Ramadhan is not only a month of fasting during the day and praying voluntary prayers at night. It is also a month to be taken advantage of in doing all sorts of acts of worship and other good deeds. Good deeds done during Ramadhan are seen as superior in quality in comparison to other months and are better rewarded this month as well.
Below are some of the other good deeds to be observed during Ramadhan.
OMRAH: Omrah is a voluntary form of pilgrimage that may be performed any day of the year which is its main difference compared to Hajj or the obligatory pilgrimage which happens once a year on the last month of the Muslim calendar. Prophet Muhammad said, “Omrah in Ramadhan is equivalent to Hajj.”
Most Muslims choose to perform Omrah during this season as it is vacation season also for most Muslim countries and they choose to be in Makkah during the last ten days of Ramadhan which are considered as the best days of the year.
I’TIKAF: I’tikaf is a form of retreat or isolation of a Muslim in a mosque in order to devote himself in the worship of Allah by reading the Quran, remembering Allah and offering voluntary prayers. It is a voluntary act of worship that is being performed on the last ten days of Ramadhan as a form of compliance to Prophet Muhammad’s example that he does every year until he passed away. A Muslim during I’tikaf should cut off all communications with the outside world at all cost and devote himself to acts of worship. Staying inside the mosque while holding the mobile phone and keeping himself updated through social media is not I’tikaf. I’tikaf is about being alone in worshipping Allah. It has even been reported that some scholars prefer to stay in mosques where nobody knows them so that they may not be disturbed by people who may have questions and other needs. A Muslim during I’tikaf may leave the mosque to go to the restroom or go home and eat without doing anything else. He may even have food delivered to him and eat it in an area within the premises of the mosque.
The mosques are sacred and anything worldly should be avoided inside it and it is practiced even more during Ramadhan.
READING QURAN: Ramadhan is the month when the Quran was sent down to the Prophet Muhammad. Because of this, it is only most fitting that the Muslim read much of the Quran this month than on any other month of the year. It has been customary to read the entire Quran during the whole month of Ramadhan at least once or even more according to one’s ability and opportunity.
STUDYING QURAN: Ramadhan is also the month that Prophet Muhammad reviews the recitation of the Quran to Angel Gabriel once a year and twice on the year that he died. Because of this, it is most fitting for anyone to study the Quran and its sciences that pertain to the way it is read and understood during the blessed month of Ramadhan. It is also the most opportune time for anyone who does not know how to read the Quran to learn how to read it. Studying the Quran inside the mosques is the best way according to what Prophet Muhammad said, “No group of people that congregate inside a mosque in order to read and study the book of Allah except that they are surrounded by the angels, serenity will descend upon them and Allah shall mention them to the angels around Him.”
FEEDING THE FASTING PERSON: Fasting in Ramadhan runs for 29 or 30 days and every day of fasting is culminated by Iftar or breaking of the fast. Breaking of the fast for Muslims is by a light meal that includes dates, water, and other healthy foods. Some people who feed people during the breaking of the fast also provide dinner as well. This act of kindness requires a huge amount of logistics as most people, especially the poor, prefer to break their fast in the mosques that usually provide these meals. Fortunately, the act of feeding a person has huge rewards according to what Prophet Muhammad said, “Whoever gives food to a fasting person for him to break his fast shall have the same reward as him, without diminishing the fasting person’s reward in any way.”
CHARITY: The Messenger of Allah was the most generous of all people, and he used to reach the peak of his generosity in the month of Ramadan. He was more generous than a strong uncontrollable wind in readiness and would hasten to do charitable deeds. Because of this, Ramadhan is a month of generosity. Many of the actions here revolve around generosity and charity such as feeding the fasting person mentioned above. The month of Ramadhan also ends with the payment of Zakatul Fitr, which is a form of payment for any lapses the Muslim may have done during fasting. At the end of Ramadhan before the beginning of the Eid prayers or prayers during the celebration marking the official end of the month of Ramadhan, the Muslim pays for himself and each one of his dependents more or less 3 kilos of rice or common food staple in their area as a charity. This is given to the Muslim poor in their community
Also, laws have been enacted for those who are not able to fast such as those who are sick and are not expected to get well enough to fast that they give some sort of ransom or payment for being unable to fast. This is done by feeding one poor person for every day that he or she is not able to fast. He or she is to feed a poor person with a complete meal according to the standard of his or her country.
Most Muslims also opt to pay their obligatory charities known as Zakah during Ramadhan in order to be easily reminded when it is due and to take advantage of having good deeds better rewarded during Ramadhan.
