Ramadan is a very sacred month for us muslims. It is the ninth month of the muslim lunar calendar. This month of Ramadan fosters community unity, and the giving of charity. It is the month of reward, forgiveness, and mercy. It is the month which has a day better than a thousand months. In this month muslims dedicate their time to worship Allah even more than usual. However, we shouldn’t become careless after Ramadan. Rather, we should try to keep the habits we gained during Ramadan. In this article, we will discuss how one should spend his time after Ramadan, what one can learn from Ramadan, and how to prepare for the next Ramadan.
What we learn from Ramadan:
The month of Ramadan teaches us so many things such as self-discipline since it teaches us to control our desires for food and such. It also teaches us about giving back to the poor and needy since it encourages generosity and kindness towards others, but mainly it helps us get closer to Allah through our increase in prayers and increase in Quran and learning about deen.
But now that the month of Ramadan has passed, we should look back and reflect on what we learned during Ramadan. We should see if we have any deficiencies in our actions and we should try to rectify these shortcomings. Ramadan is also a month of improvement, and in Ramadan, we can see the things we spiritually lack. For example, if a person was not punctual in their Salah, a person should try to pray more often and try to pray in the masjid. Through this, we are rectifying our self and changing ourself for the better and preparing for the next Ramadan.
What to do in Shawwal:
Shawwal is the month after Ramadan and it is also the first of the months of Hajj. During Shawwal, it is sunnah to fast 6 days, after Shawwal the 1st, as stated by Nabi (SAW).
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم “من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه ستا من شوال كان كصيام الدهر
“Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days from Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the whole year.”
The reward of fasting the whole year comes because there are 30 or 29 days in Ramadan, of which the reward is multiplied 10 times, which then becomes 300, and plus the 6 days of Shawwal, multiplied by 10 becomes 360, which are about the number of days in a year. These six days of fasting also helps our Ramadan fast, by covering up and mending any deficiency found in our Ramadan fasts. May Allah give us tawfiq to perform these fasts.
Do not lose spirit of Ramadan:
It is very important that we should not leave those good habits that we gained in the month of Ramadan like fasting, offering Nafl prayers, and reading more Quran. One should continue fasting nafl fasts even after Ramadan, and there are many virtuous days outside of Ramadan in which fasting is recommended and rewards. It is narrated that with the fasting on the 9th and 10th of Muharram, Allah will forgive the minor sins of the year before. It is also narrated that Nabi (SAW) used to fast Monday and Thursday, because that is when deeds of the week are presented to Allah, and he (SAW) wanted them to be presented while he was fasting. It is also narrated that whoever fasts the 9th of Dhul Hijjah (Day of Arafah), the minor sins of the year before and after are forgiven by Allah. Also fasting on the 13th, 14th, and 15th day of every month is Sunnah and it’s reward is equivalent to the fasting of the whole year. Because they are 3 days, multiplied by 10 because of the Hadith,
الحسنة بعشر أمثالها
“Good deeds are ten like it (i.e 10x).”
(So these three days becomes 30 days, multiplied by the number of months, since this virtue is for these days of every month, becomes 360.)
All of these rewards are for fasts outside of Ramadan, so one should try to keep this habit of fasting and not leave it just for Ramadan.
There are also many virtues about Nafl Salah, like during the last third of the night, Allah descends to the first sky and calls those who are calling him so he can accept their du’a. This virtue is not just in Ramadan but outside it. When we make these actions a habit outside Ramadan it helps prepare us for the next Ramadan so that we are able to do even more.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we should keep the habits of Ramadan and try to increase upon them, and we should try to reflect on our last Ramadan and try to rectify any mistakes or problems that we faced during it, and we should try to increase our worship, so that we are prepared for the next Ramadan. May Allah Ta’ala give us Tawfiq to make our Ramadan fruitful, and make all the Ramadans after it in our life fruitful, and make our whole year and all the years after it in our life fruitful. Amin