As we (at MM) were thinking about Ramadan, we thought it would be a good idea to collect a list between us and you about THIRTY deeds (1/day) that are not the “usual” ones that we kind of all know about. Something other than the norm– little deeds, yet heavy in the scale. Of course, this does not mean we underestimate or ignore the usual good deeds and rituals that are part of Ramadan.
So, I’ll start with one and I hope we can quickly come up with 30 that we can all attempt to accomplish… let’s start with one per person. IF we get more than 30, we can vote for the best 30… let’s try to get this done by Tuesday inshallah!:
So, here’s the list generated from reader comments so far:
Give a gift to a brother (or sister) that you have a “tense” or unfriendly relationship with in order to “reunite” the hearts. Even a small gift… So, think of someone that you believe has been unfair to you or unjust to you or vice-versa (but it is obviously harder when you have to be nice to someone who hasn’t reciprocated that same niceness).
Keep a track of your sins. Then for every sin you commit, give $1 in charity. Don’t think it’s ok to sin because of that dollar you’ll give after..no. Try your best to refrain from the sin but when it happens, for each tally give money. Note that $1 should be much more if you can afford it. Make it $5 or $20 depending on how well off you are. $1 per sin will burden some, and $1000 per sin won’t burden others, so just customize it for yourself, but don’t make it less than a dollar really.
Spend some time with someone from the community who is lonely or depressed. Invite them over for iftari or pick them up to pray tarawih together. I know in many communities you have “senior citizens” who are kind of lonely in the sense that their own children live away and don’t spend time with them. You can fill that gap, albeit for a little time.
Start ramdan with assigning a special day during the week where you can have iftaar with your friends. Pray taraweeh together and do qiyamul-layl and also pray tahajud, instead of the usual friends meetings insha’allah
Invite your neighbor over for iftar (especially) if they are non Muslim.
Make a firm intention that no matter what on earth happens, every day of ramadan you will recite salawaat on the Prophet pbuh at least 10 times. InshAllah, this way you will show your love for the blessed Prophet pbuh. Surely, Allah loves those who love His beloved!!
Email the editor of your local newspaper that the month of Ramadan – give them a contact who they can ask questions to, like the local Islamic school principal or an articulate mosque representative. Similarly e-mail them about Eid.
If you’re in public school or university, contact your teacher/ principal/ administration to see if they’ll allow you to do a “Ramadhaan Awareness Day/Week”… sort of like Islamic Awareness Week, but focused on Ramadhaan and being a source of knowledge and benefit for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Many masaajid and MSA’s are fond of doing “Fast-A-Thons” during Ramadhaan because not only do they help teach others about Ramadhaan, but they can raise money for a local foodbank as well.
Make a point of being nice(r) to your siblings!
Try to distance yourself from people you hang out with whom you know are relatively bad influences… e.g. if they swear, curse, get up to mischief regularly and you’re one of those people who get sucked into doing it also, then try to stay away from them for Ramadhaan (at least). Instead of wasting time with them, seek the company of Muslims who will be of benefit to you.
Turn off the TV, and keep it off! Only 30 days a year— we are sure you can survive. BUT, at the least, make effort to do so for one or two days a week.
Also, cut down on the amount of time you spend on the Internet, either checking your emails or just surfing ‘Net pointlessly.
No matter what happens, we will not bad mouth/talk back to our parents, inshaAllah.
We will do something nice for our neighbors, like bake/cook something and take it to their doors, especially to the ‘mean’ ones!
Go to the mosque for fajr and after the prayer sit in your place and say nothing except what is good. After the sun rises wait until shurook (about 10-15 mins after sun rise) and then pray 2 rakat. Hadith: “Whoever prays Fajr in jamaa’ah, then sits and remembers Allaah until the sun comes up, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah.” (al-Tirmidhi, 480).
Smile more often
Go to sleep in a state of wudu. Or even better: Always be in a state of wudu.
Make wudu before every salah and ponder over its rewards.
Don’t just read Qur’an without understanding it: Read accompanying tafseer. Commit to at least one juz this month that you understand its meaning properly.
