Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan by Abuz Zubair
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan
Muslims tend to have varying level of commitment to Islam. While some pray 5 times a day without a miss and on time, others have a hit-and-miss relationship with the prayer, and the same can be said about all other aspects of Islam. Comes Ramadan and we would find it hard to notice a single Muslim who is not fasting. Suddenly, the entire Muslim community becomes gripped with a spiritual revolution. By the end of Ramadan, there remains no Muslim who has not changed for the better, even slightly.
The trouble is, however, most people cannot sustain the change post Ramadan and get back to their old habits within weeks, and sometimes days of parting with the blessed month. This happens due to a number of reasons, including:
1) Lack of awareness about the objectives of Ramadan and fasting
2) Too much focus on the rituals with little attention to the spirit of Ramadan
3) No set of goals, ambitions or targets to achieve in this month
4) Lack of priorities, organisation and time management
The Prophet SAW said, “Ramadan to Ramadan is expiation of ones sins”, but it only holds true if a person manages to sustain the benefits of one Ramadan to the next. Otherwise, it makes no sense why a person should be forgiven for the entire year for having spent a spiritless Ramadan which loses its impact on the day of Eid. We all know the main objective of Ramadan is to attain Taqwa, but what we often don’t think about is how Ramadan actually strengthens Taqwa in our heart, especially in the months following Ramadan to the next.
The month of Ramadan, featuring 29/30 consecutive days of going without food and drink during daylight working hours, standing long in the evenings and finishing the Quran, is engineered to change our habits. Habits do not change after a short lecture, or a day’s workshop. Developing and changing habits is a lifetime commitment, and a month of ‘Ramadan regime’ is a concentrated and intensive exercise to change old habits and instil new ones. Islam obligates this regime upon the entire Ummah once a year to ensure the Ummah remains productive, efficient and spiritually alive. We must change the way we think about Ramadan in order to feel its long-lasting positive impact.
Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food, drink and marital relations from dawn to dusk. It is about doing so with Iman and Ihtisab (doing it sincerely for Allah and seeking his reward), as the Prophet SAW said. This much is common knowledge, but what most people tend to be ignorant of is what it practically means to fast with Iman and Ihtisab, how that’s reflected in our actions, and how that actually changes our habits and makes us better people, and therefore attain – and retain – Taqwa.
In the coming days leading up to Ramadan, I will be sharing practical tips on how to make this Ramadan most productive by setting realistic targets and plans to achieve them, thereby increasing our chances of having all our past sins forgiven as per the Prophet’s Hadeeth: “Whoever fasts the Ramadan out of pure faith, hoping for Allah’s rewards, will have all his past sins forgiven”
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 2
Significance Planning for a Rewarding Ramadan
Planning is crucial for any successful endeavour, from business to pleasure. Yes, there are many successful businesses and memorable holidays which may have transpired with very little planning. However, lack of planning keeps one from maximising one’s potential. Forward thinking and planning is one of the key differentiators between high achievers and the rest. Businessmen and entrepreneurs will know they haven’t a chance of attracting investors without a realistic and convincing business plan in place. Lack of planning is indicative of lack of direction, control and even enthusiasm.
Same principles apply to our relationship with Allah, and in particular how we prepare ourselves for Ramadan. Our plan, or lack of one, is indicative of the seriousness with which we welcome this month. Our level of seriousness has a direct impact on how much we achieve.
The Prophet SAW said, “Allah has ordered perfection in everything … When you slaughter, do so perfectly”, as he also said, “Verily, Allah loves that when anyone of you does a job he should perfect it.” No customer or a boss would like to be served half-heartedly with low quality of work. The Lord of the worlds is therefore more worthy of our perfection in the blessed month of Ramadan than anyone else we may be accountable to.
I say this because our community tends to have a very lackadaisical attitude about everything in life – especially religious matters – and even a suggestion of planning ahead is often laughed at, or simply brushed aside as some modern business gimmick. So those who really want to perfect their Ramadan this time, and be practical and realistic about achieving set goals, they must change their mindset and accept the basic principle of life – for every achievable objective, there has to be a realistic plan to achieve it. If we are serious about changing this Ramadan, and retaining this change thereafter, we need to reflect our seriousness in a practical plan.
