Deserted Mosques after Departure of Ramadan

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi
The departure of Ramadan puts us in a feeling of both eagerness and regret. On the one hand we are proud of passing Divine exams and fulfilling the commandments of Allah by fasting during Ramadan, but on the other hand, we truly regret missing the period full of the blessings and divine bounties. Departure of this noble month is well felt by those who experienced the real pleasure of fasting, breathed in the blissful and compassionate atmosphere of this month, and who were relieved of evils of the Satan.
All Muslims, more or less, feel a sense of sadness when Ramadan ends. However, the best thing we could do on this occasion is to take an account of ourselves. We need to do an evaluation of where we stand now after remaining hungry and thirsty for so long. We should ask ourselves certain questions like where we were before the arrival of Ramadan and where we are moving now after passing the thirty days of fasting. Let this self-introspection lead us to feel infinite happiness for the good we have done throughout the month and remorse for the bad which we have not yet changed, even at the end of Ramadan.
One of the best times to do this evaluation is the last part of the night. Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet as saying: “When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims: Is there anyone supplicating to Me, so that I grant his supplication? Is there anyone asking Me for anything so that I grant him his wish? Is there anyone who seeks My forgiveness, so that I forgive him?” (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
Besides making prayers for our wellbeing, it’s time we turn inward and question ourselves as to why our faith is so short-lived that it is mercilessly let down soon after the end of Ramadan? Why the effects of our thirty day-long fast, night supplications, congregational prayers, group gatherings of Iftar and Dua gradually fade away and our bad habits and vicious acts rear their ugly head once the month is over? 
Is not astonishing to see the mosques, which were jam-packed by devotional Namazis during Ramadan, stand empty and deserted after the prayer of Eid-ul-Fitr?
It is really shocking to find that those who loudly claim themselves to be “practising Muslims” by strictly guarding upon their five time prayers, reciting the Quran, giving charity and doing other virtuous deeds during Ramadan, come to a halt when the month draws to an end.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])