What To Do After Ramadhan?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Ramadhan has come and gone. But our worship should not end or drastically decrease with the end of Ramadhan. Our worship continues until we die.

If you can fast a whole month, you should be able to fast the six days in this month of Shawwal. There is a tremendous virtue to fast the 6 days in Shawwal.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and he follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted the whole year.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Whoever fasts Ramadhan and follows it up with six from Shawwal, it is as though he has fasted all of time, because each day is equivalent to ten days. Whoever performs a good deed, he will have ten like it.

It is also Sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, to fast Mondays, Thursdays, three white days of each lunar month, the day of Arafah, the first 10 days of Zulhijjah, Ashura, and most of Sha'ban and Muharram. So, try to fast on these days as much as you can.

You stood for a few hours for Taraweeh and qiyamu lail in Ramadhan, and that was a good month long practice indeed. So you should not have much problem performing extra prayers and waking up for tahajjud every night.

You read and listened to a lot of Qur'an in Ramadhan. Don't stop doing this. Read the Qur'an regularly and listen attentively to Qur'an everyday. It is recommended to complete reciting the entire Qur'an at least every 30 or 40 days. If you haven't studied the Qur'an with a qualified teacher, you should plan to do so as soon as possible. Reading Qur'an the correct way is the way of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is incumbent upon every Muslim to learn how to read the Qur'an properly in order to recite the verses correctly especially during prayer.

You had self restraint in Ramadhan. You held yourself from food and drink during the day and you eat little at night because your stomach has shrunk. Don't expand it by eating beyond your fill during this Eid celebration and forward. Some of you quit smoking in Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah. You have more patience in Ramadhan. Don't let your nafs take you back to your bad old habits before Ramadhan and avoid the unlawful.

You were generous and charitable, not just with your money but also with your heart. You gave sadaqatul fitr, zakat and extra charity, and you forgave a lot of people. Continue to give charity all throughout the year and before you go to sleep, forgive those who have wronged you and ask Allah for their forgiveness.

Always on a look out for opportunities to do good and seek His Mercy and Pleasure. Pound on that door of opportunity. Be The First.

May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam