Imaan Sabr
Two years ago, prior to a sweltering Ramadan, I made a list of all the things I was going to complete. However, by the tenth day, I was be depleted of my imaan boost. After ‘Eid al-Fitr, I looked over my list.
But they seem so easy to accomplish… what went wrong?
I believe the problem was that I aspired to reach so many goals in such a short amount of time without really thinking about the reality of Ramadan. I told myself the deeds & goals I was aspiring to do had to be huge, go big or go home kind of good deeds. I didn’t see the strength in a simple Asalaamu’alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa baraktuh to my sister on the street or holding the elevator door for someone.
This year, I decided to change things up.
With the help of the Ramadan calendar and the help of Allah ﷻ, I created one good deed per day to strive for. If you are the way I was, just remember that all good deeds — no matter how big or small — all multiplied seventy times during the month of Ramadaan, subhan’Allah.
Without further ado, here is the list of thirty good deeds — each for one day of Ramadan — with ahadith and/or ayaats from the Qur’an.
1st: Smile! Alhamdulillah, we have made it to another Ramadan!
“When you smile to your brother’s face, it is charity.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
2nd: Help your family with chores around the house.
“Cleanliness is half of faith.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
3rd: Go one day without complaining.
“I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.” — The Holy Qur’an [12:86]
4th: Pray in the masjid today!
“Prayer in congregation is superior to prayer alone by twenty seven degrees.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
5th: Visit a sick Muslim.
“There is no Muslim who visits a sick Muslim early in the morning but 70 thousand angels send blessings upon him until evening comes, and if he visits him in the evening, 70 thousand angels send blessings upon him until morning comes, and he will have a garden in Paradise.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
6th: Recite the Qur’an. It may be difficult for some & easier for others. For a revert like myself, the recitation of the Qur’an is almost scary due to the idea that our tajweed is not perfected. However…
‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur’an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur’an 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 || Book 9, Hadith 994]
>7th: Say your salams! Do you ever stop and think that the greeting that we use daily is something we get rewarded for? Yeah, neither did I. Subhan’Allah!
The Prophet ﷺ also explained the reward earned by the one who says salaam, as was reported by al-Nisaa’i in ‘Aml al-yawm wa’l-laylah (368) and al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (586) and by Ibn Hibban (493). They reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a man passed by the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ whilst he was sitting with some others, and said “Salaam ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).” The Prophet ﷺ said, “[He will have] ten hasanaat (rewards).” Another man passed by and said “Salaam ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” The Prophet ﷺ said, “[He will have] twenty hasanaat.” Another man passed by and said “Salaam ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings).” The Prophet ﷺ said, “[He will have] thirty hasanaat.”
8th: Donate to a charity of your choosing!
“Spend (in charity) out of We have bestowed for their sustenance secretly and openly ; and turn off evil with good: for such there is the final attainment of the (Eternal) Home.” — The Holy Qur’an [13:22]
9th: Revive a Sunnah!
“Verily, whoever revives a tradition (sunnah) from among my traditions which has died after me, then he will have a reward similar to whoever acts upon it without taking anything away from their rewards.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
10th: Feed a fasting person.
“Whoever feeds the person who is breaking his fast, he will have his reward (for his fasting) without decreasing anything from the reward of the fasting person.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
“None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
12th: Show your kindness to everyone, including animals. Simply giving a few birds a piece of bread or a thirsty dog some water will benefit you!
“Whoever is merciful even to a sparrow, Allah will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgment.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
13th: Spend your day solely in remembrance of Allah. Find a quiet place (your room, the masjid, sitting under a tree, etc.) and remember Allah and all He has done for you.
“So remember Me, and I shall remember you; and be grateful unto Me, and deny Me not.” — The Holy Qur’an [2:152]
14th: Invite a friend to the masjid for prayer. Ramadaan is the month where those who never prayed may start praying; however, they may fear ridicule and be labeled as a ‘Ramadan Muslim.’ Invite them & be kind.
A man asked Sheikh Muhammad al Ghazali:
“What is the ruling of a person who doesn’t pray?”
He said:
“The ruling is that you take him with you to the Masjid.”
15th: Share your knowledge! Each day we learn something good or some new deed. If we share this with others, we will get the same reward.
“Whoever guides [another] to a good deed will get a reward similar to the one who performs it.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
16th: Visit your grandparents! It is such a blessing to have grandparents. Give them a visit to show you love and care about them. It will mean the world to them!
“Whoever wishes that his provision be increased and his age lengthened, let him maintain the ties of kinship.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
17th: Forgive others and, most importantly, yourself. It may be incredibly difficult, but the reward is immense. After all, “do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? (The Holy Qur’an [24:22]). If your Lord could forgive you for your previous sins, forgive yourself. It will take so much off of your shoulders.
“Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
18th: Pay it forward! A selfless act shows compassion, love, and above all: that you are making a difference in this worldly life. With these acts, there’s no doubt you might make someone’s day.
“Never will you attain righteousness until you spend (give) from that which you love. And whatever you spend (give), indeed Allaah is Knowing of it.” — The Holy Qur’an [3:92]
19th: Help keep your environment clean! Removing litter from the Earth that Allah has created will surely benefit you.
“Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity (sadaqah).” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
20th: Learn one name of Allah and invoke Him with it. Al-Asma-ul-Husna are the 99 Most Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah.
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
21st: Stand in prayer on Laylatul Qadr. The 21st of Ramadaan begins the last ten nights of Ramadaan and the first odd night. It has been reported that one of the odd nights in the last ten days could be Laylatul Qadr!
“Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Power) is better than a thousand months.” — The Holy Qur’an [97:3]
22nd: Take care of your body. Pamper yourself after a long day of fasting with a relaxing bath or a cup of tea & the recitation of the Qur’an from your favorite reciter.
“…Verily, your body has a right over you…” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
23rd: Volunteer! At a soup kitchen, at your masjid, at a homeless shelter, an animal shelter — even tutoring a child for no pay.
“…and help one another in goodness and piety…” — The Holy Qur’an [5:2]
“…do good – that you may succeed!” — The Holy Qur’an [22:77]
24th: Donate used Islamic books to your local masjid! Give the gift of knowledge to another person who is seeking it. You will be rewarded, in’shaa’Allah.
“When the son of Adam dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, knowledge from which others may benefit after he is gone, and a righteous son who will pray for him.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
25th: Write a letter to someone who has made a difference in your life, regardless of how big or small.
“The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to the people. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, or to remove one of his troubles, or to forgive his debt, or to feed his hunger.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
26th: Compliment others with sincerity!
“A person may say a word that is pleasing to Allah and he may not think much of it, but Allah will, (because of that word), bestow his pleasure upon him on the Day of Judgment…” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
27th: Perform I’tikaaf! Many masjids have i’tikaaf for youth. It is a beautiful night of prayer & halaqas.
“Whosoever for Allah’s sake did even one days i’tikaaf, Allah would keep him away from Jahannam by trenches.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
28th: Make ‘Eid cards for family & friends. Consider finding Islamic charities that list families & children to send ‘Eid cards to. It’ll certainly put a smile on their face :]
29th: Invite a convert for iftaar! Ramadaan can be an incredibly lonely time for converts. And if you are a convert, find other converts to have iftaar with.
30th: Pay your Zakaat al-Fitr!
Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger ﷺ ordered them to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr before the people went out to perform the’`Eid prayer. Nafi‘ reported that’`Umar used to pay it a day or two before the end of Ramadan.
In’shaa’Allah this Ramadaan calendar & its extra resources benefit you all throughout this blessed month!
Can you think of more deeds? Share them in the comments section below!
