Come back to Allah. He will never forsake you.
Ramadan has ended. It has slipped away, as the day passes, leaving behind darkness of the night. It is a month mentioned in the Qur’an. It is a month we look forward to all year round, as it has the power to revive our eman, redefine our purpose, and give us the motivation to rejuvenate our efforts. It is a personal savior, a gift from God. However, after the darkness, there is no doubt that light will emerge again. This is the attitude we need to have, especially as the Qur’an is full of hope, for all those who yearn for it.
Ramadan may have not been what you wanted, but, Allah 
is still here for you. You may have have fallen short, or struggled to fulfill the basics, but still, Allah will never forsake you. Do not let the darkness of the ocean drown you. Hold on to the hope, that the day will emerge and the darkness will be driven away.
He reminds every person who is struggling of His mercy, He said:
“O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.” (Az-Zumar, 39:53-54)
Allah is Al-Ghafur (The All-Forgiving), He is Ar-Raheem (The All-Merciful). His rahma (mercy) will envelope all your sins. I know many of you may have come into Ramadan with high hopes, and disappointed with the end result, but I assure you, you have not failed, even if you fell short of your own expectations. Allah will never give up on you. He wants you to have hope in Him. He wants you to believe in yourself. He wants you to believe in what you can be, not what you are right now.
The fight is not over – it has just began!
Even though Ramadan has left, it is not over. The Day of Reckoning has not come, and this is a sign, Allah wants to hold you to a higher standard. He believes in your potential, even if you may not. Allah has a message for you. He wants you to keep going. He wants you to keep being repentant. He wants you turn to Him again.
This is His message of hope for you:
“Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Al-Furqan, 25:70)
He just wants you to make an effort. It does not have be big, but it must be genuine. Remember the woman who worked as a prostitute? Allah forgave her.
The Prophet
said:
“Allah had once forgiven a prostitute. She passed by a dog panting near a well. Seeing that thirst had nearly killed him, she took off her shoe, tied it to her scarf, and drew up some water. Allah forgave her for that.” 1
Do you know why? He is the Ultimate Judge. He is Al-Basir (The All-Seeing) and He is As-Sami’ (The All-Hearing). He can see and hear what others cannot. He understands what others choose to ignore due to their own prejudices. He truly appreciates your struggles, He sees your tears, He feels your heart break after a sin, and He truly cares. You are so important to Him.
More than you will ever know.
There is a prophetic hadith which is profound, as it a reminder for every young man, and woman who has sinned.
Ibn Mas`ud narrated: “A man kissed a woman (unlawfully) and then went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him. So Allah revealed: “And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.” (Al Hud, 11:114) The man asked the Prophet : “Is it for me only?” The Prophet replied, “It is for all the people of my Ummah.”
SubhanAllah! Whenever we think of the companions of the Prophet, we view them in the lens of perfection, and for some, this makes them incomprehensible and unrelatable. But, the companions of the Prophet were the most relatable people you will ever meet. They were perfect examples, because they had imperfect pasts, but overcame them. They loved Allah, and struggled, and strove until they achieved His pleasure. They did not give up on themselves, and this was their sunnah.
He will return you to safety.
In the Qur’an, Allah made a comparison between darkness and light, when He said: “By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.” (Al– Maida, 5:16)
In Tafsir ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir explained this verse. He says, Allah brings the believers to safety, and righteousness. He will bring you safety. He will protect you, even from your own self. 2
I appreciated this verse in Ramadan, 2013. I was involved a car accident as we returned from the Mosque. SubhanAllah, our car was completely destroyed, but all of us miraculously survived. Profoundly, an ambulance was driving past as we emerged out of the car, terrified, but grateful. My cousin, a few seconds before the car crash put on her seat belt, even though she forgot when we originally began the journey. I was on the phone to my cousins, and tasted the closeness to death.
As I reflect over the accident, I came to the realization that it was Allahwho brought us to safety. He protected us from harm. He saved my family from darkness, and brought them light. He gave us the opportunity to try again.
Similarly, Allah will grant you the opportunities to come back to Him, again and again. This opportunity is for you. Grab it. Embrace it, as it is a priceless gift from Allah, to you.
