"How do we prepare for Ramadhān?"
This question is asked often. Is this a difficult question? Certainly not. All you have to do is check your surroundings, check your actions.

Ask yourself,
"What actions am I doing that is Harām and displeasing Allāh?"
I.e. listening to Harām, watching Harām, swearing, talking back to your parents, Harām income, hanging with bad friends (thus doing Harām yourself), etc.
"What actions am I leaving off that would please Allāh?"
I.e. doing good deeds, making abundant Du'ā, reading Qur'ān often, prayer, khushū' in prayer, night prayer, seeking knowledge, doing adhkār, being good to your parents, etc.

That is it, that is your answer. Leave whatever Harām you are doing and start doing whatever goodness you're leaving off. If you can't do it now, then don't expect to be able to in Ramadhān.
If there is anything severing you from doing this, then cut it off. WAllāh it's not worth it. Your relationship with Allāh is more important.

However, I find it very important to mention "burnout." Some people, especially during Ramadhān, get a sudden boost in īmān and suddenly overwork themselves to the point of emotional/physical exhaustion with insufficient rest.
Please do NOT do this. Do not go into extremes and suddenly regret it and wonder why you feel like this. Yes, you should be doing as much worship as possible and I am not discouraging anyone from trying to do way more worship than normal, but do not go into extremes. Set a scheme for yourself that you can uphold for the entire month, and not just overdoing yourself the first couple of days and suddenly towards the end of the month you're exhausted and find yourself unable to do worship as you would like to be doing. This often happens to people. You know yourself best, so prepare well. This is why you should already be preparing, so you're ready for Ramadhān! Some people think once Ramadhān comes they will start, but in reality once it comes they find themselves unable to leave old habits. And if you're not preparing, then I wonder, do you really long for Ramadhān? Do you really look forward to it like you claim? Like Sho'ip said, it is not enough to say how much you love Allāh, if it's not established in your heart and if you're not actually doing any worship (physically). For anyone who doesn't feel ready, don't be discouraged. Keep trying and working on it, you still have time, but you must take action now. No more procrastinating! It's about time you take this serious O servant of Allāh.

"Nothing is worth sacrificing your īmān. Just absolutely nothing.
Even if it requires you to change the environment you live in, or, even if it means that you have to give up certain lifestyles or, whether it means that you have to step away from certain relationships, if anything's taking a toll on your īmān, if the fitan around you is affecting the relationship you have with Allāh عز وجل, repent to Allāh, make Du'ā for Ikhlās and Tawfīq and leave it all for the Sake of Allāh because safeguarding our īmān, Dīn, the bond with our Rabb should come above all, Bi 'Idhnillāh."

Abu Darda رضي الله عنه said:

"When a servant engages in sins in private, Allah puts hatred for him in the hearts of Muslims and he does not even know why."

[Hilyatul Awliyaa, 1/215]

I will always admire those who willingly donate their last money FiLLAH, knowing, they will receive something greater in return from Allah.
May the gates of Baab As-Sadaqah be open for them on Yawmal Qiyamah, and may they hear the beautiful Salām of the Malāʾika to enter this Door of Jannah.

33.23. Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God: among them are those who have fulfilled their vow, and those who are awaiting . They have never altered in any way.

"Ibn Mas’ud رضي الله عنه used to say:

'O one whose Ramadan is accepted, congratulations to you. O one whose Ramadan is rejected, may Allah amend your great loss and calamity. O slaves of Allah, which month has departed from us?

Truly, we should weep over it tears of blood, if we but knew. How can we not weep over a [blessed] month that passed while we were heedless? Then we remain ignorant of whether or not we (our Ramadan) were accepted or rejected.

I wish I knew who was the deprived and rejected among us, and who was accepted from the ones who fasted among us, so he may be congratulated. This was a month of light afore us that bloomed excellence.

So O Allah, make the result [of this month] for us be a light and excellence!'"

- Shaykh Musa Abdullah Jibril حفظه الله

إذا رأيتَ غُبارًا علىٰ مُصحَفِك ، فالغُبَارُ علىٰ قَلبِكَ أشَدُّ.

"If you see dust on your Qur'an, then the dust on your heart is worse."

