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Even After RAMADAN
2024 Ramadan has come and gone but what is important for Muslims is not to forget the many lessons learnt during the one month fasting period. One of the essences of Ramadan is to change believers who observe it for good.
Ramadan is considered a training period which Allah has set aside for the believers to learn and readjust their sinful ways in order to earn God’s mercy. The new ways of life adopted in the month of Ramadan is enough for an entire lifetime. But the forgetful nature of man won’t allow him to be able to sustain the virtues of Ramadan for long. Only those who are pious and very conscious of their Lord would be consistent with their practice even after Ramadan.
Islamic scholars are of the opinion that the best way to know whether a Muslim’s fasts, piety, prayers, worships, sleepless nights, abstinence from doing the unlawful and running towards the lawful deeds in the period of Ramadan got accepted or not is noticed after the end of Ramadan.
Below are some of the things Muslims must not stop doing after Ramadan:
A Muslim should be able to continue the good deeds he or she picked up this Ramadan well after this month throughout the year and beyond. For instance, fasting on Mondays and Thursdays or at least a few days a month such as the white days fast which is usually observed on the 13, 14 & 15th of each Islamic month. Another one is to observe fasting for 6 days in Shawwal, the month just after Ramadan which Prophet Muhammad encouraged as being equivalent to fasting throughout the year. Praying nawafil salah (at least 2 units) each night.
It is unworthy of a Muslim who just finished observing the Ramadan fasting to go back to his old ways or join the cycle of evil deeds he or she performed before Ramadan. The cleansing of the heart which Ramadan has helped achieve should manifest in the ways of doings things by a Muslims.
Many Muslims felt more generous during Ramadan and therefore gave more in charity during this month than they did throughout the rest of the year. But now that Ramadan is over, it does not mean that they should stop giving in charity or only give a little now and again but we should always give as much as they can possibly afford.
Muslims should keep up praying the 5 obligatory daily prayers just as they have done during Ramadan. Many Muslims who did not observe the daily prayers before Ramadan or are in the habit of delaying them beyond their rightful time should turn a new leaf by observing and keeping up with the time of the prayers.
During Ramadan many don’t joke with waking up in the night to observe Tahajjud (Vigil) prayer after which they eat their Suhoor. They intensify on the Tahajud during the last ten nights of Ramadan with the aim of observing the Night of Majesty, where the Quran says destiny can be changed from bad to good. But now that Ramadan is over, Muslims should not neglect staying awake to pray in the middle of the night as it is the best time to ask Allah’s mercy and assistance over all matters. Abu Hurayra (Ra) reports that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” (Muslim).
During Ramadan Muslims were able to pick up the Qur’an and recite it again. They have gradually made this a habit for 29- or 30-days fasting period. Muslims are encouraged to keep up with the habit and not to put the Quran back on the top the shelf as soon as Ramadan is over. They should bring the book of Allah into their daily lives. They can set a target of reciting a certain amount of the Qur’an daily. Whether it is 1 chapter or half a chapter or even a page or two each day. As long as they continue to recite something from the Qur’an daily. Muslims should never neglect the Quran again.
During the blessed days and nights of Ramadan Muslims were given the ability to repent and ask Allah for his mercy and forgiveness and to thank him for his infinite favours upon them. But now that Ramadan is over, they must not stop repenting to Allah for our sins and they must continue to be thankful to Allah for his infinite favours.
Many Muslims think that a good Muslim is someone who observes all of the Salah, the fasting, the Zakah, and the Hajj. But that is not the case. If the ritual observances do not help the person to be humble, virtuous and truly Allah-fearing, then one cannot become a proper Muslim. A Muslim should be good and just in dealing with others, no matter their religion, and take special care to keep away from all the shameful and sinful things Allah has forbidden. One can never get close to Allah by being arrogant, full of pride and having a bad character and manners. Those who have humility and are humble and have good character and manners are the closest to Allah and Allah raises their ranks in the hereafter. The best person is the one who is best towards others.
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