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It’s been well over a week since Ramadhan finished, and many of us might be feeling a little down. A time of heightened spirituality and immense joy, Ramadhan is a month that significantly nurtures us, despite it lasting only one month.
It’s very common for Muslims to start feeling down when Ramadhan is over. The last few hours of the last fast are particularly difficult as one knows that the month is coming to an end. Despite the abstinence from food and drink all day long, there’s a level of peacefulness and spiritual ecstasy that we just cannot experience outside of Ramadhan.
If you’re feeling blue now that Ramadhan is over, cheer up. Fortunately, Islam has prescribed certain actions that are timeless and not necessarily only fixed for the month of Ramadhan. By adopting these practices and letting them dictate our lifestyle, we can be sure that we’ll feel this joy and spiritual high throughout the rest of the year as well.
What better way to keep the spirit of Ramadhan than fasting? Fasting is not something that is just fixed for Ramadhan, it can also be practised throughout the entirety of the year. Who’s to say that we stop now that Ramadhan is over? We all know that the Prophet ﷺ fasted Mondays and Thursdays. We also know that it’s a Sunnah practice to fast on the 13th, 14th and 15th of every lunar month. Shawwal is also a great time to fast as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Fasting Ramadhan and following it with six days from Shawwal is like continual fasting.” [Sunan Nasai]
Many of our Qurans are dustless as we’ve been keeping them by our sides and making the most of reciting them. But let that not stop now that Ramadhan has finished. Keep it somewhere accessible and make it easy for you to reach out to the Quran by placing it somewhere you look every day. That way, you’ll be more likely to pick it up daily to recite even a verse or two. We may have taken things a little too fast in Ramadhan whilst reciting, so take the rest of the year to digest what Allah is telling us by attending Quran classes. Maybe you’d like to start memorising parts of the Quran? Whatever the case, having the Quran within close reach will allow you to bond with more throughout the rest of the year.
Besides reciting the Quran, keep on developing with the Quran by listening to its recitation too. If you want to know which reciters to listen to, we’ve compiled a list here of some of the best in the world.
One of the main purposes of Ramadhan is to rehabilitate our relationship with Allah. In fact, it’s at the centre of why we fast. Abstaining from food and drink thins the blood which in turn allows us to humble ourselves so that we may find it easier to remember Him. One of the best ways to keep this practice alive in our lives is by speaking to Him daily. He’s your Lord, so there’s no fixed way to do this. Whilst the Prophet ﷺ did show us a certain decorum when beseeching Allah, let your heart be present with Allah when you make Du’a. To make things easy, find at least one moment in your day to speak to Him in a way that feels like ‘you’. What I mean by that is that this moment should feel immersive and as if you are present with Allah. It may take some time, but you’ll get there eventually if you make it a daily habit. InshaAllah!
In a remarkable hadith, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, “Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the first part of the night is over and says: I am the Lord; I am the Lord: who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to beg of Me so that I grant him? Who is there to beg forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? He continues like this till the day breaks.” [Sahih Muslim]
How does it make you feel now that you know this is happening every night?
The poor and needy from around the world are living in dire conditions throughout the year. Whilst Ramadhan gave us the chance to feel how they felt, it can be easy to forget about those who are in more challenging and difficult situations. Let the below hadith motivate us to keep on giving Sadaqah and charity in any way we can throughout the rest of the year and let us remember that our Duas for them go a long way!
In a hadith qudsi (Divine Hadith), the Prophet ﷺ narrated from Allah, “O Son of Adam, I asked you for food, yet you did not feed Me.” The man will ask: How can I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say, “Didn’t you know My servant so-and-so was hungry and you did not feed him; didn’t you know that if you were to feed him, you would have found Me with him?” [Sahih Muslim]
Main Image Credit: Masjid Pogung Dalangan (Unsplash)
To advertise with British Muslim magazine, our website and email newsletters, email Robyn
Having problems with your subscription?
Email:
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To contact the editor email
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To advertise with British Muslim magazine, our website and email newsletters, email Robyn
Having problems with your subscription?
Email:
[email protected]
To contact the editor email
[email protected]
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