Every realistic plan must have the following necessary ingredients;
a) Identifying the goals
b) Setting realistic deadlines
c) Provisioning of sufficient time and resources to meet the set deadlines
d) Monitoring progress and performance throughout the implementation of the plan
So what does it all mean in terms of Ramadan planning? We can start off with setting out our goals:
1) Fasting the whole of Ramadan with Iman and Ihtisab
2) Finishing the Quran, if possible, with meaning
3) Tarawih every night and Qiyam in the last ten
4) I’tikaf if possible
5) Not allowing the month to affect our productivity
6) Zakat if applicable
7) Zakat al-Fitr
8) Eid preparations, including socialising and gifts
9) Maintaining the good lifestyle and taqwa achieved in Ramadan
The above set of targets form a very generic template for Ramadan, however, targets for each individual will be different according to his/her needs and capacity. In the forthcoming parts we will home in on each of these targets and plan them out in detail, but feel free to add to the list other targets you feel should be included.
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 3
1st Objective – Fasting the whole of Ramadan with Iman and Ihtisab
The Prophet SAW said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan with Iman and Ihtisab, all his previous sins will be forgiven”. What’s important to note here is the emphasis on Iman and Ihtisab. In other words, there are plenty who fast, but very few who fast with Iman and Ihtisab. So while a person’s fasts may technically be valid, if he does not put his heart into it, and feels the spiritual joy of fasting and breaking the fast, he may not attain much from it, as the Prophet SAW said, “Perhaps all a person may achieve from his fast is hunger and thirst!” A fast without Iman and Ihtisab is like a body without life and soul.
The objective of fasting is not to abstain from food and drink. Abstinence is only ordained as a means to restraining our souls from greed and other sins, train us on patience, discover our true selves, make us introspective and to nourish our souls. Hence, one’s objective should not only be to eat suhur, fast and have iftar, but more importantly to focus on how this regime is meant to change him or her as a person.
1) Sincerity
We all know many of us who may pray in public, may miss our prayers in private, or not offer them with the same level of devotion. Yet, we also know that no matter how weak we may be in our prayers or other aspects of Islam, we would never break our fast behind closed doors just because no one is watching. This is the power of fasting, which is why a Hadeeth Qudsi states, “All good acts of son of Adam are for him, except for fasting, for that is purely for me and I particularly will reward him for it.” Fasting in Ramadan encourages sincerity, genuineness, honesty and modesty. Our aim should therefore be to allow this characteristic to permeate the rest of our life from religious to social. Practically speaking, just as we maintain our fasts whether we’re in public or private, we should endeavour to maintain our prayers and all other acts of worship the same in public and private. Just as we refrain from committing sins in public out of embarrassment, fasting should make us feel equally embarrassed to commit those sins when we’re alone.
2) Self-control
Food and drink give us energy, often too much to act responsibly. Lack of food and drink slows us down, giving us the much needed space between external stimuli and our response. This in essence what patience is about, i.e. thinking twice before taking the right course of action. Given that the lack of energy most probably wouldn’t allow one of us to react violently to provocation, our tongue nevertheless happens to be the most trigger-happy part of our body, which often bypasses our decision making unit (combination of heart and mind) and blurts out words like a machine gun that prove to be more devastating than bullets.
As the Prophet SAW said to Mu’adh, most people will be thrown in Hell on their faces on account of what they had said. Early scholars of Islam used to say “The tongue of a believer comes after his heart. If he wants to say anything he contemplates it in his heart and only then passes it off on his tongue. However, the tongue of a hypocrite comes before his heart. If he wants to say something, he just blurts it out without thinking”
Therefore, one of the objectives of fasting is to control our tongue. The Prophet SAW further emphasised its importance by warning us that the one who does not give up abusive language in Ramadan, Allah isn’t in need of him abandoning food or drink. He further advised us not to respond to provocation with its like, but instead to remind the abusive person that he is fasting and remain silent. This point is absolutely crucial because a large number of Muslims ruin their month by falling into useless argumentation about fiqhi differences that have existed for over a thousand years and they probably are not going to be resolved in the next hundred years. Year in year out, there are heated debates about moon-sighting, the number of raka’at in tarawih and now the prayer timing for Fajr and Isha. As bystanders – which most of us happen to be – it is important not to get involved in these endless debates, not before, during nor after Ramadan, because they completely ruin the purpose of this month. The early Imams would stop holding their circles about Hadeeth explanation and so on, just so they can focus on reciting the Quran over and over. It makes no sense at all then to debate issues that are very subjective by their nature, and considering most of the participants in such debates on social media have no grounding in Islamic Law at all, they have no right to champion one view over another.
