With Ramadan now a distant memory, it is extremely important we do not undo the efforts we made during this month. We found how much more we could do once we put our minds to it and really exerted our efforts into worshipping Allah.

Don’t leave off good actions

Imagine there was a person who exerted so much effort into doing something and then all of sudden un-done all this hard work. Imagine a person finishing the Quran numerous times during Ramadan then not picking it up after Ramadan. Alternatively, a person who would stand the night in prayer and then left if after Ramadan. This was a warning given by the Prophet SAW as he said to Abdullah ibn Amr:

“يا عبد الله، لا تكن مثل فلان، كان يقوم من الليل ثم ترك قيام الليل” متفق عليه

“Oh Abdullah, don’t be like such and such, he used to stand part of the night in prayer but then he left the night prayer” (Agreed upon)

Allah blessed us with being able to pray the night prayers during this month. To avoid falling into what the Prophet SAW warned against, the least we can do is to keep up two optional units of prayer after Isha, and pray witr before we sleep. We can then work on things gradually to pray more and pray later in the night, because the most virtuous prayer, after the obligations, is the night prayer.

Continue fasting!

A person, just as he can continue with night prayers outside the month of Ramadan, can also continue with optional fast outside the month. There are many opportunities for this including:

– 6 days of Shawwal

Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, , said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six (fasts) of Shawwal, it would be as if he fasted for the whole year.” [Muslim]

– The month of Muharram

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, , said: “The best fast after Ramadan is the fast in the month of Allah Al-Muharram [Muslim]

– Fasting Monday and Thursday

The Prophet Muhammad SAW said that deeds are raised to Allah on Monday and Thursday, I want my deeds to be raised and I am fasting (collected by Ahmad)

– Fasting the day of Arafah

“Fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah absolves the sins for two years: the previous year and the coming year, and fasting on ‘Ashura, (the tenth day of Muharram) atones for the sins of previous years.” Reported by all except Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmidhi