Ramadan is a training programme for us to attain God-consciousness. During the month, we starve our body to feed our soul. We become more aware of our actions, what we say and how we spend our time.  We increase in things that fulfil and nourish our soul such as reading the Qur’an and performing extra prayers. As we finish the blessed month, it’s imperative that we have an action plan that prevents us from reverting back to our behaviour pre-Ramadan and helps us to continue feeding our soul. Admittedly we may suffer the Ramadan blues and here are a few ways to combat this.

Ramadan is a special month because it reminds us of what we’re capable of and our potential in living a life that is pleasing to Allah. We are more acutely aware of Allah’s presence in our lives during the month. Think about it, what prevents you from breaking your fast in secret? It is because you know what Allah is cognizant of everything that you do. The world might not see you, but Allah is aware. This is the level of God-consciousness we should be striving to sustain after Ramadan. One where we know that Allah is a witness to everything that we do.

The formula for feeding our soul after Ramadan is obvious. It is acts of worship such as prayer, dhikr and reading the Qur’an. Below are some tips on how you can sustain these acts.

Plan from now

Don’t wait till Ramadan ends before you start to think about the habits you want to work on post-Ramadan. Have a vision of what you’re trying to achieve and write your goals down to make it more concrete. Break those goals down into monthly, weekly and daily so that it is specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-bound. Then put it somewhere where it’s visible.

Accountability

Accountability is crucial. Ultimately just like in Ramadan, the highest form of accountability is Allah. But make sure to utilize friends and family. Share your goals with them and ask them to check on you. You’re more likely to rescind on your goals if you’re the only person that knows about it. You may also find daily or monthly checklists like these created by Productive Muslim useful.

Consistency is your motto

It is better for you to start with small deeds that you work on throughout the year than start grand only to give up in the first month. Pace yourself. You would be surprised how much benefit you can get from a daily five-minute dhikr routine.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly even if they are few.”

Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 4240

Below is a beneficial video on the topic.

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