Sometimes we have moments, or even months or years, in which we feel we’ve lost a part of ourselves. We used to be so motivated to do good deeds, remembering Him when we would go to sleep and wake up, but now we feel far away from our Lord. We wonder to ourselves: how can I get that zeal and energy back?
At the Top of Your List
One thing we have to know: we can always return. In fact, Allah ar-Rahmaan loves us to turn back to Him. To see where you’re standing in your relationship with Him, there are a few things you can judge yourself on. This week you’ll look into one of these “mirrors” of your emaan and find out why it should be on the top of your list if you want to be productive!
It’s the first thing you’ll be asked about on the Day of Judgment, it can protect you from the fire of Hell, and it can be a reason to admit you into the Gardens of Allah ‘azza wajal. Starting your day with it blesses the hours that follow and greatly increases your productivity.
What is it? It’s your Fajr prayer. So now the main question is: how is your Fajr prayer?
Allah the Most High says: So establish the Prayer after the declining of the sun [for Dhuhr and then Asr] to the dusk of night [Maghrib and then ‘Isha] and the [Quranic] recitation of Fajr [prayer]. Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed. [Quran, 17:78]
Living Forever?
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala originally commanded the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam during Israa wal Miraaj that the ummah should pray fifty prayers a day!
Then it was decreased to five. You can learn from this process which place salah should truly hold in your life. Imagine praying fifty times a day! You’d be in prayer constantly, salah would be your life and you wouldn’t have much time for anything else.
This is a reminder of your true purpose in life. Now look at how things have flipped around in your daily life; most of us fit our prayer around our daily activities instead of our daily activities around our prayers, thinking we are being productive.
Then we complain that we feel down, low, out of energy. We feed our bodies— if we didn’t we’d die— but we let our souls starve. Not praying means our souls are dead. Which lives forever, your body or your soul?
The Reality of Fajr
Look at your life. Is the first thing you do when your alarm goes off washing your face, eating, and going to work or school? Or do you get up to pray first before you start your day? What is really akbar (greater) in your life? Saying Allaahu akbar means we put Allaah and our duties to Him first. Choosing to start your day by praying Fajr is a crucial choice between success and loss. Are you a winner or a loser?
Imagine you had a plane to catch the next morning or a job interview. You’d make sure you woke up, right? You sometimes even wake up before your alarm goes off. So why don’t you get up as easily for the Fajr prayer?
It’s all in the mind. It’s very simple; we attach more value to our worldly lives then to our hereafter. Our sense of duty to our Most Merciful Lord might be weaker than our desire for the things around us.
If you’re attached to Allah, you see Fajr as more important than the rest of the day’s affairs all put together! You find peace in praying it and it motivates you to rise again, creating a positive cycle. Being productive as a Muslim is all about breaking bad cycles and starting good ones!
The Angels at Fajr
Remember the ayah above? Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed. This means that both the angels of the night and the angels of the morning listen to the Fajr prayer being recited because of its great status and virtue. [al-Suyuti, Tafsir al-Jalalayn]
Al-Bukhaari reported: Angels come to you in shifts by night and by day. They meet at salaat al-fajr and salaat al-‘asr, then those who had stayed with you at night ascend, and are asked by the One Who knows better than they: ‘How did you find My servants?’ They say, ‘We left them when they were praying, and we came to them when they were praying.’”
With what report do you send the angels off to Allah ‘azza wajal each morning? And if the rewards don’t convince you, motivate yourself with this warning from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam: The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are ‘Isha and Fajr but if they only knew what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.” [Ahmad]
Practical Steps to Help You Wake Up For Fajr!
Does your heart want to wake up, yet your body keeps sleeping and you feel regret later in the morning? This is still a gift from Allah ‘azza wajal in the sense that your still desire to worship Him and you regret when you fail. However this connection with Allah doesn’t come without any effort on your part!
