The Messenger of Allah, said about Sha‘baan: “That is a month concerning which the people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which good deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.” [An-Nasaa’i; Al-Albaani; Hasan]
If you observe the habits of the successful people in different walks of life, you would notice that they strive hard to prepare and get ready for their tasks. A student who excels prepares for his studies before the year begins; a good runner prepares for the race long before it starts and there other numerous examples in our daily life.
Not everyone who prepares gains the fruit of his endeavors or reaches the peak of success. People vary even in the success of their preparation and each one attains success according to the effort they exert. Keeping this in mind, we must ask ourselves: how can one attain any fruits without preparation, or rather without any concerns whatsoever to prepare for it?
Not everyone who prepares gains the fruit of his endeavors or reaches the peak of success. People vary even in the success of their preparation and each one attains success according to the effort they exert. Keeping this in mind, we must ask ourselves: how can one attain any fruits without preparation, or rather without any concerns whatsoever to prepare for it?
As we are now in the blessed days of Rajab, preparing to enter the month of Sha‘baan, we must have a specific stance of determination. It is the last stage in the preparation of entering the month in which one can be saved from Hellfire, i.e. the month of Ramadan, the month of the Quran and the month of mercy. So, contemplate the conditions of those who seek to win worldly competitions and the effort they exert to achieve that. What then should be the case with those who seek the reward of the Hereafter? Indeed, there is no point of comparison between them. Is not the reward of the Hereafter more deserving of our effort?
Immediately after Ramadan, our Salaf (righteous predecessors) used to ask Allah The Almighty for six months to accept Ramadan from them and then for the next six months, they would ask Him to enable them to live until the next Ramadan. This is the degree of importance they accorded Ramadan and its precious days.
Allah willing, what we aim for and prepare for are acts of worship from the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition), not innovated acts, but our objective is to increase the frequency of performing these acts.
Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.} [Quran 3: 133]
{So for this let the competitors compete. }[Quran 83: 26]
We must be determined to make the best use of Ramadan by the will of The Most Gracious. Do not let its days slip by like any other days; the days of Ramadan are precious, if they lapse they may never come back again. How many people do not reach or witness Ramadan? How many people were not destined to reach the upcoming Ramadan? From now on, put down a plan with an objective and a sincere intention to prepare for Ramadan. Hence, if death overcomes you before reaching Ramadan, then you will die with a sincere intention and a righteous deed, Allah willing.
Let us take a look at some of the plans of preparation for Ramadan during the days of Sha‘baan. However, before that, keep in mind the importance of time, do not let even a minute in Sha‘baan pass without benefiting from the preparation for Ramadan.
1- What would you do if you were to expect an important guest, while your home is in a mess and needs to be cleaned? Would you start decorating it in its unclean state or start cleaning before anything else?
Begin by setting right your obligations, adhere to the limits of Allah The Almighty, and hold yourself accountable for the sins you committed throughout the last eleven months since the past Ramadan. Repent from the past sins of the year before receiving the new month of Ramadan. Purify your heart of any doubts or desires, repent from every forbidden glance, or sins involving hearing, or any misdeed your hand committed and your feet walked towards. Remember that Allah The Almighty feels Jealous (which implies His wrath) when the matters He The Exalted has forbidden are violated. Beware of putting off repentance or procrastinating in this matter. Do not be deceived by the patience of Allah The Almighty and His concealment of your sins. Indeed, Allah The Almighty gives respite to the oppressor, but when He finally seizes him, He does not let him escape.
Begin by setting right your obligations, adhere to the limits of Allah The Almighty, and hold yourself accountable for the sins you committed throughout the last eleven months since the past Ramadan. Repent from the past sins of the year before receiving the new month of Ramadan. Purify your heart of any doubts or desires, repent from every forbidden glance, or sins involving hearing, or any misdeed your hand committed and your feet walked towards. Remember that Allah The Almighty feels Jealous (which implies His wrath) when the matters He The Exalted has forbidden are violated. Beware of putting off repentance or procrastinating in this matter. Do not be deceived by the patience of Allah The Almighty and His concealment of your sins. Indeed, Allah The Almighty gives respite to the oppressor, but when He finally seizes him, He does not let him escape.