You’ll probably know that the month of Sha‘bān has started, and you probably all know that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would fast much of this month and maintain high levels of ‘ibādah as well, almost as a "practice-run" for Ramaḍān.

Don’t underestimate the challenge Ramaḍān will be for many this year. If you think that it’s just about having the stamina to fast a day which is silly long, then you’ve failed already. The real challenge is how to fill that same day with super quality ‘ibādah, and good amounts of it, whilst pacing yourself in a hotter, longer day than usual. You need to get a feeler for fasting a few days right now as opposed to settling down using 2-3 days of Ramaḍān. You need to read a few chapters of the Qur’ān every day to measure your rhythm and timings, see how tired you’re getting and what adjustments need to be made to ensure a good schedule. You need to start cutting down on sleep and getting to the Masjid early morning now, and get *used* to it, as opposed to slowly getting there by the end of Ramaḍān and wasting precious moments whilst bedding yourself in. The practice that you can gain in Sha‘bān is extra valuable this year so don’t misuse this little time right now that we have.

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh) once stopped at the side of a grave with his companions and said, “If this person in the grave was able to come back to this world, what do you reckon he’d focus on doing?”

“He’d make plenty istighfār surely, and pray more and increase in all possible good deeds!” they replied.

Al-Ḥasan said, “Well he’s missed out on his chance to do that. So don’t *you* miss out on your chance right now.”