Take some activities like coloring books or toys to the masjid to keep the children busy and stop them from running around whilst the adults are praying taraweh [the Masjid Admins will love this one! But really, whoever does so is helping increase the khushoo of all those remainining musallies]
Dont let the food go to waste after any iftar (whether its at your house or at the masjid) Take that food and give it to the less fortunate.. and YES they are less fortunate Muslims NEAR YOU!
If you don’t live with your parents (marriage, work, college, etc), then make it a point to go online, find something that your MOM and DAD would like and have it delivered to their house at least ONCE A WEEK (preferably on Fridays)! It’s easy, it’s super thoughtful and how can you not imagine the smile and joy your parents would show upon receiving these “SECRET PACKAGES” Be not just a good child, be a great child and then pray for yourself and your parents that Allah bestows upon us all His Mercy and Compassion. [LOVE this one– If your parents are abroad, there are a bunch of gift-delivery services that you can use… if its too expensive to do it once a week, how about at least one time?]
Maybe we should all make a Ramadan Resolution to sponsor at least ONE ORPHAN! (and if you are able to, then however many your heart desires). [Another awesome one from Sr. Grace]
Donate some of your “good” things for the sake of Allah. Your favorite jilbab or khimar. Or encourage your children to give up their favorite clothes for the poor children in their community.
I just remembered, making Ramadan baskets for new Muslim Converts! So many of our new brothers and sisters are probably abandoned by their families and need love and support, especially during this holy month. Maybe put together a basket with a few goodies such as CDs, books, gift cards, cookies, brownies, hijaabs, anything creative. Insha’Allah, it will bring a smile to their face and you will definitely feel the love of brother (and sister) hood!
How about committing to memorizing just one or two dua’s in the month? Like Syed al-istighfaar and the simple dua for the morning and evening?
Help your mother in the kitchen!
Re-connect with family members you’ve lost touch with via phone/email/visits
Wake up atleast one morning and prepare suhoor for your family
Make dua’a for your parents
Did not have ill feelings against *anyone*… remove them.
Attempt to join the hearts between 2 Muslims.
If your masjid/ Islamic centre has iftaar, then help with the clean-up!!!!!!!
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Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.
Abu Reem is one of the founders of MuslimMatters, Inc. His identity is shaped by his religion (Islam), place of birth (Pakistan), and nationality (American). By education, he is a ChemE, topped off with an MBA from Wharton. He has been involved with Texas Dawah, Clear Lake Islamic Center and MSA. His interests include politics, cricket, and media interactions. Career-wise, Abu Reem is in management in the oil & gas industry (but one who still appreciates the "green revolution").
Assalaamualaikum,
I learned this one from my MSA.
In the Holy Qur’an, it is written that the good deeds remove the evil deeds.
So keep track!
Every time you sin, put a tally on a paper. This will do a couple of things–not allow you to be oblivious to your sins,help you notice what type of sins you commit most, and help you realize how often you sin and make an effort to stop sinning. Include all types of sins: accidental backbiting, lying, cheating, disrespecting parents/others, cursing, etc etc
Then for every sin you commit, give $1 in charity. Don’t think it’s ok to sin because of that dollar you’ll give after..no. Try your best to refrain from the sin but when it happens, for each tally give money.
Note that $1 should be much more if you can afford it. Make it $5 or $20 depending on how well off you are. $1 per sin will burden some, and $1000 per sin won’t burden others, so just customize it for yourself, but don’t make it less than a dollar really.
It should sort of be a little difficult, not like nothing.
And make sure you keep up with it.
Start ramdan with assigning a special day during the week where you can have iftaar with your friends. Pray taraweeh together and do qiyamul-layl and also pray tahajud, instead of the usual friends meetings insha’allah
Make a firm intention that no matter what on earth happens, every day of ramadan you will recite salawaat on the Prophet pbuh at least 10 times and read at least one page of the Quran.
whether ur walking to class, work, sitting, standing or anything, on the train…
inshAllah, this way you will show your love for the blessed Prophet pbuh. Surely, Allah loves those who love His beloved!! Also, you can show to Allah swt that no matter what came your way, you were one of those who became steadfast during ramadan.
It’s all about being the foremost of the foremost, but it takes steps to get there. May Allah accept our efforts and make us among His muqarrabeen. Ameen!!
