One last post before Ramadan leaves us,  Zoopy.com filmed a short video where they spent a day with a young Muslim woman to find out more about this holy month.

Bismillah

Slaves of Allah, surely the month of Ramadan will be leaving us, and only a little remains of it. So whosoever amongst you has done good, then upon him is completing it with good. And whosoever amongst you has neglected this month, then let him end it with the best, for deeds are by their endings.
Enjoy what remains of these few last nights and days, and commit to righteous deeds that will bear witness for you in front of The All-Knowing King, and when this month ends, say goodbye with the best farewell and greeting.

Al-Hafidh ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (rahimahullah)

source: http://www.tayyibaat.com/2010/08/30/ramadan-will-be-leaving/

As the blessed month of Ramadhan approaches, we need to prepare for it in such a way that we can gain the maximum benefit of this month.  For many, Ramadhan comes and goes.  However, very few people actually benefit from this great month.  Our teachers advise us to live the whole year as if we are in the month of Ramadhan.  This magnanimous achievement can only be attained when the actual month of Ramadhan is spent properly.  In order to acquire a droplet of the reality mentioned above, Insha Allah, I hope to mention ten points that were given as form of advice to me and many others.

1. Discipline: Most people already know to abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from one’s spouse during the daytime of Ramadhan.  However, a level of discipline must be developed to do righteous acts and abstain from those acts which would earn the displeasure of Allah. That was a basic form of discipline that needs to be developed but along with that, one needs to have discipline in following a particular routine or schedule for Ramadhan.  This will be the real life changing factor for an individual.   They wake up for suhoor but also pray Tahajjud at that time.  Recite some Qur’an.  They eat.  Make dua’ while waiting for Salah.   They pray Fajr.  Recite Qur’an and make zikr.  Rest if they need to.  The idea is to make a schedule and act accordingly the whole month without sacrificing their schedule.  This is the desired discipline that is required.One may ask, “Why did he not just put the first point as a ‘making a schedule’?”  Well, the answer is very simple.  Anyone can come up with a schedule, but it takes real discipline to abide by it.
2. Devotional life (‘Ibadah): Ramadhan is the month where Allah allows us to really fulfill the purpose of our being, and the purpose of our creation.  Allah created us all to worship Him, and Him alone.  Here, I will not mention virtues of various acts or worship because those can be found in the many books on the merits of certain deeds.  However, since Ramadhan and Qur’an are closely connected, I will say that much of our devotional life should be focused on the Qur’an.  Reciting at least the entire Qur’an once in this month.  Understanding it from erudite scholarship of our community or from accepted commentaries and Tafaaseer. I am not asking that a person recites the entire Qur’an and completes one entire commentary of it in one month.  Perhaps it may be feasible to recite the entire Qur’an and start off a regimen of a Tafseer and try to finish it on an annual basis.
3. Identifying with the Ummah: It is important that we feel our fast, i.e. feel hunger and thirst.  Apart from that, we can use this to our benefit by making other people’s fast count for us as well.  This means that if we feed or give to drink something to someone who fasts, we can get the reward of their fast as well.  Another aspect of identifying with the Ummah is to be grateful for whatever Allah has given us and realize that a little of that we need to give to others so that they may have a decent Ramadhan and wonderful ‘Eid.  See what the Ummah is going through and see how we can actively participate to help the Ummah in any way possible.
4. Contact with the Qur’an: Ramadhan is the month wherein the Qur’an was revealed.  This is the month of the Qur’an.  It is extremely essential to establish a relationship with the Qur’an.  Without going into much detail, I will just mention something practical with regards to the Qur’an and Ramadhan.  For the average person, i.e. one who is not scholar or is not a Hafiz, they should read at least one juz per day so that they finish at a minimum one entire Qur’an for the month of Ramadhan.  If one can do more, than Alhamdulillah, no one is stopping anyone.  The next thing is to understand the Qur’an.  So take the first volume of Ma’ariful Qur’an (for example) and read one section of the Arabic part (if one can) and then read the translation, then read the commentary.  Do this every day without fail.  Obviously the whole commentary will not be completed in one month, but at least a schedule to read a portion regularly will be developed and hopefully within a year it could be completed.  Also, one should try to memorize those chapters/surahs which are read often like Mulk, Kahf, Ya Seen, Waqi’ah, and Sajdah.  Also memorize Surahs from the last juz at least and more if possible.
