First of all, we praise Allah and thank Him for having fasted this Ramadan and praying in it’s nights, as there’s huge reward in this. Those who prayed and fasted with Imaan and seeking reward have all their past sins forgiven. And therefore it is upon us to be happy over this achievement.
Secondly, we might have noticed that our acts of worship have decreased in these days after Ramadan; that we’re not doing as much. But know that this is not something blameworthy, as the Sharee’ah encourages us to strive and push ourselves at certain times, Ramadan being one of them. So if we notice a decrease in our actions then that is a glad tiding, as it is a sign that you were from those who answered the call to do good in this last month. Rather know that what is blameworthy is if, during this decline, you fall into the things that are prohibited and begin to become lax in the things that are obligatory.
The Prophet ﷻ said,
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لكل عمل شرة ولكل شرة فترة فمن كانت فترته إلى سنتي فقد اهتدى ومن كانت إلى غير ذلك فقد هلك
For every single action there is a momentum. And for every single momentum, there is a decline. So whoever, in their decline, still holds on to my Sunnah (adheres to the commandments and stays away from the prohibited things) is someone who is guided. And whoever, in their decline, does not do that is someone who is destroyed.
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So what do we do now after Ramadan?
We should think of Ramadan as a practice and a training. In the last 30 days, we filled our time with fasting, praying, dhikr, du’a, reciting Qur’an and more. We left off even things that were permissible and sought reward from Allah. And now that Ramadan has ended, we should not let these virtuous actions escape us. Rather, we should have consistency even if we only do a little every day.
The Prophet ﷻ said,
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خذوا من الأعمال ما تطيقون، فإن الله لا يمل حتى تملوا، وإن أحب العمل إلى الله أدومه وإن قل
Do from the voluntary actions only as much as you are able to, as Allah does not get bored of watching you do good deeds and rewarding you for them until you get bored. And verily the most beloved actions to Allah is that which is done regularly, even if it’s only a little.
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And, Alhamdulillah, Allah has legislated many voluntary actions to be done regularly throughout the year so that we may stock up from them and make sure that not a single day goes by and we haven’t increased in righteous actions. From them is:
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Fasting
The Prophet ﷻ said,
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مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضانَ ثُمَّ أَتَبَعَهُ سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ كانَ كصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ
Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if they fasted for a lifetime
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The Prophet ﷻ also said,
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صوْمُ ثلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ منْ كلِّ شَهرٍ صوْمُ الدهْرِ كُلِّهُ
Fasting 3 days from every month is like fasting for a lifetime
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And it’s best to make these 3 days the 13th, 14th, 15th of every Islamic month if possible to make them coincide with the White Days
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Prayer
We should be eager to pray as much of we can of the sunnah and nafl prayers in the day and in the night, as the Prophet ﷻ said to the servant when he asked for the Prophet’s companionship in Jannah,
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فأعِنِّي علَى نَفْسِكَ بكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ
Then help me in your request by increasing in prostration (i.e prayer)
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Dhikr
Just like we all strove in Ramadan to be of those whom the Prophet ﷻ said “Whoever fasts Ramadan and stands in prayer in it’s nights with faith and seeking reward all of their past sins will be forgiven”, we should strive to be of those whom the Prophet ﷻ said,
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من قال سبحان الله وبحمده مائة مرة، غفرت خطاياه وإن كانت مثل زبد البحر
Whoever says ‘SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi’ 100 times, their sins will be forgiven even if they were as much as the foam of the sea
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Qur’an
And the best dhikr you can keep your tongue moist with is the speech of Allah. Of which, the Prophet ﷻ said,
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مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا
Whoever recites a letter from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it
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So let us make sure that each day we slot in these actions so we can get closer to Allah and taste the sweetness of Iman.