QUALITY TIME IN RAMADAN

Allah offers us a great blessing and opportunity for forgiveness during Ramadan. The following programme is suggested for the blessed month:
1. Make a commitment and go to the Fajr prayer at the masjid and be there for the opening takbeer.
2. Sit for a while after the prayer in the masjid and read the Qur'an, not just for recitation, but try to understand what you read. Remember Allah as much as you can until the sunrise and then make two rakaats to get the reward of a complete Hajj or 'Umrah, inshaa Allah.
3. Get some sleep before work or study to remain fresh and alert.
4. Advise your Muslim friends at work or at school to stay serious and keep busy and not appear lazy or lethargic. Ramadan is the month of exertion, not a time to sleep behind the desk. If you work around non-Muslims this becomes very important because it will give them a strong impression of how Muslims act in Ramadan. It is a chance for giving da'wah.
5. If you arrive home just before 'Asr prayer, don't go to sleep or you will miss it. Relax a little if you must and prepare yourself early for the prayer.
6. It is a good practice to read the Qur'an after 'Asr up to the time of Maghrib.
7. Remember that when the faster breaks his fast it is a time when the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said the du'aa is not rejected, so make the most of this precious opportunity to remember your Muslim parents and anyone else in your supplication. If one's relatives are not Muslims then earnestly pray that Allah guide them.
8. After the Maghrib prayer (or whenever you sit to eat a full meal) it is advisable not to eat too much in order to help you to be ready to stand for the 'Isha prayer with full attention and ease.
9. In the time between Maghrib and 'Ishaa spend some 'quality time' with your family and perhaps read the Qur'an together or remember the stories of the prophets ('alaihimus salaam), or the early Muslims and their deeds. Read some of the hadith of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) or partake of any wholesome activity or speech especially with the children.
10. Prepare yourself to go to the masjid (mosque) early for Salaatul-'Ishaa and At-Taraaweeh. Many masjids take only a little time between the adhaan and iqaamah during Ramadan so try to get there before the adhaan.
11. After the Taraweeh is when people find themselves with more time. Don't waste all of your free time on entertainment. Try to spend more time reading the Qur'an or visiting relatives or friends or attending an Islamic lecture or function or visiting your neighbour. Invite someone to Islam. Any and all of this is better than watching a bad film or TV show or spending all your extra time shopping in the blessed nights of Ramadan.
12. You should try to sleep in the night as opposed to staying up the entire night thus turning the night into your day. Go to sleep and get up a little before Fajr, say 30 minutes or so.
13. Use that time before Fajr to make two rakaats and ask Allah for forgiveness for it is the best time to make supplication during the last third of the night.
14. After making two rakaats it will be time for suhoor and you will have time to eat before the adhaan of Fajr and prepare to go to the masjid and begin a new day.
This is just a suggested programme. Often circumstances do not allow one to implement all that is mentioned. The main point is not to lose the great blessing and opportunity for forgiveness that Allah offers us in Ramadan. We must be determined not to be like those who come into Islam during Ramadan only to practically go out of it as soon as the month is over. We want to come out of Ramadan more committed, with renewed faith and a rejuvenated spirit ready to devote ourselves as we should for the remainder of the year.