5. Mujahadah: Ramadhan is a month of sacrifice and struggle.  It is a month where Allah wants our time, our health, our wealth, and our whole being.  We literally live the whole year for everything and anything.  It is just one month…can we not live one month solely for our Creator?!  So what if we have to sacrifice our sleep, and random other luxuries that we can do without anyway.  As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.”  The amount of sacrifice and struggle we put into this month, Allah will reward us in this world and the next accordingly.  Give yourself to Allah, and see what Allah has in store for you.
6. Dua’: The essence of worship is supplication to Allah.  This whole month, Allah is willing and readily open to accept all that we ask of Him.  It is only to our own loss and detriment that we lack in begging Allah for the things we need.  Prioritize your supplications.  Ask firstly for yourself, then your family, community, then the Ummah at large.  Within that, prioritize and ask for things pertaining to the hereafter, then ask for things pertaining to this world.  Just remember one thing when it comes to dua’,  the point of dua’ is not that we need something or we need protection or refuge from some other thing, the point is that Allah told us to supplicate to Him, and that is why one should make dua’ abundantly.  There are certain things Allah loves to do, and one of them is to answer the supplications of His servants who call unto Him.  One final aspect regarding dua’ is crying or pretending to cry.  Tears are something foreign to Allah and therefore He has immense value for tears.  The whole year we become filthy and impure spiritually by sinning, Ramadhan is the month where we purify our spirits by bathing our spirits in our tears.
7. Good Company: Ramadhan is a month to maximize on good deeds and keep bad deeds at zero.  Being in the company of the righteous will allow one to attain this goal. I will keep this point short.  The minimum benefit one gets by being in good company is that one will not sin which in turn will cause one to become the greatest worshiper based off the hadith of Tirmidhi wherein Nabi (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) took Abu Hurayrah (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu)’s hand and said, “O Abu Hurayrah, abstain from all prohibitions and you will become the best worshiper.”  The maximum benefit is that being with the people of Allah, Insha Allah; a person may just Attain Allah.  What can be greater?!
8. Gratitude:  The secret to an increase in anything is to be thankful for it.  To make sure that we see this month the next year, appreciate it this year. Be thankful for all that we have in every aspect, even the basic things we neglect and take for granted.  We have Iman, we have Islam.  Alhamdulillah, we are the best Ummah.  We have been given the best book, i.e. the Qur’an.  The best way to appreciate a bounty is to use it for its purpose.  Allah has blessed with infinite blessing and bounties.  Ramadhan is one of those bounties, so to fully appreciate Ramadhan, we must spend it the way Allah would like us to spend it and attain out goal which is Taqwa.
9. Following the Sunnah: Anything of the beloved is also beloved.  That is a principle of love.  Allah has proclaimed the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) as His beloved.  If we follow the Sunnah and show a resemblance, then we can also gain the focus of Allah.  Particularly follow the Sunnah acts which the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) performed in Ramadhan.  If we have to do something, might as well do it the best way possible.  The best way for anything to be done is the way of the Sunnah.  If by any chance it was some other way, Allah would have had His Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) do it that way then.
10. Istiqamah: Imam Junayd Al-Baghdadi (RA) said, “Steadfastness is greater than a thousand miracles.”  Please do not tire one’s self out in the initial stages of Ramadhan, rather figure out a routine that works and stick to it regularly.  The most beloved of actions to Allah are those that are done consistently even though they may seem minor.  We all need to be thankful for the good that we have done and also for the evil we are able to abstain from.  We also need to be thankful for whatever level of steadfastness that we have.  We want to make Ramadhan last beyond Ramadhan as well.  I’ll end with a quote from one of our mashaaikh, Shaykh In’aam-ul-Hasan Kandehlawi (RA) said, “Whoever lives their life as they do in Ramadhan, then death will come to that person just as the moon of ‘Eid comes for the fasting person.”

