بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
12 years ago, I wrote a post that pictorially summarised the remaining half of Ramadan as a delicious cake just waiting to be savoured.
This year, the last third of Ramadan is left and two thirds have gone. So, we usually view the twenty days that have passed like this:
All we see is that most of Ramadan is over and “only” the last bit is left. Many people moan and groan until the 27th night (and also catch up on all that Eid shopping that they really need to do). Crowds of people appear in the masjids on the 27th night and then disappear for the last few days of Ramadan – because they need to “prepare” for Eid which means that they need to clean the house immaculately and prepare at least 10-15 dishes – either for all the guests who will visit on Eid or for the party that takes place in the park for the whole Muslim community of that area.
This happens EVERY year and many people still have not changed their routines (except during Covid where they were forced to do so).
Why don’t we change our perspective this year and try something different?
Firstly, the fact that two thirds of Ramadan have passed, should wake us up and motivate us to work hard for the remaining third, so that we can make up for any deficiencies in the first twenty days.
عَنْ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، – رضى الله عنهما -قال: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ – يَعْنِي لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ – فَإِنْ ضَعُفَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَوْ عَجَزَ فَلاَ يُغْلَبَنَّ عَلَى السَّبْعِ الْبَوَاقِي
Ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying: “Seek it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) in the last ten (nights). If one among you shows slackness and weakness (in the earlier part of Ramadan), it should not be allowed to prevail upon him in the last week.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 2621]
So, let’s look at the last ten nights like this:
See that slice of cake above? YOU are going to get that piece, which means YOU are going to focus on the last ten nights and YOU will savour them.
You need to motivate and remind yourself that you are going to have a great ten nights of Ramadan. If you do this, then you will take the steps to attain this.
An important thing to remember is NOT to view the last ten nights (in comparison to the first twenty days) like this:
But rather like this:
The first picture implies that each third of Ramadan is equal whereas the second shows us that one of the three pieces (i.e. the last third of Ramadan) has something that the others don’t have.
Simply put, the last third of Ramadan is the best third of Ramadan. In fact, they are the best nights of the year. They have within them a night which is better than a thousand months.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : أَتَاكُمْ رَمَضَانُ شَهْرٌ مُبَارَكٌ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْكُمْ صِيَامَهُ تُفْتَحُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَتُغْلَقُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَحِيمِ وَتُغَلُّ فِيهِ مَرَدَةُ الشَّيَاطِينِ لِلَّهِ فِيهِ لَيْلَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ مَنْ حُرِمَ خَيْرَهَا فَقَدْ حُرِمَ
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said: “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: ‘There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of the heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.'” [Sunan An-Nasai, Hadeeth No. 2108. Graded “sahih” (authentic) by Al-Albani.]
So what do we need to do this year to make our Ramadan end differently than the Ramadans of the past?
- Do lots of dua (supplication) that you have a successful Ramadan and that you maintain your actions beyond it.
- Review the last twenty days. Keep what worked and change what didn’t.
- Remember the virtues of Ramadan and the last ten nights. The following three posts will help:
The ten best nights vs. the ten best days
Ten special things about Laylatul Qadr
- You must intend to keep worshipping Allah and practicing Islam beyond Ramadan. You cannot expect to have an amazing ten nights when your mind is preoccupied with the movies you want to watch after Eid. This is where a lot of people fail. They only intend to worship Allah properly in the month of Ramadan and then want to be “free” after it. Well, they will truly be free when they understand that freedom, happiness, contentment and success is in worshipping Allah alone, throughout our lives until we die.
- Try to delay all the less important and less urgent stuff until after Eid.
- Focus on the Quran as much as possible. Try to increase in recitation and also try to read the translation of the part that will be recited in that night’s prayer (for those that do not understand Arabic).
- Decrease the amount of useless housework and cooking that needs to be done. You can leave the vast majority of it for the night before Eid – after Ramadan has ended.
- Intend to continue practicing Islam properly on Eid and beyond. Try to search for some good authentic courses to join after Eid because seeking Islamic knowledge is one of the best ways of keeping steadfast on the religion.
- Intend to celebrate Eid in a halal (permitted manner) and also to be very happy during it. We are only allowed to celebrate two days on a yearly basis i.e. Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr on a daily basis. Yet, people don’t celebrate as much on these two days as they should – although they were chosen for us by Allah. Instead they save their happiness for all the prohibited celebrations e.g. National Day, Hag Al-Laila, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Valentine’s Day! Truly, these kind of celebrations have a negative effect on one’s worship although many do not realise that, whereas magnifying the two Eids has a positive impact on one’s iman (faith) and worship.
- Slog away on these last nights!!!! That’s right. Push yourself! People give it their all for their final exams, work projects, competitions, etc. The last ten nights of Ramadan are more deserving of your efforts because it is linked to the Pleasure of Allah and the attainment of eternal Paradise.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ، وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ، وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ
Narrated Aishah (radiallahu anha): “With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadeeth No. 241]
But when do we sleep, you ask?
In the morning, I guess? Or if you have work/school/university, try to get a few hours after Fajr and maybe 1-2 hours after Isha (i.e. before the night prayer). We deprive ourselves of sleep for everything else in life, so why grumble about a lack of sleep for just ten nights? You can catch up on the missed sleep on Eid or after it. And meanwhile, we always have tea and coffee to see us through these last ten nights.*
[*Says the person who gave up caffeine this past October after 25 years. Oh well.]
Don’t forget to SAVOUR these nights and enjoy yourself. Savour them more than you would that delicious cake.
Keep going and be sure to give it your all until the moon of Shawwal is sighted.
After this? Well, we keep going. Not at the level that we were at in Ramadan obviously, but hopefully in a state of iman (faith) that is better than what we had prior to this great month.
We keep going (and improving) until we’ve crossed the finish line.
What’s the finish line? Not Eid.
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ
And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death). [Surah Al-Hijr (15) : 99]
Yes, death. That’s the finish line. Nobody knows when their finish line will come, which is why we cannot become lax.
May Allah accept our fasts, our prayers and all our good deeds and grant us a good end to our lives.