In exactly 24 hours time (from the time of writing this post), we’ll know whether Ramadan will be starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 or Wednesday, September 3, 2008 in Pakistan. Now that’s really not a very long time, and not at all enough to do everything required to prepare for this blessed month- but it’s still enough to get to know the virtue of Ramadan, get in the right mindset to make the most of it, and set some goals to accomplish during this month Insha’Allah.
Virtue of Ramadan
Okay, so the first thing to do is establish the virtue of this month, and that isn’t a difficult task at all in light of the tremendous amount of Ayahs of the Qur’an and Ahadith on this subject-
- “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 183)
- Allah the Most High said, “Every action of the son of Adam is for him except for fasting; it is for Me and I will reward him for it (beyond measure).” (Sahih Bukhari – Hadith Qudsi)
- “The five daily prayers, from one Jumu’ah to the next and from one Ramadan to the next are an expiation for (sins committed) in between, so long as you avoid major sins.” (Sahih Muslim)
Getting in the Right Mindset
What exactly do I mean by ‘getting in the right mindset’? Well, what I mean is that we spend a lot of time doing a lot of different things throughout the year, which may or may not be of any consequence in the Hereafter. Hence, for this special month, we should try to make sure that we put aside some time to devote for acts that we aren’t able to do the rest of the year. And the only way to do that is by planning in advance and freeing up our schedule to perform enough acts of personal benefit so that at the end of the month we can look back and say ‘Man, I really made the most of that month!’ 
Setting Goals
It’s essential to set some accomplishable goals to achieve any results- be it your semester grades you’re looking to improve, or win the local kabaddi competition (Now why would you want to do that?). The same goes for Ramadan. If you want to accomplish anything in this month, set realistic goals in advance and track your progress throughout. The goals you set are obviously something only you can decide, but I’ll give you some of my personal ideas, as food for thought-
- Almost all of us commit intentional sins throghout the year. This Ramadan make a resolution to break atleast one of those ‘bad’ habits. Actually, I think Ramadan is a really good time to make any resolutions for a Muslim- rather than New Year’s Eve or Independence Day. But resolutions shouldn’t just rot in your old notebook that you never open again. Try to get a head start by researching about the Islamic viewpoint on the particular sin you commit, why it’s prohibited, and how you can get rid of it. Then make a sincere intention to not indulge in it again and try your best to stay away from it. If you can do that in the month of Ramadan, that’ll give you courage to avoid it the rest of the year
- I’m sure most of us aim to finish reciting the Quran entirely ourselves or hear it during the Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan. But how much time do we give to trying to understand the true message of the Qur’an? Recitation of the Qur’an undoubtedly has a lot of merit- but the purpose for which the Qur’an was revealed is GUIDANCE. It’s essential that we try to understand the Qur’an by reading it’s translation (if we don’t know Arabic) and an explanation of its verses. We should atleast know the meaning of the Surahs we recite most often during Salah so that we know exactly what we’re saying to Allah! Therefore, add another point to your Ramadan Resolution list, if it isn’t there already- Read and UNDERSTAND portion of the Quran (atleast).
- We’re poor beyond poor in our knowledge of our own beliefs and importants aspects of the religion we believe in- so increasing knowledge of Islam generally could be a goal.
- The importance of Laylatul-Qadr can not be over-emphasized. So, setting some specific goals for the nights among which Laylatul-Qadr can be found would be helpful.
What Next?
The next thing would be to try to achieve the goals you’ve set, silly! 
Once you’ve planned it all out, try to stay a bit ahead of your plan because you never know your plans might be disrupted by some unkown twist of fate. Insha’Allah you’ll be able to stay on track and achieve what you’ve set out for (And me, what I’ve set out for!)
One final note- have a little faith in your abilities and in Allah who gave them to you. Making dua to Him to help you make the most of this blessed month, and forgive your past sins as a result, can work wonders. Especially when you feel down and disheartened, and unable to do anything good. Insha’Allah if you’ve a sincere intention and a strong faith, nothing can stop you!
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A couple of places you can turn to for more information on preparing for Ramadan (from where I’ve borrowed some of my stuff)
good
Well written and agreed upon