The document provides guidance on how Muslims should prepare for and observe the holy month of Ramadan, which includes fasting, increased acts of worship, seeking forgiveness, and spiritual reflection. It emphasizes utilizing this time to purify one's soul and get closer to God through obeying His commands as revealed in the Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Special emphasis is placed on worshipping during Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), seeking God's forgiveness, reviewing the Quran, and maintaining good character.

2. Welcome Ramadhan By Suad Mohammad Al Hosany

3. The goal of our life ” وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون“ “ I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me” We therefore need to thank God for being his servants

4. What is it? it is an internal state of the heart that is consciously achieved by continuous struggle and effort as we reflect on the blessings and mercy of God and strive to block out the whispers of negativism and dissatisfaction that keep our souls in a state of ungratefulness. Why is it important? This concept of gratitude is very important because being grateful to God is essential to one’s well-being in life. A heart filled with thankfulness has no room for self-pity or despair. With the proper understanding that praise and thankfulness is due to God in every circumstance, souls find satisfaction and hearts find peace.

5. How to do so Muslims express gratitude and love for the One True God by obeying and worshipping Him. We worship according to His guidance revealed in the Quran and through the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad.

6. Amongst the whole, Ramadan stands out… Why?

7. Special persons, places, times to express gratitude… Allah is the Creator of everything visible and invisible. Everything in the heaven and earth belongs to Him and serves Him. Allah is also the Creator of time and space. As Allah chose some persons to be His Prophets and Messengers, and as He chose some places to become the sacred spots on this earth, similarly He also chose some time to become the sacred time.

8. The sacred personalities teach us about Allah, His will, His rules and commands. The sacred places and times remind us about Allah’s special favors and blessings. So,certain spaces and times inspire us and motivate us to do good things. One of those important and sacred moments for us is Ramadan.

9. Fasting Ramadan The fourth Pillar of Islam, the Fast of Ramadan, occurs once each year during the 9 th lunar month

10. Ramadan is a sacred and blessed time…why ? 4 3 2 1 There are many kinds of worship in Ramadan, such as fasting praying Qiyam Al-Layl (Night Vigil Prayer) feeding the poor performing i`tikaf giving charity, and reading the Qur’an. In this month the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained up. For that thebest of Books to the best of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all) was revealed The Almighty Allah says: (The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).) (Al-Baqarah 2: 185) For that the best night of the year, which is Laylat Al-Qadr. Almighty Allah says: (Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is! The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.) (Al-Qadr 97: 1-5)

11. For Muslims fasting is one of the five pillars (essential religious duties) of their faith.

12. We can’t depend on our own words…However… 1 “ O ye who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you, so that ye may learn self-restraint”. (Chapter:2, Verse:183)

13. 2 Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “O people! You are being approached by a blessed month. Allaah made fasting within it an obligation. The doors of Paradise will be opened and the doors of Hell will be closed, and the devils will be chained. It is a month which contains a night that is better than one thousand months; he who is deprived from its blessings is truly the deprived one”. [ Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i ]

14. 3 The Prophet (peace be upon him said: “On the first night of Ramadan, the devils and rebellious jinn are bound in chains, The gates of Paradise are opened until not a single gate remains closed. The gates of Hell are bound shut until not a single gate remains open. Then a caller calls out: ‘O desirer of good, go forth! O desirer of evil, restrain yourself! Allah is emancipating people from the Fire every night’.” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî ]

15. 4 "Anyone who fasts during this month with purity of belief and with expectation of a good reward (from his Creator), will have his previous sins forgiven," said Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. "Anyone who stands in prayers during its nights with purity of belief and expectation of a reward, will have his previous sins forgiven." In the other ahadith tell us, the rewards for good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

16. 5 The joy of fasting The one who fasts experiences two joys, one upon breaking his fast and one when he meets his Lord

17. 6 Imagine the breath of the fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ]

18. Be careful… Abu Huraira related that Rasulullah said: Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness (Darimi).

19. The great reward The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Every deed of the human being is for himself and its reward is multiplied for him from ten to seven hundred times. Allah says: ‘Except for fasting, for truly it is for Me and I alone will reward it, for verily he abandoned his desires, his food, and his drink for my sake.’

20. Be the smart traders The month of Ramadan is the month of great gains and profits. The smart trader is the one who makes the most of special occasions to increase his profits. So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship, praying a great deal, reading the Qur’an, forgiving people, being kind to others, and giving charity to the poor.

21. Be the fortunate Muslim The fortunate is the one who uses his time to work for the Hereafter and neither worldly commitment nor its desires distract him from fulfilling the rights of his Lord. Letus utilize the opportunity of Ramadhaan and try to change the situation of the Muslim nation which starts with me and you changing ourselves.

