Ramadan Articles - The Benefits Of Obedience, During and After Ramadan

People cannot remain exactly as they were during the blessed
monthofRamadan, in terms of their regularity and steadfastness in
performing certain acts of worship. On the other hand, they must not
stop doing good deeds completely and forsake all virtue just
becauseRamadanis over. It is injudicious to suddenly abandon
everything and stop performing all goods deeds. Therefore, one should
not abandon fasting,Qiyaam)optional night prayers(, recitation of the
Quran, supplication and so on. One needs to perform these deeds, even
if it is on a less regular basis. If a slave of Allaah The Almighty is
accustomed to performing certain acts of worship and is compelled to
stop doing them due to travel or sickness, then Allaah The Almighty
will continue to reward him for these deeds, even if he does not
perform them, because he used to perform them frequently.The Prophet,,
said:"If a slave becomes sick, Allaah says to the honorable recording
angels: `Record for my slave the same )good( deeds until I either take
his soul )i.e., cause him todie( or grant him health)i.e., cure him
from his sickness(."This indicates the benefit of constantly being
engaged in acts of obedience and worship.
Continuing to be upon obedience to Allaah The Almighty is a reason for
one to be granted a good end, as the Prophet,, said:"If Allaah wills
good for one of His slaves, He uses him."He was asked,"Howdoes He use
him?"He,, replied:"He )i.e., Allaah( enables him )i.e., the slave( to
perform a righteous deed before his death, and then takeshis soul
whilst he is in that state."Thus, we should ensure being in a state of
obedience and worship at all times. Moreover, the reward of being
virtuous is greater at times when most people are heedless, as well as
in harsh times. There is a great concept that we must always bearin
mind: worship must bethe essence of our lives, it is not an incidental
matter, or a temporary one that is limited or restricted to a certain
time or place.
Those who enteredRamadanupon disobedience and departed upon
disobedience did not get any benefit fromRamadanwhatsoever. This is a
serious and dangerous matter because when describingthe hypocrites,
Allaah TheAlmighty says )what means(:}"And when theycome to you, they
say: 'We believe.' But they have entered with disbelief ]in their
hearts[,and they have certainly left with it. And Allaah is most
knowing of what they were concealing."{]Quran 3: 61[
Commenting on this verse, Imaam Ibn Katheer,said,"The hypocrites
entered into the presence of the Prophetand heard what he hade to say,
yet, they left upon the same state of disbelief, so the admonition did
not yield any fruits with them."
Therefore, anyone who departs fromRamadanwithout having improved in
the least is the one being addressed in this verse. Those who begin
the month whilst on disobedience and return to it as soon as it ends,
or are even more disobedient afterwards, did not benefit from the
month; they did not repent and refrain from sinning, nor did they show
regret for their sins. It is as if the month was a temporary stage for
them, after which their evil lifestyles continued. The question here
is: did these people truly worship Allaah The Almighty during this
month as is His due to be worshipped? and did they obey Allaah The
Almighty, to begin with, during this month and fulfil His due rights?
It is a pity that an adulterer, or one who is used to consuming
intoxicants, or dealing inRibaa, resumes his regular behaviour and
actions as soon asRamadanis over. The same goes for those who waste
their time in gatherings of useless talk, or who take holidays that
have many things objectionable about them.
Some people mistakenly believe that the deeds they might have
performed duringRamadanare enough to expiate their sins for the
remaining eleven monthsof the year; they thus easily disobey Allaah
The Almighty before and afterRamadan. How can they guarantee the
acceptance of their deeds duringRamadantobegin with? How do theyknow
that Allaah The Almighty did not reject all their deeds, let alone
forgive their sins?
There are more serious matters as well, such as people eating during
thedays ofRamadan)i.e. breaking their fast( to please, for example,
the disbelievers at their workplaces. Others have sexual intercourse
with their spouses during the daytime, which is one of the worst ways
of breaking a fast. Its expiation is that the person who does it
should free a slave – a very severe punishment –and if he cannot find
a slave, or is financially unable to free one, then he must fast for
two consecutive months, and if he is physically unable to do so, then
he must feed sixty poor or needy people. It is bad enough to have
sexual intercourse with one's own spouse during the daytime inRamadan,
so how would the case be, if it were adultery, fornication or sodomy?
So, who are the real winners afterRamadan? Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(:
·}"…So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise
has attained ]his desire[..."{]Quran 3: 185[
·"Not equal are the companions of the Fire and the companions of
Paradise. The companions of Paradise –they are the attainers of
success."]Quran 59: 20[
Allaah The Almighty also Says regarding the dwellers of Paradise)what
means(:"For them will be gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is
the great attainment."]Quran 85: 11[
Indeed, this is true success and real victory.