The scholars and academics have even a greater responsibility of not pushing their views in a controversial way that causes confusion and discord amongst the masses and completely distracts them from where their focus should really be, and that is to prepare to get the most out of Ramadan.
The other important objective of Ramadan is our eating habits and lifestyle, but that needs a separate post!
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 4
3) Changing our eating habits and lifestyle
This is the most obvious lifestyle change Ramadan seeks to bring in us, yet it remains the most ignored aspect of the month. We may fast long hours, but we spare no effort in making up for every hour spent without food at iftar time. Not only do we end up eating oil-rich unhealthy dishes all at once, but also do so in large quantities. We become lethargic and incapable of reaping the benefits of Ramadan nights. Ramadan, instead of becoming the month of patience and self-control, turns into a month of gluttony and greed.
Islam encourages us all to eat less throughout the year, and reinforces this value especially in the month of Ramadan. The Prophet SAW said, “A disbeliever/hypocrite eats in seven stomachs, whereas a believer only eats in one.” It’s crucial to note that the Prophet SAW linked our eating habits with Iman and Kufr, which goes to show how important this topic is, not only for a better lifestyle in this world, but more importantly for our salvation in the hereafter. Surely, nothing can be more serious to a Muslim than Iman and Kufr.
Once Abdullah b. ‘Umar was sharing his meal with a poor person, as he would habitually do. On this occasion, he noticed that the poor person was eating a lot, so he told Nafi’ not to allow him in again, because he wouldn’t like to eat with a person who eats too much, citing the aforementioned Prophetic Hadeeth. The scholars also commented on this saying that although the poor person who overate did not commit kufr per se, Ibn ‘Umar didn’t like eating with him because he resembled the disbelievers by overeating. Meaning, that the early generation of Muslims identified this Ummah as a nation that eats modestly, and that whoever eats excessively is essentially imitating other nations!
The Prophet SAW had even stronger words on this topic when he said, “A man does not fill a vessel worse than his own stomach. It is sufficient for one to eat little just so he can stand straight. But if he insists on eating more, then he should allocate a third for food, a third for water, and a third for breathing space.”
In other words, ideally we should be eating less than a third – just enough to keep our backs straight to be able to stand long in prayers, i.e. eat as and when needed as opposed to eating for pleasure. And if we insist on eating for pleasure, every now and then, we should only eat up to two-thirds of our stomach (divided up equally between food and drink). We should never eat to our full.
Unfortunately, not only we do not keep to the two-thirds limit, we do not see the sense in stopping until we feel completely full, and on top of that feel no shame for ignoring such a crucial advice from the Prophet SAW, in an issue directly related to Iman, Kufr and Nifaq. The state of the Ummah today is quite clearly reflected in our eating habits. Muslims in Britain are only 5% of the population, yet 20% of meat consumers in the country.
We find good practicing brothers with long beards and sisters in Niqab posting pictures on social networks of unhealthy meals of enormous proportions being consumed at various exotic restaurants, without any sense of guilt or shame. But considering the Prophet’s words above, wouldn’t we be ashamed to eat such large quantities in the company of the Prophet SAW – even if on odd occasions? If Ibn ‘Umar wouldn’t eat with a poor person who overate, what would he make of us?!
The one month where we expect abstinence practiced on a global scale, becomes marred with gluttonous occasions of overeating and time wasting at extravagant Iftar parties where participants overindulge and the thought of praying Tarawih doesn’t even cross their mind. This is not only incompatible with Islamic values but also completely at odds with the spirit of Ramadan.
So, to make this Ramadan productive, I would suggest the following:
1) Eat moderately at Suhur and Iftar. Summer fasts are long but they are nowhere as difficult as they are in hot countries, so if people there can cope with less than moderate meals, so can you. No need to panic and overeat in preparation for long fasts. You will be surprised how your body will adjust – which it must – to your new eating regime.