To conclude, we pray to Allah that He accepts all of our efforts and overlooks and forgives all of our shortcomings.  Aameen.

Source: http://annoor.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/10-tips-for-ramadhan/

Fasting during the Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Followers should abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset for 29 to 30 days. Many people who fast over Ramadan suffer mild or moderate headaches as a result of factors such as caffeine withdrawal, stress and low blood sugar. The good news, says Dr Elliot Shevel the chairman of the South African Headache Society is that you can manage these headaches without breaking your fast.

“Headache onset often occurs in the afternoon or evening just before the fast is broken. Headache frequency typically increases over the duration of fasting. Those prone to headaches at other times of the year are most likely to get headaches, but some patients that experience headaches during this time have no history of headaches or migraines.”

How to eliminate headache from your fasting regimen during Ramadan:
Dr Shevel highlights caffeine withdrawal as the most common cause of headache while fasting. Patients can often prevent headaches by reducing caffeine consumption in the weeks leading up to Ramadan month, while a cup of strong coffee just before the start of the fast for the day may prevent caffeine withdrawal headache.

Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) can also trigger headaches in many people. If a meal with high sugar content is taken before the day’s fast begins, it can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels followed by a fast drop that may trigger a headache. Eating a meal with low sugar content before the fast may prevent the onset of a headache during the day. Contact The Headache Clinic for a list of foods which have a low glycemic index.

Dehydration is another common trigger, adequate intake of fluid before the onset of the fast can often prevent headaches. The human brain is more than 75% water, and it is very sensitive to the amount of water available to it. When the brain detects that the water supply is too low, it begins to produce histamines. This is essentially a process of water rationing and conservation, in order to safeguard the brain in case the water shortage continues. for a long period of time. The histamines directly cause pain and fatigue, in other words a headache and the low energy that usually accompanies it. “Patients should also, as far as possible, try to avoid exposure to other triggers such as fluid retention, stress, fatigue and lack of sleep during Ramadan, when there is a greater tendency to experience headache,” says Dr Shevel. “Rest and sleep often to help prevent being subjected to headaches and the pain often melts away when the fast is broken for the day.”

Medicinal help
Preventive medication that will last for the full twelve hours of the fast includes preparations such as the tablet Naproxen sodium, which is taken as a single dose of 500mg just before the fast begins. These tablets are sold over-the-counter at your pharmacy as Aleve formulated by Bayers AG.

When to call your doctor
“If headaches are interfering with your fast during Ramadan, contact The Headache Clinic on 0861 678 911 as we have a number of techniques to relieve you of your pain. So that you can continue your fast without breaking any of the principles of Ramadan,” added Dr Shevel. If headaches persist after Ramadan or are severe in nature, patients are advised to seek help from a medical professional. Dr Shevel explains that headaches can be most successfully treated using a multidisciplinary approach, since no one medical specialization covers all the psychological and physical dimensions of severe headaches.

For more information please contact Mary-lee Cantor on +2711 484 0933 or visit www.headclin.com

Ramadaan 2010 is days away and www.MyUmmah.co.za has made it an annual tradition to publish Ramadaan Timetables for the various cities in South Africa

We have included Ramadan 2010 Timetables for the following South African Cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban.

Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge each image.

