How to Keep Going After Ramadan

aleikum wa rahmatullah. So how do I keep it going after Ramadan? Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah Allah Allah, he also have huge mine. This is a question, of course that many people think about a lot. They see that there is a better version of themselves beginning to surface, as this month is coming to a conclusion. Can I actually retain it? Or am I going to fall apart like most people, am I ever going to regress like I do, after most Ramadan's.

And so here are a few tips to help you steamroll ahead into the year after the month of Ramadan is over. I ask Allah to reward you for every intention you have made for this Ramadan and to multiply your reward for every action you've performed in this Ramadan. That is pleasing to Him. Allahumma Amin. So number one, steadfastness is by realizing that you can't keep it going on your own. That is, you know, even the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was a guide for humanity. But that doesn't mean he could actually get humanity's hearts to adopt guidance in Nicoletta demon, but you don't guide those whom you love. Allah told him, Allah subhanho wa Taala also said about him

about the prophets of Allah who Allah He was a lump in Nicoletta de la Surat, the Mr. Clean Surat Allah, you certainly guide or Mohammed to the path, the straight path, the path of Allah. In other words, you know, you can take a horse to water but can't make him drink that sort of concept. You guide you direct you identify, you inspire you motivate people, so the path, but that path belongs to Allah set up the law, he is the only one that owns it. And he is the only one that can guide someone to actually embrace it, align with it and embark on it. That is very helpful, because many times you're just carrying too heavy of a burden. And one of the reasons why you cannot be

consistent after Ramadan is that you're assuming it's completely up to you to be consistent after Ramadan. And when you say en cada Abu do a year kind of stay in, it's you we devote ourselves to Allah. And it's in you that we seek help with you that we seek a source of reliance and strength. That means you don't even seek it within yourself. So if you're seeking it from yourself, you're selling yourself short.

You know, words of affirmation are extremely helpful psychologically, but they are not so if you limit them to affirming your power. No, that's a lie. That modern culture has taught us that you are the master of your destiny, so long as you would put in enough effort, not true. Allah is the master of of our destiny if we rely upon him properly, and alongside that put it our max effort, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself, his most frequent dua supplication was yarmulke liberal Kulu with a bit kalbi, Allah de Nick, learn this dua as you're heading out of Ramadan, alternative of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion, upon being committed to this religion of

yours. And they asked him as NSN homeselling model the Allahu Anhu imaginary and they narrow it, they asked him why this dua in particular, you make more than anything else. And he said, The hearts all exist between suit fingers of a Roman the two fingers of the Most Merciful. For you, Mr. Calvin Arada annual FEMA who Akarma Who were you McKelvin are the New Zealand who has ever any heart that he wishes to make up right to keep steadfast The topic of this reminder. He keeps steadfast when Allah wants it done. It's done. It's that simple. And any heart he wishes to divert, meaning send away meaning and perfect justice. Of course, Allah gave us self control, but he may cause our

opportunities to expire, he may show us our weakness time and time again, any heart he seeks to send away essentially, it is that simple. So that's the first part. To know that Allah is your stronghold and keeping it together and consistent after Ramadan. The second part of this, you can't be steadfast can also be understood to tell you that Allah Himself will not allow you to see yourself as invincible, you will stumble after Ramadan, and that is fine. And that's very healthy for us to say because if you assume that you're going to be as good outside of Ramadan, as you were in Ramadan, then that's a faulty expectation and expectation that will frustrate you and it will get

you to give up altogether. You know, because a Muslim does not have an offseason. Our purpose revolves that

Around devotion and servitude to Allah. But Ramadan is intended as a high season, you are supposed to be, you know, a little bit more, you know, salient streamlining because like shaitan is locked away there's a social element so much right? The universe itself has transformed for your transformation. And, you know also to this point the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself was better than himself in Ramadan, wasn't he? You know, when when, if not best are the Allahu Anhu I said, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the most generous of people ever since I had built it. And the most generous he ever was, was in Ramadan when Gibreel would come to him and review with

him the Quran.

