Ramadan, a month of blessings for us from Allah to increase our piety and draw closer to Him has gone, gone too soon. It was a month of blessings and also a month of training for us, easy training to increase our acts of worship whilst the shaytan was locked up. Allah made it easy for us, so that after Ramadan we can keep doing the good deeds after the month long training. Ramadan gave us a routine of worship. It prepared us for the months to come; months during which we have to battle against the shaytan and ourselves against evil. We just have to establish goals, and maintain our schedule of worship. Many of us may be back to work, or school, but that doesn't mean we should allow the training to go down the drain. Let's look at the condition of our good deeds the very next day after Ramadan; the castle of good deeds we had built comes crashing down. We see women adorning themselves and showing off. We seem the men not offering obligatory prayers in the mosques as they had done during Ramadan. Everyone is busy enjoying the Eid festivities. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "The deeds most loved by Allah are those done regularly, even if they are small." (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim) These tips may be useful to you to help you stay consistent in the acts of worship that you had built up during Ramadan. 1. Holy Qur'an Read little of the Qur'an every day. If during Ramadan you were able to read an entire chapter or sit for an hour, then try to keep it up. If not, read 2 pages or at least 1 page, even if you spend only 10 minutes every day with the Holy Qur'an. And remember, the Qur'an was revealed for guidance, not just to be read in Ramadan. 2. Night Prayer (Qiyam ul layl) Now that you have made a habit of praying in the night, just continue it. Reducing 1 hour or half an hour of sleep will not upset your sleep pattern. Even if we pray just 2 rakaat, it is better than abandoning this good habit altogether. 3. Fasting If we keep fasting regularly it becomes a habit and also it is beneficial for our health. It will be easy to fast because our bodies have already become accustomed to it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The evils caused for a man through his family, wealth, and neighbor are expiated by prayer, fasting, and charity." Moreover you will be more likely to gain admittance to paradise through the gate of Ar-Rayyan if you are in the habit of fasting. 4. Charity Give in charity and be aware that it does not decrease your wealth, but Allah gives you more and with it you get countless good deeds. Give little or more but regularly. Allah has blessed us with so much, what better way to be thankful than to share it with the less fortunate? Remember: reading the Qur'an, praying, giving charity, and fasting will eventually add up to form a river of good deeds.