Be sure to visit some of our friends at
www.StrictlyHalaal.com
www.Viewtiful.co.za

This post comes from a href=http://www.myhalalkitchen.com/www.myhalalkitchen.com//a

strong 1. Guard Your Suhoor:/strong

* Make enough time for it and make sure it’s a healthy one.
* Eat a complete meal with a variety of fruits, whole grains and protein, such as beans or eggs. Choose from leafy greens, and water-rich fruits such as watermelon, peaches and papaya.
* Avoid refined sugars and too many carbohydrates, which can leave you feeling exhausted by mid-day.
* Drink plenty of water or real juice, but don’t overstuff yourself with these, either.

strong2. Don’t Sleep the Day Away/strong

* This is particularly important after the suhoor meal because digestion and circulation cannot occur if you spend half the day in bed.
* Additionally, you will slow yourself down by sleeping during the daylight hours meant for being productive.

strong3. Conserve Those Calories/strong

* Avoid too much talking—yes, talking takes up a lot of energy and can actually bring on headaches. You need as much of your energy to get through the day so avoid unnecessary and long-winded conversations, especially futile ones that have nothing to do with work, family or the deen.
* Take it easy when doing errands or working around the house by maintaining a leisurely pace. Walk, don’t run and you’ll avoid losing the energy needed for your ibadah. We should remain productive, but choose our energy output wisely.

strong4. Break Your Fast Calmly/strong

* Don’t be in a rush to eat. You won’t digest your food properly and could make yourself sick. Instead, break fast with a healthy room-temperature fluid like water, pure fruit juice or warm milk, as cold drinks are hard on your system. Have a couple of dates, figs, and a handful of nuts. Then, pray your salah and return to the table for a nice meal.

strong5. Ease Into the Iftar Meal/strong

* Warm the stomach and slowly acclimate your body to food by having soup as a first course to the iftar meal. It’s not only easy on the stomach, but it also prevents over-eating with heavier foods that generally come afterwards.

strong6. Lay off the Salt and the Grease/strong

* There’s no denying that many traditional Ramadan foods are deliciously tempting, but also tend to be on the greasier side. Have one samosa, for example, if you must, but realize that your body has to work harder to digest it.
* Salty foods should be avoided simply due to their dehydrating effects on your body. You may think by drinking large amounts of water you can recover from this dehydration, but you may suffer from headaches and bloating in the meantime.

strong7. Don’t Eat to Your Fill at Any Meal/strong

* Eat plenty of protein- meat, poultry, eggs and fish, as opposed to empty calories like junk food, breads and snacks.
* Follow a golden rule on eating from our beloved Prophet (pbuh) who said:The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for air. (al-Tirmidhi –saheeh by al-Albaani)

strong8. Listen to Your Body/strong

* How do you know when you’ve reached the one-third level? Your body will tell you, if you are listening. Be cognizant of what you’re putting in your mouth and how your body responds to certain types and amounts of foods.
* If you feel weak or out of breath, regularly check your blood sugar levels and hear rate. Young or old, improper eating regiments and passivity about one’s diet can be a seriously unhealthy combination.

strong9. Do Light to Moderate Exercises/strong

* Lifting small weights or leisure walking helps build muscle and improve circulation. Ramadan is not a time to look or feel like a weakling. Instead, it’s a great time to build discipline and structure into our lives. Small, daily exercises are a great way to do just that.

strong10. Get Rest During the Proper Hours/strong

* Some people are early birds; others are night owls. Either way, you must be awake and aware for all of the daily salah and to implement many forms of ibadat throughout the day. Get yourself on a good sleep schedule where you hit the sack early enough to get in a few zzz’s, wake up for tahajjud during the last part of the night, then continue on for suhoor and fajr. Proper rest, eating and ibadah will make you ultimately feel like a more productive Muslim overall, insha’allah.

This is a repost, but relevant to the month of Ramadan.

Baba Ali gives us some Ramadan Advice

FASTING is complete abstinence from food and drink between dawn and dusk. All those who are ill or frail, pregnant or menstruating women, breastfeeding mothers and travellers are exempted. They are required to make up the number of days missed at a later date or give a fixed sum to charity.

Advice to Muslims in Ramadhan
From the book Khulaasatul Kalaam by Shaykh Jaarullah.

