Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon Muhammad, His last Messenger, his household, his companions and all those who follow him till the Last Day.
Be Steadfast
Sufyaan ibn 'Abdillaah (RA) said: "O Messenger of A1laah, tell me something about Islaam, which I cannot ask anyone else besides you." He said:
"Say: 'I believe in Allaah' and then be steadfast (upon that)." (Muslim)
Shaykh Saalih al-Faman explained that
"this hadeeth is proof that the servant is obligated, after having eemaan in A1laah, to persevere and be steadfast upon obeying Him by performing the obligatory acts and avoiding the prohibited ones ... If the Muslim lives through Ramadan and spent his days in fasting and his nights in prayer and he accustomed himself to doing acts of good, then he must continue to remain upon this obedience to Allaah at all times. This is the true state of the slave, for indeed, the Lord of the months is One and He is ever watchful and witnessing over his servants at all times".
He said further: "Indeed, steadfastness after Ramadan and the rectification of one's statements and actions are the greatest signs that one has gained benefit from the month of Ramadan and striven in obedience. They are the tokens of reception [of one's deeds] and signs of success. Furthermore, the deeds of a servant do not come to an end with the end of a month and the beginning of another, rather they continue and extend until he reaches death. Allaah says:
"And worship your Lord until the certainty (death) comes to you." (Q15[Hijr}:99)
More Worship Ahead
Alhamdulillah, we are at the end of Ramadan; but we should be sad to see the month depart us. It is unfortunate to find that some people perform worship by doing' different types of righteous deeds during Ramadan.
They guard strictly upon their five daily prayers in the masjid, they recite the Qur'aan a lot and they give in charity from their wealth. But when Ramadan comes to an end, they grow lazy in their worship. Rather, sometimes they even abandon the obligations, both generally and specifically; and they commit forbidden acts even as early as the day of Eed!
We should all realize that if the fasting of Ramadan comes to an end, then indeed there's the voluntary fasting of Sittah Shawwal [six days of Shawwal], Mondays and Thursdays, and the three middle days of the month amongst others. If the tahajjud during Ramadan comes to an end, then indeed, the entire year is a time for qiyaamul layl [night prayer]. Yes, Zakaat-ul-Fitr comes to an end with Ramadan, but there is still the obligatory zakaah and sadaqah. This goes the same for reciting the Qur'aan and pondering over its meaning as well as every other righteous deed that is sought, for they can be done at all times. Therefore, our ardour and zeal for worship must continue and be constant after Ramadan.
Will It Be Accepted?
Aa'ishah said: "I asked the Messenger of Allaah concerning the ayah: 'And the one who are given what they are given and their hearts tremble with fear.' Are they the ones who drink alcohol and steal?"He said: "No, O daughter of as-Siddeeq. Rather, they are the ones who fast and pray and give in charity yet fear that it won't be accepted from them. They are the ones who rush to do good deeds and they are the first to do them." (Tirmidhi) So, as reported from 'Ali (RA), "Be more concerned with having your deeds accepted than the deed itself. Did you not hear Allaah say: 'Verily Allaah, only accepts those from those who fear Him. (i.e. possess taqwaa). ' (Q5 [Maidah]: 27)
(Lataa'if ul Ma' aarif, p. 246)
We ask Allaah to make us constant in doing righteous deeds; we ask Allaah to accept our Ramadan from us and to grant us a good end.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited