Now that Ramadaan is over, some people will sadly revert to their old selves, wasting away the hours spent in training to change for the better. Others will use the excuse that Ramadaan makes up for the rest of the year.

But this, my friends, is simply a mask for laziness and perhaps hypocrisy also. We are in no position to judge anyone for their lack of sincerity after Ramadaan, but we must point out that one of the signs of an accepted Ramadaan is that the spiritual high continues on long after the month has passed.

We may have come across a few of the following types of people who fall back into their old habits after Ramadaan. This is just a few of them and this is just a few of the many excuses they use.

People of the 27th Night:

These people only come out on the 27th night of Ramadaan, they filled the mosques with pillows and blankets as they camped up to read Quran, make dhikr, duaa and istighfaar. Amongst these are some who feel that the worship done on the 27th night covers them for the rest of their life. My brothers and sisters beware of falling into this trap of Shaytaan. Yes, the night of Layla-tul-qadr is better than a thousand months (approximately eighty-three years), but it does not remove the obligation of worship for the rest of your life. Furthermore, there is no confirmation that Layla-tul-qadr is on the 27th night. According to the various Ahadith it could have fallen on any of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.

We remind such people, that Allah has commanded us to worship Him every day, through our five daily prayers. He has designated acts of worship throughout the year to bring us closer to Him, so that we may attain His pleasure, His mercy and His Jannah.

The People of Ramadaan:

Another group of people are those who only worship Allah during Ramadaan. They believe solely in the following hadith,

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers, from one Jumu’ah to the next and from one Ramadaan to the next are expiation for (sins committed) in between, so long as you avoid major sins.” (Muslim)

As such, these look to the latter part of the hadith, and so feel that they are not obliged to do any more than fast the days of Ramadaan. The remaining eleven months of the year are free for them to enjoy life…. Or so they think.

We hope that, inshallah, the worship these people do during Ramadan, will be the rope that brings them back to worshipping Allah every day without exception. For Allah did not restrict His blessings and gifts to Ramadaan alone, but rather to everyday that the sun rises upon and every night, and thus we should show gratitude to Him constantly for His immense blessings.

The people of Eid:

These people fill the mosques and musalla on Eid…and so the mosques are overflowing like never before, the musalla is alive with a new buzz; the scene is heart warming and the atmosphere so pleasing to witness; many muslims in one gathering with one intent; to pray the Eid salah. Sorrowfully, just as quickly as the prayer places filled up, so quickly do they empty, only to be filled at the next Eid prayer. The mosques are once again quiet, and the buzz no longer in the air.

My brothers and sisters, we have no guarantee that we will live to see the next Eid prayer. We have no idea when death will strike. We do not know whether we will live to see the next Ramadaan or 27th night. We don’t even know if we will live until tomorrow, for how many have passed away in their sleep? How many were with us last Ramadaan, but are no longer here? Ramadaan was month of training, don’t waste it away and become complacent with the good you have done in it. We don’t even know if our good deeds were accepted, though we hope, with utmost hope almost to the point of certainty, that they are accepted. Yet we should fear almost to the point of desperation that they may not be accepted. This should spur us on to continue to invoke our Lord, The Most Gracious and Merciful to accept our deeds, this should motivate us to continue the good we have done.

My brothers and sisters, are you amongst any of those mentioned above? If you find yourself to be there, then you still have a chance. Allah has given you today. And you have made the first step on the road of repentance; that is acknowledging your error. Now take the next step, and seek forgiveness from your Lord, and begin a journey of obedience to Allah, Most Great.

We want to be amongst those Allah mentioned in the Quran when He said,

“Only those believe in Our verses, who, when they are reminded by them, fall down in prostration and exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant. They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.” (Surah As-sajdah 32:15-17)

And also,

“Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about – That Allah may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account.” (Surah An-Nur 24:37-38)

My brothers and sisters, the striving has just begun, Shaytaan is unleashed. Do not become complacent with what you have done, but strive to do more, and be better.

May Allah accept the good we have done, and help us to do more. Ameen