The Answer

Why is it much more difficult to stay consistent after Ramadan?

The most obvious answer is: Shaytaan is BACK in the picture…

قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَٰطَكَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ثُمَّ لَـَٔاتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَـٰكِرِينَ

“[Satan] said, ‘Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].’” [Al A`raf 7: 16 – 17)

On the other hand, something LEAVES us too; the extra blessings and special barakah effects of Ramadhan go away with it (from fasting, praying Taraweeh, Qiyyam, reading more Quran etc.) So that strange spiritual energy that you used to feel in Ramadhan… You don’t feel it anymore.

Hadith says that our sins bog us down spiritually. But in Ramadhan, Allah ﷻ is especially Merciful and forgives all of our previous sins so we feel spiritually “elevated”.

وَمَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan due to faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

But the presence of Shaytaan and a decrease in Barakah are not the ONLY reasons why it’s so hard for us to stay consistent post-Ramadhan.

You’ll find it MUCH more difficult to keep up with your Ibadah and self-improvement goals after Ramadhan because possibly the BIGGEST source of motivation is gone.

Can you guess what it is?

Community spirit

There’s a reason why Islam puts such a heavy emphasis on sticking together, motivating each other, forming a strong brotherhood etc.

“Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. Remember the favour of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and he brought your hearts together and you became brothers by his favour.” (Quran, 3:103).

Going to the Masjid for prayer is another great example of staying connected with other Muslims through spirituality.

Notice how easy it is to fast and stay disciplined enough not to BREAK your fast in Ramadhan. Notice how effortless it becomes to do more Ibadah than you usually do. Notice how doable praying Tahajjud becomes in Ramadhan. That’s because we have a powerful source of constant motivation in Ramadhan – each other. But as soon as Ramadhan ends, everyone begins following their own schedules… no more sitting together at Iftaar … or going to the Taraweeh together … or waking each other up for Tahajjud. No wonder we don’t feel the same when Ramadhan ends!

And that’s normal.

To be truthful – it can’t be any other way. Because if you feel the same way for the rest of the 11 months, as you do in Ramadhan, then Ramadhan won’t be special. Makes sense?

Another reason for the post-Ramadan dip, quite apparent but often missed, is fasting itself.

Fasting is one of the best ways for a Muslim to practice self-discipline. Compare your regular day to one of the days when you fasted… how were they different? You had a better control over your tongue while fasting? Stayed away from sins more consciously? Maybe even let go of some of your bad habits?

Why the massive difference?

Because the entire structure of SAUM teaches us self-discipline. To push us to discover our limits. To help us say NO to the desires of our Nafs repeatedly.

Knowing the reasons for the steep difference in our spirituality between Ramadhan and regular days can help us come up with an action plan for staying consistent on our goals after Ramadhan.

So what’s the process of getting out of the post-Ramadhan slump and moving forward…

First, you start with the mind-set!

We will discuss this further tomorrow, in sha Allah.