Ramadan Actions: Be Courageous in Your Supplications

(Recall) when Ibrahim said, “My Lord, make this city peaceful, and keep me and my children away from worshiping idols. My Lord, they have misled many a people. So, the one who follows me does surely belong to me. As for the one who disobeys me, then You are Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. Our Lord, I have settled some of my children in a valley of no vegetation, close to Your sanctified House, so that, Our Lord, they may establish Salāh. So, make hearts of people yearn towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may be grateful. (14:35-37)

Upon being commanded to leave his wife Hajra and son Ismail in the desert of Makkah, Ibrahim made supplication to Allah for the safety of his childrens' iman, for them to be of those who maintain salah, and for them to be provided with the best of provision. Ibrahim's supplication is a lesson for parents to worry about their childrens' akhirah more than their schooling, extra-curricular activities, or clothing of the latest fashion. 

Things to do: instill Islamic values in your children from the very beginning, introduce them to the recitation of the Quran, tell them stories of the prophets, remind them to make their adhkar in acts of life, and teach them the sunnah ways. As your children grow, remind them to renew their intentions before their acts, remind them why they do what they do, and that the opinion and pleasure of Allah comes before anything and everything.

"This worldly life is nothing but an amusement and play, and the Last Abode is the real life indeed. Only if they know!" (29:64)

Furthermore, we see Ibrahim making supplication for the ability of his offsprings’ to make salah, and he mentions it right after mentioning their iman, this goes to show how important salah is for a believer. The inspiration we take is to make salah a non-negotiable practice in our life. Our day should revolve around salah, rather than salah being a part of our day. 

Things to do: make salah a special part of your day, dress up nicely for it, perform it before you begin your tasks, set reminders for it if you don't have adhan reminders. Try reciting different surahs in each rakat, learn new surahs for salah, and explore their meanings in your native language. 

Another thing we learn here is that knowing how Makkah was a desert, Ibrahim still supplicated for his family to be blessed with fruits. We learn from this that when it comes to asking from Allah, we should be courageous and open in what we ask, we shouldn’t be asking for the bare minimum. We are to ask Him according to His majesty, rather than our need. 

Things to do: look towards Quranic and Sunnah du'as for guidance on what to ask. Remember, the sahaba used to even ask for household items in their supplications, call out to Allah for whatever you need before you start making plans on when and where to purchase the thing.