2) Drink plenty of water, tea and coffee, and rely more on fruits than oily/fatty meals.
3) Do not make/buy samosas, pakoras and whatever else usually featured on Indo-Pak Iftar table. Suffice with water and date, followed by your humble meal that you have on a daily basis. Again, do not overeat but only a moderate amount, in hope that you feel hungry again by the time you return from Tarawih and get ready for Suhur.
4) Avoid all Iftar parties at all cost. If you are invited to one, politely decline the invitation, and if appropriate remind the guest of the purpose of Ramadan.
5) Lastly, don’t make your women folk cook Iftar for you every day, while you sit back and busy yourself with the Quran and du’a, pretending to be all pious! Ramadan is for them as much as it is for you. Let them be more productive by cooking for the entire month before Ramadan begins and freezing the food, so every member of the household gets to benefit from Ramadan fairly.
You might think all this sounds a radical change from what we’re used to in Ramadan. Yes, it certainly is. But 30 days of abstaining from food and drink during daylight working hours isn’t supposed to be a bed of roses!
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 5
Objective #2 Finishing the Quran at least once, if possible with meaning
Quran is perhaps the most important aspect of Ramadan after fasting itself for a number of reasons:
a) The revelation of the Quran began in this month.
b) Allah also chose this month to reveal the scrolls of Ibrahim, the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms.
c) In a Hadeeth the Prophet SAW mentioned Fasting and Quran together and said that both will intercede for us on the Last Day; Fasting for keeping us from food and drink during the day, and Quran for keeping us awake at night.
d) The Prophet SAW would devote each night in Ramadan to complete his study of the Quran with Jibril at least once in this month, and twice in the year of his death.
e) The scholars of Islam demonstrated the significance of the Quran in Ramadan by halting all their normal activities and devoting their time solely to the Quran. Al-Zuhri would say, “Ramadan is only about the Quran and feeding the poor.” Al-Imam Malik would stop all his lessons on Hadeeth and other sciences just to focus on the Quran. Sufyan al-Thawri would leave all voluntary acts of worship to focus only on the Quran. Qatada would finish the Quran once every three days, and once a day in the last ten days of Ramadan. Al-Imam al-Shafi’i would finish the Quran 60 times in this month, that’s twice a day!
The month of Ramadan comprises of only three most significant acts of worship, i) fasting, ii) Quran, iii) Tarawih and Qiyam. If a person fasts and attends the Tarawih, yet fails to focus on the Quran, s/he misses out on a 3rd of this month’s blessings! A Ramadan without the Quran is an incomplete Ramadan, and therefore, improving on one’s relationship with the Quran has to be a must-achieve target this month.
What this practically means is that our target for this year should be to improve from last year in terms of recitation as well as contemplation. Therefore;
1) Those who do not know how to read the Quran must utilise this month to learn the Quranic Arabic script; and even though they cannot finish the Quran in Arabic, they have no excuse not to finish its English translation as a substitute.
2) Those who may have just learned how to read the Arabic script, should focus on becoming fluent in their recitation, which only comes with practice. While they may not be able to finish the Quran this month, they should still try to finish its meaning.
3) Those who are relatively fluent in reciting the Quran should focus on completing it this month by sticking to a daily program with the goal of finishing a Juz’ a day. Since most people find it difficult to finish a Juz in one sitting, I would suggest spreading it out through the day. For example, since every Juz’ is 20 pages long, one could spend some time straight after Dhuhr reciting up to 5-6 pages; then another 5-6 pages after Asr; then another 5-6 pages before Maghrib. For better use of time, I would suggest leaving for Isha straight after Maghrib and spending the rest of the time waiting for Isha reciting further 5-6 pages. This way one is guaranteed to finish more than a Juz’ a day. On a weekend one can easily complete up to two Juz’ a day.
4) Those whose fluency is above average can also utilise the above daily program, but they have a choice between two targets: a) Completing the Quran multiple times, or; b) Completing the Quran once, but with Tafsir and contemplation. Which is better? It really depends on a person’s needs and preference. If one does opt for finishing the Quran with Tafsir, the best Tafsir to use for this purpose – in my experience – is Tafsir al-Jalalyn, especially the edition with a page from the Quran in the middle, surrounded by to-the-point, very brief Tafsir. This allows one to focus predominantly on recitation, during which if one needs to check the meaning of a verse or understand its context could easily refer to its Tafsir without turning any page just to get the gist of it.