Email the editor of your local newspaper that the month of Ramadan is starting – give them a contact who they can ask questions to, like the local Islamic school principal or an articulate mosque representative.
Similarly e-mail them about Eid.
If you’re in public school or university, contact your teacher/ principal/ administration to see if they’ll allow you to do a “Ramadhaan Awareness Day/Week”… sort of like Islamic Awareness Week, but focused on Ramadhaan and being a source of knowledge and benefit for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Many masaajid and MSA’s are fond of doing “Fast-A-Thons” during Ramadhaan because not only do they help teach others about Ramadhaan, but they can raise money for a local foodbank as well.
(This probably applies more to those in my age group than the grown-ups :P)
Also: Try to distance yourself from people you hang out with whom you know are relatively bad influences… e.g. if they swear, curse, get up to mischief regularly and you’re one of those people who get sucked into doing it also, then try to stay away from them for Ramadhaan (at least). Instead of wasting time with them, seek the company of Muslims who will be of benefit to you.
Turn off the TV, and keep it off!
Also, cut down on the amount of time you spend on the Internet, either checking your emails or just surfing ‘Net pointlessly.
The ones above are by far the best, as they are “small” – yet why then are we are all so neglectful of them?
Anyway, here’s one to do for those who make it to the mosque for Fajr:
It’s not as easy as it sounds, but the then look at the reward.
The hadeeth for you all:
Go to the mosque for fajr and after the prayer sit in your place and say nothing except what is good.
After the sun rises wait until shurook (about 10-15 mins after sun rise) and then pray 2 rakat.
Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in jamaa’ah, then sits and remembers Allaah until the sun comes up, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah.” He said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Complete, complete, complete.” (al-Jumu’ah 535; classed as hasan in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 480).
May Allah give us life to witness and benefit from this Noble Guest of Ramadhan.
Take some activities like coloring books or toys to the masjid to keep the children busy and stop them from running around whilst the adults are praying taraweh
Dont let the food go to waste after any iftar (whether its at your house or at the masjid) Take that food and give it to the less fortunate.. and YES they are less fortunate Muslims NEAR YOU!
If you don’t live with your parents (marriage, work, college, etc), then make it a point to go online, find something that your MOM and DAD would like and have it delivered to their house at least ONCE A WEEK (preferably on Fridays)! It’s easy, it’s super thoughtful and how can you not imagine the smile and joy your parents would show upon receiving these “SECRET PACKAGES” :) Be not just a good child, be a great child and then pray for yourself and your parents that Allah bestows upon us all His Mercy and Compassion.
I just got another idea. In the spirit of the blessed month of Ramadan, wouldn’t it be great to sponsor an ORPHAN? I know Islamic Relief provides this service and you even get to see a picture of the orphan that you are sponsoring! Insha’Allah, the rewards for this are tremendous! Maybe we should all make a Ramadan Resolution to sponsor at least ONE ORPHAN! (and if you are able to, then however many your heart desires)
I was just going through my closet and I noticed how many Abayas and Hijabs I have accumulated over the past few years. So I have decided to donate my good things for the sake of Allah. I’m sure us sisters could probably put together a whole fashion boutique if we all pitched in and donated our clothes and how could we forget shoes, to those Muslimahs who are less fortunate than us…….(or maybe even to converts!)
OH—and I just remembered, making Ramadan baskets for new Muslim Converts! So many of our new brothers and sisters are probably abandoned by their families and need love and support, especially during this holy month. Maybe put together a basket with a few goodies such as CDs, books, gift cards, cookies, brownies, hijaabs, anything creative. Insha’Allah, it will bring a smile to their face and you will definitely feel the love of brother (and sister) hood! :)
salam, sister Grace, I love all your suggestions. Awesome.
I have updated the post to show the 26 we have so far. Some of them are “general” and a little harder than what I had in mind… so let’s keep them coming… if we exceed 30, we’ll trim it or sort it in order of simplicity.
I think this might be an easy one for anyone to do insha’Allah.
If you are about to head out to pray Taraweeh in the masjid, why not take something that you can pass out to others during the “half time show” of Taraweeh? For example, you can buy a bag of chocolates, mini hershey kisses, bottles of spring water, something that won’t make a mess in the masjid, but yet will be much appreciated to all of the worshippers (think sweets!)
i need to make a habit of going to sleep with wuddu (sometimes i get lazy and just go to sleep w/o wuddu =( i really need to change that this summer-
I really need to start saying bismillah b4 i do ANYTHINGG (i try to say as much as i can however i certainly dont say it b4 i do everything)
Do dhikr in train instead of staring at fellow passengers =)
help my mommy in kitcken =(((
no more samosas/pakoras…eat simple food!!
Make a habit of doing all the dus (b4 leaving the house, entering the house, bathroom etc etc……most of the time, i forget to say them at their appropriate time)
memorise additionl duas that i dont know (syed ul istighfar, istikhara dua, safar dua etc)
no more wasting time (phone, net ..keep it to minimum)
and finallllllly improve my tajweed…tajweed and tajweeeeeed….
Can’t remember is someone said this or not already, but I’ll say it anyway – if your masjid/ Islamic centre has iftaar, then help with the clean-up!!!!!!!
If you do, subhan’Allah, sooooo many people will be grateful… something common to see is the masjid smelling gross and looking even worse because nobody bothered to help with the clean-up.
Awesome! We are done with more than 30… The question is which one are we committing to do… So, let’s all list what we commit to inshallah and report back right here when done.
The reason for this “marketing of deeds” is that the commitment provides us an impetus to do it, and the “reporting back” is a means of encouraging others to the finish-line!
I encourage everyone to CAREFULLY choose from the list above, commit to at least 5. Don’t overextend yourself and set yourself for failure. But DO extend yourself a little– i.e. set stretch goals, which are not impossible but you are sufficiently motivated to do….
One more thing… Whatever deed# gets picked the most and atleast 10 times, then we will inshallah arrange for a nice small gift for whoever came up w/that idea (no promises but most likely :) )!
I’m not doing all that great with cutting down on internet usage (obviously) and I haven’t made any Ramadan baskets for new converts – but honestly the only ones I’ve encountered during Ramadan are students in my Islam 101 class, and for them something like that might be redundant. That’s not an excuse, though.
I pledged not to have ill feelings toward anyone, but does that have to include the car mechanic who tried to rip me off today? Very upsetting!
I’ve been on a campaign to smile more for a couple years now, so smiling a lot isn’t too hard.
My final pledge was to say dua for my parents, and you bet I have been!
Alhamdulilah, I just sponsored an orphan last week, so I feel that was a big accomplishment!
I sent out three secret packages for my parents (yummy fruit baskets and islamic cds!!)
I changed the ‘ramadan baskets’ idea to ‘Eid baskets’ because gift giving on the day of Eid is actually an occasion to celebrate! will be working on this with a friend next week insha’Allah…….
I printed out the ‘syed al istighfar’ dua and took colored paper and made little cards out of them and passed them out at iftaar parties (I hope they’ve memorized them by now insha’Allah!)
I also liked the idea of sending out cards to our fellow muslim brothers who are locked up. I bought some cards and stamps and took them to an iftaar and had each sister write to at least one prisoner……
So Alhamdulilah for these little deeds that hopefully insha’Allah, will increase many times over during this blessed month!! So for those who still haven’t done so, you still have a few more days……..don’t let it pass you by!
Assalaamualaikum…
I m late i guess, maybe for next yr then… Y not brothers who have no beard think of starting to sport one? And sisters likewise hijaab… I think these r the most basic required ones…
Alhamdulillah, I just started to sport a beard recently.. Its nice, lot of hurdles and so-called weird moments to face but what the heck.. ”’What else does – ‘Complete Submission to the will of Allah (i.e. Islam)’ mean, if not this?”’ Allah says in the quran follow what my messenger(saws) says and he(saws) says have a beard 4 men and hijab 4 women…
I was hearing to a simple ‘thumb-rule’ told by sheikh Salim-al-amree, he said, 1)if a few rightly guided scholars say this is ‘Haraam’ & other rightly guided scholars say regarding the same issue/topic/point that this is ‘Makrooh’, Then ”JUST LEAVE IT, i.e DONT DO IT” . 2)if a few rightly guided scholars say, this is ‘Fard’ and a few other rightly guided scholars say regarding the same issue/point/topic/ that it is ‘Sunnah’, Then ”JUST DO IT i.e TAKE IT” . 3)and lastly ‘Halaal is always anyways Halaal’.
