Ramadan is a level playing field wherein people compete with each other in good d

eeds and benevolence. During this blessed month, souls are trained in virtue and
accustomed to dignity, they learn to disdain vices, sins and acquire all good a
ttributes.
Whoever witnesses this month without gaining any of its rewards is indeed poor,
and nothing cripples him other than negligence, laziness, procrastination, and f
alse hopes.
However, what is appalling is to see some of those who were guided to do good de
eds and take provisions from virtues during this month hastily destroying what t
hey had built, and replacing good with evil. This is a gross mistake and shamefu
l act in the true sense of the word and no remorse or apology will revoke it whe
n you stand in front of your One Lord.
Bishr may Allah have mercy upon him was asked about people who only become
diligent during the month of Ramadan and he said, They are abominable people, be
cause they only know Allah The Almighty during the month of Ramadan. The truly r
ighteous people are those who worship Allah The Almighty diligently throughout t
he whole year.
Ash-Shibli, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was asked, Which is better: Shabaan or
Rajab? His answer was, Be a worshipper of Allah The Almighty rather than a worshi
pper of Shabaan.
Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked, Did the Messenger of Allah sall
alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) choose some specia
allaahu
l days (for fasting)? She replied, No, but he used to be regular (constant) (in hi
s service of worshipping). The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may A
llah exalt his mention ) also never performed more than eleven Rakahs (units of p
rayer) whether in Ramadan or at any other time of the year.
We sincerely invite such people out of fear for them to reconsider their lifesty
le and to review themselves and think about their condition before it is too lat
e. We advise them not to allow appearances, their strength, health and youth to
deceive them. That is because all of this is nothing but a mirage that one may s
ee as water, but once he reaches it, he finds nothing. Health will be followed b
y sickness, youth will be followed by old age, and strength will eventually turn
into weakness.
So, wake up and pay attention! Life is short even if it seems long, and happines
s will end no matter how long it lasts.
Such people should know that perseverance and adherence to the right path as wel
l as obedience to Allah The Almighty is one of the greatest signs of acceptance
of ones good deeds. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And worship your Lord
until there comes to you the certainty (death).} [Quran 15:99]
Consequently, the souls should remain adherent to the right and guided path just
as they were during the month of Ramadan. Guidance is not confined to certain t
imes and acts of worship, and obedience to Allah The Almighty is not limited to
the month of Ramadan.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri may Allah have mercy upon him said, Allah has not set an
end for the believers work other than death. Then he recited: {And worship your Lo
rd until there comes to you the certainty
(death).}[Quran 15:99]
Indeed, Ramadan has ended but you still have several renewed seasons for worship
. The five daily prayers are among the highest and best good deeds and prayer is
the first thing about which one would be asked on the Day of Judgment when he s
tands in front of Allah The Almighty.
If the fast of Ramadan has ended, then you have the voluntary fasts and occasion
s such as the six days of Shawwaal, Mondays and Thursdays, the white days, the t
enth day of Muharram, the Day of Arafah, and so on.
If the night prayer of Ramadan has ended, you should know that the night prayer
can be offered every night: {They used to sleep but little of the night }[Quran 51
:17]
If the time of Zakaat Al-Fitr has ended, then there is the obligatory Zakaah in
addition to the countless ways of giving voluntary charity.
Dear Muslim brother, you should know that one of the attributes of the slaves of

Allah The Almighty is that they perform their good deeds constantly, as Allah T
he Almighty Says (what means):
{Those who are constant in their prayer}[Quran 70:23]
{And they who carefully maintain their prayers -}[Quran 23:9]
If you aspire to know how to save yourself from this trap and how to perform goo
d deeds regularly, you have to do the following:
1- You must be sincerely and strongly determined to do good deeds constantly u
nder all circumstances and conditions. This requires keeping away from weakness
and laziness. That is why the Prophet, sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allah exalt his mention ), used to seek refuge with Allah The Almighty from inab
ility and laziness, given their dire consequences. Hence, you should seek the he
lp of Allah The Almighty and move ahead.
2- Moderation is very important, and you should never overburden yourself, as
the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ),
said: Do such deeds as you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving
rewards) until you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds). [Al-Bukh
ari and Muslim]
You should remember that there are blessings in perseverance. For example, whoev
er reads a Juz (portion) of the Quran every day will read the whole Quran in one
month, and whoever observes fast for three days every month will be rewarded as
if he had observed fast throughout the whole year. Likewise, whoever observes tw
elve voluntary Rakahs every day, Allah The Almighty will build a house for him in
Paradise, and so on.
3- You should know that it is unacceptable for whoever observes a good deed to
abandon it. It was narrated that Abdullaah ibn Amr ibn Al-Aas, may Allah be please
d with him, said, The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allah exalt his mention ), said to me: O Abdullaah! Do not be like so-and-so; he
used to get up at night (for voluntary prayer) but abandoned it later.

[Al-Bu
khari and Muslim]
4- Dear brother, remember what our righteous predecessors used to do. Aaishah, m
ay Allah be pleased with her, said that whenever our beloved Prophet Muhammad,
sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ), missed the ni
ght prayer because of illness or sleep, he would pray twelve Rakahs the next day.
[Muslim]
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ),
also once missed Itikaaf (staying in seclusion) and he made up for it in Shawwaa
l. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah
, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ), said to Bi
laal, may Allah be pleased with him: "O Bilaal, tell me about the most hopeful ac
t (i.e., one which you deem the most rewarding with Allah) you have done since y
ou accepted Islam because I heard the sound of the steps of your shoes in front
of me in Paradise.
Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, said, I do not conside
r any act more hopeful than that whenever I make ablution (or take a bath) in an
y hour of the night or day, I would immediately perform prayer for as long as wa
s destined for me to pray.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
However, the most amazing thing is what Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be plea
sed with him, used to do in response to the advice of the Prophet, sallallaah
u alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ), when he once visited hi
m and found him sleeping with his wife Faatimah, may Allah be pleased with
her, (daughter of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah e
xalt his mention )). Ali may Allah be pleased with him said, The Prophet sa
llallaahu
alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) placed his leg b
etween me and Faatimah may Allah be pleased with her and taught us what to
say when we go to bed, saying: When you go to your bed recite thirty-three times
Subhanallaah (Glory be to Allah), thirty-three times Alhamdulillaah (All praise
is for Allah), and thirty-four times Allah-u-Akbar (Allah is The Greatest). Ali a
dded By Allah, I never left this practice for the rest of my life. A man asked him
, Even on the night of the Battle of Siffeen? He said, Yes, I observed this even on
the night of Siffeen.[Al-Haakim: Saheeh]
If you contemplate over this narration, you will be amazed at the keenness and p

ersistence on doing good deeds even at times of war and bloodshed. None of these
distracted him from implementing the advice of the Prophet, sallallaahu
alay
hi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ), regarding what he should say up
on going to bed. Such stories and narrations should make you persist in doing go
od deeds and attempting to imitate the righteous predecessors and following thei
r path.