Madha Nurid min Ramadan

Madha Nurid min Ramadan (What Do We Want from Ramadan?) is an Islamic spiritual treatise by Magdi al-Hilali addressing how Muslims can utilize the fasting month of Ramadan to revive the heart, cultivate God-consciousness (taqwa), and establish lasting devotion Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.

Background and Purpose

Al-Hilali classifies people's engagement with Ramadan into three categories: those who perceive the month merely as a burdensome restriction; those who exert great physical effort in multiplying acts of worship—such as completing the Quran and offering prayers—without internal presence of the heart, resulting in spiritual effects that fade soon after the month ends; and those who approach Ramadan as an opportunity to awaken the heart, kindle faith, and combine inward devotion with physical practice Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1. The book seeks to provide practical methods to achieve this spiritual objective and manifest the signs of a sound heart, which include rushing toward good deeds, detachment from worldly distractions, and obedience to divine commands Madha Nurid min Ramadan.

Contents and Structure

The work divides the practical means of spiritual development into two primary sections: devotional rectification with God and social conduct with people Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.

Part One: Relationship with God

The first part outlines ten spiritual and devotional practices Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1:

1. Fasting (al-Siyam): Taming the soul and curbing base desires by avoiding excessive eating, sleeping, idle speech, and laughter Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
2. Mosque attachment (al-Ta'alluq bi-l-Masajid): Arriving early for congregational prayers, remaining in the mosque, and designating a dedicated place of prayer for women at home Madha Nurid min Ramadan.
3. The Noble Quran: Reciting with reflection (tadabbur) rather than focusing solely on completing reading milestones Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1. The author outlines practical guidelines for contemplation, including supplicating for an open heart before recitation, reciting out loud with measured cadence (tartil) and a solemn tone, grasping general meanings, interacting with the verses, and repeating passages that provoke emotional engagement Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
4. Night vigil (Qiyam al-Layl): Waking before dawn for tahajjud, prolonging prostration (sujud) and bowing (ruku'), and entreating God through humble supplication Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
5. Benefiting from virtuous times: Seizing the spiritual virtues of early mornings, late afternoons, Fridays, the last ten nights of Ramadan, and Laylat al-Qadr Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
6. Spiritual retreat (I'tikaf): Devoting set times in the mosque for seclusion, particularly during the last ten days Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
7. Supplication (al-Du'a): Making persistent, sincere prayer with an attentive heart, including prayers for oppressed Muslims and those in Palestine Madha Nurid min Ramadan.
8. Charity (al-Sadaqa): Giving daily, consistent charity to purge the soul of greed Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
9. Reflection and remembrance (al-Fikr wa-l-Dhikr): Pairing regular formulas of dhikr with active contemplation of God's creation and one's own shortcomings Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.
10. Self-examination (Muhasabat al-Nafs): Reviewing one's outward worship, physical sins (such as backbiting and anger), internal virtues and vices (such as pride and envy), fulfillment of obligations to family and neighbors, and general moral character Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.

Part Two: Social and Behavioral Conduct

The second part details forms of benevolence toward others (ihsan ila al-khalq), arguing that sincere worship of God must be paired with service to society Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1. Key areas include:

• Nurturing family members spiritually through scheduled daily gatherings, Quran reading, and study of hadith or Prophetic biography (sirah) Madha Nurid min Ramadan.
• General generosity, maintaining kinship ties (silat al-rahim), and feeding fasting persons, friends, and the needy Madha Nurid min Ramadan+2.
• Reconciling disputes between people (islah dhat al-bayn), fulfilling people's needs, and Islamic outreach (da'wah) Madha Nurid min Ramadan+2.

Practical Program

The book concludes with a 21-point personal covenant (Ata'ahhad) and a structured planner (Barnamaji fi Ramadan) Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1. The planner uses guided daily and weekly self-evaluation questions to help readers organize their time across worship, family, charity, visiting the sick, visiting cemeteries, and self-reckoning Madha Nurid min Ramadan+1.

Publication History

The treatise was later compiled by the author alongside two of his other booklets on the topic—Hatta La Naksara Ramadan ("Lest We Lose Ramadan") and Ramadan wa-Awdat al-Ruh ("Ramadan and the Return of the Spirit")—into a combined volume titled Ayyaman Ma'dudat ("A Counted Number of Days"), published by Mu'assasat Iqra' al-Jadida Ayyaman Madudat.