Umār ibn al-Khattāb رضي الله عنه said:

"You call yourselves believers yet do nothing about the believers who are starving among you?"

[مسند الشاميين ١٠١٨]

"The stomach of Umar رضي الله عنه used to make noises because it was hungry, there was a Majā’ah [مجاعة | extreme scarcity of food] a drought and no food and he said [to his stomach]:

'Make as much noises as you want WAllahi, you will not eat until all the Ummah eat.'"

- Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jibril حفظه الله

"Is the legacy of our Sahābiyyāt only relevant when you want to justify working a low tier office job mingling and mixing with men or when you want to work a lame Harām job using Khadījah رضي الله عنها’s business as a false front?"

A sister said some days ago:

"Today's businesswomen and Khadijah رض الله عنها are never the same and never will be! By Allah, Khadijah رضي الله عنها is clean from the accusations made by these Kuffar.
Khadijah رضي الله عنها would never have gone out in the morning and come home in the evening, seen by every man in town, smiled at every man, joked with every man, defied her husband صلى الله عليه وسلم, listened to other men and neglected the remembrance of Allah for a job.."

“The more you know and the more you realise the blessings of Allāh upon you, the more you long to thank Him. Sit everyday for a few moments and contemplate the blessings Allāh gave you and your family. Look at those around you who have nothing and sit and think of Allāh, that will ignite your love and yearning to Allāh.”

— Shaykh Ahmad Jibrīl (حفظه الله).

Another Jummah has arrived...
Another Jummah where prisoners are still treated like animals,
another Jummah where parents weep for their children killed by the Yahud,
another Jummah where sisters in the camps hope to be freed by the Muslimeen...
Another Jummah where we have done nothing for the Ummah.

"You may destroy and demolish a place of worship, but don't think, even for a moment, that you can destroy a faith built on Ikhlās and Yaqīn in Allah."

The pens are lifted and the pages are dried

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas رضي الله عنه: Once I was behind the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and he said: "O boy, I will teach you a few words:

1) Be loyal and obedient to Allah, remember Him always, obey His Orders. He will save you from every evil and will take care of you in all the spheres of life.

2) Be loyal and obedient to Allah, you will find Him near (in front of you), i.e. He will respond to your requests.

3) If you ask, ask Allah.

4) If you seek help, seek help from Allah.

5) Know that if all the people get together in order to benefit you with something, they will not be able to benefit you in anything except what Allah has decreed for you.

And if they all get together in order to harm you with something, they will not be able to harm you in anything except what Allah has decreed for you.
The pens are lifted and the pages are dried."

[Tafsir ibn Kathir; 57:22 / Tirmidhi 2516]

RasulAllah صلى الله عليه وسلم:

"Charity does not decrease wealth, (...)"

[Muslim, 2588]

"There's no Iman or love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that can be combined with the love of the enemies of Allah. Walā and Barā is to love and to despise. It's to have loyalty and it's to disavow. It's to adhere and to repudiate. It's a principal of Islam whether you like it or not.

(...)

Walā and Barā is serious. It's not for recreational and leisure study in reading. It's Kufr and Iman. It's Jannah and Jahannam. It's victory and failure of this Ummah. They try to give the illusion thay Walā and Barā started with Imām Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhāb رحمه الله تعالى - a few hundred years ago.

And they think it ended or it's on the verge of ending with the rise of the recent interfaith movement. I got bad news for them. Walā and Barā came with the word of لا إله إلا الله. It's the age of لا إله إلا الله. Walā and Barā has been around way before Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul Wahhab and even before our beloved, honored, noble RasulAllah ﷺ.

Messengers specifically mentioned it in detail before our Rasul ﷺ did.

"There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, 'Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allāh.'" [60:4]

Note down that interfaith is on the rise, due to the rise of the Munāfiqin who attribute themselves to this Ummah.

But Walā and Barā can't be extinguished. If they are able to take the Qur'an out of the hearts, and off the shelves, and out of existence, then they will be able to take Walā and Barā out of existence. And that is brighteness that can never be extinguished and it will remain until the angel blows in the trumpets."

- Our noble Shaykh Ahmad Jibril حفظه الله

Sent from a subscriber:

السلام عليكم

Ramadan self improvement checklist