Steps to Prepare for Ramadan: • Sincere Repentance: - Repent from all sins sincerely before Ramadan. - "And whoever repents with sincere repentance, Allah washes away his sins." - "The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin." - "Sins are restrictive chains, they restrain the servant from being active in obedience, and they burden his shoulders." - If one repents and removes these burdens, they will find themselves active in worship during Ramadan. • Sincere Intention and Firm Determination: - "Rectification before Ramadan is achieved through sincere intention and firm determination to perform good deeds in Ramadan." - "Whoever is granted success in two matters, let him rejoice in goodness: 1. If he is granted sincerity for Allah, exalted is He, which includes firm and truthful resolve. 2. If he is granted truthfulness with Allah, being sincere and truthful." - "Allah will affirm his sincerity and will aid him, exalted and glorified is He." • Increase in Worship Before Ramadan: - Fasting: "He should strive to fast frequently in the month of Sha'ban, following the example of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him." - Qur’an Recitation: "He should increase his recitation of the Qur'an in Sha'ban more than his usual times." - Charity: "And increase in giving charity in Sha'ban more than his usual times, following the example of the righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them." • Reduce Distractions: - "Among the preparations for Ramadan, which is part of rectifying oneself before Ramadan, is reducing permissible activities that consume much of one's time and distract one from striving in obedience." - "The most important matter I advise in this regard is for a Muslim to train himself from now on to reduce his use of the phone for purposes other than necessary communication." - "He should greatly limit his time looking at the phone, following websites, and other modern means available on our phones today." • Develop Self-Control Over the Phone: - "I see that what consumes most of our time today is this phone." - "Many Muslims become preoccupied from goodness in Ramadan due to these phones." - "One of them does not complete a single recitation of the Qur'an in Ramadan because the phone consumes their time entirely." - "I advise myself and my brothers to train ourselves from today to reduce our phone usage." - "Dedicate only a limited time to the phone, perhaps an hour or so, then refrain from it." - "Train yourself not to turn to the phone except in the allocated time, so that when Ramadan arrives, you are already accustomed to this practice." • Recognise the Value of Ramadan: - "Indeed, the month of Ramadan is a season of goodness, a season for acquiring rewards, a great opportunity." - "Whoever reaches Ramadan and is not forgiven, then he has truly lost." - "Thus, the believer should be keen to prepare himself for beneficial striving in Ramadan, by the permission of our Lord, exalted is He." • Dua for Reaching and Benefiting from Ramadan: - "I ask Allah, exalted is He, to bless the remaining days of Sha'ban for us, and to allow us to reach Ramadan in health and well-being, with security and iman." - "And to aid us in remembering Him, thanking Him, and worshipping Him excellently, as He loves and is pleased with." - "And to make us in Ramadan among those who race towards Paradise, hasten towards good deeds, and to protect us from negligence and shortcomings in this blessed month." - "May Allah bless and assist everyone." Extracted from: 📖 الدروس العلمية لفضيلة الشيخ أ.د. سليمان بن سليم الله الرحيلي 📚 (دليل الطالب لنيل المطالب) 📅 ليوم الجمعة - الموافق 13-08-1445هـ https://t.me/PearlsofRuhayli