- Ramadan Articles, - Important Tips to Make Use of the Best of All Months-II

Fifth: Try to decorate the public places and your house
withRamadanposters and decorations
This will please and delight the people in general as well as your
children, in addition to spreadingthe noble principles such as
adhering toHijaab,interest in theQuran, consoling Muslims, and so on.
Sixth: Protect your time during the month ofRamadanand be keen on
utilizing it in the best possible way
The precious and valuable time ofRamadan must be protected and
invested well, because during this month the rewards of good deeds are
doubled. This can be achieved through the following steps:
A-Prepare a written timetable to utilize this month:
1-Allocate a plan for the whole month: In this plan, you should
distribute the means that help you achieve the objectives of the whole
month in writing so that you can check them and determine whether you
and your family are making progress, step by step.
2-A daily plan to organize one's time on a daily basis: This should
specify the times of family gatherings, hours for sleeping, reading
time, social occasions and visits, times of studying for the children
and so on. Let us organize our affairs, keep away from randomness and
leave nothing to circumstances.
B-Tips for saving time duringRamadan:
1-Buy and stock the household needs beforeRamadanas far as possible
)such as the foods that can be stored(.
2-Buy the requirements of'Eed)such as new clothes(
beforeRamadaninstead of wasting timein going to the crowded markets
during the last ten days ofRamadan.
3-Refrain from making long visitsas well as holding or attending
several parties and banquets.
4-Minimize the time spent in front of mass media such as TV even if
you are watching good programs. That is because the programs presented
on the massmedia are attractive and time-consuming. Moreover, you
should be engaged in performinggood deeds instead of just watching
good people while depriving yourself of a similar opportunity. The
time utilized forthis should be estimated rationally and viewing
should be limited to certain times.
C-Utilize one's time in doing several things simultaneously:
For example, you can remember Allaah The Exalted while walking,recite
the Quran while traveling, or listen to the Quran while driving. You
should always carry yourMus-haf)copy of the Quran( with you wherever
you go.
Seventh: Plan well for acts of worship
A-Never eat too much at theIftaarmeal: If you over eat atIftaar,you
will go to the TaraaweehPrayer almost asleep without any ability to
contemplate during prayer. Hence, your prayer would be spiritless and
you would lose the rewards of the month, day by day. Let us adhere to
the guidance of the Prophet,, by breaking our fast immediately after
the Athaan )call for prayer( of the Maghrib Prayer with dry dates or
water )juice(, and then go to perform theMaghribPrayer. When we
return, we should eat a light meal and have some drinks and then go to
theTaraaweehPrayer. The main mealshould be afterTaraaweeh,as this is
better for one's health andenables you to perform acts of worship in a
better way.
B-Be keen on seizing the opportunity of the time before daybreak and
supplicate as muchas you can during it, as the doorsof heaven are
opened during this time.
C-Be keen on having a reward akin to the reward of
completeHajjand'Umrahevery day through investing one's time between
theFajr)morning( Prayer and sunrise in remembering Allaah The Exalted
and then performing theDhuha)mid-morning( Prayer.
Eighth: Consider the following guidelines when holding visits and banquets:
1-The time of the visit should notbe long – half an hour or
three-quarters of an hour is sufficient(.
2-Make sure that there is no banquet during the last ten days
ofRamadanso as not to lose the opportunity of making'Itikaaf.
3-Make sure that the banquet will end before the 'Ishaa'Prayer with
sufficient time so as not to miss it in congregation as well
astheTaraaweehPrayer.
4-Make use of the visits in guiding your friends, relatives and
colleagues to what is good, and avoid gossiping, backbiting and
defaming people.
5-If it is possible to make the banquets during the days of yourwife's
menstruation, it will be better.
6-Try to invite the largest number of friends and relatives to a
single banquet, because it is better to hold one or two banquets
instead of wasting the whole month in holding many small banquets.
7-The banquets should be duringthe first ten days of Ramadan as much
as possible.
8-Avoid extravagance and boasting so as not to deviate from the spirit
of this blessed month.
9-Do not forget the poor and theneedy in your banquets, because they
are the most worthy of partaking of your food.
10-Do not turn the banquets intomeans for social competition
andboasting, because the insistence on holding banquets in return
forthe ones to which they were invited wastes the whole month.
Ninth: Plan well for the last ten days of Ramadan
1-Organize your time and vacation for'Itikaafand be keen on increasing
your acts of worship on the Night ofAl-Qadr)you can make use of the
days of the ordinary vacation(.
2-Buy the things that you need for'Eedas well as the children's new
clothes beforeRamadanor at least before the last ten days.
3-Avoid wasting the last ten daysof Ramadan in making cakes and
biscuits. However, if this is considered necessary then it should be
done prior to these extremely blessed ten days. It is even better to
buy ready-made cakes if possible, or buy them beforeRamadanor during
the wife's menstruation.
Tenth: Plan your spending and prepare the budget
1-Family's budget
2-Donation to provideIftaarmeals for the needy, travelers, and so on.
3-Donation for a bag of provisions to be sent to poor families
4-Donation for war afflicted and troubled areas like Palestine
5-Increasing the children's pocket money to teach them to be
charitable and benevolent
6-Banquets
7-'Eedclothes
8-Zakaat Al-Fitr)charity given before the 'Eed Prayer(.
9-Charity to the poor and the orphans
10-'Eedgifts and pocket money
Finallywe supplicate Allaah The Almighty to makeRamadanblessed for us
and to be a stationwhere we can increase our faith, draw close to Him
and attain Paradise.