The one who has wasted the first 20 days of Ramadan but perfects the last 10 days of Ramadan is better than the one who perfects the first 20 days of Ramadan but wastes the last 10 days.
The reason for this is because the last 10 nights contain a night which is better than 1,000 months, ie: Laylat ul-Qadr (The Night of Decree).
Allah mentions “The Night of Qadr (decree)” three times in just five ayaat of Surah al-Qadr.
- We have sent down this (Quran) in the Night of Qadr
- And what will make you know what the Night of Qadr is?
- The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months.
- The Angels and the Ruh (Jibreel) descend in it with every decree, by the permission of their Lord.
- All that night there is peace, until the rising of the dawn.
This surah by itself highlights the supreme importance and greatness of this night. We do not know which night it will be and that’s why RasulAllah ﷺ commanded us to,
صلى الله عليه وسلم قال, “تحروا ليلة القدر في الوتر من العشر الأواخر من رمض”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Seek Laylat ul-Qadr (Night of Decree) in the odd nights out of the last ten nights of Ramadan.”
So, Ramadan is all about the ending, and how you end it.
صلى الله عليه وسلم قال, “وَإِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِخَوَاتِيمِهَا “
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, the (results of) deeds done, depend upon the last actions.”
Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The lesson lies in perfection of the conclusion of a thing, not in the shortcomings of the beginning of it.”
We all know that the most important part about a race is winning at the end. If we exert all of our energy in the beginning but exhaust ourselves, and the end we could come last. So, Ramadan is the same. Exert your energy in the last 10 days, race towards the finish line, and win the race and end on a high.