Ramadan is a month in which people strive to fill up their portfolio with good deeds. People hasten to do good deeds because of the reward that awaits them.

During Ramadan, Allah rewards good deeds in multiple manifolds. Muslims are happy to worship Allah and Allah is happy to reward them with bounties.

How amazing is this saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW): 

“Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah, the Most High said: ‘Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.’ For the fasting person, there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.” (Bukhari).

Those who have been blessed with good health during Ramadan are the most grateful, for they can fulfil all obligations related to worship with ease. They can spend their mornings and nights in devotion, strive for the cause of Allah, and fulfil the needs of other Muslims.

But do you know that a lot of Muslims struggle during Ramadan?

They feel like no matter what they do, they’d still fall short of their targets.

To these categories of people, we say that the secret to doing more is in creating a balance.

Allah commands us to be balanced in all aspects of our lives. So, as much as we want to take advantage of the bounties that Ramadan is ladened with, we must also ensure that we do things in moderation.

It helps you stay productive and reduces burnout. It also eliminates the feeling of not doing enough.

A good example of seeking moderation is to avoid spending the whole night on prayer so you’re productive for the day’s work. 

Reciting short portions of the Quran during Qiyam-ul-layl (a voluntary prayer which is offered between the time of Ishaa prayer and the Fajr prayer) will give you more time for rest. 

For people that spend the best part of their days at work with little or no time for Ibaadah during the day, performing lots of sadaqah is a good way to make up for the lost time. 

However, if you’re so lucky and you have enough time on your hands, then you should seek to do as many acts of Ibadah as possible. A little bit of this and that won’t hurt. The key lies in having a good plan.

How are you filling your portfolio of good deeds this Ramadan?