All praises are due to Allah. All
thanks are for Allah. All good are in the Good Hands of Allah. All affairs
shall be returned to Allah. No god but Allah. We seek His Forgiveness at all
time, and to Him, alone, we repent. May His Peace and Blessings be upon our
Master, Prophet Muhammad, his family members, his Sahabah, and all those who
follow their guided path.
First and foremost, allow me to
wish you an ‘Eid Mubarak, to you and your loved one. May the next ‘Eid bring
along more prosperity and stability to Muslims, wherever they are. Ameen
It’s such a mixture of feelings;
the successful completion of Ramadan is one thing. The fast speed, with which
Ramadan left us, is another thing. All
those seem to have happened in a blink of an eye. Time really flies. Is it that
we are really busy, that caused us not to realize how time flew, until Ramadan
was over? Or is it our time been squeezed… as one of the signs of end of time?
In my article today, I’m sharing
with my dear readers, readers of On Islam Deen Digest, my observations which
are related to Ramadan. I will also suggest some answers to the “What after
Ramadan” question, which made my head spin a lot of times, this year.
At the end of the article, I
invite you to kindly register your observations during Ramadan, as well as your
solutions to the “What after Ramadan” question. Let’s learn from one another.
My Observations this Ramadan
This year, unlike my previous
Ramadans for 10 years or so, I was not an Imam for Taraweeh, except for a
couple of days (nights). I was therefore, given the opportunity to pray behind
other Imams and learn from them, where applicable. As I learnt, I also observed
mistakes that are avoidable.
When we determine to observe
things around us, every moment is suitable for note taking. In such case, I’m
not able to share with you every single thing I’ve observed in Ramadan. For,
some are really bitter truth.
First Observation
It was such an impressive and
heart-warming seeing my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters sacrifice their
leisure time; by putting in the effort to attend various congregations during
the blessed month of Ramadan. Most of who attended 5 times congregations, on a
daily basis. One could even observe that the saff (rows) were doubled during Zuhr
prayers, in Ramadan. That was something good, at least, for Ramadan.
You could see how much effort
Muslims put in, in order to make it for Isha’ and Taraweeh prayers, although
Isha’ prayers in Ramadan are unusually longer than that outside Ramadan.
It’s even more inspiring when you
could see the crowded Jama’ah in the peaceful Subh prayers.
This is something that we,
Muslims, deserve praises and applauses for. As for our rewards, as long as we
did it for His Sake, Allah will certainly please us. Ameen.
Second Observation
What I can call the second
observation is that, a whole lot of people who cannot do without alcohol before
Ramadan either in the name of ‘Jedi’-Pile or ‘Opa Eyin’ spinal cord, deserted
their various joint and their so call Iyalajes felt the impact of Ramadan. It
will be better for this group of people not to return to the joints, not only
for their spiritual benefit but their medical benefit.
Erm... One of the strange things
I also observed this Ramadan is that, the closer one stays to the mosque, the
later they go for Taraweeh.
Thank God the Mosque is behind my
house, but I go late to the mosque. Unfortunately, most of the nights I
performed my Taraweeh in the mosque of my neighbourhood, I went late... That
bad? Yes... Unfortunately; that’s the truth. Sometimes, the truth hurts,
especially when you have to say it against your own self.
But, anytime I reached the
mosque, I find most of the congregators in the last rows (for late comers) are
my neighbours. When I turned around behind me, I find those who stay nearer to
the mosque to have come even much later. No offence, my dear neighbours. I love
you, for Allah’s Sake.
Those are true experiences I’ve
observed. Thanks to Allah for allowing me to be a ‘Ma-moum’ most of the days
this Ramadan, so I could assess Taraweeh from the perspective of ‘Ma-moum’.
What after Ramadan?
This is the most serious (not the
most important) part of this article; What after Ramadan?
To some, the first day after
Ramadan sends us back to our normal routines. But to the majority, I assume,
the days after Ramadan serve as continuity of Ramadan, thus, they strive to
fill them with rewarding deeds, similarly to their strive for rewards in
Ramadan.
The best person, to whom we can
refer, for an answer to the question posed, “What after Ramadan?” is
Rasulullah.
There are numerous Hadith in
which Rasulullah taught us what we are supposed to do, after Ramadan. One of
those Hadith is the Hadith narrated by Abi Ayyoub Al-Ansari, reported by Imam
Muslim, that Rasulullah s.a.w. said:
“He who observes fasting in the month of
Ramadan, and also observes another six days of fasting, in the month of
Shawwal, it is as if he has observed fasting for the whole year.”
These six days of fasting (in
Shawwal) can be done continuously, as well as it can be done separately; as
long as they are done within Shawwal.
We can also observe fasting twice
a week (Mondays and Thursdays), as part of what Rasulullah used to do.
