Shakirah Hunter

As the excitement for the blessed month of Ramadhan builds us up to the month of Sha’ban, we are all looking forward to a time of spiritual recharge and growth within the month of Ramadhan. We put all our hopes that the month of Ramadhan will allow us to reconnect and rebuild our relationship with Allah Ta’ala. Yet there is a need to prepare ourselves mentally and focus both our external ibaadah and our spiritual development.

The Sahabah showed us a few extraordinary ways to welcome and prepare for the month of Ramadhan.

1. To build the excitement by giving glad tidings to each other of the coming of the month of Ramadhan.

عن أبي هريرة -رضي الله عنه- أنّ النبيّ كان يُبشّر أصحابه بقدوم رمضان، فيقول: (أتاكُم رَمضانُ شَهرٌ مبارَك، فرَضَ اللَّهُ عزَّ وجَلَّ عليكُم صيامَه، تُفَتَّحُ فيهِ أبوابُ السَّماءِ، وتغَلَّقُ فيهِ أبوابُ الجحيمِ، وتُغَلُّ فيهِ مَرَدَةُ الشَّياطينِ، للَّهِ فيهِ ليلةٌ خيرٌ من ألفِ شَهرٍ، مَن حُرِمَ خيرَها فقد حُرِمَ)
Narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra) Nabi (s) would give glad tidings to the sahaba at the coming of Ramadhan and He (s) would tell them: “Ramadhan a blessed month has come upon you…”

2. To fulfill the fasts of the past Ramadhan before the coming of Ramadhan

: (كانَ يَكونُ عَلَيَّ الصَّوْمُ مِن رَمَضَانَ، فَما أسْتَطِيعُ أنْ أقْضِيَ إلَّا في شَعْبَان

We see that Aisha (ra) used to repay her Qadha fasts in Sh’aban if she could not repay it before then. For us women we should use this time to ensure that we go into Ramadhan with a clean slate and our qadha fasts completed.

3. To prepare for Ramadhan with Duas that will allows us to develop our Iman, and which place our worries and weaknesses infront of Allah.

The Sahaba would often use the words “ainna alas siyaam wa qiyaam” meaning: “Oh Allah assist me to fast siyam and to stand up in prayer at night. This highlights to us that without a doubt it is and incredibly difficult test of Iman to fast with our massive workloads and responsibilities at home. The only way that we can navigate this is to place our complete weaknesses to Allah and inabilities at his door in the form of dua. Whichever little thing or big thing that we struggle with, our focus is to ask Allah for His strength.

Umar (ra) used to make the following dua in preperation for the month of Ramadhan:

عمر بن الخطّاب -رضي الله عنه- قائلاً: (اللهمَّ زِدْنا ولا تَُنقُِصْنا وأَكرِمْنا ولا تُهِنَّا وأَعطِنا ولا تَحرِمْنا وآثِرْنا ولا تُؤثِرْ علينا وارضَ عنَّا وأَرضِنا)،[٧]

“Oh Allah increase us and don’t decrease us. And honor us and dont disgrace us, and give us and dont deprive us. And choose us and don’t favour others over us. And be pleased regarding us and be pleaased with us”.

Usaid ibn Abi Talib (ra) used to make the following dua:

أُسيد بن أبي طالب: (اللهمَّ أحسنْ عاقبتَنَا في الأمورِ كلِّها، وأجرْنَا منْ خِزْيِ الدنْيَا وعذابِ الآخرةِ]

“Oh Allah grant us good in all our matters and sale us from the despair of this world and the punishment of the Hereafter.”

5. To cool the anger of Allah with Sadaqah and taubah

6.To increase the recitation of the Qur’an in preparation of the month of Ramadhan.

The sahabah would regard the month of Sha’ban as the ‘month of the Qurraa’ due to the extensive amount of Qur’an recited in preparation for the month of Ramadhan.