This Ramadan, Kalima Institute has developed a printable worksheet for you to write down what you want to change in this month and how. The activity consists of 5 simple steps, designed to help you focus on one bad habit of yours and work to change it this month.
Also included are tips on changing bad habits, as well as examples to help you think of which bad habit of yours you want to focus on changing.
Why is this important?
We all want success. The desire for success is what drives us and motivates us to work hard in our life. There are many different definitions of success, but what is the true success that Allah (swt) wants us to strive for? In Surah al-A’la ayah 14, Allah (swt) says:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
He has certainly succeeded who seeks to purify himself from within
Having a good job, big house, money in our bank accounts and fame are not what make us successful. The successful person is the one who seeks to cleanse and purify themselves through self-accountability, reflection, and removing bad habits that strays them from al-sirat al-mustaqim; the straight path towards Allah (swt). Ultimate success is to be able to stand on the Day of Judgement, proud of all the hard work you have put towards the pleasure of Allah (swt) and constantly striving to better yourself on this path.
Self-accountability is central to what it truly means to be Muslim, as Imam Musa al-Kazim (as) is narrated to have said:
“ليس منا من لم يحاسب نفسه كل يوم، فإن عمل حسنا استزاد منه وإن عمل سيئا استغفر الله منه وتاب اليه”
“He who does not hold himself accountable every day, cannot be associated with us [i.e. as a Muslim] , so if he has done something good he can continue doing it, and if he has done something bad he can seek forgiveness from Allah (swt) and repent from it.”
Here we learn that to be a Muslim is to analyse your actions so that you don’t continue with any bad habit, and so that you hold onto your good habits and don’t forget them. A good Muslim is not one who goes about every day without thinking about their actions, rather a good Muslim holds himself accountable on a regular basis.
Additionally, Imam Ali (as) is narrated to have said:
حاسبوا أنفسكم قبل ان تحاسبوا
“Hold yourself accountable before you are held accountable [on the Day of Judgement].”
In the short-term, it may be easier to simply take every day as it comes, but when it comes to the Day of Judgement we will all wish that we had reflected over our actions and made change while we had the chance.
After all, we cannot deny the deeds we have done during this life, as Allah (swt) asserts (Qur’an 75:14):
بَلِ الْإِنسَانُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ
Rather, man, against himself, will be a witness
Ramadan is the perfect opportunity we are given every single year to stop and take a step back to analyse ourselves. Most importantly, Ramadan helps us to free ourselves from the bad habits we may have accumulated over the past year. However, this change cannot occur without planning and action.
We highly recommend you and all of your family members each print out a copy of the worksheet below and start planning before Ramadan, so you are ready with an action plan when the month begins.
We pray to Allah (swt) to give us all the tawfiq to hold ourselves accountable before we are held accountable on the day when nothing will save us except our good deeds.
Download the document from the link below, and contact us if you have any questions.
CLICK HERE for Ramadan Resolution Worksheet
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Note: this resource is free for all to benefit from, however, we would appreciate your feedback by filling out this survey at the end of Ramadan. Jazakum Allah khair.