Sayyidatuna Aishah, r.a. said in a Hadith reported by Imam Al-Tirmizhi:
“Rasulullah s.a.w. used to observe fast on
Mondays and Thursdays.”
If one is unable to fast twice a
week (eight days a month), Rasulullah encouraged them to fast only three days a
month, instead. Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas narrated a Hadith, reported by
Imam(s) Al-Bukhari and Muslim, that Rasulullah s.a.w. said:
“Observing fasting for three days every month
is equivalent to fasting a full month”.
To emphasize and specify the 3
days referred to, in the Hadith above, Rasulullah said in another Hadith
narrated by Abi Zharr Al-Ghifaari, reported by Imam Al-Tirmizhi:
“If you want to observe three days of fasting
in a month, then fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the
(lunar) month.”
Also, many of us selflessly
related to the Qur’an, and read it almost all the time, during Ramadan. Our
continuity of establishing better relationship with Al-Qur’an, through reading,
contemplations, reflections, studies and other righteous deeds will broaden our
minds, as Muslims who seek light and guidance towards Allah from the Qur’an
[and Sunnah].
More so, it was noticeable how
Muslims sacrifice their sleeping time, in order to perform Qiyaam or Tahajjud.
Tahajjud, as Rasulullah s.a.w. did very often in Ramadan, he, s.a.w. was also
frequent in doing it outside Ramadan.
Prophet s.a.w. did that to set a
good example for us, and also to set a benchmark for us. So let’s keep up the
tradition of Rasulillah s.a.w.
It’s heart-warming to see that
the welfare of the poor and the needy are taken care of, by those who are
well-off, amongst us. However, the moment Ramadan departs, the kind-hearted
among us also do depart. Strange indeed. I’m still searching to find out; where
do they go to, for 11 months?
Let’s work to ensure the poor
amongst us, whose condition became better due to the generosity of the rich
among us, continue to feel they are cared for. To achieve that, the rich among
us should continue to take care of their needs.
Let’s imagine; if Allah was to
bestow His Mercy and Blessings upon us only in the month of Ramadan, what would
have happened to us? Similarly, let us not forget our needy brothers and
sisters in Islam, once Ramadan is over.
We don’t have to do it, only in
the presence of media coverage. Allah’s media is the best media, and Allah’s
media covers our good deeds round the clock, although it remains unseen.
More importantly, many of us have
certainly strived to make it, to perform their prescribed prayers in the
mosques. Let’s continue to keep up the same level of effort in making it, to
filling the mosques during all prayers.
If we could fill the mosques
during Ishai’ in Ramadan, when we had to pray 17 Raka’ahs (4 Isha’ + 10
Taraweeh + 3 Witr), or 27 Raka’ahs (4 Isha’ + 20 Taraweeh + 3 Witr) all
together, I don’t see why we can’t continue to make it, to the mosques where
only 4 Raka’ahs will be performed. What’s applicable to Ishai’ is also
applicable to Subh, Zuhr, Asr and Maghrib prayers.
Masha Allah! Muslims are very
conscious of Allah during the fasting month of Ramadan. The level of musabarah
(patience), mujahadah (strive), tadhiyah (sacrifice) shown, the tears shed, to
mention a few, all indicate that, we are entitled to doing better than what
we’ve done in Ramadan.
Let’s continue to benefit from
the great blessings of Allah, which are abundantly provided and distributed in
Ramadan and outside Ramadan alike.
In conclusion, Ramadan, likewise
any other months, is a season which is guaranteed significance by Allah. Our
pleasure for the opportunity of Ramadan should come in a form of appreciation
to Allah, thus, our appreciation to Allah should be timeless, since He never
fails to bestow His Blessings upon us, whether in Ramadan or outside Ramadan.
The patience and the perseverance
we have shown in Ramadan are an indication that we can fight our egos, our
desire, and put Iblis(Devil) at shame, insha Allah.
So let’s strive to make our lives
after Ramadan an extension from the highly spiritually productive life which we
enjoyed in Ramadan.
Let’s make our life after Ramadan
an extension of our life from the Ramadan we’re bidding a farewell, for only
Allah knows; whether or not, we’ll live to see the next Ramadan.
Even if we are granted another
opportunity to see another Ramadan, only Allah knows; whether we’ll be in a
promising physical condition as we are in, today.
What are your observations during
Ramadan which you reflected upon? Was it good or bad? Feel free to share with
us. What have you planned to do, in order to ensure continuity of Ramadan in
your life? Please comment below.
If you find this article useful,
kindly hit on the LIKE and SHARE buttons to share with your loved ones and be
part of spreading Al-Kalimah Al-Tayyibah.
Thanks for reading this. Please
let me know if you think of any topic you would like me to write about in this
blog.
