Ramadan Prep Tip # 7: Remember that Ramadan starts at Maghrib, not Fajr

Assalamu Alaikum.

What do I mean by that, you ask?

Well, Ramadan could start on Tuesday or Wednesday (for those of us here in the Gulf). Please note that I did not say “Wednesday or Thursday”. Why not? Because the day starts at Maghrib, not Fajr.

So, Ramadan could either begin at Maghrib on Tuesday or Maghrib on Wednesday.

Therefore, if we get the announcement on Tuesday that Ramadan has started, we should start trying to reap the rewards of Ramadan then and there. Why should we wait until the Fajr of the next day? We’d have already lost half a day!

Imagine if you had a huge treasure chest in front of you. Inside it, there are diamonds, rubies, gold coins, etc. The goodies are worth ZILLIONS.

Oh, and did I mentioned that it was locked?

Yeah. And it’s only open once every year for about 29-30 days.  When it’s open, you can take whatever you want.

So, what would you do? Well, you’d rush to get all the treasure from inside the moment the chest was opened, correct? You wouldn’t wait half a day, would you?

And you’d try to take as much as you can during those 29-30 days wouldn’t you? Even if you were tired, you’d rest a bit and then start taking the treasure again, because after all, you could rest after the chest closes right?

Yes, and that’s the analogy of Ramadan. However, the “treasure” that we want is the Pleasure and Forgiveness of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and of course, Paradise. And these are not worth zillions.

They’re priceless.

So, let’s not waste any time.