So no one ever out did our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in any category of good. He was the epitome of human excellence in every regard, whichever way you cut it, he comes out number one, but he outdid himself in Ramadan, which means what? He wasn't outside of Ramadan, the way he was in Ramadan. That's the point I'm getting at here. You know, similarly, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Who ever fasts, Ramadan, and then follows it up with six days of fasting in the following month in shall when they get their award of fasting the entire year, because 34 Six is 36 times 10, good deeds 10 times the reward for every good deed is 360. You know, it adds up, but look

at it from a different angle.

He just told us, if you're going to reduce, distill, reduce entirely right? Over fast Ramadan, all of it. And then fast show well, no fast, at least six days of Shaohua. So that concept of being reasonable. Having lowered expectations, being practical, can save your Ramadan, save your most important gains in Ramadan. Don't expect because if you expect to be just as good in Ramadan, and outside of Ramadan, then you see that it's impossible because you just weren't being practical yourself, forget it and you throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they say, you just abort the mission of piety altogether. You know, so that's the second tip number one you can't on your own

rely on Allah. Number two, you can't turn the whole year into Ramadan because then Ramadan wouldn't be special.

The third element here is you know, you can't

become sinless. So like the point before, it was about not performing as many good deeds be practical, but make sure you're still performing some some good, right some good habits you've developed in Ramadan. The third one is your sins. You will not become infallible after Ramadan where you never commit another sin. But the idea is to no longer surrender to sin no longer return to where you were not in Ramadan. But before Ramadan. You know, some people they build this you know fortress of Taqwa in Ramadan. And then they notice after the month Chitwan comes by saccade from every angle, he slips through one of the cracks of fly a little fly basically devilish fly slips

through the cracks. Instead of you know, like blocking out the crack and closing that making sure no, no more flies come in. Instead, you tear down your fortress to get the fly out or like you tear down the fortress out of frustration. Don't do that. If one since lips in, let it stop at one sin. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that is stuffy more than to hustle. Be steadfast and you will not fully be able to. This is not for us to take our sins lightly. But for us to not lose hope when we sin.

That is a very important concept and very important idea towards steadfastness. Even in the Quran, this concept is mirrored again and echoed and reinforced. Allah azza wa jal says first stepping Ely be steadfast in your journey towards him, was still fearful and seek his forgiveness. Because you're gonna have to recognize imperfections are part of the human experience. They can actually make us you know, in hindsight, ultimately better people. The fact that we fall into sin that is not about you know, you thinking sins are okay the Prophet alayhi salatu salam said people's Doom lays in the fact that they traveled trivialized sin. But at the same time, he told us if you didn't sin, Allah

who would do away with you and bring about a new people who do sin and seek his forgiveness, so he forgives them, right? You see, the danger in sin really is not the sin itself, because then we would all be danger in danger and there will be no hope for any of us. But it is in surrendering to the sins and allowing them to start a slippery slope into greater sense and so on and so forth.

And you know, that is actually one of the punishments of sin, that it makes the next sin easier. That's the real problem. It makes

You feel like Oh, I'm finished, I'm pathetic, I might as well just given to more that conflict inside you that sentiment that, you know, loss of self confidence in a sense or self regard. That is part of the punishment of sin that we have to endure in the proper way so that we don't

fall powerless to our sins to a life of sin, allow that to be our permanent condition. You see, because just because a punishment of a sin is another sin like it doesn't mean it has to be that way. Because the Prophet alayhi salatu salam also said,

what had to be I say at Al has an atom Hua and follow up a bad deed with a good deed. So it's possible to reverse the process, right? Follow up the bad deed with a good deed, it will erase it.

