Why people go back to sin after Ramadan – Al-Hikmah Chief Imam, Lafiagi

Islamic scholar and Chief Imam of Al-Hikmah University, Kwara State, Dr Sanusi Lafiagi, tells AYOOLA OLASUPO about the importance and blessings of the Islamic month of Ramadan and why many struggle to sustain post-Ramadan holiness Ramadan is often described as a month of mercy and transformation. What makes this period spiritually different from the rest of the year? Bismillahi al-Rahman Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), the month of Ramadan is very special in so many ways because it is a month of spiritual rejuvenation and a month of character formation. One of the things that make Ramadan very different and unique is the fact that the Prophet (S.A.W.) said whenever the month of Ramadan commences, all the gates to Jannah (paradise) are opened, all the gates to hellfire are closed, and the devils are put in chains. What this implies is that it is easier for the believer to attain Jannah in Ramadan than in any other month because the gates are opened in this month. It is more difficult for the believer to commit sins that will take him to hellfire in this month because all the gates to hellfire are shut, and the devils, who instigate and inspire people to commit sins against Allah, are in chains. This is why their influence is usually weakened in the month of Ramadan. So, as a result of this, Ramadan is very special for Muslims because it takes us closer to Allah’s mercy, farther away from His punishment, and also weakens the influence of the devils. Beyond abstinence from food and drink, what is the deeper purpose of Ramadan in a Muslim’s life? Abstinence from eating and drinking during certain hours of the day is just to prepare Muslims for the greater purpose of Ramadan, which includes self-discipline. Muslims not only abstains from eating and drinking, but also from making false statements, from acting upon falsehood, and from committing sins. Another one is effective time management. You have to wake up for Suhoor (the meal eaten before dawn during Ramadan), you have to break your fast at certain times, and then you will realise that people are even more cognisant of Solat (prayer) in this month than in any other month. Then people want to recite the Quran because Ramadan is the month of the Quran. So everybody tends to manage their time effectively. Nobody wants to waste their time surfing the internet, going on social media, or doing frivolous things that have no spiritual or moral value. Self-restraint is another thing. In the month of Ramadan, the Prophet (S.A.W.) said if any of you is fasting and someone insults or attacks him, let him not retaliate but let him respond by saying, ‘I am fasting.’ This teaches self-restraint and that a Muslim should prioritise forgiveness over retaliation, even when he is under pressure or when he is provoked. Another lesson we have learnt in Ramadan is charity. Abdullah bn Abbas said Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was the most charitable of people, and he usually gave charity more in the month of Ramadan. But why do some people find it difficult to continue with some of these good deeds after Ramadan? As I said earlier, the Prophet said that when the month of Ramadan commences, all the gates to Jannah are opened, all the gates to hellfire are closed and the devils are put in chains. Simply, what this implies is that with the passage of the month of Ramadan, things go back to their normal meaning that the gates of Jannah will be closed. It is more difficult at that time to attain Jannah because you have to put in extra effort. The gates of hellfire are opened. It is easier to commit these evil deeds. Then the devils are released, so once the devils are released, what else do we expect other than inspiring and inciting and seducing people to go back to their evil ways? This is why after Ramadan it is even more difficult for most people to maintain this consistent level of obedience and of worship of Allah, and of abstinence from evil deeds. From your experience, have you seen lives genuinely transformed during Ramadan? Absolutely! There are people who in the month of Ramadan were reformed, rejuvenated, and able to maintain that consistent level at least for a longer period of time beyond the month of Ramadan. We have seen people who abandoned gambling for the sake of Ramadan, and they didn’t return to it because they listened to admonitions that stated clearly that these things are forbidden and these are the punishments for people who do not abandon drinking alcohol, smoking, and so on. I have seen examples here around me in Ilorin. I can’t really collect names, but really there are people who were truly transformed by Ramadan, and after Ramadan they were able to maintain a constant level. Is it a sign of weak faith if someone returns to old sins after Ramadan, or is it just part of human nature? Absolutely! The human mind is weak, and it takes serious admonition and divine intervention to keep the human mind away from committing sins. Let me start by saying that sinning is natural. Nobody is infallible. Every one of us commits one sin or the other. The difference is maybe in the rate, the gravity, and the nature of the sin, but nobody is sinless. Secondly, committing a sin itself is a sign of the weakness of the heart. The heart is weak; that is why it commits sins, and most importantly, that someone returns to his sinning ways after Ramadan clearly indicates that such a person has only passed through Ramadan but has not allowed Ramadan to pass through him or her. It means that Ramadan has had no real impact on that person’s soul because if Ramadan has a real impact as a preparatory ground for how to live our lives after Ramadan, one should take a cue from his life during Ramadan and just abandon sin generally, in such a way that even if he is going to commit sins, it should not be major sins. How does Ramadan help address social issues such as greed, injustice, or lack of compassion in society? The month of Ramadan goes beyond just fasting. It’s also a month during which many Muslim scholars deliver lectures in terms of Tafsir-ul-Quran. In terms of morning, evening, and even night lectures, and there are many of us who are also invited to give lectures at different fora. So, when people come for these lectures, because it is Ramadan, everyone creates time to attend them. When people come for these lectures in the month of Ramadan, it has addressed many moral crises that we find in society. There are people who are giving testimony of the power because of the consistency in these lectures. After Ramadan it’s possibly maybe just once a week, but during Ramadan it is like an everyday thing. The more the heart listens to admonition consistently, the more it is likely to take one or two lessons. People may not be completely reformed to leave their vices, but to a very large extent some people take these lessons for as long as six months after Ramadan or thereabouts. For instance, society tends to be safer in Ramadan than outside Ramadan. That’s why you see that people are able to attend lectures at night and even return sometimes at 12 am or 1 am during Ramadan. But in any other month, nobody dares do that. That’s why you see that people wake up during the middle of the night and will be beating drums to wake others up for Suhoor in Ramadan. But in any other month they dare not do that because they would be scared of the darkness of the night So, it seems that Ramadan has a barakah (divine blessings) that makes society safe and gives us peace and tranquility. