Checklist for Ramadan

1. Make a resolve to win the maximum favour of Allah by performing extra voluntary prayers (Nawaafil), making frequent doa and increased remembrance (Zikir).

2. Try to recite Holy Quran after every prayer. In fact if you read 3-4 pages after every Prayer you can easily finish the entire Quran in Ramadan!

3. Study the Tafseer (commentary) every morning.

4. Invite a person you are not very close with or your relatives to your home for Iftaar. You will notice the blessings in your relationships!

5. Bring life to your family! Everyday, try to conclude the fast with your family and spend some quality time together to understand each other better.

6. Give gifts on Eid to at least 5 people: 2 to your family members, 2 to your good friends, and 1 to a person whom you love purely for the sake of Allah.

7. Join Islamic study circles to learn more about Islam and improve your own life.

8. Donate to the mosque, Islamic organisations, and where people are in need or oppressed. “Because Ramadan, is a month of sharing!”

9. Share month of Ramadan and its teachings of peace and patience with your neighbours.

10. Sleep little, eat little! Make sure you do not defeat the purpose of fasting by over-indulging in food and being lazy.

11. Seek the rare and oft-neglected rewards of the night better than 1000 months (Laylatul-Qadr/Shab-e-Qadr).

12. Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins: Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and Allah’s Mercy! It’s never too late.

13. Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet’s (pbuh) warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the Ramadan fast!

14. Encourage others to enjoy and love goodness, and to abandon everything that Allah dislikes. Play the role of a Da’ee (one who invites to Allah) with zeal, passion, and sympathy.

15. Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself purely and fully to Allah in the Itikaf retreat during the last 10 days of Ramadan.