Ramadan is over. Eid is over. How are you feeling?

Generally, two kinds of emotions set in after the end of the holy month.

One kind is that of contentment, which results from making the most of Ramadan, including intensive reciting of the Quran, offering nightlong prayers, giving zakat, being good to other human beings, and staying away from evil.

To feel content after such sincere adherence to the commandments of Allah and the ways of the Prophet (SAW) is a good feeling, and is indicative of gratitude to Allah. It is, therefore, a sign of faith. That said, however, one should not feel so satisfied that he/she has “done enough” and “need not do more”. Ramadan should be looked at as a training period – a month in which we train our souls for the entire year, to do our best to be believing, practising Muslims for the next 11 months, indeed for our whole lives. There is a wisdom behind Allah prescribing rigorous worship for one whole month – so that we should try to follow as much as we can the tenets of the faith for the rest of the year. Remember, we do not worship Ramadan, we worship Allah. And Allah’s Mercy, Grace and Blessings are for all time.

The second kind of emotion is that of regret – regret that you did not make enough dua, that you did not recite enough of the Quran or did not recite at all, that you did not stay up the entire night for worship, that you did not do enough good deeds, that indeed you did somethings which were not right. Lamenting your lack of worship is a sign of faith too, and one should be grateful to Allah for this feeling of guilt. If you feel this way, remember that just because Ramadan is over, it does not mean that the time for intensive worship and doing good deeds is also over. Allah’s Mercy and Grace is for the entire time, not just for Ramadan. Of course, there are special rewards for worship in Ramadan, but that does not mean you will not be rewarded if you worship the entire year. Any act of worship done with sincerity, humility, and the aim to seek Allah’s Blessings and Forgiveness, will be rewarded by Allah if He Wills. And He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

You can fix to your walls some spiritual reminders. At our store, we make Islamic calligraphy art on canvas – that is, verses of the Quran are written in a calligraphic style and then printed on high-quality canvas. Do check out our collection if you would like to put these on your walls or gift them to your loved ones.