Alhamdulillah for another Ramadan and Alhamdulillah for the chance to cleanse our hearts and draw closer to Him ﷻ.
There are many traps we fall into every Ramadan that prevent us from incredible reward.
Here are 10 mistakes to avoid this Ramadan.
- Neglecting the obligatory acts:
People focus on nafl (voluntary) acts of worship while neglecting what Allah has made fardh (obligatory) on them.
Like attending taraweeh but missing the five daily prayers, especially Fajr.
Doing improper zakat calculation or delaying zakat until Ramadan when it might be due even earlier.
Missing Salat al Eid for work, or not being obedient to one’s parents.
Allah says in a hadith qudsi:
“My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him…” [Arba’in al Nawawi]
2. Not avoiding the haram:
Backbiting, watching or listening to haram media, lying, or entertaining bad habits. All of these drastically reduce your reward and go against the spirit of Ramadan.
This month is your chance to refine your character, not to starve yourself.
As the Prophet ﷺ said:
“One might fast, but he gets nothing from his fast except hunger. One might pray at night, but he gets nothing from his prayer except fatigue.” [Sunan ibn Majah]
One of the Salaf said:
“Leaving a small amount of haram earnings is more beloved to me than 10 or 15 voluntary Hajj pilgrimages.”
3. Delaying iftar:
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Hasten your iftar.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
4. Skipping suhur:
This is especially common among young people.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Have suhur, for indeed in suhur there is barakah.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
5. Being short-tempered and angry:
Don’t get angry at children for making noise, phones going off, or minor disruptions.
Smile. Educate gently. This is especially important for imams and elders.
As one of our instructors likes to say, “If you find someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”
6. Talking during the khatirah/reminder:
It’s disrespectful to the speaker and to the knowledge being shared. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni told us about a non-Muslim visitor at his masjid who once remarked that he couldn’t understand why people listened to the imam before the prayer but not during the announcements after: “In our church, when someone speaks, everyone listens.”
7. Basic courtesy issues:
Blocking exits, leaving shoes in walking paths, refusing to follow parking volunteers, and being unfriendly altogether.
Fasting is a lesson in self-control, if you are able to withhold yourself from your most basic needs, then what’s stopping you from a little bit of patience?
8. Not finishing Taraweeh:
It’s understandable for those who have legitimate reasons; they are working in the early hours or must do night shifts and cannot attend.
But often you will find the congregation thinning out after 4, 8, 10 rak’at, and that is not correct.
Some mistakenly do this, believing the taraweeh should not be more than a certain number of units. But the reality is that there are various reports of this practice being of different lengths from the time of the Sahaba and the Salaf.
Others go to socialize, scroll on their phones, or find other ways to waste time, in which case they should seriously reflect on their priorities.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Verily, whoever stands for prayer in Ramadan with the Imam until he is finished, it will be recorded as if he prayed the entire night.” [Sunan al Tirmidhi]
9. Being unfair to women:
In many cultures, Ramadan becomes an excuse for lavish dinners and nightly festivals, and the ones who take on the weight of that burden are the women in our families.
Yes, feeding people and sharing meals bring great reward, but let’s not miss the wood for the trees.
Ramadan is a month of sacrifice, and if it means giving our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters the space to focus on their ibadah a little more, then surely we can sacrifice our big iftars.
10. Missing out on dua:
The dinner table is ready, it’s almost time for iftar, and after a long day all you want to do is finally eat.
It’s understandable, but this time is also a golden hour for dua that many of us miss out on.
The Prophet ﷺ told us:
“There are three whose supplication is not rejected: The fasting person when he breaks his fast, the just leader, and the supplication of the oppressed person; Allah raises it up above the clouds and opens the gates of heaven to it. And the Lord says: ‘By My might, I shall surely aid you, even if it should be after a while.’” [Jami’ al Tirmidhi]
May Allah ﷻ accept our siyam, our qiyam, our dua, and draw us nearer to Him throughout this month.
This article is based on Shaykh Waleed Basyouni’s complete guide to Ramadan. If you want to know about the fiqh of this month from fasting to prayer, menses, travel, sickness, and more, watch the full video here