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s very rare in Ramadan to hear some of those criminal cases that we hear daily because the heart seems to be softened towards obedience. Do factors such as the environment, friends, social media, or workplace play any role in pulling people back into old patterns of living after Ramadan? It is true that the kind of friends we keep, the kind of environment we live in, and the kind of things we expose ourselves to have significant impacts on our character, and this is what the Prophet said: ‘Every one of you will be on the religion and character of his friend.’ So, be aware of whom you keep as friends, and then the scholars will also say that before you pick a place to live, check the neighbours, check the kind of people living in that environment because in one way or the other the company you keep, the environment you live in, and what you expose yourself to — the social media, the television and the like — have significant impact on how you think, behave, talk, and so on. Are there important moments Muslims are expected to take advantage of during Ramadan? In the month of Ramadan, there are certain key moments a Muslim must take advantage of. First of all, it is the nights of the month of Ramadan, especially the last 10 nights. The last 10 nights are the best of nights because one of these nights is called the Laylatul Qadr (night of majesty), the night of power, and it is a night during which Allah predetermines and predestines what will happen to all His creatures. It is on that night that whatever will happen to you in your life for the next one year is decreed by Allah. Worshipping Allah on this night alone is more significant and rewarding than an act of worship performed in 1,000 months. One thousand months is around 83 years and four months or thereabouts, and when you look at the average lifespan, according to the Prophet, the average lifespan is between 60 and 70. Only a few people will go beyond 70. So if an act of worship performed on this singular night is not equal but more rewarding than what is performed in a thousand nights, then this is a key moment that a Muslim must ensure he does not miss in terms of waking up for Salat in those 10 nights, giving charity and reciting the Quran. Another key moment is the last three days of the month of Ramadan, especially the Eid, which is the first of Shawwal. This is when Muslims are entitled to give Zakat ul-Fitr (the charity of breaking the fast). But one can start from the last three nights of the month of Ramadan. Giving Zakat ul-Fitr serves two purposes. The Prophet said Zakat ul-Fitr is food for the needy and it is also a purifier for the fasting Muslim because in the course of fasting we may have committed one infraction or the other, so giving Zakat ul-Fitr purifies all those infractions and also serves as food for the needy within the Muslim community. Most importantly, the last third of every night of Ramadan, just like any other night, is a period that the Prophet said Almighty Allah would descend to the lowest heaven and will start calling out His servants: who needs X? Who needs Y? Call on Me and ask Me, I will deliver it to you. This is a time that most people find more convenient to sleep. So most importantly in the month of Ramadan we must ensure that in the last third of every night we make judicious use of that time to submit to Allah. Is there any category of people who are exempted from fasting? Basically every Muslim, whether male or female, old or young, who has attained the age of puberty is obligated to fast in the month of Ramadan. However, some people are exempted from fasting, and these people are also of two categories. There is a category that is exempted from fasting and is expected to repay the fast after the completion of the month of Ramadan. Another category is required to feed a needy Muslim one square meal at the least in the month of Ramadan. So let’s start with the first one. If someone is ill — and when we say ill it doesn’t mean it has to be serious — as long as one is sick and cannot observe the fast, such a person is exempted but is required to repay the fast after Ramadan. However, if it is a terminal ailment such as diabetes or cancer or chronic ulcer, or ailments that are serious — kidney, heart, or liver problems — whatever it is that is considered to be chronic and medical experts have confirmed that this person needs to be on constant medication, he cannot fast. Such a person is only required to feed one person a square meal per day in lieu of the days of Ramadan that he has missed. The second category is menstruating women. When a woman is menstruating, she is exempted from fasting and observing Salat. But such a person will only repay her fast after the conclusion of her menstrual cycle. She will not repeat the Salat, so she has to repay the fast. Also, when a woman is pregnant or nursing a child, she is not automatically exempted from fasting unless fasting will affect her pregnancy or the breastfeeding of her child. If fasting becomes difficult for her, this is when it becomes necessary for her to abandon fasting. If the exempted person does not have the capacity to feed another person in lieu of the fasting days he or she missed, what will such a person do? It is nearly possible that one could not fast due to these reasons and does not have the means to feed anyone because he is also poor and needy. For such a person, Allah has not placed any burden on him. Allah will forgive him. Allah does not place a burden on a soul beyond what it can bear. So if such a person has people who can give him Sadaqa or Zakat (alms giving), then they can do it for him. But if he has no one to even help him with anything and he has nothing to do, he should just keep praying to Allah. That is all and there is no burden on him. What is the true measure of a successful Ramadan? Is it the intensity during the month or the consistency afterward? Both are important. When you look at the enormous rewards that Ramadan brings, one will agree that intensifying efforts in Ramadan is a key indicator of a successful Ramadan. However, when one considers the significance of consistent efforts to attain the Ultimate (Jannah), one will conclude that it is more important to remain consistent after Ramadan. Ayoola Olasupo