Btw, I m from India…
May Allah pardon me if what i said was wrong and help me and guide me always… Aameeen. (sfaizu@yahoo.com).
I am currently on day 5 of a lemon cleanse….also known as a master cleanse. I am in need of a little encouragement to keep going! Anyone have any success with the lemon cleanse?
I don’t know if I can make it thru the whole term.
Thanks in advance and I will let you know how my lemon cleanse progresses!
Doa
September 8, 2007 at 1:05 AM
Assalaamualaikum,
I learned this one from my MSA.
In the Holy Qur’an, it is written that the good deeds remove the evil deeds.
So keep track!
Every time you sin, put a tally on a paper. This will do a couple of things–not allow you to be oblivious to your sins,help you notice what type of sins you commit most, and help you realize how often you sin and make an effort to stop sinning. Include all types of sins: accidental backbiting, lying, cheating, disrespecting parents/others, cursing, etc etc
Then for every sin you commit, give $1 in charity. Don’t think it’s ok to sin because of that dollar you’ll give after..no. Try your best to refrain from the sin but when it happens, for each tally give money.
Note that $1 should be much more if you can afford it. Make it $5 or $20 depending on how well off you are. $1 per sin will burden some, and $1000 per sin won’t burden others, so just customize it for yourself, but don’t make it less than a dollar really.
It should sort of be a little difficult, not like nothing.
And make sure you keep up with it.
hema
September 8, 2007 at 9:20 AM
spend some time with someone from the community who is lonely or depressed. invite them over for iftari or pick them up to pray tarawih together.
Umm Reem
September 8, 2007 at 11:16 AM
its funny how i had a similar idea yesterday to do with my students for ramadan…speaking of thinking alike!!
Youssef B.
September 8, 2007 at 11:26 AM
Asalamu ‘Alikoum,
Start ramdan with assigning a special day during the week where you can have iftaar with your friends. Pray taraweeh together and do qiyamul-layl and also pray tahajud, instead of the usual friends meetings insha’allah
Anam
September 8, 2007 at 11:55 AM
Invite your neighbor over for iftar (especially) if they are non Muslim.
Ali M.
September 8, 2007 at 12:02 PM
Salaam Alaikum,
Make a firm intention that no matter what on earth happens, every day of ramadan you will recite salawaat on the Prophet pbuh at least 10 times and read at least one page of the Quran.
whether ur walking to class, work, sitting, standing or anything, on the train…
inshAllah, this way you will show your love for the blessed Prophet pbuh. Surely, Allah loves those who love His beloved!! Also, you can show to Allah swt that no matter what came your way, you were one of those who became steadfast during ramadan.
It’s all about being the foremost of the foremost, but it takes steps to get there. May Allah accept our efforts and make us among His muqarrabeen. Ameen!!
SrAnonymous
September 8, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Email the editor of your local newspaper that the month of Ramadan is starting – give them a contact who they can ask questions to, like the local Islamic school principal or an articulate mosque representative.
Similarly e-mail them about Eid.
AnonyMouse
September 8, 2007 at 1:32 PM
If you’re in public school or university, contact your teacher/ principal/ administration to see if they’ll allow you to do a “Ramadhaan Awareness Day/Week”… sort of like Islamic Awareness Week, but focused on Ramadhaan and being a source of knowledge and benefit for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Many masaajid and MSA’s are fond of doing “Fast-A-Thons” during Ramadhaan because not only do they help teach others about Ramadhaan, but they can raise money for a local foodbank as well.
Amad
September 8, 2007 at 1:45 PM
Great… Keep them coming… Let’s remember that simpler is better and we have a greater chance of accomplishing…
After this list, we have to sign.a pledge to do ’em :)
AnonyMouse
September 8, 2007 at 1:58 PM
Make a point of being nice(r) to your siblings!
(This probably applies more to those in my age group than the grown-ups :P)
Also: Try to distance yourself from people you hang out with whom you know are relatively bad influences… e.g. if they swear, curse, get up to mischief regularly and you’re one of those people who get sucked into doing it also, then try to stay away from them for Ramadhaan (at least). Instead of wasting time with them, seek the company of Muslims who will be of benefit to you.
