What do you have to do to prepare for Ramadan? I am very new to Islam and don’t know much about it.
We’re very grateful to receive your message, and we’re delighted to do our best to answer your queries.
We’re also thrilled to hear about your recent embrace of Islam.
May Allah Almighty shower you with mercy, ease, peace, and relief in this world and the next!
On this note, I’d like to give you hope and glad tidings. Your pursuit of knowledge and your keenness to do the right, as guided by the Creator, are beautiful, commendable deeds that are highly rewarded.
{And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer – those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed.} (Quran 4:124)
And if you’re facing any hardship, remember: {For indeed with the hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with the hardship, ease will be ease.} (Quran 94: 5-6)
Allah Opening Doors
And so long as you’re taking steps towards Allah Almighty, you’ll find Him with you and opening doors for you.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said what means: Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I can do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they’ [Sahih Al Bukhari]
May Allah help you in your journey, aid you to take the right steps and grant you the best rewards.
With regards to Ramadan, this is the month of the Quran. Allah 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. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.} (Quran 2: 185)
We fast our bodies, but feed our souls with the Light in the Words of Allah throughout this month to strengthen us and give us a sense of direction, meaning and purpose.
Struggling with the Quran?
But don’t worry if reading the Quran is still a struggle for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Quran will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels), and he who recites the Quran and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
You may try watching the in-depth exegesis of the Quran by Br. Nouman Ali Khan on Bayyinah, for instance. There are very helpful and interesting free online resources that they provide.
We pray that Allah opens your heart and fills it with light and wisdom, and eases all your affairs for you.
I hope this answers your question.
Salam, and please keep in touch.
