Yesterday, I told you that Ramadan does not come twice a year. It is a very special month that has no equivalent among other months.  Think of the multiplication of rewards of your ibadah, think of the value and health and spiritual benefits of abstinence from food and drink, think of the closeness you achieve with Allah through your dhikr, taraweeh, qiyamu-layl, think of the sadaqah and zakat, think of the only night that is better than a thousand months. That is why we must use this Ramadan as if it was our last.

The opportunity we have to observe it this year is an amazing grace of God. Many did not have that grace.  So, only Allah knows who will have the similar grace next year to see another Ramadan. Why not give it your best now.

The holy month has taught us to empathise with those who have less than we do, especially in relation to food and basic things needed in Ramadan. This is why we should commit to living a much simpler and less wasteful lifestyle, and give what we really do not need to others who need them. We need to remember the poor, the widows, the orphans and the Ulamas.  Impacting the lives of others offers great rewards in this world and the Hereafter.

Let us affect lives positively in our family, community and society. Let us resolve to stay away from sleeping all through the nights, let us refrain from idle and vain talk, spending considerable time on TV programmes and the social media and from sins. The spiritual and physical exercise of fasting are premised on gaining (taqwa) piety.

Distractions consume our time and take us away from living a more productive and fulfilling Ramadan. Now, our eating and altered sleeping patterns as a result of early morning sahoor, the pangs of hunger during the day, and the long standing for Taraweeh or Qiyamu-layl must be the top priority in our schedule, lest we risk depriving ourselves from the immense blessings inherent in this month.