Some years ago, there was a vibe about the way Muslims approached the holy month of Ramadhan. Preparing for the blessed month had its own charm, its own flavour. But life has become so haphazard, so messy in the 21st century that we have forgotten the traditions of our Prophet ﷺ. Yes, Nabi ﷺ used to prepare in advance for the holy month of Ramadhan!
It makes all the sense in the world as well. You see, fasting doesn’t refer to just abstaining from food. Rather, you should think of it as a refresher course that tweaks your character back to a refined version.

“I want to do better this year and reap all the rewards that I can!” are some of the thoughts we often try to achieve as we look into the remaining days before Ramadhan. The challenge is to stay motivated and retain consistency. Some of us tend to feel unmotivated as early as the first week of Ramadhan.

Have you ever gone through that cycle every year and wonder why is it difficult to stay motivated along the way, just to find yourself regretting it at the end?

It is nevertheless a good move to want to do something great during Ramadhan. However, like any other battle, we have to plan and strategise to enter it fully prepared. There is a saying that goes; “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.
Thus, in order to achieve the goals you set, preparation has to start now.

Over the next few days we will in sha Allah go through various steps to help us better prepare for this beautiful month.

1) Learn HOW
By listening to this you are doing just that! When a person knows why an event is important and he has chalked up his plans on how he is going to get through it, then he doesn’t just prepares properly for it, but he also looks forward to it.
Keep reading more articles and books. Start listening to informative and motivational podcasts and lectures about Ramadhan. This (Pre-Ramadan) is the time to broaden your knowledge so that you can start practicing from now and reminding others as well!

Another useful thing to do is to collect and arrange all the books that you plan on reading this Ramadhan. Needless to say, the most important of them is The Holy Quran. Another book that’s a must-have is a good Hadith book, and a Tafseer of The Holy Quran.

2) Tell others
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“And remind, for verily the reminder benefits the believer” [Quran Surah 51: Ayah 55]

As a Muslim you have the responsibility of educating others about Islam as well. You don’t have to go for the masses. Your family is a good place to start. Be the motivational driving force for your family and friends.

Educate the young ones about the importance of preparing for Ramadan and remind the older ones about its true purpose.
Keep this very beautiful Hadeeth in mind as well.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ‏ “‏من دل على خير فله مثل أجر فاعله‏”‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action”. [Muslim].

So if you want to earn yourself much more rewards, than be an inspiration and a motivation to others.