When Ramadan knocks at our doors, we are all so excited and we start thinking in big: we always say that we want to make the most of it by reading the entire Quran, praying Taraweeh every day, and doing as much ibadah as we can. And we always want to do more than the past Ramadans, because we always think that what we did in the past was not enough.
It is certainly a good sign, as it shows that we care about the blessed month and that we want to take advantage of the fact that devils are locked, therefore there are no excuses for us for not worshipping deeply Allah as it is meant to be done.
We are indeed high energy during the first weeks of Ramadan, but later on we start losing that perseverance that we had, how come then?
Well, because of different factors: many special tv shows like series and movies are released during this month, therefore we get distracted by them; sometimes excessive sleeping and eating for Iftar drain all our energy making us feeling tired and deconcentrated to persevere in our worship; after a while we start losing enthusiasm and motivation because our worshiping becomes automatic without reflection and understanding from the heart and mind.
These are some of the many reasons that block us from persevering in our ibadah. However, we are the ones in control of our nafs and self during Ramadan, Shaytan is not there, so we can be strong and not let external factors prevail over us. Therefore we have to be patient, determined and remember that we can keep doing good deeds through istiqama. Being steadfast in our Imaan is compulsory for us as stated in the Quran: O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. [2:153] and we should remember that: Allah loves the steadfast. [3:146]
For some of us, it might seem hard to keep steadfast, but it is something that we can achieve and Ramadan can be our “moral training”. We always think that what counts more is the quantity of good deeds, but the Prophet (saw) said: ”Do as much of good deeds as you can, for Allah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are continuous, even if they few”.
This hadith shows us how quantity is not very important for Allah, as continuity even with few deeds is more relevant. Therefore, every time we think that we are not doing a lot, just think of this hadith and remember that Allah rewards us even if the good deeds are fewer.
So how can we persevere in performing our ibadah equally for the whole blessed month?
Here are some advices that we all can try to follow:
- Try to be realistic: Although it is good to aim big, we should try to start by carrying out the good acts that we know we can do daily and without struggling (for example adhkar, read a few pages after each prayer, helping people, Taraweeh prayer etc…) and if we can do extra ibadah, we should go for it but without exaggerating. We should keep our ibadah balanced, and try to do the same amount of worship every day constantly and remember to think of your niya (intention) and renew it, but also to do all the ibadah with the heart. The quantity of ibadah that we want to accomplish is an individual choice, probably it is helpful to start with a small amount and then if we feel determined and we think we can do it, then we can do more! My personal experience taught me that if we start doing a lot of good acts, then it is likely to end up doing less or doing nothing at the end of the month which is unfortunate as we all want to be compensated at the end of the blessed month. And remember that it is not a competition, do the ibadah that you can as we all have different levels of imaan and probably have other obligations. Keep in mind the hadith when A’isha (RA) said that Rasulullah (saw) said: “The deeds most loved by Allah (are those) done regularly, even if they are small.” (Bukhari, Muslim) and inshAllah you will be rewarded for your intentions and acts.
- Make a plan: If setting up a Ramadan program is what is best for you and if you know that you easily follow it, then go for it!
- Control yourself from distractions: We should try not to be tricked by the TV, the food and the sleepiness. Certainly we need to sleep and to eat, but we should not spend the whole fasting day sleeping, and spending the whole night eating. We should remember that Ramadan is not about sleeping and eating, it is instead a spiritual journey that will increase our iman and it will make us closer to Allah. We should not lose this opportunity that Allah gave us and every time that we are tempted, we should remember what the meaning of Ramadan is and the rewards we will obtain inshAllah. Moreover, Ramadan happens once in a year, while sleeping, eating and watching TV are available the whole year. Why lose this opportunity then? So we should try to be strong and be in control. If we can, then why not lock the TV in a room?!
And to conclude, we could recite the following duas to ask Allah to help us to make the most of this Ramadan with good deeds and to let us taste the sweetness and beauty that it brings: *Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī `alā dīnik* – “O changer of hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion” and *Rabbana la tuzigh qulubuna ba’da idh hadaitana wa hab lana min ladunka rahmatan innaka anta alwahabo* – “Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [3:8].
Jazaka’Allah for your time, I pray that Allah allows us to all remain steadfast on our deen and urge others to do so too. Ameen.
Written by Zaineb Tassa
