Time goes by so fast, now we are treading the early days of the shay'a month. Ramadan has arrived before, even though it seems like we have not left that glorious month with the joy of the holiday. So it is true what is implied by the Prophet Muhammad in his hadith: "There are two favors that most people neglect thereof: health and opportunity (leisure)" (HR Bukhori). For this reason, let us immediately improve ourselves from an early age, organize hearts and steps to welcome Ramadan, starting from this month Sya'ban.
Rasulullah SAW and his companions from the beginning had made the shay'a month a month of preparation for welcoming Ramadan by extending the fast of the sunnah. Specifically it is mentioned in the hadith about the virtues of the shay'a month: From Usamah bin Zaid, he asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "O Messenger of Allah, I have never seen you fast in a month that is more than satisfied in the month of Shaytan? " So the Messenger of Allāh menjawab answered: "(Shaytan) it is the month between Rojab and Ramadan that most people neglect. Sya'ban is the month where the deeds are raised towards the side of the Lord of the Universe, so I like it when my deeds are lifted, while I am in a state of fasting "(HR Nasa'i)
Like the arrival of a noble guest, then a good host will certainly prepare the best welcome. All of us Muslims are the hosts who will prepare for the coming of Ramadan, starting from this month of Shaytan. The series of preparations in the Sya'ban that we can do include:
First: Make time for your muhasabah self.
Let every Muslim who will welcome Ramadan begin to calculate the deeds and sins he has committed during the year.
Self-calculation when approaching the coming of Ramadan becomes very important, so that every Muslim will have a stronger intention and strive for Ramadan this time is only to get all the grace and forgiveness of God in it.
Allah SWT confirms in the Surah Al-Hashr:
"O you who believe, fear Allah and let every soul see to himself what he has prepared for the next day, and fear Allah, verily Allah knows what you are doing. And do not be like those who forget God, so that Allah forgets themselves, they are the wicked ones. "(Al-Hasyr: 18-19)
Second: Increase istighfar and repentance.
Every adam child must have been wrong in his life. Faith that always goes up and down, the journey of life that is full of temptations will surely make Adam's child ever slip so that it is polluted by sin, and the dirt needs to be cleaned. Then seek forgiveness and repentance are the cleaners.
Third: Train yourself and children with the Ramadhan worship in the month of Sya'ban.
Like practicing fasting, reading the Qur'an, qiyam, alms. and so forth.
From Ayesha ra, she said: "It is not I see the Messenger of Allah
Improving relationships in the family welcoming Ramadan will further enhance harmony in the family when fasting, because a clean heart will be more pure. So before Ramadan it's time to apologize and forgive one another. "
Fifth: Establish friendship with neighbors.
Approaching the blessed month should also begin to re-establish friendship with friends and neighbors, so that when we begin to establish a relationship with God, relationships with others have become good. Thus the comfort of the soul will be truly felt when fasting.
Sixth: Preparation of Faith and Spirituality by Praying and Increasing Worship
True fasting commands are addressed to believers. In Sura al-Baqoroh 183 so clearly our faith is touched by the beloved call: "O believers". Therefore the first step in preparing for this month of Sya'ban is to condition our faith, so that it is truly worthy and ready to fill the glorious month. Preparation of faith and soul conditioning is also carried out by the Prophet Muhammad, even since the beginning of the month of Rajab. In the narration of Anas bin Malik ra mentioned: That the Prophet Muhammad when entering the month of Rajab prayed: "O Allah, bless us in the month of Rajab and Sya'ban, and convey (our age) in the month of Ramadan" (HR Ahmad). By praying and extending worship, then the condition of our faith will be maintained until Ramadan approaches. Similarly, in concentration, our mind and soul will focus on welcoming the noble guest.
Seventh: Increase Fasting and Pay Fasting Debt
In addition to the preparation of the faith, we can also make Ramadan preparations more focused, namely by increasing the fasting of the sunnah in the month of Sya'ban. Rasulullah SAW has given such a clear example to us - as mentioned in the earlier hadith - how he intensified the fasting of the sunnah in the month of Shaytan. For us, this kind of preparation is certainly very important, especially for many of us who pass a year so busy that we rarely do the sunnah fasting. Similarly, specifically for women who still have fasting debts in Ramadan last year, then this month of Sya'ban is the right time to pay it off immediately. It was also narrated in Sahih Bukhori, how Ayesha bint Abu Bakar ra, the wife of Rasulullah SAW, was only able to replace her fasting debt in the month of Sya'ban, because she was busy in helping Rasulullah SAW.
Eighth: Knowledge Preparation
Ramadan is a month of blessing in which we are encouraged to increase goodness. There are also many other practices outside of fasting that we should do in the month of Ramadan, such as: almsgiving, giving open, recitations and of course tarawih prayer. The presumption of Ramadan just a month of fasting will only discourage us from increasing goodness in the glorious month. Therefore we need early scientific preparation about the month of Ramadan, so that when the glorious month is approaching, we really know and are confident about what we must do in filling it. We see a lot on television and the media, when Ramadan has moved halfway there are still many fundamental questions about fasting, especially what is permissible and what is not permissible. This shows our unpreparedness in fasting.
This month of Sya'ban is the right time for us to prepare our knowledge to optimize the reward of Ramadan. So that we can fill it optimally, and try to run fasting perfectly. Rasulullah SAW has warned about vain fasting. From the history of Abu Hurairah ra he said: "How many people fast but there is no reward for fasting except hungry, and how many people pray night (tarawih), but there is no reward for it except (fatigue) staying up late" (HR An-Nasa 'i).
Finally, let us invite our family, relatives and friends to jointly make this Sya'ban month a month of preparation. From the preparation of faith to science, we realize it one by one on our days, in our homes and our environment. May Allah SWT provide convenience and blessing. Allah knows best.
Here are some photos of the happiness of PT Solid Gold Berjangka Lampung family in celebrating and being grateful for all the fortune received with orphans:
