Dought & clear, - Advice after Ramadaan

What advice can you give after Ramadaan?
Praise be to Allaah
I wonder whether the fasting person continued after Ramadaan to be as
he was during Ramadaan, or is he "like her who undoes the thread which
she has spun, after it has become strong" [cf. al-Nahl 16:92]? I
wonder whether the one who during Ramadaan was fasting, reciting and
reading Qur'aan, giving and spending in charity, praying at night,
makingdu'aa', will he be like that after Ramadaan, or will he follow
another path, I mean the path of the Shaytaan, so that he commits sin
and does things that anger the Most Gracious, Most Merciful?
If a Muslim continues to have the patience to do righteous deeds after
Ramadaan, this is a sign that his (fasting) has been accepted by his
Lord, the Most Generous,the Bestower of blessings. If he fails to
dorighteous deeds after Ramadaan, and follows the ways of the
Shaytaan, this is a sign of humiliation, meanness, lowly status and
being deprived of the help of Allaah, as al-Hasan al-Basri said: "They
were no longer of any significance to Allaah, so they committed sin.
If they had mattered to Him, He would have protected them." When a
person becomes insignificant to Allaah, Allaah will no longer honour
him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whomsoever Allaahdisgraces, none can honour him" [al-Hajj 22:18]
What is amazing is that during Ramadaan, you see some people who fast
and pray at night, who spend in charity and worship the Lord of the
Worlds, then no sooner has the month come to an end, but their nature
changes completely, and they begin to have a bad attitude towards
their Lord. So you see them neglecting prayer and avoiding righteous
deeds, committing sins and disobeying Allaah inmany different ways,
keeping away from obedience towards Allaah, the Sovereign, the Holy,
the One Free from all defects.
How terrible it is, by Allaah, when people only acknowledge Allaahin Ramadaan.
The Muslim should makeRamadaan an opportunity to turn overa new leaf
by repenting, turning to Allaah, persisting in worshipping Allaah,
always being aware thatAllaah is watching at every minute of every
hour. So after Ramadaanthe Muslim should continue to obey Allaah and
should avoid sin andevil actions, as a continuation of the way he was
during Ramadaan and the things that he did then to draw closer to the
Lord of creation.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as- Salaah), at the two ends of the
day and in some hours of thenight [i.e. the five compulsory Salaah
(prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small
sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who
accept advice)"[Hood 11:114]
The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Follow a
bad deed with a good deed, for it will wipe it out; and have a good
attitude and good manners towards people."
Undoubtedly the purpose for which Allaahcreated everyone was toworship
Him Alone, with no partner or associate. This is the ultimate purpose
and the highest aim, which is to attain 'uboodiyyah (being a slave of
Allaah in the truest and fullest sense). This was achieved in the most
beautiful manner during Ramadaan, whenwe saw people going to the
houses of Allaah in groups and individually, and we saw them striving
to perform the obligatory prayers on time and to give in charity,
competing with one another in doing good deeds. And for this let (all)
those strive who want to strive (cf. al-Mutaffifeen 83:26), forthey
will be rewarded insha Allaah. But there remains the case of those
whom Allaah keeps firm with the word that stands firm in this world
and in the Hereafter (cf. Ibraaheem 14:27). Whomever Allaahhelps to be
steadfast in doing righteous deeds after Ramadaan, Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt
it (i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until
they are followed by good deeds), but those who plot evils, theirs
willbe severe torment. And the plotting of such will perish"[Faatir
35:10]
Undoubtedly righteous deeds are among the acts which bring a person
closer to Allaah atall times, and the Lord ofRamadaan is also the Lord
of Jumaada and Sha'baan and Dhu'l-Hijjah and Muharram and Safar and
all the other months. That is because the worship that Allaah has
enjoined upon us includes five pillars, one of which is fasting, which
is for a setperiod which has come to an end. But there remain other
pillars, Hajj, prayer and zakaah, for which we are answerable to
Allaah. We must perform these duties in the manner which is pleasing
to Allaah, and we must strive thereby to fulfil the purpose for which
we were created. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they
should worship Me (Alone)"[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his
Companions to compete in doing good, and he said, "One dirham may
weigh more with Allaah than a dinar, and the best of charity is that a
man gives when he is rich." He(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) explained that if the person gives charity when he is disinclined
to do so and is in good health, but fears poverty, that charity will
weigh heavily with Allaah in the balance of good deeds; whereas the
one who delays it, then when he gets sick he starts to spend in
charityhere and there, fearing that his good deeds will be rejected,
there is the danger that his (charity) will not be accepted - we seek
refuge with Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in
ignoranceand foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they whom
Allaah will forgive and Allaah is Ever All Knower, All-Wise.