Brother Muslim, Sister Muslima:

1. Fast Ramadhan with belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah the Most High so that He may forgive you your past sins.

2. Beware of breaking your fast during the days of Ramadhan without a valid Islamic excuse, for it is from the greatest of sins.

3. Pray Salat ut-Taraweeh and the night prayer during the nights of Ramadhan – especially on Layatul-Qadr – based on belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah, so that Allah may forgive you your past sins.

4. Make sure that your food, your drink and your clothing are from halal means, in order that your actions be accepted, and your supplications answered. Beware of refraining from the halal while fasting and breaking your fast with the haram.

5. Give food to some fasting people to gain a reward similar to theirs.

6. Perform your five prayers on time in congregation to gain the reward and Allahs protection.

7. Give a lot of charity for the best charity is that of Ramadhan.8. Beware of spending your time without performing righteous deeds, for you will be responsible and reckoned for it and will be rewarded for all you do during your time.

9. Perform `umrah in Ramadhan for `Umrah in Ramadhan is equal to Hajj.

10. Seek help for fasting during the day by eating the sahoor meal in the last part of the night before the appearance of Fajr.

11. Hasten breaking your fast after the sun has truly set in order to gain the love of Allah.

12. Perform ghusl before fajr if you need to purify yourself from the state of major impurity so that you are able to do acts of worship in a state of purity and cleanliness.

13. Cease the opportunity of being in Ramadhan and spend it with the good that has been revealed in it – by reciting the noble Quran and pondering and reflection of its meanings so that it be a proof for you with your Lord and an intercessor for you on the Day of Reckoning.

14. Preserve your tongue from lying, cursing, backbiting and slander for it decreases the reward of fasting.

15. Do not let fasting cause you cross your boundaries by getting upset due to the slightest of reasons. Rather, fating should be a cause of peacefulness and tranquility of your soul.

16. Upon completion of fasting, be in a state of taqwa of Allah the Most High, being aware of Allah watching you in secret and in public, in thankfulness for His favors, and steadfastness upon obedience of Allah by doing all what He has ordered and shunning all that He has prohibited.

17. Increase in remembrance of Allah, seeking of forgiveness, asking for Paradise and protection against the Fire, especially when fasting, while breaking the fast and during suhoor, for these actions are among greatest causes of attaining Allahs forgiveness.

18. Increase in supplication for yourself, your parents, your children and Muslims, for Allah has ordered making of supplications and has guaranteed acceptance.

19. Repent to Allah with a sincere repentance in all times by leaving sins, regretting those that you have done before and firmly deciding not to return to them in the future, for Allah accepts repentance of those who repent.

20. Fast six days of Shawwal, for whoever fasts Ramadhan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasts all the time.

21. Fast on the Day of `Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the last year and the coming year.

22. Fast on the day of `Aashuraa, the 10th of Muharram, along with the 9th, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the past year.

23. Continue being in a state of iman and taqwa and perform righteous actions after the month of Ramadhan, until you die. And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death). [Quran 15:99]

24. Ensure that you attain the positive effects of your acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, zakat and hajj, sincere repentance and leaving of customs that are in variance with the Sharee`ah.

25. Invoke a lot of salawat and salam upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allahs blessings and peace be upon him, his Companions and all those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadhan based on belief and truly seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.

O Allah make us of those who fasted the month, attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.

O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to forgive, so forgive us.

O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the All-Hearing, all-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and honor.

And may Allahs blessings and peace be upon Muhammad (pbuh), his family and his Companions.

*update*  PE Timetable is now added.

Ramadan is a few weeks away and this year I decided to put together a timetable with some Islamic art in it.

Feel free to print it out, give it away to friends, family and more importantly stick it on your refrigerators.

You will also notice the www.NasihaDesign.com website domain on it, watch out for this project – insha’allah it goes live sometime in August 2009

Click on an image below to enlarge.  Alternatively click here to download a zip file with high resolution PDF documents