With the advent of Ramazan, we all witness a strange change of heart. Positive vibes seem to be in the air and we promise ourselves that from now on, we will be better human beings and, more than this, better Muslims.By making Ramazan a month when fasting is obligatory for every adult Muslim, the Almighty, in His Benevolence, wants us to improve in every walk of life. He has nothing to do with our hunger or thirst, the main purpose of fasting is to learn lessons in obedience, punctuality, discipline and compassion. This is a month when we feel the urge to connect with Allah and the Holy Quran more. To err is human, but every year we are given a chance to repent for our bad deeds, and seek Allah`s guidance and help in doing good ones.

The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: `Whoever fasts Ramazan out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.`[Bukhari (38) and Muslim (759)] How can we make the most of Ramazan? Unless we set goals for ourselves, we will not be able to benefit from this month and experience spiritual growth. Here are some goals which I advise you all to follow steadfastly, so that you fulfil Allah`s words, and, `you may become righteous.

If anyone wants to change for the better, he must first be aware of his flaws. As Ramazan begins, sit in a quiet corner with a notebook and pen, and assess yourself honestly. Do a serious soul searching and note down the areas where you need to improve. Maybe, you do not offer Namaz five times daily, are rude to your parents/siblings, harsh on your helpers, waste money on unnecessary things or backbite often? Write a reminder to yourself with clear instructions to give up these bad habits. Whether your flaws are related to Allah or your fellow human beings, promise yourself that you will emerge from this Ramazan as a much better person.

Every night when you lie down on your bed, quickly rewind the events of the day. Give yourself points on the areas where you have followed your good intentions. In the same way, you have to minus points if you have diverged from your resolves.

If you scolded a helper on a petty mistake, talked back to your parents or were harsh on your younger siblings, you have to subtract points from those you have gained. Be honest to yourself and do not find excuses for a bad deed.

If you have positive points, congratulate yourself because it means that you are doing more good than bad. But if you have negative ones, ponder on how you can improve yourself and where/why you are going wrong. Being your own critic will help you to become a much better person.

To make the most of Ramazan, we must set goals for ourselves so that we benefit from this month and experience a change of heart. Here are some goals which I advise you all to follow stead fastly, so that you fulfil Allah`s words, and `you may become righteous.

Goal number one I will be regular in my Namaz: With the beginning of Ramazan, almost every child starts taking his Namaz more seriously. Those of you who are irregular in praying five times daily are seen performing them regularly. Boys try to pray in the mosques, attend the congregation and join the Taraweeh prayers. Girls find a corner at home and pray there.

Dear friends, here I will stop and ask you all a question, please reply truthfully, because admitting a mistake goes more than halfway to correct it.

How many of you continue your regular Namaz after Ramazan is over?The night when the Eid moon is sighted sees most of you so occupied with your Eid preparations that you just roll back your prayer mats and forget all about the obligatory prayers.

The first and foremost goal you should set for yourselves this year is that you will keep on praying regularly even after the month of Ramazan is over.

Goal number two I will connect with the holy Quran: We are often living without really understand what our purpose of life is and what we should do to attain it. It is through the Holy Quran that we can find this out, since the Quran gives us a complete code of life, and we should recite it to gain guidance and blessings. And we can fully understand the guidance Allah has sent down to us if we understand the meanings of His words in this holy book.

How many of you have read the Quran, cover to cover, with its meanings and its interpretation? Most of you will be embarrassed by my question and try to give lame excuses for your negative reply. But remember, it is better late than never! This Ramazan, set a goal for yourself that you will try to understand what Allah is saying in His Divine book. The Quran guides us in every walk of life. We find commands relating to Allah and His rights upon us, about family, society, good governance, inheritance laws, to name just a few. Seek help from an elder to refer to you a translation which is right for your age. Even if you don`t finish the whole Quran during this Ramazan, resolve that you will continue reading the meaning and Tafseer (interpretation) after this month is over.

When you do so, you will be amazed to find the answers to so many questions that you may have and guidance about every single situation that you can face in life.

Try your best to finish the translation before next Ramazan begins. This may be a long-term goal, but the benefits you will reap will be long-lasting.

Goal number three I will be aware of my duties as a human being: Allah has divided duties of His creations into two broad segments, Hugool ul Allah ( Allah`s rights over us) and Huqool ul Ibaad (the rights of other people over us). He has warned us many times in the Quran and through Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), that it is up to Him to forgive us for disobeying or ignoring the commands we have been given regarding Allah, for example, Namaz, fast-ing, Zakat, etc. But if we deprive a fellow human being of his rights, cheat someone, speak ill of him behind his back, hurt someone physically or emotionally, take someone`s belongings by force, etc, Allah will not forgive us unless the person who has been wronged does so.

Our parents have the greatest right over us. Always be obedient to them and never forget that there was a time when you were a helpless child and could do nothing on your own. Your parents cared for you and sacrificed their pleasures for your well being. As you grow up, do not consider yourself smarter than them, disobey them or talk back to them when they try to stop you from something which they feel is harmful for you.

Make a resolve that you will be very careful not to lie, cheat, backbite or be rude to your siblings or help- ers, and always be kind to the deprived and weak.

Goal number four I will connect with my family: In the turbulent times we are living in, most of us are busy round the year. Students are engaged in their studies and prefer to spend their free time hanging around with friends or playing on their gadgets. Grownups have their own responsibilities and activities, dads are tied up in their jobs or businesses. Working mums struggle to juggle their time between their job, home and kids. Each person`s timings differ, so we rarely sit or eat together.

But after every 11 months, we all get a chance to spend more time with our family. The timings for beginning or ending a fast is the same every day.

Sitting together for Iftar and eating our Sehri at the same time gives us a chance to reconnect with our parents and siblings. Once we start enjoying the meals together, even after Ramazan is over, we should try our best to eat at least one meal together every day.

Good bonds in a family always depend on divided work. If you leave every household chore to your mum and outdoor work to your dad, they are bound to be irritable and tired. This Ramazan discuss with your siblings and set collective goals of cooperation. Help mum in laying the Iftar and Sehri table, clearing it after meals and keeping your room and the house clean. You can run errands for dad, polish his shoes or clean his car.

You will feel better after helping your parents, and they will be feel more than grateful at your small gestures of love. This will also give them some free time to spend with you or in religious activities themselves.

Goal number five I will be more compassionate towards all: Ramazan is a month of caring and sharing. As you go without food and drink for long hours, you can relate to the sufferings of the poor and downtrodden. In these tough times of high inflation, the poor are finding it harder to make ends meet. Allah has made it compulsory on every affluent Muslim to give away a certain ratio off his wealth to the poor every year. This amount is called Zakat and a lot of poor people benefit from this amount. Zakat is obligatory, but Sadqa or charity is voluntarily.

This year, make a goal that you will give something in charity daily. You can give away an amount from your pocket money, your clothes which are in good condition, books or toys which you feel are extra. Donate something which is very dear to you, whether it is a dress or a toy or anything else, because Allah is greatly pleased when you give away something which is dear to your heart.

The above-mentioned are only a few of the goals you can set for yourself and achieve successfully.

Instead of fasting and praying out of habit, or because everyone else is doing so, try to develop a relationship with Allah. By praying, making duas and giving time and attention to good deeds, and, most importantly, by reading the Holy Quran to understand the Divine words, we can strengthen our bond with our Creator and emerge from this Ramazan as a better version of ourselves.

A very blessed Ramazan to all of you.