And so those three advices are huge. Number one, put your lions and Allah above all else. Number two, have practical expectations about your devotion outside of Ramadan, so that you don't throw it all out because you couldn't keep up with it all. And number three, when you sin, it's not over unless you got shaytaan to trick you into thinking yes, it is over. You know, you commit to this one stays at all. So I'm back to my horrible self. When you were in, it was actually being deceived into thinking you're back into your horrible self, that you actually walked with your own two feet back to that older version of yourself that you had a firm determination to walk away from at the

beginning of Ramadan. The last thing I will say is that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Be steadfast and you will not be able to he didn't leave us there. He said, Well, I love more than a hydra Matic masala and know that the most superior of your deeds is the Salah, the prayer and that is an insight to the bedrock, the infrastructure of your faith. Your salah, consistent five times a day, no negotiations when you dip into sin we should not be talking about these things. And if it's the sense of missing salah, it should be once in a blue moon and you you bounce back from it. You know with a fervent Salah is everything. It is the unmoved the central column of the

religion. It is what holds up the rest of your faith. It is the ultimate you know determinant of you know where you're at in terms of your relationship with Allah subhanaw taala it's your dial tone, there's no more dial tone, to you know, to let you know that there is still some sort of life there's still like a bond or connection between you and Allah. It is everything. It is what validates your Islam it is the foundation of your faith. So your Salah be an extremist when it comes to making sure your Salah is done on time within the timeframes. And then add to it the meaningfulness of your prayer. Understand the meanings of what yours. Invest in your prayer, learn

the meaning of some sorrows, attend some courses, read some books continue to add to your prayer. It is an endless climb and endless pursuit. And the best of this world is found in actualizing that the reality of the prayer the tranquility of the prayer, the connection of the prayer Salah is Silla, connect, don't disconnect yourself.

And then after Salah and wicked eye close, Allah azza wa jal said about salah, we'll use this ayah as the segue.

establish the prayer meaning do what's right. In the solid hand fascia it will move your Salah is what prevents you from all the other evils and in decencies and then Allah says whatever vicar Allahu Akbar, and the remembrance of God is greater. What does that mean? That means a lot of things, but I'll share with you two that are so beautiful. One of them is that you are remembering God when you pray. And so God Allah is telling you, my remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of me. It is the most beautiful thing for you to establish this holiday that will protect you from evil and and decency and all of that because you're remembering God on the dime on

his terms on his appointment, not your terms. You're truly His servant. That's the proof the Salah, but the fact that he's remembering you, you know, imagine someone mentioning you with a shout out in like a very, you know, high end platform front page of a newspaper on some big channel, some athlete or celebrity, they mentioned you and they praise you, you'd be like ecstatic. Allah is mentioning you to the highest company among sinless angels. It doesn't get better than that. And so Allah has mentioned of you remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of him in the sauna. That's the first meaning. The second meaning is Allah Vikram Allahu Akbar. Allah's remembrance is greater

meaning Allah's remembrance, you remembering Allah is greater than anything else, in deterring you from evil and indecency. That

Previous clause or passage in that area, and so with the point of Salah to establish the Salah, the most superior part of that is Leveque Rula ethical Allah Akbar, remembering Allah becoming mindful of Allah to the Salah is everything. And also be mindful of Allah outside of the Salah. The mindfulness of Allah is the greatest thing you can admit into your life. It's what Salah is all about, but also we are called to it throughout our days and nights. So remember Allah by saying Subhan Allah hamdulillah La Ilaha illa Allah Allahu Akbar Estelle Pharaoh La, La La La La Quwata illa biLlah. All of this Likud use it in your go when you're calm and you're in your elevators and

staircases and red lights and use it because that will retain so much of the mindfulness consciousness of Allah, which is what you were feeling in Ramadan and we were calling it taco. They go hand in hand that they could have Allah the telco of Allah, may Allah make us of the people of Vic and the people of Taqwa and those whose hearts do not leak and bleed all of it after the month of Ramadan is over. Keep a steadfast enable us to journey to him in a beautiful way, year after year, and grant us the most dignified and noble and pleasant and glorious, standing in front of him on the last day Allahumma Amin Zack Aloha Ilan Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah.