Ramadan is a hallmark of Allah’s blessings for the believers around the globe. Allah Almighty bestows this sacred month to the Muslims for asking forgiveness and pardon from Allah Almighty. This month to worship Allah and beg pardon from Allah SWT. This is the month of Quran, which is associated with the revelation of Quran and its recitation.
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Must Read : How to welcome to Ramadan
What is Meant by First Ashra of Ramadan:
Ramadan Kareem, like any other month, comprises 30 days. Every ten days of Ramadan are called an Ashra. The three Ashras of Ramadan are named as follows;
- 1st Ashra of Ramadan, which is called Ashra e Rahmat (First ten days of blessing)
- 2nd Ashra of Ramadan, which is called Ashra e Maghfirat (The ten days of forgiveness)
- 3rd Ashra of Ramadan, which is called Ashra e Nijaat. (The ten days of salvation from the fire of hell)
Significance of first Ashra:
First Ashra or first ten days of Ramadan are very much significant. Though every moment in the month of Ramadan is highly significant and full of blessings of Allah but the first Ashra is specifically called the Ashra e Rahmat, (ten days of blessings of Allah). The believers must ask for the blessings of Allah in this ashra. Here are some duas and supplications taught by Prophet Muhammad SAW to the believers for first Ashra of Ramadan.
- يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّوْمُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيْث
Transliteration: Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum! Bi rahmatika astagheeth
Translation: O Living and Eternal Maintainer! By Your mercy I seek help!
[Sunan Tirmidhi]
- اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِيْ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحْمِيْن
Transliteration: Allahumma arhamni Ya Arham-mar-Rahimeen
Translation: Oh Allah have mercy upon me, O Most Merciful
- رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Transliteration: rabbighfir warham wa anta khairur-rahimeen
Translation: O my Lord ! forgive and have mercy and thou art the best of the merciful one
(Surah Al-Mu’minun ,ayat 118)
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Forgiveness during Ramadan:
Allah Almighty declares the first Ashra of Ramadan as the ten days of blessings. It is not only the religious obligation of a Muslim to seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty, but the Muslims should prevail blessings and compassion for the other believers. As it is a known fact that Mercy and compassion are always reciprocated by Allah SWT, if not by the fellow human beings.
- Try to be compassionate to the others, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. This compassion and kindness with the fellow human beings can be shown in the following ways;
- Give alms and sadaqaat graciously in the month of Ramadan.
- Forgive the mistakes of your closed ones and forget their evil deeds for the sake of Allah.
- Ask for pardon from the fellow human beings for your own wrongdoings can be another step for prevailing good will and compassion during the month of Ramadan.
Why Asking Forgiveness is Important for a Believer?
“To err is human” is a well-known proverb. A human being is destined to make mistakes. As first Ashra of Ramadan is the Ashra e Rahmat, it is the right time to ask forgiveness and pardon from Allah SWT. Allah’s blessings are bountiful in the first Ashra so.
- Making duas and supplications
- Recitation and understanding Holy Quran
- Giving alms graciously
- Get indulged in the virtuous deeds are the ways of asking forgiveness from Allah SWT.
Reflection and Self Improvement during First Ashra.
A man should be focused too much on his own mistakes rather than always pointing out towards other people’s mistakes. A self-aware person is a person who can make positive changing and can improve one’s own self.
Self-improvement needs reflection and a deep thought process. Ramadan is the right time to think, reflect and take actions to improve one’s own self. A person having a deep insight into his personality traits and his shortcomings can improve his personality too much rather than a self-ignorant person.
Setting Goals and Intentions:
Ramadan is the right time to meditate, to think deeply and to make some improvement to one’s own self. In the overall atmosphere of virtue, prayers and a constant struggle of Muslims to get connected to Allah’s SWT, it is much easier to reflect and make amendments in the personality.
Setting some goals like;
- I’ll leave telling a lie for good;
- I’ll try to do charity as much as possible.
- I’ll try to serve humanity.
- I’ll try my best to be as good in my manners as it is possible for the surrounding people.
These are the goals that we have to set and try our best to achieve the goals in order to be a better human being.
How to engage in Self Improvement during Ramadan:
Self-improvement is a process which needs a constant effort. It is not something that can be done in a blink of an eye. It needs a constant process, which can include:
- Meditation, it is important while praying to Allah SWT to meditate as it builds concentration and creates a bond between the Almighty Allah and the believer. This beautiful bond can work wonders in the process of self-improvement of a human being.
- Seeking knowledge is another important step towards self-improvement. When a person seeks knowledge with an open mind, he learns too much about his own shortcomings is able to rectify his own self.
Conclusion:
First Ashra of Ramadan is the ashra of blessings and bounties of Allah SWT. These ten days are very important for a believer to pray for Allah’s blessings and compassion and to ask forgiveness. Ramadan gives an opportunity to a Muslim to pray to Allah, forgive and forget other person’s mistakes, ask pardon of his mistakes from fellow human beings, ask forgiveness from Allah SWT and most important of all to make self-improvement. Attaining knowledge is one of the way to attain the goal of self-improvement. QuranHost gives you an opportunity to get every bit of knowledge about the Quran. We have many courses related to the Quran. You can choose a course according to your own will.