Ramadan: It is not over – it has just begun!
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Hijra calendar where Muslims observe obligatory fasting. Fasting, however, is the third pillar of Islam. Ramadan is a month mentioned in the Qur’an. It is a month every Muslim looks forward to all year round, as it has the power to revive our ‘eman’, redefine our purpose, and give us the motivation to rejuvenate our efforts. It is a personal savior, a gift from God. Ramadan is always a month filled with pushing oneself to the limits: low on food, low on sleep, high on Qur’an, high on Salah, high on ‘eman’ and so many other fantastic things. During this blessed month, souls are trained in virtue and accustomed to dignity, they learn to disdain vices, sins and acquire all good attributes. Whoever witnesses this month without gaining any of its rewards is indeed poor, and nothing cripples him other than negligence, laziness, procrastination, and false hopes.
Immediately after Ramadan, one would be wondered to see many Muslims who were guided to do good deeds and take provisions from virtues during Ramadan hastily destroying what they had built, and replacing good with evil. This is a gross mistake and shameful act on the part of Muslims who only do a good deed during Ramadan only. It has been clearly stated in the Holy Qur’an that those whose condition is better after Ramadan than his state before it, his deeds are accepted, Allah is willing. But those who quit performing righteous deeds by bidding farewell to Ramadan are abominable people, they will be farther from Allah. “O people of Islam! Strangely, the followers of this religion misunderstand the rituals of Islam. Thus, they do not perform good deeds except in certain seasons and specific times. When these times pass by, they will be the last times for them to perform good deeds…” (Q 16:92). Someone of the ancestors was asked about those people who perform acts of worship during Ramadan and abandon them after the month passed. He answered, “What bad people they are! They do not know Allah except in Ramadan.
Furthermore, Aa’ishah (RA) was asked: “Did the Messenger of Allah choose some special days (for fasting)?” She replied, “No, but he used to be regular (constant) (in his service of worshiping) whether in Ramadan or at any other time of the year.” This is to show that guidance is not confined to certain times and acts of worship, and obedience to Allah (The Almighty). Abu Said b. Abi ‘l-Hasan Yasar Al-Basri (often referred to as Hasan of Basra) said, “Allah has not set an end for the believer’s work other than death.” Then he recited: “And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death)”(Q 15:99).Indeed, the month of Ramadan has ended but we still have several renewed seasons for worship Allah (SWT). If fasting has ended, there are many voluntary fasts such as the six days of Shawwal, Mondays and Thursdays of every month, the tenth day of Muharram, and the Day of ‘Arafah among others.
Besides, five daily prayers remain. Five daily prayers are among the highest and best good deeds which one would be asked on the Day of Judgment. If the night prayer one normally observed during the month of Ramadan has ended, one should know that the night prayer can be offered every night: “They used to sleep but little of the night”(Q 51:17). It was also narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas said, “The Messenger of Allah, said to me: ‘O ‘Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so; he used to get up at night (for voluntary prayer) but abandoned it later.”(Al-Bukhari and Muslim). Others good acts doing during the Month of Ramadan such as Zakat Al-Fitr, which is the fourth pillar of Islam, and reading of the Holy Qur’an should not end with Ramadan. While there are obligatory Zakah, in addition to the countless ways of giving voluntary charity. Allah Almighty says, {And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities have been accepted or not) because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning)} (Q 23:60).
Reading of the Holy Qur’an should also continue. Whoever reads a Juz’ (portion) of the Quran every day will read the whole Qur’an in one month, and whoever observes fast for three days every month will be rewarded as if he had observed fast throughout the whole year. What we are saying since is that, after Ramadan, we should all try to keep up with our good deeds—praying at the correct times, doing charity to the less fortunate, and genuinely being more patient and kind with one another. May Allah (SWT) shower us with blessings, forgive our sins and grant us all Paradise.
Welcome to the month of Shawwal!
Abdulfatai Tomori is a freelance researcher, writer and editor. He writes from Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria and can be reached on obiograph@gmail.com or/and @AbdulfataiTomori on Twitter.
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