AFTER RAMADAN
Once the day passes, you’ll notice the difference immediately sadly.
The aura of Ramadan won’t be there. You’ll feel the emptiness, and even Masjids will seem emptier from the first day, from the Zuhr Salah of Eid day itself. The numbers coming for FajrSalah especially will dwindle since there is no fasting obligatory and therefore there’s no apparent need to stay awake at Suhurand Fajr.
Brothers who were trying to grow beards may start trimming or shaving again. Sisters who were covering themselves in their headscarves may remove them again.Many bad habits may return. All of this could be due to the return of the Shayatin that were locked up, or it could be a sign that our Ramadan wasn’t accepted by Allah Ta’ala for some reason.
Maybe we didn’t sincerely try our best, or we weren’t trying to please Allah Ta’ala and treated fasting and other forms of worship as a burden. When Allah Ta’ala likes an action, He inspires us to carry it on again. Or it could be that Allah Ta’ala was happy with our actions, but we were too inclined on disobeying Him, and sacrificed the wonderful relation we had with Him for temporary and selfish happiness. Whichever reason it is, it’s a sad ending to a beautiful month.
Islam promotes steadfastness and a constant fight against our desires and the Shayatin. In order to encourage this, we had the month of Ramadan to help us get an edge over both. However, after Ramadan it will be our duty to keep up our strength and find ways to continue the momentum we had built up.
One way is by continuing as much of the Ramadan routine as possible. We should still fast whenever we can, pray as much of the Noble Qur’an as possible, and stick to the Dhikr regimen we had made for ourselves.
In fact, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم even recommended for us to fast any six days in the month of Shawwal to keep this up:
The one who fasts the month of Ramadan, and then follows it up with six fasts from Shawwal, it will be as though he fasts the entire time. (Muslim)
Scholars explain that this reward is because thirty fasts of Ramadan, plus the additional six of Shawwal equals to thirty six, and since Allah Ta’ala rewards all actions by tenfold at a minimum, we get the reward for 360 days of fasts, which is an entire year in the lunar Islamic calendar! So it’s as though we are fasting everyday.
We can also fast on Mondays and Thursdays, as is the Sunnah, and on the 13th, 14thand 15thof every month.
Lastly, we should continue meeting scholars and sitting in their gatherings, as their words will continue to inspire us to become better. They will remind us of the spirit and courage we felt in Ramadan, and will help up manage ourselves for the remaining year if we fall down until the next Ramadan comes.
Let us change this Ramadan for good, and not just for the month of Ramadan. If we were worshipping the month of Ramadan, then it makes sense for us to stop our worship once Ramadan ends. But if we were worshipping Allah Ta’ala, then He doesn’t go away after Ramadan—He’s there for the rest of the year too.
May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to make this Ramadan the one that we change and improve ourselves for good. Ameen.
BY HUDA PRESS
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John Doe
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