I know countless men and women who have fallen into the darkest depths of sin, only to return again. This Ramadan, whatever your state, make a firm intention to see a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is far away. Make an intention to board the train of spirituality, even if it is late. Board it, even if you lose your train ticket, because the Driver will not fine you. He will be merciful enough to give you the chance to purchase another one. Come aboard and do not return home. Refuse to leave the train station without boarding your train, because the mercy of your Creator is vast!
Let us enter Shawwal together, in high spirits, in hope that we will start again, even if we are in the middle of an ocean. The rescue team is near, just make the call.
Make the call, today. Raise your hands, let your tears fall, and pray. Please share your views and thoughts in the comments section below. 🙂
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sister Alima Ashfaq is the founder and director of “I am Alima”, and “Women Of Ilm”. Her aim in life is to assist Muslim women in coming closer to Allah 
through Islamic knowledge. She has studied under various scholars and students of knowledge in order to gain an extra insight into her religion and to better herself in her role as an “I am Alima” instructor. Sr. Alima has been a part of various organisations and has also held a number of leadership positions. Besides this, she has also lectured in all the main Universities in the UK, including the University of Birmingham and the Sheffield University. She also has a flair for writing and has authored Du’as of Superstars, Love Unveiled and Falling in Love. Furthermore, she has compiled and edited the Threads of Hope in conjunction with Sh. Muhammad Alshareef and I am Alima.
- Sahih al-Bukhari; 3143, Sahih Muslim; 2245 ↩
- Ibn Kathir says: “He thus saves them from destruction and explains to them the best, most clear path. Therefore, He protects them from what they fear, and brings about the best of what they long for, all the while ridding them of misguidance and directing them to the best, most righteous state of being.” ↩
41 replies on “Planning for Life after Ramadan [Part I]”
SubhanAllah The mercy of Allah swt is vast will never end on His beloved creations! this is my request to give a chance do little things for His creation though your platform..! jazakAllah
Sidra Naheed from pakistan
This touches my heart, I just want to cry. Alhmadulilah for this post, may Allah reward you on your generosity of sharing this knowledge.
Aselamualeikum Sister, Jezakillah heir for the great article. The moment i start reading the article, i feel like it was intentionally written for me. I felt so optimistic to accomplish lots of good deeds in this Ramadan so my sins would be forgiven. But i fell short to keep my promises and somehow guilt is killing me. I prayed to Allah (sw) to give me a good job so i can feed my two little kids. I was very positive that Allah will reply to my dua very shortly. Am still positive that he will, but some part of me fears that Allah may test me by not giving me the job (rezik) to feed my children because of my sins. I ask Allah not to put my kids in trouble because of my sins. I feel like me and my family are in darkness. But am still trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. One day, very soon, I do hope Allah will provide me with the money i need not only to support my family but the ummah who needed my help. I was crying while i was reading and writing this, but I feel the sense of hope filling me up once again. May Allah bless you and your family!
Assalamualaikum Sister Munira. May Allah fulfill your dream and bless you and your family
MashaAllah this post ramadam booster is just what i needed. May Allah reward u sis
Thank you so much … it really gives me hope and In Sha Allah i will look forward in doing by best not to give up.. May Swt forgive all of us..
Thanks very much for such an uplifting article. indeed Ramadan is over but Allah is always there. What a blessing to be in the Deen of Allah, which he (SW) has accepted and pleased with.
It’s so hard and painful but I will get back up and humble myself even more so. I’ll will become still and reflect. I only need Allah an no knew else his my friend,my comforter and my deliverer.
MaashaAllaah may Allaah reward you for your efforts. What an inspiring article. May Allaah forgive us all for our shortcomings
Assalamo-alaekum sister
I hv read so many articles on IOU and also i jv tried to imitate that material into my life bt this article is quite different frm others as i am in turmoil situation but aftr reading this article i hv cleared all my doubts and now i am feeling very confident about allah subhan o taala mercy.
