Islam after Ramadan

Ramadanhas a spiritual sense of holiness that makes a Muslim spend it in prayers, supplications and doing good deeds. But the tough part starts right after Ramzan when the Satan is unleashed. Satan starts performing its duty to mislead believers from the right path and engaging them in evil and vile acts. It’s easy to observe salat or any form of worship in congregation. Unfortunately, for some Muslims Islam ends with Ramzan. It’s difficult to maintain the improvements and practices made in Ramzan throughout the year but following certain guidelines we do so willingly and zesty.

·         Fast the six days of Shawwal. Fasting in this month is like fasting for the whole year. Make up your mind and remind yourself about the benefits of doing yourself. Ask your family or friends to fast with you; the more the merrier.

·         Don’t quit the habit of offering salat five times a day. At the time of any salah tell yourself that the world will go on even without you, this time for the particular salah will not come again; remind yourself that you prayed in the Ramzan you can do it again.

·         Women’s should up keep their makeup fasts as soon as possible. Make up fasts should be delayed throughout the year. The longer you delay, the harder it gets.

·         Read Quran just like you did in Ramzan. Don’t by any chance miss this habit. If the daily chores are making it harder then read it little daily.

·         Continue listening to Islamic lectures and don’t opt for music instead.

·         Stay away from evil deeds by reminding yourself that next Ramzan has yet to come and I have to keep myself clean from sins.

Ramadan is gone, but our practice should not come to an end.  We are held accountable for our actions all year round. We need to remember this and keep our focus on Allah no matter what the month is.

Rewards of Fasting

There are many virtues and rewards of fasting in ramzan. Many ahadith and Quranic ayahs can b found regarding this subject. These rewards are necessary to acknowledge in order for perfecting our fasting and seeking Allah’s pleasure and mercy.

Taqwa

Fasting is the best way to attain taqwa. Taqwa comes through utmost excellence in the worship of Allah. The reward of taqwa is paradise. People of taqwa are successful in this life and hereafter where they would dwell in paradise for eternity. Allah says in the Holy Quran:

Allah says [meaning]: "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it has been prescribed for people before you so that you will (learn how to) attain Taqwa" [al-Baqarah, 2:183]

Allah recommends Fasting

"and fast, it is better for you, if only you knew" [al-Baqarah, 2:184]

Indeed if Allah says that something is better of us, it is really better for us and we should strive to perfect it.

Practices of the prophets

Fasting has been recommended not only to the ummah of the last prophet Muhammad (saw) rather it been the practice of all the previous prophets and their races.  Hence if fasting has been made fard then it means it really does hold something precious in itself with endless rewards.

The actual reward

There are many ahadith regarding the rewards and virtues of fasting in Ramadan. Here are some narrated by Abu Huraira (RA)

The Prophet said that your Lord said, "Every (sinful) deed can be expiated; and the fast is for Me, so I will give the reward for it; and the smell which comes out of the mouth of a fasting person, is better in Allah's Sight than the smell of musk." [Bukhari]

The Prophet said, "Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures (moments of happiness or joys) for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah's Sight than the smell of musk." [Bukhari]

The Prophet said, "(Allah said), 'Every good deed of Adam's son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.' Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk." [Bukhari]

He also said: "Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said: 'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me'. For the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time of joy when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of Musk." [Muslim]

The greatest reward is, of course, Paradise. this will be covered under the section "Ramadan; a way to Paradise".

Last ten days of Ramadan

The last ten days of Ramadan are very special. These last days should be spended with as much worship as possible. The first of these nights occurs on the eve of 21st day of Ramadan. Our Holy Prophet used to dedicate himself entirely to worship in these ten nights as compared to any other night of the year. Among the last ten days the holy night of Layla tul Qadr (the night of Power) occurs. It is a night more blessed than a thousand months.

Aisha (RA) tells us: "During the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Prophet (PBUH) would tighten his waist belt and spend the night in worship. He would also wake up his family." (Al Bukhari)
Aisha also says: "I had never known Allah's Messenger to read the entire Quran in a single night, or to spend the whole night in prayer up until the morning, or to spend a whole month in fasting - except in Ramadan."

Spending the whole night in prayer means he would spend some time in eating dinner, pre-dawn meal , doing the regular chores along with spending most of the night in worship and supplication. He would not worship alone but also wake up his wives to pray for much longer portion of the night in these ten days.

Umm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, relates that the Prophet  woke her up one night and said: "Glory be to Allah. What has been sent down of trials during this night? What has been sent down of treasures, so that the denizens of the bedchambers will be awakened? O Lord! To be clothed in this world by naked in the Hereafter." (Al Bukhari)

The great jurist, Al-Shafi'i, declares: "It is Sunnah for one to exert greater efforts in worship during the last ten nights of Ramadan."

One of the greatness of these nights is that in these special nights one of them is Laylat-al-Qadr. The rewards of worship earned in this night are more than any if a Muslim spends worshipping whole life.

Imam Ibrahim Al-Nakha`i says: "Good works performed on this night are better than those performed consistently for a thousand months."

Abu Hurayrah relates that the Prophet said:

"Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer, believing in Allah and seeking His reward, will be forgiven all of his past sins." (Al Bukhari& Muslim)

"Believing in Allah", in this hadith, means not only to believe in Allah, but to believe in the reward that we are promised for observing prayer on this night.

Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) is on one of the odd nights. Aisha relates that Prophet Muhammad  said: - "Seek out Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights during the last ten nights of Ramadan." (Al Bukhari & Muslim) -