The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban:

"Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer to Allah by performing any of the optional good deeds in this month shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in this month shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven..."( Ibn Khuzaymah)

Ramadan is handed to us as one of the greatest gifts of Allah. It is a time when the doors of punishment are closed, while the doors of forgiveness are opened. The Prophet (pbuh) described this blessed month by saying: "Its beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its ending is liberation from the Hellfire." (Ibn Khuzaymah)

During this month of mercy, every one of us is given another chance to renew ourselves and our bond with the One who created us. The Prophet has said: "...whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, will have his past sins forgiven" (Sahih Bukhari).

Imagine a chance to have all our sins forgiven. What a gift. Only a fool would allow such an opportunity to slip away. Keep the following in mind to prepare for Ramadan and make the most out of this gift of mercy:

1. Prepare early: It is important to prepare mentally and emotionally even before Ramadan begins. Set goals for yourself of what you wish to accomplish this Ramadan. Make your intention early to have a life-changing Ramadan.

2. Make self-development a priority: One of the most common reasons why people lose out on Ramadan is because so much of it is consumed by social obligations. It is wonderful to cook and share food with others, but don’t let cooking fancy meals become the focus of Ramadan. Invite, host, socialize, but don’t miss out on the purpose of Ramadan: building your relationship with your Creator.

3. Get closer to Allah: Use Ramadan as an opportunity to have private time with Allah at night. During the last third of the night, worship your Creator , while all others are asleep. The Prophet has said: "Observe the night Prayer; it was the practice of the righteous before you and it brings you closer to your Lord and it is penance for evil deeds and erases the sins and repels disease from the body." (At Tabarani). Remember that "our Lord descends to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, inquiring: ‘Who will call on Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking something of Me so I may give it to him? Who is asking for My forgiveness so I may forgive him?’" (Sahih Bukhari).

Our beloved Prophet said, "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted." (Narrated by Tabarani)

This year, don’t allow yourself to be among the deprived.