AnonyMouse
September 8, 2007 at 2:04 PM
Turn off the TV, and keep it off!
Also, cut down on the amount of time you spend on the Internet, either checking your emails or just surfing ‘Net pointlessly.
(This is actually Umm Hurairah’s suggestion… :) )
Umm Reem
September 8, 2007 at 4:29 PM
We came up with a number of ‘to do’ list during Ramadan. My two favorite ones were:
No matter what happens, we will not bad mouth/talk back to our parents, inshaAllah.
We will do something nice for our neighbors, like bake/cook something and take it to their doors, especially to the ‘mean’ ones!
Abu Abdurrahman
September 8, 2007 at 6:24 PM
The ones above are by far the best, as they are “small” – yet why then are we are all so neglectful of them?
Anyway, here’s one to do for those who make it to the mosque for Fajr:
It’s not as easy as it sounds, but the then look at the reward.
The hadeeth for you all:
Go to the mosque for fajr and after the prayer sit in your place and say nothing except what is good.
After the sun rises wait until shurook (about 10-15 mins after sun rise) and then pray 2 rakat.
Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in jamaa’ah, then sits and remembers Allaah until the sun comes up, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah.” He said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Complete, complete, complete.” (al-Jumu’ah 535; classed as hasan in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 480).
May Allah give us life to witness and benefit from this Noble Guest of Ramadhan.
mvaid
September 8, 2007 at 6:52 PM
smile more often :)
MR
September 9, 2007 at 12:27 AM
Everyone check this out: Preparing for Ramadan with Halal Tube
Umm Basheer
September 9, 2007 at 12:44 AM
go to sleep in a state of wudu
AnonyMouse
September 9, 2007 at 4:59 AM
Don’t just read Qur’an without understanding it:
Read accompanying tafseer and try to implement each and every ayaah of the Qur’an in your life!
Umm Basheer
September 9, 2007 at 11:06 AM
make wudu before every salah and ponder over its rewards.
Niqaabis
September 9, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Take some activities like coloring books or toys to the masjid to keep the children busy and stop them from running around whilst the adults are praying taraweh
ZkrofAllah
September 9, 2007 at 9:22 PM
Dont let the food go to waste after any iftar (whether its at your house or at the masjid) Take that food and give it to the less fortunate.. and YES they are less fortunate Muslims NEAR YOU!
UmmUkashah
September 10, 2007 at 2:05 AM
Always be in a state of wudu.
Graceful
September 10, 2007 at 1:54 PM
If you don’t live with your parents (marriage, work, college, etc), then make it a point to go online, find something that your MOM and DAD would like and have it delivered to their house at least ONCE A WEEK (preferably on Fridays)! It’s easy, it’s super thoughtful and how can you not imagine the smile and joy your parents would show upon receiving these “SECRET PACKAGES” :) Be not just a good child, be a great child and then pray for yourself and your parents that Allah bestows upon us all His Mercy and Compassion.
Bint Bashir
September 10, 2007 at 3:10 PM
Awwwwwwwwwwww
I love that one, Friday secret packages,
What a beautiful idea.
Graceful
September 10, 2007 at 5:16 PM
I just got another idea. In the spirit of the blessed month of Ramadan, wouldn’t it be great to sponsor an ORPHAN? I know Islamic Relief provides this service and you even get to see a picture of the orphan that you are sponsoring! Insha’Allah, the rewards for this are tremendous! Maybe we should all make a Ramadan Resolution to sponsor at least ONE ORPHAN! (and if you are able to, then however many your heart desires)
Graceful
September 10, 2007 at 5:23 PM
I was just going through my closet and I noticed how many Abayas and Hijabs I have accumulated over the past few years. So I have decided to donate my good things for the sake of Allah. I’m sure us sisters could probably put together a whole fashion boutique if we all pitched in and donated our clothes and how could we forget shoes, to those Muslimahs who are less fortunate than us…….(or maybe even to converts!)
