Halfway Through Ramadhan: Making the Most of What Remains

“I SWEAR BY Allah if the people in the graves were told, wish for something…they would wish for a day in Ramadhan.” (Ibn al Jawzi)

And here we are in Ramadhan and half of it has passed us by.

If, like me, you have been left wondering where the days went and how little was achieved in them, then reflect on the words of our Beloved ﷺ: “A man may do the deeds of the people of the Fire while in fact, he is one of the people of Paradise, and he may do the deeds of the people of Paradise while in fact, he belongs to the people of Fire. For indeed, (the rewards of) the deeds are decided by the last deeds.” (Bukhari)

A profound hadith that at the same time inspires both hope and serves as a warning.

Hope, for those who feel that they have not done enough in the days so far.

Take heed from the saying of Hasan al-Basri: “Improve your performance in what is left (of time) and you will be forgiven for that which has already passed. So, take special care of the time you have left because you do not know when your soul will be turned over to Allah’s Mercy.”

Take solace from the saying of Ibn Taymiyyah: “The lesson lies in the perfection of the conclusion of a thing, not in the shortcomings of the beginning of it.”

And take heart from the saying of Ibn al-Jawzi: “When the racehorse knows that it is nearing the end of the track it exerts all of its effort to win the race. Do not allow the racehorse to be cleverer than you. Indeed, deeds are judged by their conclusions. So, if you didn’t do well with welcoming Ramadan then perhaps you will do better bidding it farewell.”

So, if you are feeling a bit distant from Allah then know of His Closeness. If you feel unworthy to approach Him, know of His Forgiveness and Love. If you feel overburdened by His Law know His Wisdom and Mercy.

A warning to those who have started well and now risk becoming complacent and slowing down. The best is yet to come.

Finally more contemporary words of wisdom from the late Muhammad Ali who aptly said: ‘”Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”