It is important for us to prepare for the Holy Month of Ramadan in order to reap the maximum benefits from this month. Rasulullah (may the prayers of Allah and peace be upon him) and his noble Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to look forward to the coming of the blessed month of Ramadan. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would say in his supplications:

Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha'ban wa ballighna Ramadan "Allah bless us in the month of Rajab and Sha'ban and help us to meet and spend Ramadan (in a deserving manner)."

Ramadan is the month of excitement and enlightenment for Muslims. It is the month of revelation of the Holy Qur'an, the month of reading and reciting the entire Qur'an, the month of tahajjud and qiyamul layl, of tarawih prayers, of sadaqah, zakatul fitr, and zakatul mal.

No one can go anywhere without preparation, and no one invites a guest without preparing to welcome him/her. Similarly, to welcome Ramadan -- the month of fasting -- one has to prepare.

Most Muslims prepare for Ramadan by buying all sorts of food and cooking many types of dishes! Our forefathers -salaf al-salih- used to prepare buy repenting and asking Allah Ta'ala to grant them life and time to reach Ramadhan. The Prophet (SAAWS) used to give a long sermon at the end of Sha'ban, and tell his companions (Sahaba) the excellent virtues of the coming month i.e. Ramadan.

The intention

Allah instructs in the Qur'an: "And they are ordained nothing else than to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him." The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said: "Actions are judged according to the intention behind them, and for everyone is what he intended."
The intention must be made before fajr and during every night of Ramadan. This point is based on the hadith of Hafsah, which reported that the Prophet said: "Whoever does not determine to fast before fajr will have no fast" (that is, it won't be accepted). This is related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah. Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban have classified it as sahih.

The intention is valid during any part of the night. It need not be spoken, as it is in reality an act of the heart, which does not involve the tongue. It will be fulfilled by one's intention to fast out of obedience to Allah and for seeking His pleasure. If one eats one's pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) with the intention of fasting and to get closer to Allah by such abstinence, then one has performed the intention. If one determines that one will fast on the next day solely for the sake of Allah, then one has performed the intention even if a pre-dawn meal was not consumed.

According to many of the jurists, the intention for a voluntary fast may be made at any time before any food is consumed. This opinion is based on 'Aishah' s hadith: "The Prophet came to us one day and said:
'Do you have any [food]?' We said, 'No.' He said: 'Therefore, I am fasting." This is related by Muslim and Abu Dawud.

The Hanafiyyah and Shaf'iyyah stipulate that the intention must be made before noon (for voluntary fasts). The apparent opinion of Ibn Mas'ud and Ahmad is that the intention may be made before or after noon.