OH—and I just remembered, making Ramadan baskets for new Muslim Converts! So many of our new brothers and sisters are probably abandoned by their families and need love and support, especially during this holy month. Maybe put together a basket with a few goodies such as CDs, books, gift cards, cookies, brownies, hijaabs, anything creative. Insha’Allah, it will bring a smile to their face and you will definitely feel the love of brother (and sister) hood! :)
Amad
September 10, 2007 at 6:58 PM
salam, sister Grace, I love all your suggestions. Awesome.
I have updated the post to show the 26 we have so far. Some of them are “general” and a little harder than what I had in mind… so let’s keep them coming… if we exceed 30, we’ll trim it or sort it in order of simplicity.
jazakumAllahkhair everyone.. great job!
Graceful
September 10, 2007 at 7:58 PM
I think this might be an easy one for anyone to do insha’Allah.
If you are about to head out to pray Taraweeh in the masjid, why not take something that you can pass out to others during the “half time show” of Taraweeh? For example, you can buy a bag of chocolates, mini hershey kisses, bottles of spring water, something that won’t make a mess in the masjid, but yet will be much appreciated to all of the worshippers (think sweets!)
Hafsa
September 10, 2007 at 9:14 PM
babysiting the kids in the masjid, while the moms pray… my friend use to do it!
...Niamah
September 12, 2007 at 2:33 PM
i need to make a habit of going to sleep with wuddu (sometimes i get lazy and just go to sleep w/o wuddu =( i really need to change that this summer-
I really need to start saying bismillah b4 i do ANYTHINGG (i try to say as much as i can however i certainly dont say it b4 i do everything)
Do dhikr in train instead of staring at fellow passengers =)
help my mommy in kitcken =(((
no more samosas/pakoras…eat simple food!!
Make a habit of doing all the dus (b4 leaving the house, entering the house, bathroom etc etc……most of the time, i forget to say them at their appropriate time)
memorise additionl duas that i dont know (syed ul istighfar, istikhara dua, safar dua etc)
no more wasting time (phone, net ..keep it to minimum)
and finallllllly improve my tajweed…tajweed and tajweeeeeed….
Amad
September 12, 2007 at 2:40 PM
we are down to like the last couple now
Nazia
September 13, 2007 at 9:40 AM
Re-connect with family members you’ve lost touch with via phone/email/visits, whatever works best for you inshAllah. :)
BintMuhammed
September 13, 2007 at 1:36 PM
Wake up atleast one morning and prepare suhoor for your family.
ZkrofAllah
September 14, 2007 at 12:27 PM
here are a few…
~~ Pray all 13 rakah of sunnah prayers
~~Make dua’a for your parents
~~ Did not have ill feelings against *anyone*
~~Attempted to join the hearts between 2 Muslims.
Allahu alam
AnonyMouse
September 14, 2007 at 12:38 PM
Can’t remember is someone said this or not already, but I’ll say it anyway – if your masjid/ Islamic centre has iftaar, then help with the clean-up!!!!!!!
If you do, subhan’Allah, sooooo many people will be grateful… something common to see is the masjid smelling gross and looking even worse because nobody bothered to help with the clean-up.
Amad
September 14, 2007 at 3:56 PM
Awesome! We are done with more than 30… The question is which one are we committing to do… So, let’s all list what we commit to inshallah and report back right here when done.
The reason for this “marketing of deeds” is that the commitment provides us an impetus to do it, and the “reporting back” is a means of encouraging others to the finish-line!
I encourage everyone to CAREFULLY choose from the list above, commit to at least 5. Don’t overextend yourself and set yourself for failure. But DO extend yourself a little– i.e. set stretch goals, which are not impossible but you are sufficiently motivated to do….
SO, WHO’S JOINING ME? I WANT TO HEAR IT!
#1, 20, 23, 27, 30
Amad
September 14, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Akhi musa, good preemptive thinking there!
One more thing… Whatever deed# gets picked the most and atleast 10 times, then we will inshallah arrange for a nice small gift for whoever came up w/that idea (no promises but most likely :) )!
AnonyMouse
September 14, 2007 at 4:34 PM
#10, #13, #24, #36, annnnddddddd the tafseer one.
May Allah grant us the strength of will and energy to go through w/ our commitments!
Amad
September 14, 2007 at 6:53 PM
what is #36?
