By Umm Ibrahim

We can never thank Allah enough for the blessed month of Ramadan, and the increase in worship it brings for us all. Almost all of us go one notch up than our pre-Ramadan selves in terms of worship. Maybe we read the Quran after months. Maybe we prayed Fajr on time after weeks. Maybe we made heartfelt dua after ages.

However, the real deal is not just to gel the Ramadan Iman Rush, but to try to maintain a certain level of iman (faith) and good deeds post-Ramadan. We should strive to exit Ramadan better than we entered it. Ramadan is like a training camp for us. The goal is: to instil taqwa (God-consciousness) in us!
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This Ramadan, I decided to select just three things that I would start in Ramadan and continue doing afterwards too.

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The first is post-Fajr Quran recitation. I might be reading an entire Juz everyday in Ramadan, but only a page a day afterwards. But that’s okay. The goal is to maintain the post-Fajr recitation, even if it be a few verses. Post-Ramadan, I should not revert to Post-Fajr slumber, or worse, slumbering through Fajr!

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The second goal is to start and then continue to pray the 2 rak’at of the amazing Duha* prayer daily after Ramadan . It just takes 5-10 minutes, and has amazing virtues and benefits.

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And the third goal is to make a habit of doing my muhasibah (self-accountability) before bed every night. I’m starting this in Ramadan and aiming to continue it later as well. I don’t want to get lost and distracted again. Holding yourself accountable keeps you on track.

I’m going to write these down where I can see them every day after Ramadan.

I challenge you to think of three good deeds that you plan to continue after Ramadan! Let Ramadan leave its mark on you!

Because after all, the most beloved deeds in the sight of Allah are not the sixers that you hit once in a while, but the steady flow of ones and twos that you would be able to hit at every ball.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“The most beloved of deeds in the sight of Allah are those done consistently, even if they be little.” (Bukhari)

*Duha prayer: It is an optional two-rakʿah prayer that the Prophet ﷺ prayed frequently and advised the companions to pray, and its time is between sunrise and Dhuhr.
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