Tips on finishing strong 💪🏽

Tips on Finishing Strong!

Bismillah,
Allah Azza Wajal told us in surah Baqarah in  Ayaat 183 and 184 about fasting for “Ayaaman Ma’doodat” ( A fixed number of days). Today I am reminded of how quickly this fixed number of days is going by. Subhannallah in about three or four days, we enter the 20th night in shaa Allah. This is the time when our beloved prophet peace and blessings be upon him, would  intensify his worship even more and would encourage his family to do the same.
“The start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers.” Sahih al-Bukhari 2024.
He (ﷺ)  intensified his worship when he was already guaranteed Jannah! How about us? What are we going to do to make sure we take our worship to another level?

Here are some tips I wanted to share with you. 

Clean your home 

Allah Azza Wajal is Al Quddoos and He loves those who purify themselves physically and spiritually. Angels love cleanliness and good smells. Have a beautiful intention when cleaning your home and make du’a that many angels gather in your home tonight and every night in the last ten. May your home welcome the heavenly slaves of Allah Azza Wajal.

Stay up for worship!

Allah Azza Wajal tells us in the Qur’an that He has made the night for rest and worship. When seeking Laylatul Qadr, we need to make sure our night is turned into worship. Even a power nap can be turned into worship with the right intention. Have a plan for it. Commit some time to long standing in prayer. It’s ok if all you know is suratul Ikhlas, keep reciting it until you feel  you have stood a good while then go in rukoo’. Suratul Ikhlas may be only three ayaat but it is a powerful surah which in weight equals a third of the entire Qur’an! 

Take advantage of the sujood moments to pour your heart out to Allah Azza Wajal as He is Al Qareeb and the closest to you in sujood.

“Wa’sjood waqtarib” – prostrate and draw near [to Allah  (96:19).

Read some Qur’an and engage in Tadabbur.

If you are not praying still spend time with the Qur’an by engaging in some tadabbur. Did you know that the Qur’an was revealed for the first time on the 21st night of Ramadan (refer to the Sealed Nectar book of Seerah)? Did you know that its main purpose is for us to reflect i.e Tadabbur? In surah Sad, we learn the reason for the revelation of the Qur’an. 

[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. (38:29).

 So my dear sisters do not underestimate the powerful impact of Tadabbur as you seek Laylatul Qadr. We have several classes of Tadabbur  on our site and one coming up on May 28th in shaa Allah. The upcoming class  will cover the last ten suwar of the Qur’an along with Suratul Fatiha. There are two ways you can join the class, either you join our membership club where you have access to the tadabbur class for free or you enroll directly in the class. Either way we would love to recite reflect and journey through the Qur’an with you. Click here to join our membership club or here to enroll directly in the Tadabbur class. Alhamdulillah, even without being able to pray, we can still reflect on the meaning of the Qur’an and partake in a lot of worship during these blessed nights.

Increase in Charity

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives charity equal to a date from good (halal) earnings – for Allaah does not accept anything but that which is good – Allaah will take it in His right hand and tend it for the one who gave it as any one of you tends his foal, until it becomes like a mountain.”

 Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1344; Muslim, 1014. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which the people get up but two angels come down and one of them says, ‘O Allaah, give in compensation to the one who spends (in charity),’ and the other says, ‘O Allaah, destroy the one who withholds.’”  

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1374; Muslim, 1010.

Especially we women, should do our best to be constant in charity. Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi wa salaam said in an authentic hadith: “O women, give in charity for I have seen that you are the majority of the people of Hell.” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1393; Muslim, 80. 

Increase in Dhikr
One of the most important deeds during these blessed nights is the remembrance of Allah and standing in Salah is not the only way we can remember Allah Azza Wajal.
One of the most powerful act of remembrance during these nights is the du’a for complete pardon.

Seek His Pardon!

Memorize the above du’a and keep saying it every chance you get in shaa Allah.

Let’s also spend some time going over our goals, our intentions for the year. Do some soul search, review your year, ask for forgiveness, set up a plan to improve your ibadah and your relationship with Allah Azza Wajal. Know that during this blessed night, the Qadr for the upcoming year comes down, what a beautiful time to make beautiful intentions and du’as for the upcoming year until the next Ramadan!

May these few tips listed help us to have a beautiful end of Ramadan.

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said that actions are judged by their ending [Bukhari]. 

May Allah give us the tawfeeq to finish strong 🏁.

 May we come out of Ramadan fully pardoned and may we be granted many more beautiful Ramadans in our life span. Aameen.

Go ahead and do some good by sharing this post with anyone you think might benefit. 🤩

Binta Umm Yahya is the owner of Al An 4 U Online Coaching which is an online platform for Qur’an lessons, Islamic studies and Lifecoaching for Muslimas and women interested in Islam. She has been teaching Qur’an for over 8 years now and is an ongoing student of Qur’an with her husband imam Ahmed Abu Suhailah. She loves reciting, teaching and reflecting on the Qur’an. She is a Certified Master Lifecoach and a NLP Practitioner who absolutely enjoys coaching her sisters in faith to help them gain clarity, focus and understanding of their religion so they live their best life and connect to their Maker. Whenever she is not teaching or coaching, you can find her staring at the sky, reading or journaling with a big cup of tea. 🙂