Although the majority of our time should be spent toward individual worship and remembrance of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) during the blessed month of Ramadan, the rewards and impact of social productivity cannot be underestimated as there are numerous rewards of Muslims collectively engaging themselves in tasks for the pleasure of Allah (glorified and exalted be He). Here are some ways we can make this Ramadan a socially productive one:
1) Help out at home.
In our eagerness to help others, we often forget about our family members at home and how helpful we can be to them. In Ramadan, there are many additional tasks around the house such as cleaning, cooking for Iftaar, etc. Many times, some of us get too caught up in cooking and don’t get enough time for Ibaadah. This is where everyone can be helpful by dividing the chores. This may seem less appealing to do during the precious time when we are fasting, but Allah (glorified and
exalted be He) will certainly reward us for our good intentions and hard work, InshaAllah.
Help out your mom, or the individual responsible for Iftaar preparations, so that they may benefit from blessed hours of fasting
as well!
2) Incorporate Qur’an into your life.
What better time is there to start making the Qur’an a daily part of our lives than Ramadan – the month in which the Book of Allah
(glorified and exalted be He) was revealed to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)? In Ramadan, we can organize a Group Hifz Program in which people start memorizing Surahs of the Qur’an together. For instance, the group selects a Surah to memorize each week during Ramadan, and at the end of each week, meets to assess progress made. During Quran memorization, a learned person can also teach the group about the translation, Tajweed, Tafsir, and and/or Hadith on those verses. This way, the organizers gain reward for every letter that every person in the group recites, multiplied due to the virtue of
Ramadan! This group activity can be hosted online so that people can learn from wherever they are.
Furthermore, it is also Sadaqatul-Jariya: so why stop there? This can even be an opportunity to learn more about the stories of the Sahaaba, the Prophets, and other stories of the Qur’an, as Ramadan is the best time of the year to increase our Islamic knowledge.
3) Organize a community Iftaar.
Ramadan is the best time for us to get to know our neighbors. Organizing a community Iftaar is not only restricted to food; it can also consist of activities for kids such as sports, teaching the importance of fasting, etc. Another possibility is to raise money
through fundraising initiatives for the needy and destitute worldwide, as the reward for giving for the sake of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) is multiplied exponentially during the month of Ramadan!
4) Prepare Eid gifts.
It is very important to emphasize the value of our festivals such as Eid, especially in today’s time, as many Muslims celebrate other
religious festivals that are not in accordance with Islam. Organizing an Eid Gift Drive for the less fortunate children by collecting toys
and gifts is a great way of showing gratitude to the things that we have been blessed with by Allah (glorified and exalted be He).
Furthermore, we should also cultivate a culture of gifts within our own families so that our children and youth understand the value of
Eid and our religious holidays. These are all general methods of how we can come together as a community in the blessed month of Ramadan to be ''socially productive,'' and with your effort and sincere intentions, Allah will make it happen
for you. Remember, Allah looks at our intentions, and if we have genuine intentions, we will be rewarded immensely, inshaAllah. So let us start doing these activities during Ramadan towards being a productive Ummah!
Source: productive muslim