AnonyMouse
September 14, 2007 at 9:04 PM
Oops, #26!
ruth nasrullah
September 15, 2007 at 7:40 AM
A lot of great ideas…here are my picks:
Cut down on the amount of time you spend on the Internet, either checking your emails or just surfing ‘Net pointlessly.
Making Ramadan baskets for new Muslim Converts
Smile more often :0)
Make dua’a for your parents
Do not have ill feelings against *anyone*… remove them.
Amad
September 19, 2007 at 9:35 AM
I arranged #23… my sister will take out my parents in Lahore to a nice restaurant for a surprise iftar/dinner from me! Great idea again, Sr. Graceful.
I am also switching #1 to #3, taking care of it this week!
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Amad
October 2, 2007 at 3:16 PM
How is it going folks?? I still have 3 left :( But inshallah I plan to git r done!
ruth nasrullah
October 2, 2007 at 6:19 PM
I’m not doing all that great with cutting down on internet usage (obviously) and I haven’t made any Ramadan baskets for new converts – but honestly the only ones I’ve encountered during Ramadan are students in my Islam 101 class, and for them something like that might be redundant. That’s not an excuse, though.
I pledged not to have ill feelings toward anyone, but does that have to include the car mechanic who tried to rip me off today? Very upsetting!
I’ve been on a campaign to smile more for a couple years now, so smiling a lot isn’t too hard.
My final pledge was to say dua for my parents, and you bet I have been!
AnonyMouse
October 2, 2007 at 11:06 PM
I’m getting there! Haven’t done the Tafseer one (yet), though… :(
Graceful
October 3, 2007 at 7:26 AM
Alhamdulilah, I just sponsored an orphan last week, so I feel that was a big accomplishment!
I sent out three secret packages for my parents (yummy fruit baskets and islamic cds!!)
I changed the ‘ramadan baskets’ idea to ‘Eid baskets’ because gift giving on the day of Eid is actually an occasion to celebrate! will be working on this with a friend next week insha’Allah…….
I printed out the ‘syed al istighfar’ dua and took colored paper and made little cards out of them and passed them out at iftaar parties (I hope they’ve memorized them by now insha’Allah!)
I also liked the idea of sending out cards to our fellow muslim brothers who are locked up. I bought some cards and stamps and took them to an iftaar and had each sister write to at least one prisoner……
So Alhamdulilah for these little deeds that hopefully insha’Allah, will increase many times over during this blessed month!! So for those who still haven’t done so, you still have a few more days……..don’t let it pass you by!
AnonyMouse
December 10, 2007 at 3:56 AM
Hmmmmmm… the pic isn’t showing.
Faiz Khan
December 10, 2007 at 8:18 AM
Assalaamualaikum…
I m late i guess, maybe for next yr then… Y not brothers who have no beard think of starting to sport one? And sisters likewise hijaab… I think these r the most basic required ones…
Alhamdulillah, I just started to sport a beard recently.. Its nice, lot of hurdles and so-called weird moments to face but what the heck.. ”’What else does – ‘Complete Submission to the will of Allah (i.e. Islam)’ mean, if not this?”’ Allah says in the quran follow what my messenger(saws) says and he(saws) says have a beard 4 men and hijab 4 women…
I was hearing to a simple ‘thumb-rule’ told by sheikh Salim-al-amree, he said, 1)if a few rightly guided scholars say this is ‘Haraam’ & other rightly guided scholars say regarding the same issue/topic/point that this is ‘Makrooh’, Then ”JUST LEAVE IT, i.e DONT DO IT” . 2)if a few rightly guided scholars say, this is ‘Fard’ and a few other rightly guided scholars say regarding the same issue/point/topic/ that it is ‘Sunnah’, Then ”JUST DO IT i.e TAKE IT” . 3)and lastly ‘Halaal is always anyways Halaal’.
Btw, I m from India…
May Allah pardon me if what i said was wrong and help me and guide me always… Aameeen. (sfaizu@yahoo.com).
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StaceySmithyDo
November 3, 2009 at 4:47 PM
I am currently on day 5 of a lemon cleanse….also known as a master cleanse. I am in need of a little encouragement to keep going! Anyone have any success with the lemon cleanse?
I don’t know if I can make it thru the whole term.
Thanks in advance and I will let you know how my lemon cleanse progresses!