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Take a vacation for
Allah: We take a break from our jobs for almost
everything in life. Why not this time to focus on
worshiping and thanking our Creator.
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Do Itikaf: It was a practice
of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of
Ramadan in the Masjid for Itikaf, which involves
people performing various forms of Dhikr (the
remembrance of Allah), doing extra Prayers, and recitation
and study of the Quran.
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Make this special Dua:
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the
Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what
night the night of al-Qadr is, what should I say
during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning
and You love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn
Majah, and Tirmidhi). The transliteration of this
supplication is "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa
fa`fu `annee"
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Recite the Quran: Perhaps you can
choose Surahs or passages from the Quran which you have
heard in Tarawih Prayer this Ramadan to recite.
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Reflect on the meaning of
the Quran: Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've
heard in Tarawih and read their translation and
Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how
it affects you on a personal level.
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Get your sins wiped out: Pray some
extra/voluntary Salah. Don't just pray using the
shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers
longer, deeper and meaningful. Read the translation and
explanation of the Surahs you know and then pray reciting
these Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you
pray.
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Make a personal Dua
list: Ask yourself what you really want from Allah.
Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or
how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not.
Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, ask
Allah to give you those things and plan your efforts in
getting those things in the future.
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Evaluate yourself: Do an evaluation
of where you are and where you are going. Let this
evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have
done and remorse for the bad you have done. This latter
feeling should make it easier to seek Allah's sincere
forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned in tip #3
above.
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Make long, sincere and
deep Duas: One of the best times to do this is
during the last part of the night. For instance, wake up
one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for
anything and everything you want that is permissible. This
can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but
also Dua in your own language, with sincerity and
conviction.
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Memorize a different Dua every
night: They don't have to be long. They can be just one
line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at
least. You can put them on index cards (and glance at them
during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then
practice them at night in prayer.
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Have Iftar with the
family: If you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your
cubicle at work alone with a couple of dates, now is the
last few days you'll have this Ramadan to spend with your
family. Use it wisely.
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Take the family to Tarawih:
Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of
Ramadan because you weren't there to drive them to the
Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If so, bring
everyone for Tarawih in these last ten nights at
least.
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Attend the Dua
after the completion of Quran recitation: Almost all
Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of
the Quran in Tarawih prayers in Ramadan, will be
completing their recitation in these last ten nights.
Attend this particular night's Tarawih prayer with
your family.
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Finish reading a book on the Prophet:
Read about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love
for him and Islam by seeing how much he struggled for
Allah's sake. It may inspire you to push yourself even
harder during these last ten nights. This community is
built on sacrifice.
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Plan for the next year:
Once you've done a self-evaluation, you can plan on
where you want to go, at least in the next 12 months.
Laylatul Qadr is a great night to be thinking about
this (without taking away from your worship), since you'll
Insha Allah, be in a more contemplative state.
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To do list for the Night of Power:
Make a to do checklist for each odd Night of these last ten
days. This should define how you would like your night to
be used. Pick things from this list and define the sequence
you would like to do things in. This will help you avoid
wasting your time in unproductive chats which are common in
the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.