderation in Iftar and ease in Sehri are the life of fasting.
*4. Affliction of Time: Frivolities and Mobile*
Wasting the precious moments of Ramadan on mobile, sports, unnecessary videos, and discussions is the biggest affliction of today. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are two blessings in which most people are deceived: health and free time" (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 6412).
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) used to say that I am surprised at the person who is free but does not do good. Maulana Yusuf Sahib (RA) used to say that if the moments of Ramadan are wasted, it becomes difficult to reform for the whole year.
*5. Getting Entangled in Disputed and Subsidiary Issues*
Arguing in Ramadan about whether Tarawih is eight or twenty, the moment of Iftar, the last time of Sehri—is negligence of the real purpose. The Prophet ﷺ said that I am leaving behind a clear Sharia for you, in which destruction is from disagreement (Musnad Ahmad).
Hazrat Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (RA), while discussing in detail the harms of subsidiary differences, stated that adopting severity in them causes hardness of hearts, mutual hatred, and decline of spirituality, and the purpose of Sharia is the opposite of this: joining hearts and peace of mind.
(Al-Insaf fi Bayan Asbab al-Ikhtilaf, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (RA))
Also, in order to avoid the disunity of the Ummah and to protect the objectives of Sharia, he (RA) taught breadth and moderation in such differences.
(Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, Vol. 1, Discussions on the Differences of the Ummah)
6. Affliction of Hypocrisy and Show-off
The thing that the Prophet ﷺ feared the most was minor shirk, i.e., showing off (Musnad Ahmad). Displaying worship in Ramadan, expressing worship on social media, and making good deeds a show-off destroy the deeds.
Hazrat Sufyan Thauri (RA) used to say that showing off eats away at worship in the same way that fire eats wood. Silent worship is the safest worship of Ramadan. In today's era, this has become common among the people: videos of Tahajjud are being made, videos of Iftar and Sehri are being made, videos of distributing Zakat are being made. All these things destroy the effect of deeds from the root.
*7. Negligence of Prayer*
Ramadan is the month of acceptance of prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said that the prayer of the fasting person is not rejected at the time of Iftar (Ibn Majah, Hadith: 1753). But alas, people spend this time eating and on mobile.
Hazrat Ibn Rajab (RA) says that the person who is deprived of prayer at the time of Iftar has been deprived of the great treasure of Ramadan (Lataif al-Ma'arif).
Summary of Speech
The summary of protecting oneself from the afflictions of Ramadan is to protect the tongue, sight, stomach, time, and intention, to avoid differences and frivolities, and to strengthen prayer and sincerity. This is the path by following which Ramadan becomes a blessing, otherwise this same month becomes a cause of deprivation.