In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Prophet Muhammad.

Ramadan for a Muslim is an opportunity to get closer to Allah. It is a period of devotion during which a Muslim should invest time and effort in various acts of worship that ultimately aim at attaining a high level of spirituality, soul-purification and fear of Allah.

Many Muslims feel the spirituality of Ramadan through observing devotional practices. But soon after the lapse of the blessed month, a number of these Muslims lose the momentum and even suffer setbacks.

Still others have managed to make maximum use of Ramadan and have become well-trained to go through the worldly challenges.

The difference between the two groups is a matter of attitude. To keep the spirit of Ramadan we need to change our attitude toward Ramadan.

A Muslim has to realize that the Lord of Ramadan is the Lord of the entire year. Ramadan is a training course that enables us to see our positive side, potentials, and strong will to overcome our bodily hindrances.

The thrust gained in Ramadan should be maintained as far as possible by:

1- Having the good intention of showing gratitude to Allah for the blessings of Ramadan.

2- Imploring Allah to give help and support.

3- Fearing to lose the high credit of rewards gained in Ramadan.

4- Knowing that good deeds are only accepted from those who are God-fearing.

5- Knowing that the sign of Allah’s acceptance of good deeds is to enable the worshipper to do more good deeds.

6- Avoiding evil deeds, for they weaken one’s heart.

7- If it is difficult to maintain the same level of worship reached during Ramadan, one should not also cut off all kinds of worship he was doing. Still one should observe voluntary fasting and prayers, read parts of the Quran every day, keep daily kinds of dhikr (remembrance of Allah), etc.

These will keep up religious spirit.

May Allah help all of us to keep the spirit of Ramadan.

Almighty Allah knows best.