A Guide to Maintaining the Ramadan Spirit

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Ramadan is known as the “balance” in the life of a believer. It’s the month where we spiritually reset ourselves and retune our hearts to our actual purpose—to worship Allah.
However, it’s common to go into this month with a head full of goals and days stacked with ‘ibadah then ultimately crash and fall into a slump. This leads to days of poor concentration in worship and half-baked effort.
How can we ensure that our motivation stays alight throughout the month? Here’s a guide to maintaining the Ramadan spirit all throughout the blessed month:

Consistent Prayer

Even if you catch yourself slacking in voluntary acts of worship such as nawafil prayers or adhkar, do not let go of your salah. The Prophet SAWS said:
“The deed dearest to Allah is to perform the (daily compulsory) prayers at their (early) stated fixed time.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 527]
The 5 daily prayers are what keep you on track to do good deeds, without them, your other deeds hold little weight.
Think of it like this: if you had an important meeting later in the day, you would be preparing yourself for it the whole time before it. So why would you delay your meeting with Allah? Be punctual, and watch the blessings in your life multiply tenfold!

Recite and Reflect on the Qur’an

The words of the Qur’an is what feeds our hearts. You might notice that you’re doing all the right things—you’re praying consistently, you’re doing voluntary good deeds, you’re fasting, you’re giving charity, etc. but your ‘iman still feels low.
This is because you’re not nourishing your heart. Allah put healing power into the recitation of the Qur’an which is necessary for our hearts to find solace in worship.
But this doesn’t mean playing the Qur’an on loop or reciting whichever page you randomly land on. Plan out which surahs you want to study each day, recite them with conviction, read the translation, go through the tafseer for each ayah, and take notes if you want. The point is to learn it so you can apply it into your life.

Acts of Kindness

If you’re experiencing burnout from your regular acts of worship, try a different route. Spend some time with your family, help out in chores and cooking, help someone else with their ‘ibadah (such as helping them read the Qur’an), catch up with friends and extended family.
All these are acts of worship, if done with the intention of pleasing Allah. It’s best to alternate between (voluntary) acts of worship so we don’t become too accustomed to our regular acts and slacken our effort in them.

Gratitude

The month of Ramadan is the month of gratitude. With the absence of something that is so integral to our daily lives—food and drink—we remember to appreciate what we have and not take them for granted.
Show gratitute to Allah in your own way. Whether your decide to make a list of the blessings you’re thankful for or offer 2 ra’kahs of voluntary salah, Allah will reward you for your efforts, inshaAllah.
This will ultimately keep you motivated in your ‘ibadah, as Allah loves to keep His grateful slaves occupied with remembering Him so He can grant them even more blessings.

Seek Forgiveness

The power of istighfar is often neglected. This is an easy and simple act of ‘ibadah that we can do in whichever state, no matter where we are.
If you feel any negative feelings or you’re experiencing anxiety or laziness in your worship, continually make istighfar. It’s the weight of your sins that hold you down from doing acts of ‘ibadah, so never forget to ask Allah to remove the burden off of you.

Connect with Others

You will be amazed at the effect the people surrounding us has on our ‘ibadah. Righteous people will guide you to do righteous deeds, while lazy or wicked people will only demotivate you and cause you to sin.
If you want to make sure you don’t lose the Ramadan spirit, surround yourself with people who constantly remind you of Allah. Attend halaqahs, regularly speak to your righteous friends and family members, never miss Taraweeh at the masjid, and eat Iftar with your family.
Maintaining the Ramadan spirit requires conscious effort. Implement these practices consistently, and you’ll find that the essence of Ramadan can permeate your entire year. May Allah bless you with steadfastness and keep your heart illuminated with His light.

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