22. Will we be able to change now? If Muslims truly wish for victory, then they must change what is in themselves, as Allaah Says (what means): “…Indeed Allaah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves …” [Quran 13: 11]. Obeying Allaah and His Messenger, s allallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is the only source of victory. Allaah Says (what means): “O you who have believed, if you support Allaah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.” [ Quran 47: 7]

23. Never forget We should never forget that Allaah stretches forth His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who sinned at night, and He stretches forth His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day.

24. Ramadan is an annual training program for the believers Ramadan is meant for our moral and spiritual training and for the purification of our bodies, minds and souls. This is an annual training program for all believers. It is a special time to get closer to Allah and to seek His blessings and bounties. It is a time to learn taqwa (God-fearing), piety, self-discipline and patience. It is a time to give more charity and become more generous. It is a time to seek Allah’s forgiveness and to forgive each other. It is a time to be thankful to Allah for His gifts and bounties and especially His gift of iman .

25. Muslims behavior while fasting… About the effect of fasting on one’s behavior, the Prophet said, “Fasting is a shield, so the one who fasts should avoid obscene speech and ignorant behavior. If someone abuses him or starts to fight with him, he should reply by saying: ‘I am fasting. I am fasting’.” ( Saheeh Al-Bukhari )

26. Ramadan is a chance …so, don’t miss it

27. The blessed month of Ramadhaan should remind the believing Muslim of the importance of going back truly and sincerely to the Book of Allaah, the great Book that Allaah has honored by having revealed it during this month. He, The Almighty, Says (what means): “The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.” [Quran 2: 185]

28. What shall we do? The best way to spend time during the month of the Quran (Ramadhaan ) is to give increased importance to the Quran by memorizing, reciting, practicing and contemplating it.

29. How to do so Let us look at our best model, the Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Ibn‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that: “The Prophet , sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , was the most generous of people and he used to be more generous during the month of Ramadhaan, when he used to meet Jibreel (Angel Gabriel) and review the Quran with him. During this time, the Prophet , sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , was faster (in his generosity and bringing good) than a blowing wind” . [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]

30. Realization… We understand from this Hadeeth that it is recommended to review the Quran and study it in the month of Ramadhaan, even gathering in group sessions to do so. In addition, we can conclude from it that it is recommended to repeatedly recite the Quran during the month of Ramadhaan.

31. How was our salaf with the Qura’n Some of the Salaf (righteous predesessors, may Allaah have mercy upon them) used to read the entire Quran in Ramadhaan every three nights, and some used to do it every seven nights, like Qataadah, may Allaah be pleased with him; others used to finish it every ten nights. Ibn Rajab, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "The Salaf used to recite the Quran in the month of Ramadhaan during prayer and other times; Qataadah used to teach the Quran in the month of Ramadhaan

32. What is more.. Whenever Ramadhaan started, Az-Zuhri, may Allaah have mercy on him, used to say: ‘This is the month of reciting the Quran and giving food’.”

33. Keep in mind The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , said: "The Quran is a proof or an evidence for or against you.” [Muslim] So we must fear Allaah and pay attention to the Book of Allaah, learning it, teaching it, acting according to it and applying it so that we will be among its people.

34. The Night of Power The highest point of Ramadan for Muslims is seeking the Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) during the last ten days.

35. What to do in the Night of Glory or Power Narrated Aisha (r.a.a.), Allah’s messenger (s.a.w.) said, “Search for the night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan”. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol: 3, Hadith no: 234) Aisha (r.a.a.) narrated, “I asked Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.) what should I do if I find the night of Qadr”. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, “Pray to Allah: O our Lord! You are the most Forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive us”. (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

36. Points to keep in mind for better preparation 1. Keep praying daily that Allah gives us the chance and grants us good health that will enable us to fast the holy month. 2. Start repenting and seeking the forgiveness of the Almighty for all our wrongdoings before Ramadan. 3. Seek the strength from Allah to fast in the way that He likes and wants. 4. Seek forgiveness from all members of your family, workmates, neighbors, and relatives for any wrongdoing against them. 5. Refrain from backbiting , slandering, and unlawful mixing with people.

37. What is more… 6.Clean your heart and soul from envy, jealousy, two-facedness, arrogance, and all heart diseases. 7. Seek the blessings of your parents, if they are alive, and their forgiveness for your fault towards them. 8. Increase your du`aa' and commitment to your daily duties and obligations.

38. By doing so I think, we will be able to achieve the main goals of fasting.

39. Based on we have said… What would every one of us do?! Have you find good thing to start with?! Space for discussion…

40. May Allah Give us the strength & patience to fast during the whole month of Ramadan. Accept all our fasts in the holy month. Give us the opportunity to worship in the night of Qadr & accept our worshipping. Help us to continue all the good deeds we do in the holy month. (AMEEN)