Lastly, if there is one time to recite the Quran in a year, it is this month. Failure to finish the Quran in this month – or even its translation – is indicative a very poor connection one has with the Book of Allah, and it is feared that s/he may be counted amongst those about whom Allah has said, “And the Messenger has said: ‘O my Lord, indeed my people took this Qur’an as [a thing] abandoned.’” (Qur’an, 25:30)
If you have more practical tips on being effective with the Quran in this month, please do share!
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 6
Objective #3 Tarawih and Qiyam
Like Fasting and Quran, one of the greatest religious manifestations in Ramadan is Tarawih and Qiyam. Muslims are encouraged to sacrifice some of their sleep for prayer and contemplation at the quietest time of the night, throughout the year. Allah describes his truly devout servants in many verses such as, “Their sides forsake their beds (to stand in prayer), to invoke their Lord in fear and hope…” (32:16).
The Prophet SAW further emphasised the importance of night prayers by saying, “The best prayer after the obligatory ones is the night prayer”. One of the most powerful incentives for night prayers is – as the Prophet SAW said – that Allah himself descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night, and asks “Is there anyone calling upon me so I may respond? Is there anyone asking me so I may give? Is there anyone seeking my pardon so I may forgive?”
The significance of Night prayers increases even more in Ramadan, since the Prophet SAW said, “Whoever stands in prayer in the month of Ramadan out of faith and hope in Allah’s reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” Notice that the Prophet SAW also used exactly the same wording for fasting, as if the night prayers in Ramadan are as significant as fasting itself, which is why both result in forgiveness of all previous sins – if done with Iman and Ihtisab.
In the beginning the Prophet SAW prayed Tarawih for a few nights in the mosque with his companions praying behind him, but as the congregation grew and the mosque overflowed with worshippers, the Prophet SAW decided not to attend Tarawih one night. Instead he came for the Fajr prayer and announced to the people that he decided not to continue with this in congregation anymore in fear of it becoming an obligation which the people might not be able to fulfil. Thereafter, the Muslims continued to pray in small groups until Umar b. al-Khattab (ra) ordered them to pray behind one Imam, thereby reviving the Prophetic Sunnah. Since then, Tarawih prayers have become an exclusive feature of Ramadan.
Of the 29-30 nights of Tarawih prayers, the last ten are the most significant due to one special night, which is better than a thousand months dedicated to worship. This night is called Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, or Power. Allah says about this night “We revealed it (the Quran) in Laylat al-Qadr… Laylat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months…” The Prophet SAW encouraged us to seek this night in the last ten nights of Ramadan (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Many Muslims fail to achieve the most out of Tarawih as well as Laylat al-Qadr due to various reasons, the most common of which are:
1) Leaving Tarawih halfway through. The Prophet SAW said, “Whoever prays behind the Imam until he finishes gets the reward for praying the entire night.” Many people lose out on this easy reward by praying only eight raka’at, behind an Imam praying twenty, out of their mistaken belief that the Sunnah is to pray eight in congregation, ignoring that the Sunnah is what the Prophet SAW actually said, i.e. praying behind the Imam until he finishes, whatever the number of raka’at that may be.
2) Praying only on ‘odd’ nights. While it is true that the Prophet SAW told us to seek Laylat al-Qadr in odd nights, it is however difficult to determine if the odd nights are relative to the beginning of the month or the end. For this reason the scholars have argued that Laylat al-Qadr should be sought throughout the last ten nights, the odd and the even ones. Those who seek it sincerely in every night of the last ten have 100% chance of finding it. Those who seek it only in ‘odd’ nights therefore have 50% chance of finding it. Those who seek it only in the night they think is the 27th, have a further reduced chance of only 10% of finding the night. For a serious seeker of Laylat al-Qadr, every night of the last ten is Laylat al-Qadr.
3) To get the best out of Tarawih, always try to read up on the Surahs the Imam is going to recite, as doing so increases concentration in prayer, making it more worthwhile and enjoyable.