And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil
deeds until death faces one of them and he says:"Now I repent;" nor of
those who die while they are disbelievers. Forthem We have prepared a
painful torment"[al-Nisaa' 4:17-18]
The pious and sincere believer should fear Allaah and strive to
obeyAllaah at all times, persisting in his taqwa and always striving
to do good, call others to Allaah, enjoin what is good and forbid what
is evil. For the believer, his days and nights in this world are
storehouses, so let him see what he can deposit in them. If he
deposits good things in them, it will testify in his favour before his
Lord on the Day of Resurrection; if it is the opposite, then it will
be a disaster for him. We ask Allaah to save us andyou from that loss.
The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) said:
Among the signs of acceptance (of good deeds) is that Allaah causes
one hasanah (good deed) to be followed by another, for the hasanah
says, "My sister, my sister!" And thesayi'ah (evil deed) also says,
"My sister, my sister!" -we seek refuge with Allaah. If Allaah has
accepted a person's Ramadaan, and he has benefited from this period of
(spiritual) training and has remained steadfast in obeying Allaah,
then he has joined the caravan of those who have remained steadfast
and responded to Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allaah (Alone),' and then they
stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their
death) (saying): 'Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings
of Paradise which you have been promised!
We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in
theHereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner selves
desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask"[Fussilat
41:30-31]
"And whosoever takes Allaah, His Messenger, and those who have
believed, as Protectors, then the party of Allaah will be the
victorious" [al-Maa'idah 5:56]
"Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is (only) Allaah," and thereafter
stand firm (on the Islamic Faith of Monotheism), on them shall be no
fear, nor shallthey grieve" [al-Ahqaaf 46:13]
This standing firm should continue from one Ramadaan to the next,
because the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"From one prayer to the next, from one Ramadaan to the next, from one
Hajj to the next, this expiates for whatever (sins) werecommitted from
one to the next, so long as you avoid major sins." And Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall
expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance
(i.e. Paradise)" [al-Nisaa' 4:31]
The believer should join the caravan of those who stand firm and
should board the ship of salvation from the time when he reaches the
earliest age of discretionuntil he draws his last breath. He should
remain in the shade of "Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah", enjoying the blessings
ofAllaah. This religion is the truth and the way in which we
steadfastly adhere to it in Ramadaan is that with which Allaah honours
us by the bounty of His giving, His gracious blessing and His great
favour, so that we mightcontinue to pray qiyaam and to worship Him
afterthe month of Ramadaan.Do not forget, my brother, that Allaah has
blessed you with i'tikaaf,and Allaah has blessed you with giving
charity, and Allaah has blessed you with fasting, and Allaah has
blessed you with du'aa' which has been accepted. Do not forget, my
brother, to take care of these good deeds and this support from
Allaah, and do not let them be wiped out by bad deeds. So strive to
cultivate goodness and happiness on your way, and to keep company with
those who remain steadfast (inIslam), and to seek Allaah and His
Messengerand the Home of the Hereafter, where it will be said to you,
Receive glad tidings of Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth,
prepared for the pious, for you responded to the call of Allaah; O
seeker of good,continue, for Allaah has some people who will befreed
from Hell, and O seeker of evil, desist. Andyou responded to the words
of the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Whoever
prays at night during Ramadaan out of faith and hoping for reward, his
previous sinswill be forgiven. And whoever prays at night during
Laylat al-Qadr outof faith and hoping for reward, his previous
sinswill be forgiven."
I ask Allaah Who has blessed us and you with fasting, i'tikaaf, 'umrah
and charity to bless us with guidance, piety, and acceptance of our
good deeds; may He helpus to persist in doing good deeds and to remain
steadfast, for persistence in doing good deeds is one of thegreatest
means of drawing closer to Allaah.Hence when a man cameto the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "Advise
me," he said, "Say, 'I believe in Allaah,'and remain steadfast."
(Agreed upon).
