Don't Waste the Last Night and Day of Ramadan!
The Prophet (saw) said, 鈥業ndeed deeds are only (judged) by their endings鈥�. [Bukhari]
Tonight is the last night of Ramadan and Saturday will be the last day. We have only a handful of hours left, so it's definitely worth contemplating these wise words:
Ibn al-Jawzi (rh) said, 'When the racehorse knows that it is nearing the end of the track, it exerts all of its effort to win the race. Do not allow the racehorse to be more clever than you. For verily deeds are judged by their conclusions. So if you didn鈥檛 do so well with welcoming Ramadan, then perhaps you will do better in bidding it farewell'.
Don't waste the last moments of this precious time! Here are eight questions to ask on the last day of Ramadan:
1) Have you made all the du'as you wanted to make?
There are so many things we want to ask Allah for, so some of your wishes might have slipped your mind when you made du'a this Ramadan! Double-check this by making a list of du'as covering every part of your life: your health, time, relationships, work, spirituality, finances etc.
Be sure to make an extra-long du'a on your last Iftar tonight, as the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
Make du'a before you eat your last Sahur on Saturday, as the Prophet (saw) said:
'When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One, descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims, "Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him?"' [Bukhari]
2) Have you achieved all of your goals?
Many of us would have made a list of goals or targets at the start of Ramadan. Go back to that list and check that you've achieved everything you wanted to.
Did you read how much Qur'an you planned to? Did you give as much charity as you'd decided? Is there any particular topic you wanted to learn more about, like the Seerah or the meaning of a Surah? Any relationships you wanted to improve or fix but it slipped your mind?
Everyone's objectives in Ramadan are different. The question you should ask yourself is: did I achieve what I set out to do this Ramadan? If the answer is no, then use these final hours to tick off as many of your goals as you can.
3) Have you paid your Zakat al-Fitr?
Make sure you give your Zakat al-Fitr before Eid!
Zakat al-Fitr is due for each member of your household and it is not valid if given after the time of Eid salah, as those in need must receive the meal in time for Eid. You can pay your Zakat al-Fitr right now to make sure you don鈥檛 forget! Our recommended rate is 拢3.50 per person.
4) Have you stood for at least one night in prayer?
The Prophet said, 'Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven'. [Bukhari]
Make sure you spend the last night of Ramadan (tonight) in prayer! Standing in prayer is one of the most rewardable actions there is, and praying on Laylat al-Qadr is better than praying at night for a thousand months. It is truly an unmissable action.
5) Have you recited the du'a of Aisha (ra)?
Aisha (ra) said, 'I asked the Messenger of Allah, "O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?" He said, "Say: O Allah, you are the Most Forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me"'. [Tirmidhi]
This is a recommendation from the Prophet (saw) about the du'a you should make on Laylat al-Qadr - so even if you don't have the chance to make a long list of du'as, don't forget to say this one tonight!听
6) Have you given Sadaqah Jariyah on behalf of loved ones who have passed away?
The Prophet (saw) taught us that, when you give Sadaqah on behalf of the deceased, the news is brought to them in their graves:
'O Companion of the deep grave! This is a gift which your family has gifted for you so accept it. Then it [the Sadaqah] enters upon him and he is delighted by it and rejoices. His neighbours who didn鈥檛 have anything gifted to them are saddened'. [Tabarani]
If you haven't done so already, share the blessings of Ramadan with loved ones who have passed away, by giving Sadaqah Jairyah on their behalf. It could be the last chance you have to give Sadaqah for them in Ramadan.
Some ideas for Sadaqah Jariyah are: planting an olive tree, giving light to Masjid Al-Aqsa, sponsoring an orphan and building a water well.
7) Have you gotten your Eid gifts?
Giving gifts to each other is a way to draw closer to Allah:
Eid al-Fitr is the perfect time to spend on our friends and family out of sincere love and the desire to please Allah. This Eid, we bring you听 - the perfect way to give a meaningful gift to a loved one while making a difference to someone in need!
From planting an olive tree to building a well, there's something for everyone! Once you've chosen your gift, an e-card will be sent to give to your nominated friends or family,听so you can let them know you were thinking of them on this special day.
Get your now to earn the rewards of spending on each other for Allah's sake in Ramadan.
8) Have you made your post-Ramadan plan?
Of course we all increase our worship during Ramadan - it is from the Sunnah to devote even more effort to doing good during this blessed month. But we should try our best to keep up some of our Ramadan habits throughout the year. Make the intention to do so from now and, in sha' Allah, Allah will reward your sincere intentions abundantly.
Make a list of goals which you want to achieve post-Ramadan. This could be anything from reading Qur'an every day, to talking to your extended family more, to setting up a regular Sadaqah payment to those in need.
Don't let the blessed month pass by without making an impact on your habits and daily life!
And that concludes our eight tips to help you get the most out of the last night and day of Ramadan! Don't forget to check out our article about the blessings of the night before Eid as well! May Allah accept your Ramadan efforts and shower you and you family with blessings this Eid, ameen.
We hope this article was helpful to you! If you want to earn a good deed in less than 30 seconds, share this article with friends and family! The Prophet (saw) said,听鈥榃hoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it鈥�. [Muslim]
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