Build Good Habits

Tip #1 – Click here for the full Tip

Useful tips to get you started:

⚡ Reflect on the past Ramadan ‑ Reflecting on what you accomplished and what you missed is a healthy path toward self‑improvement. Make a note of two things you will want to do better this Ramadan. ⁣

⚡ Accountability Buddy ‑ If you are ready to make a serious effort to change this Ramadan, hold yourself accountable. You’re more likely to succeed if you get some help. Identify a friend with similar goals and make a plan. Check-in every day to see how you’re doing on your new habit.⁣

⚡ Intention Setting ‑ You become more aware of your thoughts and behavior patterns daily by setting intentions. Setting intentions increases the odds that you will stick to your new habits.⁣

Pray Regularly

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Praying can sometimes feel like a colossal task; praying 5 times a day can feel like a distant ambition. If you can relate to the yearning to have that sweet connection with your Salah, then you are at the right place.

Here are some tips to help you start the journey.

⚡ Ask yourself why ‑ Aside from being an obligation to please God, why do you want to get regular with your Salah?

⚡ Small habits build up over time ‑ Start with one prayer, the easiest one; once you establish one, you start habit stacking, and you build up to five.⁣

⚡ Set a specific and actionable goal ‑ Make a conscious decision and set your prayer goal. I want to pray Isha’a prayer on time for 30 days straight starting February 1st. Ask Allah to help you achieve this goal.⁣

⚡ Set an intention ‑ Prepare yourself mentally and spiritually.

⚡ Fix a time to pray ‑ Add your Isha’a prayer to a ritual you already do before going to bed ‑ brush your teeth, make wudu, and pray.

⚡ Dedicated space ‑ Pick a quiet corner in your house and lay out your favorite prayer mat. For starters, pick two small surahs you want to recite and practice them.

⚡ Accountability and reminders ‑ To stay on track, add a reminder on your phone and ask your accountability partner to check on your daily progress.

Pray Tahajjud

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Tahajjud can transform your life. It is the key to influencing the rest of your day.

Here are some tips for developing the habit of tahajjud.

⚡ Intention is everything! Make an intention to wake up for tahajjud once a month. Once you see the difference and the barakah on that day, you will want to do it more.

⚡ Drink a lot of water, and don’t overeat before bed. A full bladder can get you out of bed at the right time of night.

⚡ Go to bed early. Make dua and remember Allah before you sleep and follow the sunnah of sleeping on your right side.

⚡ Wake up 10 minutes before Fajr and start with two raka’as.

Make Thikr

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Dhikr removes the rust from your heart and purifies the soul. It works like a shield around you and protects you from any harm.

Here are five athkar for you to start:

⚡ Sūrat al‐Ikhlāṣ (Purity of Faith) ‑ Qul Huwa Allāhu aḥad. 2 Allāhu al‑Ṣamad. 3 Lam yalid wa lam yūlad. 4Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad. (3x)

⚡ Sūrat al‐Falaq (Daybreak) ‑ Qul aʿūdhu bi rabb il‑falaq. 2Min sharri mā khalaq. 3Wa min sharri ghāsiqin idhā waqab. 4Wa min sharri il‑naffathāti fil ʿuqad. 5Wa min sharri ḥāsidin idhā ḥasad. (3x)

⚡ Sūrat al‐Nās (People) ‑ Qul aʿūdhu bi rabb il‑nās. 2Malik il‑nās. 3 Ilāh il‑nās. Min sharri alwaswās al‑khannās. 4 Al‑ladhī yuwaswisu fī ṣudūr al‑nās. 5Min aljinnati wa al‑nās. (3x)

⚡ Aʿūdhu bikalimāt Illāhi al‑tāmmāti min sharri mā khalaq. (3x) I seek refuge in the complete words of Allah from the evil in what He has created.

⚡ Raḍītu billāhi Rabba, wa bil Islāmi dīnā, wa bi Sayyidinā Muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi wa sallama nabīyyan wa rasūlā. (3x) I am content with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with our master Muhammad (Allah’s peace and mercy be upon him) as Prophet and Messenger.