According to a report narrated by Ahmad, he said, "Say, I believe in
Allaah,' then remain steadfast." [The man] said, "O Messenger of
Allaah, all the people say that." He said, "Some people who came
beforeyou said that, but they did not remain steadfast." So the
believers must continue to be steadfast in obeying Allaah:
"Allaah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands
firm in this world (i.e. they will keep on worshipping Allaah Alone
and none else), and in the Hereafter. And Allaah will cause to go
astray those who are Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers), and
Allaah does what He wills"[Ibraaheem 14:27 -interpretation of the
meaning]
The one who is steadfastin obeying Allaah is the one whose du'aa' will
beanswered, the du'aa' which he repeats more than twenty-five times
each day, "Guide us to the Straight Way" [al-Faatihah 1:6 -
interpretation of the meaning], which we say in al-Faatihah. Why is it
that we say and believe strongly that if we remain steadfast Allaah
will forgive us, but we are too lazy to apply thatin practical terms?
We should fear Allaah and apply this in deed and thought and word. We
should strive in the way of "ihdinaa al-siraat al-mustaqeem (Guide us
to the Straight Way)", and we should travel theroute of "iyaaka
na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een (You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone)
we ask for help (for each and everything))" [al-Faatihah 1:5 -
interpretation of the meaning], in the shade of "ihdinaa al-siraat
al-mustaqeem (Guide us to the Straight Way)", following the route that
will lead us to Paradise the width of the heavensand the earth, whose
key is Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah. I ask Allaah to grant us and you a good
end.
After the end of Ramadaan, the people are divided into various types,
two of the most prominent of which I will describe here. The first
type are those whom you see in Ramadaan striving hard in worship. You
never see them but they are prostrating or standing in prayer, or
reading Qur'aan, or weeping, so much that they remind you of some of
the worshippers among the salaf, and you even feel compassion for them
because of the intensity of their efforts and striving. Yet hardly has
the month ended, before they go back to negligence and committing sin,
as if theywere prisoners of that worship, so they turn their attention
to their desires and become negligent and commit sins which they think
will take away their distress and grief. But these poor people
forgetthat sin is the cause of doom, because sins are like war wounds,
one of which may turn out to be fatal. How often has sin prevented a
person from saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah when in the throes of death.
After spending this entire month with faith, (reading) Qur'aan and
other acts of worship, these people then backslide, Laa hawla wa laa
quwwata illa Billaah (there is no power and no strength except with
Allaah). These are the occasional worshippers who only acknowledge
Allaah on certain occasions or at times of calamity and distress, then
after that there is no more obedience or worship. What a bad habit
that is.
"The worshipper prayed for something that he wanted, and when the
matter was done, he neither prayed nor fasted." [Arabic poetry]
I wonder what is the point of worshipping fora whole month, if that is
going to be followed by a return to dishonourable ways?
The second type are those who feel distressed at the departure of
Ramadaan, because they have tasted the sweetness of being safe from
sin, and the bitterness of patience became insignificant to them,
because they came to realize the true nature of their weakness and
need for their Master (Allaah) and their need to obey Him. They fasted
in a true sense and stoodin prayer at night out of love, so when they
bade farewell to Ramadaan, their tears flowed and their hearts were
broken. Those among them who were burdened with sin hoped to be freed
from sin and ransomed from Hell, and to join the caravan of those who
are accepted. Ask yourself, my brother, which of the two groupsdo you
belong to?
By Allaah, are they the same? Praise be to Allaah, but most of them do
not know. The mufassireen said, commenting on the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): 'Each one does according to Shakilatihi
(i.e. his way or his religion or his intentions)..."
[al-Israa' 17:84] - every person acts according to his way or the
character that he is used to. This is condemnation for the kaafir and
praise for the believer.
You should know that the dearest of deeds to Allaah are those that are
continuous, even if they are little. The Messenger(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "O people, you must do whatever you can
of good deeds, for Allaah does not get tired until you get tired. The
most beloved of deeds to Allaah are those which are continuous, even
if they are little. The family of Muhammad(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), when they did something, they would persist in
doing it." Narrated by Muslim.
When the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasasked
about which deeds are most beloved to Allaah, he said, "Thosewhich are
continuous, even if they are little."
'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about what the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did and
whether he used to do certain things on particular days. She said,"No,
his good deeds were continuous. Who among you could do what the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
do?" The acts of worship prescribed in Islam are based on certain
conditions which must be fulfilled, like remembrance of Allaah, Hajj
and 'Umrah and their naafil actions, enjoining what is good and
forbidding what is evil, seeking knowledge,jihaad, and other good
deeds. So strive to worship continuously according to your capability.
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad andhis family and companions,
and grant them peace.