Crush Your Ego Before Ramadan

We begin by praising Allah and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or obeyed unconditionally except Him alone. We bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His final messenger.

We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon him, upon all the prophets and messengers before him, upon his family, his companions, and all those who follow his path until the Day of Judgment. May Allah make us among them.

As we approach the midpoint of Sha'ban, we realise something powerful: Ramadan is no longer distant. In just a couple of weeks, we will enter the month that cleanses hearts, forgives sins, and rewrites destinies-if we are ready for it.

But before Ramadan begins, there is an inner preparation that must happen.

A simple rule we must remember: Crush your ego, and channel your desires.

This one sentence can change how we enter Ramadan.

The Laundry of the Heart

Just as we clean our homes before Ramadan, we must clean our hearts before Allah. This requires muhāsabah-deep self-accountability.

Ask yourself:

• What needs to be washed away?
• What sins have stained my heart over the past year?
• What attitudes are blocking me from Allah's forgiveness?

Ramadan washes sins, but Sha'ban diagnoses the heart.

Two Categories of Sin

The Prophet, peace be upon him, helps us understand that sins often fall into two broad categories:

1. Sins of Desire
2. Sins of Pride

Understanding the difference between these two is essential.

Sins of Desire: Govern, Don't Deny

The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us something beautiful:
When a person fulfils their desires in a halal way, they are rewarded.

This shows us something important:

• Desire itself is not the enemy.
• Allah created desire.
• The problem is when desire is ungoverned.

Ramadan trains us to discipline desire:

• We stop eating and drinking.
• We restrain intimacy.
• We control impulses.

Not because desire is evil-but because desire must be guided.

Desire causes people to slip.
But slipping does not destroy a person.

Pride: The Silent Destroyer

The Prophet, peace be upon him, warned us clearly:

A person will not enter Paradise if they have even an atom's weight of pride in their heart.

This is terrifying.

Unlike desire, there is no halal version of pride. There is no "healthy ego" in the sight of Allah.

Pride does not make you slip. Pride makes you stay down.

Adam sinned out of desire-and repented immediately. Iblis sinned out of pride-and was cursed forever.

The difference was not the action. The difference was the ego.

Why Mid-Sha'ban Matters

We learn that Allah looks at His creation during this time and forgives everyone-except:

• One who associates partners with Him
• One whose heart is filled with hatred, grudges, and malice

These are ego-based diseases.

Holding grudges, refusing to forgive, refusing to apologise-these are not small things. They can block forgiveness before Ramadan even begins.

Shaytan loves this stage. He whispers:

• "Don't apologise."
• "Don't forgive."
• "Don't lower yourself."

And in doing so, he keeps people locked out of mercy.

Desire Slips. Pride Freezes.

This is one of the most important lessons:

Desire causes you to fall.
Pride causes you to stay fallen.

A person who sins but humbles themselves can return to Allah quickly. A person who sins and justifies themselves builds a wall between them and Allah.

That is why repentance is easier for sins of desire than sins of arrogance.

What Does Pride Look Like?

The Prophet, peace be upon him, defined pride clearly:

• Looking down on people
• Rejecting the truth when it comes to you

Pride is not the struggle inside your heart. It is what you choose to act upon.

Thinking you are better than others.
Judging people's final destiny.
Refusing to submit to what Allah has commanded.

This is dangerous territory.

"We Hear and We Obey"

True submission means:

• Every verse of the Qur'an applies to me.
• Even when it challenges me.
• Even when it goes against my comfort.

You cannot reject Allah's command while claiming to seek His forgiveness.

Ramadan is not about quantity of worship alone. It is about submission of the heart.

Healing Relationships Before Ramadan

One of the greatest places pride hides is in relationships.

Refusing to apologise. Refusing to forgive. Maintaining silence and bitterness.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, warned us that unresolved conflicts can block mercy.

If there is someone you need to reconcile with, this is the time.

The Way Forward

As Sha'ban reaches its midpoint, ask yourself honestly:

• Is this sin rooted in desire, or pride?
• If it is desire-how can I channel it in a halal way?
• If it is pride-how can I crush it before Ramadan?

Lower yourself before Allah. Humble yourself before people when necessary. Release grudges. Let go of ego.

Because Ramadan does not begin with hunger. It begins with humility.

A Final Reminder

Islam did not come to crush your dignity. It came to restore it.

Allah does not want perfection. He wants sincerity. He wants broken hearts that return to Him.

May Allah allow us to enter Ramadan forgiven. May He cleanse our hearts of pride. May He help us discipline our desires. And may He make us among those who hear and obey.

Ameen.