Practice Gratitude

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The impact on our perception of life and faith can be incredibly empowering if we shift the focus from the negative and see the situation through a positive lens.
Here are a few tips so you see and experience more gratitude each day.

⚡ Start and end each day with a grateful heart. And eventually, make it a habit.

⚡ Break down the negative thoughts to address them one by one.

⚡ Identify where you are lessening the good and where you are maximizing the bad.

⚡ Replace negative thoughts with healthier ones by objectively identifying the positive things the trial brings into your life.

⚡ Always remember to say “Alhamdulillah” when you find something that you are grateful for.

Make Dua

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Dua is a dialogue with Allah SWT; it’s the essence of ibadah, the believer’s most persuasive weapon. It can change fate, while no action of ours ever can.⁣

⚡ Ask Allah for all of your needs. Those related to this world as well as those related to the Hereafter.

⚡ Make dua for your loved ones (parent, spouse, child) ‑ The Messenger of Allah PBUH said, “No Muslim servant supplicates for his brother behind his back but that the angel says: And for you the same.”

⚡ Make dua for the deceased ‑ May Allah SWT has mercy on our loved ones that have passed and reunite us with them in Jannah, Ameen.

Connect with the Quran

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There is nothing that fosters faith in Allah (swt) like a meaningful connection with the Qur’an. Interpret the Qur’an as if it’s revealed to your own heart. Allow it to nurture the faith inside of you. ⁣

⚡ Add the habit of reading the Qur’an to your night‑time rituals.

⚡ Delve into the meanings of the ayat. Examining each Surah one at a time and taking in its actual guidance is a great start. Understanding instead of reading aimlessly ‑ should be the goal!

⚡ Reflect on the translation and how you can benefit from what you have learned.

⚡ Turn every ayah in the Qur’an into a dua. Try it! It’s powerful.

⚡ Maintain notes, so it becomes easy to refer back whenever you want.

Fast Mindfully

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Fulfilling the outward aspects of fasting makes the act valid. Is that it? Shouldn’t we be concerned beyond that?

The act of fasting includes much more than abstaining from food and drinks.

⚡ Let your eyes fast ‑ choose what you look at.

⚡ Let your mouth fast ‑ control what you say, from gossip, foul language, backbiting, and slandering.

⚡ Let your ears fast ‑ abstain from listening to things you should not.

Break Bad Habits

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Breaking bad habits is a struggle against our nafs.

Here’s a list of things you can do to help break bad habits:

⚡ Identify your triggers
⚡ Focus on why you want to change
⚡ Have a friend’s support
⚡ Practice mindfulness
⚡ Replace the habit with a different one
⚡ Leave yourself reminders
⚡ Prepare for slip-ups
⚡ Start small
⚡ Change your environment
⚡ Visualize yourself breaking the habit
⚡ Practice self‑care
⚡ Motivate yourself with rewards for success
⚡ Give it time

Maintain Good Relationships

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Family life is the foundation of human society, providing a secure, healthy, and nurturing environment. The best place to pass on and develop human virtues such as love, kindness, mercy, and compassion is family.

There might be many thoughts popping into your mind.

⚡ Am I keeping in touch with my immediate family?
⚡ Have I been checking on them often?
⚡ How are my relations with my family?
⚡ Are all these in alignment with the guidelines my creator has laid down for my benefit?

Yes, it is something we should reflect upon. So this Ramadan, while we still are preparing and nurturing to receive the blessings, let us add kinship to our list of things that need our attention.

Give

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When we donate, we know that we are helping a cause or a person, but we rarely realize all the ways that charity unfolds. While we may never know the exponential impact of our charitable giving, Allah SWT does – and rewards us accordingly.

The more you give in the month of Ramadan, the more you receive!

⚡ Set an intention to give daily in Ramadan.

⚡ Automate your giving so you won’t miss a day in Ramadan.

⚡ Be intentional in the charity you give by selecting organizations that serve causes about which you are passionate.

⚡ Think of deeds that help others in some way or the other.

⚡ Teach your kids the importance of charity and show them how by being courteous, they give Sadaqa!