Month of Shawwal and good deeds in perpetuity

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For whoever fear Allah – and keeps patient – then, indeed, never shall Allah waste the reward of those who excel in doing good.” (Qur’an 12: 90). The celebration of Eid-el-Fitr ends the month of Ramadan and begins the month of Shawwal, the tenth month of the lunar calendar with a strong message.



Every year, Ramadan proves to us that we can increase our acts of worship for one straight month, even though the time for eating and sleeping has been reduced. Shawwal brings us a new month and a message that builds on our Ramadan performance: “Do good deeds in perpetuity.” That message is illustrated in the Prophet Muhammad’s words: “Whosoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a year.

” (Muslim). Even though Ramadan is over, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged the Muslims to continue the act of fasting and likened the reward of those six days with Ramadan to someone fasting for a full year. The import of this admonition and its reward is that good deeds should continue all year round.

A fantastic example of doing good works in perpetuity and the pleasant results it produces can be found in the biography of Prophet Yusuf (AS) as illustrated in the holy Qur’an. Allah (SWT) encourages us to explore his biography and benefit from the valuable lessons in his life. “Certainly, there were signs in Yusuf and his brothers for those who ask.

” (Qur’an 12:7). The study of many challenges he faced and how he overcame these challenges showed the power of Taqwah, the ultimate fruit of fasting whether during Ramadan or outside Ramadan. Indeed, through fasting, Muslims learn to control their desires, to be patient, and to trust in Allah’s provision – all these are illustrated in Prophet Yusuf’s life and encounters, first with his stepbrothers.

Prophet Yusuf’s stepbrothers were envious of him and plotted to get rid of him. They could not stand their father’s immense love for him. With an initial plan for murder, the stepbrothers eventually settled on jettisoning him without taking his life.

They decided to abandon him in a well and hoped he would ultimately be picked up by a caravan and taken far away. “Said a speaker among them, ‘Do not kill Yusuf but throw him into the bottom of the well; some travellers will pick him up’.” (Qur’an 12:10).

The stepbrothers did not expect, however, that Prophet Yusuf would be picked up and sold off to a royal court. Years after, Prophet Yusuf proved himself as trustworthy and skillful to the King. The King took advantage of his competences and appointed him as a Minister in the land.

Prophet Yusuf was in charge of storehouses of food and its ration. He had assumed authority and was able to travel wherever he wished: “And thus We established Yusuf in the land to settle therein wherever he willed.” (Qur’an 12:56).

With the Quranic narration about his life, it can be safely assumed that it would not have been difficult for Prophet Yusuf to locate his father, Prophet Yaqub, where his stepbrothers lived, and exact retribution for the crime the stepbrothers committed against him. Prophet Yaqub was a known figure at the time, and the royal court could have ascertained his whereabouts with ease. Amazingly, though, the Prophet Yusuf did not pursue his brothers.

Instead, he left the matter to God. And since he chose not to be revengeful, God took care of his affairs. God brought his brothers to him at his court one day, seeking ration.

During their visit, the King’s measuring cup went missing. Prophet Yusuf’s younger brother was being accused, and the stepbrothers were ready to believe the accusation. They also disparaged Yusuf in the process, not knowing that they were speaking to Prophet Yusuf.

“They said, ‘if he steals – a brother of his has stolen before.’ But Yusuf kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them.” (Qur’an 12:77).

What kind of response could we expect someone to give in this situation if they were in Yusuf’s place? The stepbrothers had almost gotten Yusuf killed in his youth, and many years later they were still vilifying him. Despite that, Prophet Yusuf dealt with them gracefully. “He said, ‘Do you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?’ (Qur’an 12:89).

The brothers suspected that they were speaking to Yusuf. “They said, ‘Are you indeed Yusuf?’ He said ‘I am Yusuf, and this is my brother. God has certainly favoured us.

Indeed, if one fears God and is patient, surely God does not cause the reward of those who do good to go amiss.” (Qur’an 12:90). Clearly from this Quranic verse, Prophet Yusuf indicated the secret to continuous good works: have certainty that “God does not cause the reward of those who do good to go amiss.

” That reward certainty fuels perpetuity. God elevated the status of Prophet Yusuf from a servant at a royal court to a Minister of the land who was later able to reunite with his family honourably. “Then he raised his parents to the throne, and they all fell in prostration to Yusuf, who then said, ‘O my dear father! This is the interpretation of my old dream.

My Lord has made it come true. He was indeed good to me when He freed me from prison and brought you all from the desert after Satan had ignited a rivalry between my siblings and me. Indeed, my Lord is subtle in fulfilling what He wills.

Surely, He is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Qur’an 12:100). Doing good works in perpetuity may go unnoticed by humankind, but God sees every ounce of it.

“An atom’s weight in the heavens or the earth is not hidden from Him nor anything smaller or larger than that, but is in a perfect Record.” (Qur’an 34:3) Because of Yusuf’s good works, God taught him valuable skills: “And when he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. This is how We reward the good-doers.

” (Qur’an 12:22). Those skills, especially the ability to interpret dreams, got him the Ministry position in the kingdom. Perpetual good works only produce positive results in our lives.

The message of Shawwal is one of celebration. We celebrate the ability God gave us to fast, to be charitable, to be generous, to be hospitable, to forgive others, and to do many other good works. The celebration, however, is not done on the last day of Ramadan, but in Shawwal because the outpour of good works should continue throughout the year.

The continuity of genuine good practices will ensure that our challenges will end well as all of Prophet Yusuf’s challenges ended well. The message is this: Taqwah (consciousness of Allah) and sabr (patience) that Ramadan has deposited in us should continue to guide our engagements with fellow human beings from this Shawwal and throughout the year. May Allah (SWT) accept all our ibaadah! Aameen!.