How to Maintain Good Habits After Ramadan

Ramadan is the month of fasting for atonement
of sins and purification of soul. It is a response
to the carnal desires for eating, drinking and
sleeping. A way that instills discipline in lives
ensuring that the needs are met according to the
indispensable requirements with in the pursuit of
gratitude towards Allah Almighty. Fasting is the
best practice of loyalty and a concurrence
between creator and created.
Once done with Ramadan the spirit of sacrifice
seems a daunting task to uphold. The
quintessence of these sacred teachings lies in
sustaining the practices that one has adopted in
the month of Ramadan . The heighted feeling of
Ramadan’s holiness is to continue the errands of
caring for family and relatives ( Haqooq ul ibaad )
by reaching to all in times of need, never forgo
the zeal of spirituality, thirst for donating alms
and invigoration of the connection that has been
built between you and Allah. Even Allah has
endorsed the one who maintain harmony even in
their minor deeds as narrated in Hadith:
“And the most beloved of deeds to Allah are
those that are continuous, even if they are
few.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
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Sustaining the Spirit of Ramadan
The sheer fear of losing motivation and
momentum one has gained in the month of
Ramadan makes it arguably more difficult to
sustain the practices of Ramadan for rest of the
months. If we take Ramadan as a training
ground and mould ourselves according to the
commandments condoned by Allah Almighty only
then our hearts can be liberated from the despair
of losing the true essence of Ramadan
afterwards.
Following are the deeds of a Muslim that can be
continued to sustain the spirit of Ramadan.
1. Formation of Good Habits
Before Ramadan, we are more focused about
health, wealth and stealth and in Ramadan we
are concerned about Fikar and Zikar. The
significant thing after Ramadan is Istiqama i.e.
to hold onto the good manners adopted in
Ramadan. In Hadith the value of good manners
has described as:
“Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds
than one’s Good manners.” [Al-Bukhari]
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Start from the minor possible habits like staying
away From all those practices and routines that
you have shunt in Ramadan from staying late till
night to profane language. Once you are
accustomed to it, these all practices will seem a
piece of cake to observe even after the month of
Ramadan. This is a psychological fact that
carrying on certain habits become a part of one’s
routine if practiced for certain weeks henceforth
it wouldn’t be sturdy once have your hands on it.
2. Keep Up the Practice of Fasting
Fasting that too after the month of Ramadan?
Most of you would have yelled a big No but in
actual it is not this tough to observe the practice
of fasting after Ramadan. It was the favorite
custom of our prophet (PBUH) to observe fast
on some specific days and many Hadiths
authenticate the significance of keeping Saum
on Monday and Thursday. In Hadith it is narrated
that:
“The Prophet of Allah used to fast on Monday
and Thursday. When he was asked about it,
he said: The works of the servants (of Allah)
are presented (to Allah) on Monday and
Thursday.” [Sunan Abi Dawud]
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Following the Sunnah to observe fasting ritual is
a best way not to rust your soul until next
Ramadan and to keep the soul enliven within.
3. Patching Up With Prayers and Charity
In Ramadan, we all have made ourselves
punctual for offering Salah that embarks
discipline in order to obtain the level of spirit for
becoming a best practicing Muslim. Continual of
this obligation is not tough especially when it is
just a day or two of Ramadan departure. Giving
donations is not specific to the month of
Ramadan that too when Allah has asked His
people to give alms to the needy and deserved
ones. Donate for mosque construction, feed a
poor or the least you can do is to teach someone
something good to keep up with the pace of
Zakat after Ramadan as charity is among those
things that will prove to be the savior at the Day
of Judgment as narrated in Hadith:
“When a man dies, his good deeds come to
an end except three: ongoing charity,
beneficial knowledge, and righteous offspring
who will pray for him.” [Muslim]
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4. Continuation of Communal Meals
Ramadan is a social ritual to revive the
communal relationship apart from spiritual
practice. Muslims invite their relative for Aftar
meals to break their fasts, a way to sit together
and revitalize the importance of family get
together. Aftar meals can be arranged for the
deserved and deprived one depending on the
istita’at of Muslim beings. To keep this practice
intact one can arrange communal meals for
family and friends or either can feed the poor, as
they deemed preferable.
Concluding, month of Ramadan is over and
indeed was a hard one because most of us have
observed fast in the scorching and humid month
of June. Despite this fact, we still can keep the
essence of Ramadan alive in our soul by
sustaining all the good habits that have adopted
in the month of Ramadan. Work upon yourself
and avoid hardships to pace up with Ramadan’s
rituals because in eternity your intentions and
consistent deeds will be awarded, as narrated by
Hazrat Aisha (RA) that:
“Do good deeds properly, sincerely and
moderately, and remember that you shall
enter Paradise only through Allah’s Mercy,
and also remember that the most beloved
deed to Allah is that which is regular and
constant even if it is little.” [Bukhari]

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