Practical Steps to Prepare for a Rewarding Ramadan - Part 7
Objective #4 I'tikaf if possible
I’tikaf is to devote one’s heart and soul to Allah by isolating oneself from the world, seeking solitude with Allah in a mosque. Allah instructed Ibrahim (AS) to prepare and clean the most sacred mosque in the world – al-Masjid al-Haram – for three main purposes: a) Tawaf, b) I’tikaf and c) Prayers (22:26), making I’tikaf on par with Tawaf and prayers.
The significance and reward for I’tikaf increases – like all other acts of worship – in Ramadan. This is why the Prophet SAW would make a point of doing I’tikaf in the last ten nights of the month to seek Laylat al-Qadr, and he continued doing so up until his death. However, many of us fail to yield the benefits of this Sunnah of the Prophet SAW for a number of reasons:
1) Failure to do I’tikaf due to prior engagement. This happens with most of us who have work commitments due to which we find it almost impossible to do I’tikaf even once in our lives. But with a little bit of planning it is easy to juggle our responsibilities to accommodate for I’tikaf, at least once in our lives. We do this for holidays, anyway! So treat I’tikaf as a holiday – a time alone you want to spend with Allah, and plan at least a couple of months ahead of Ramadan. If you are an employee, ask for 12-15 days off starting from the 20th of Ramadan, coming back in Eid. If you are self-employed, make sure you bring all your projects to closure within the first 10 days of Ramadan, giving yourself 10 days padding until the last 10 of the month.
2) Failure to look after one’s dependants. It is very important, before one sets off for I’tikaf, to make sure that all one’s dependants are catered for in his/her absence, and that s/he would not be required to leave the mosque every now and then to perform household chores that should have been done prior to I’tikaf. If one is needed by his or her dependants so frequently that s/he cannot practically perform I’tikaf, then the person should realise that the reward lies in catering for one’s dependants. Allah, out of His generosity will still reward you for your determination to make I’tikaf. However, forsaking one’s immediate responsibilities to perform I’tikaf is sinful, and the one guilty of it is more likely to incur Allah’s anger than His pleasure.
3) Many Muslims do not fully grasp the concept of I’tikaf or its spirit, and often engage in idle chit-chat, or even worse, making noise and disturbing others trying to observe I’tikaf in peace. Some think of it as lads’ sleepover without the X-box! I’tikaf, as already stated, is to cut oneself off from all worldly connections and to spend time alone with Allah. There is no harm in having a chat with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time, but regular chit chats defeats the purpose of I’tikaf. If you happen to have many friends making I’tikaf with you in your local mosque, then choose a different mosque for I’tikaf where no one knows you.
4) Some people spend most of their I’tikaf studying works on Fiqh, Aqida and other technical subjects, which also defeats the purpose of I’tikaf, where one is supposed to devote his time to specifically worshipping Allah. I’tikaf time should be spent on, first and foremost, the Quran. This includes reciting the Quran, and perhaps reading its Tafseer. After the Quran, one should focus on making du’a, and to that end bring along whichever dua books one can. The third important thing to do in I’tikaf is praying extra nawafil. Given that one cannot fill his time with these acts of worship alone, there is no harm in reading books on spiritual development to soften one’s heart, because such topics are conducive to the purpose of I’tikaf. However, reading works on Fiqh, Aqida, Usul or Arabic grammar goes against the spirit of I’tikaf and as such it should be avoided. There is no harm, however, in reading a book on the Fiqh of I’tikaf, of course, when needed.
Keep the Ramadan candle burning after Eid
1) Pray the five daily prayers on time as you did in Ramadan
2) Do not become a stranger to fasting. Fast the 6 days of Shawwal, and thereafter, every Monday and Thursday.
3) Do not lose touch with the Quran. Make a habit of reading a page from the Quran a day, if possible with Tafsir.
4) Make a habit of waking up before Fajr, at least once a week, to pray tahajjud/qiyam, even if it is just 2 rak'ah.
5) By now your body is accustomed to eating less. Do not let the Eid parties ruining it for you. Do not eat more than your diet in Ramadan (provided you ate less!)
6) Keep Ramadan spirit alive by donating to a worthy cause on a regular basis, even if it is something small. (set up a standing order now.)
Keep up with the 6 aforementioned points and be truly deserving of the Eid Greeting - TaqabbalAllah - May Allah accept your effort.