Thnx a lot
Be remember me in dua
Jazakallahu khayran
Fi amanillah
Allah hafiz
Beautiful article. Soul touching
Alhamdulillah what an Inspirational article. I I was reading it tears are rolling out of my eyes. Indeed the mercy of Allah is ever alive n as believers we should never give up hope in Him. Jazakallahu khair sister may Allah bless you and your family
Asalam wa Alaikum. Thank you for posting this reminder, very interesting and it give hope to us all. We think sometimes that Allah has forsaken us because our duaas are not answered right away. But I have come to understand that Allah knows when it is the right time for us to get what we need not want we want. May Allah bless and reward you for this inspiring message.
SubhaanaLLah, it really touched my heart soo much. I literally feel like this article was written for me, talking to me and reassuring me that Allah Azzawajal will not foresake HIS slaves no matter how we sin. I loved tis part the most “Make an intention to board the train of spirituality, even if it is late. Board it, even if you lose your train ticket, because the Driver will not fine you. He Subhaanahu Wa Taala will be merciful enough to give you the chance to purchase another one. Come aboard and do not return home. Refuse to leave the train station without boarding your train, because the mercy of your Creator is vast!” jazakiLLahu kheyr.
Jazakumullahu khair ,thank you so much for the message sis.
Alhamdullilah this article is great and shows clearly the mercy of Allah swt .Allahu Akbar never give up that is the home take. This is really posted my ee maan., it is touching to the soul. Fajazakillahu khayra .
May Allah Ta’ala, reward you abundantly for the encouragement. May it benefit us all .
What a beautifully written article. Very inspiring and motivational. I need to bookmark this and refer to it time and time again.
Very great article which make anyone more pious. Kindly share more and more articles like this. May Allah bless you.
Thanks. it’s really helped me to stay on d train. May Bless us.
Beautiful. Thank you
Assalamualaikum….
Thanku so much I really needed something like this…
🙂 jazakAllah
Jazaka Allahu khairan sister. This article is truely inspiring. Indeed Allah swt is the most merciful and He swt says in the glorious Quran that he won’t punish us whilst we seek for forgiveness and subhan’allah we are really blessed with so many ways to attain Allah’s pleasure.
A.alaikum Shukran jazakallahu khairan for the WISDOM
Alhamdulillah. JazakaAllahu khair sis. May Allah reward you abundantly. What a motivational article. May Allah Azzawajal forgive us all for our shortcomings.
JazaakAllahu Khairan for this inspirational piece
May Allah SWT grant you to continue to inspire the Ummah In shaa Allah
Tauhirah
Cape Town SA
Why do i feel like every single sentence in this article has been written for me? It has given me just the kind of optimism i needed in life. Can’t thank Allah enough!
shukran jazilan for this inspiring article
MashAllah,such a beautiful article!
Alhamdolillah, this is very spiritual article. May Allah guids us to His strieght path in every moment of our life till death.Ameen Ya Rab.
When I finished reading this article, I felt Muslims in my country need it most. A lot of atrocities are being commited now just few days after ramadan. May Allah make it easy for us to repent and do good deeds
This write-up comes at its desired time. when I went through it, I felt muslims in my community need it most. many evils are being commited just few days after Ramadan. It’s as if such people had not passed through Ramadan. May Allah reward the writer and may He simplifies our way to repentance as well as doing good deeds.
Jazakallah for the article..
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this message. I needed to hear every word. May Allah reward you in this life and in the hereafter. Ameen.
[…] Part I | Part II […]
Assalaamu ‘alaykum,
BarakAllahu feekum for all your encouraging words. Truly, all goodness is from Allah, we are just carriers of His message. To all of you who have benefitted, Allah (swt) wants good for you, even if you fail a thousand times. Don’t give up, ever. I pray you continue to benefit from the articles inshaAllah.
Your sis,
Alima
very inspiring article and a great reminder. may Allah accept our prayer and guide us more to the straight path. Jazaka Allahu.
[…] Part I | Part II| Part III […]
subhanallah..excellent blog..may allah make all of us successful in achieving the same spirituality as we tasted it in Ramazan..
[…] Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV […]
Subhanallah Nice article..