By Ishola-Haroon Balogun

RAMADAN should be a time to avoid being wasteful. Some Muslims are unable to distinguish between their needs and luxuries, hence they engage in wasteful spending. Whether in the varieties of food that they savour each night, or by the other types of spending. If you have more, remember the have nots.  The act of giving is ibadah, and no act of ibadah can be said to be too much.

Some sleep through the whole night with a rationale that they had a hectic day.

Some even find it easy to compromise their sahur for more hours of sleep.  Ramadan is a time we have to increase all our spiritual devotion, the day and night should be a beehive of spiritual activities.

Less attention to Tarawih: At the beginning of Ramadan, precisely the first eight days, there was a wide increase of
Muslims going to the mosques to offer their Tarawih prayers, in fact you wonder where they have been all this while. At the moment, if you visit some mosques during tarawih prayers, you will notice a drop. We should rather step up activities because it will take another 12 circle of the moon before we witness another Ramadan.

Reading Holy Qur’an too fast: Some insist on finishing the whole Holy Qur’an once or more, even if they have to read very fast. Although reading the Holy Qur’an many times is desirable, this should not be done hastily, without pondering upon its meaning. Allah (SWT) said: “This is a Book which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses.” (Qur’an 38:29)

Muslims should explore all avenues and opportunities of carrying out good deeds while also realising that his priorities should be dictated by the desire to secure al-janah and be less concern about the mundane things.

The Muslim should apply himself to deepen his sense of following the practice of Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), in every aspect of his life, at all times and especially during the month of Ramadan. This necessitates seeking more knowledge about the Fiqh of fasting and its etiquette, assimilating the wisdom and goals of fasting, and facilitating the means that allow all the Muslims to benefit from their fasting.

Prayer of the day

Allahuma arizuqni fihi tahatal-ashiheen, wa-shura’a fihi sadree, bihi nabatil mukhbitiheen, bi amanika Yaa amanal-khaahifeena. Amin.

“O Allah, on this day, grant me the obedience of the humble expand my chest through the repentance of the humble, by Your security, O the shelter of the fearful.” Amin.