Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Ever feel like a zombie?

It has probably happened to all of us, some time or another, that the alarm goes off and we feel so lazy and heavy, as if we haven’t slept at all. We put the alarm on snooze, then again put it on snooze, and again and again, until finally we’re forced to wake up due to our morning obligations, our jobs and schools. Then we go on feeling tired throughout the day, just as tired as when we went to sleep at night. We rush our breakfast since we woke up late, and then for the rest of the day we move about live zombies, as if we’re never fully awake.

And it all started with waking up lazy and heavy. Shaytan’s biggest goal in life is to prevent us from worshipping Allah azza wa jall. And what greater occasion to do so than at the very beginning of the day, preventing us from the most important prayer of the day – Fajr.

Feeling energetic and cheerful in the morning seems like a fairy tale, and yet it’s very easy. Just follow three easy steps, and you’re guaranteed power and energy, and happiness, in the morning and throughout the day. Guarranteed, not by me, but by our beloved Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, for he taught us everything we need to know in order to lead a happy life in this world and the next.

3 easy steps to a happy morning and day

1. When you wake up, start off by praising Allah. The best way to do so is through the duas of waking up in the morning taught by the Prophet, found in authentic dua books, such as Hisnul Muslim.

‘All praise is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.‘

Look at the beauty of this dua. Sleep is a kind of death, and waking up is a new life gifted by Allah, a new chance to start afresh. We celebrate the beginning of this fresh new life by praising Allah for this amazing gift.

‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, alone without associate, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable. How perfect Allaah is, and all praise is for Allaah, and none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, Allaah is the greatest and there is no power nor might except with Allaah. The Most High, The Supreme. O my Lord forgive me.

Shaytan hates it when we praise Allah. This is the first strike we throw at shaytan.

2. Do ablution in the way prescribed in the sunnah. Ablution gives us ritual purity, taking off any impurities we might have accumulated during the period of our small death. It washes off our sins with every drop of water that falls of our limbs.

3. Pray the Fajr prayer in the sunnah way, with ihsan. And yes, don’t forget the two units of sunnah before the fard. Make your recitations long, as it is witnessed by angels.

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. [17:78]

Allah’s words act as a medicine on our souls, cleansing us, filling us up with its light.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things. [24:35]

Once you’ve completed these three steps, you can confidently look forward to a cheerful and productive day, in sha Allah. This is according to the following hadith:

When any one of you goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with:” You have a long night, so sleep.” So if one awakes and mentions Allah, a knot will be loosened; if he performs ablution two knots are loosened; and if he prays (all) knots will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise we will be in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning. [Sahih Muslim 776]

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Tabassum Mosleh