I wanted to share with you a few practical steps in terms of trying to ensure you wake up for Fajr, which I found really useful and which are a bit different from many I came across. They are of three types: physical, mental, and spiritual. And they are our homework!
Physical Preparation
1. Simplify your bedding
2. Drink ample water so you are forced to wake up to use the bathroom
3. Set multiple alarms (especially the alarm phone app which asks you to solve a sum in order to switch off!)
4. Really set priorities by not finishing off certain works at night
Mental Preparation
1. Before bed, visualize yourself rising, washing, and praying
2. Tell your mind with determination before sleeping that there’s an important appointment at Fajr which you must attend (with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala)
3. Warn your mind beforehand that your body will be tempted to close its eyes when the alarm rings (for “just a few more minutes”) and not to give in to it.
4. Never give up and feel hopeless; if you didn’t wake up today, you will tomorrow insha’Allah!
Spiritual Preparation
1. Fill your heart with love for your Creator and the desire to please Him for all He has given to you– fill your heart with the importance and love for praying Fajr and the fear of missing it.
2. Beg Allah the Almighty before bed for the ability to wake up the following morning.
3. Feel really regretful and sad if you miss it (but never despair!) and make it up immediately.
4. Strive to avoid other major sins in your daily life and repent from them to try to gain divine assistance (tawfiq).
Don’t give up. You are created for a reason! You can be something special to Allah ‘azza wajal if you take the steps towards Him. If you haven’t woken up for your Fajr prayer for years, set ten alarms today. Make sincere dua before you sleep— plead with Him to let you pray. You won’t be disappointed.
May Allah ‘azza wajal make us among those who rise and pray Fajr easily and consistently, out of submission and gratitude, ameen.
I pray you will benefit,
Khawlah bint Yayha, United Kingdom
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Ma Sha Allah this was a very beautiful note! May Allah (swt) bless you with utmost hasanh! Ameen 😀
Just wanted to add one more point in it..that before sleeping at night, recite a tasbih of Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah and Allah Hu Akbar ( that is 33 times Subahn Allah and Alhamdulillah and 34 times Allah Hu Akbar ) and pray to Allah (swt) to wake you up at exactly when its time for Fajr..you’ll see that He will wake you up even if there is no alarm 😀 *I’ve expreienced this myself*
Barak Allah Feeh!
Such a beautiful piece of writing. :’)
JazakAllah!
Assalm u alaikum wa rahmatullah!!
JazakAllahu khaira.. this was indeed a very helpful article.. It is not only good to remember myself but for a lot of other dear ones as well. i would like to add another point in the physical preparation for waking up at fajr time. It has really worked for me. Having dinner early in the evening and eating light helps reduce the ghalabah of sleep.. so one can wake up easily in the morning.
Afa Allahu anni..
Jazak Allahu Khair for putting up such a nice article. May Allah rewards you in this world and the world hear after for your effort. Ameen. It’s the best reminder for me and for everyone, and we can see how the Muslims are missed out from this greatest blessing from Allah Subhanu Twala.
Jazakallah khair I will be trying to implement these pointers. There is so much barakah in the early hours but my laziness overtakes me so I really need to sort this habit out!!
May Allah bless you my dear,for the golden word s.Thanks
jazak ALLAH khair sister for your beautiful write up,
May Allah reward you in bounty.
This was an eye opener. You pointed to root decease of the symptom. “we attach more value to our worldly lives then to our hereafter”.
It is true that we put our worldly life first. Its high time we realize the purpose of why we were created (to serve our Rabb). Praying to Him for guidance and protection all the time will also help. InshaAllah He will make it easy to each and everyone of us.
Jazak Allah khairen :’)
Jazzak Allah khayran may Allah bless u with goodness in life and akhirah .Jazzak Allah khayran…
al hamdulillah for the great article and the good advice. one question, you mentioned to fill your heart with the love of Allah, any suggestions as to how to do this? thank you.
wa salaam
Allah Akbar, may Allah guide us all for beautiful teachings that will always remind us on where we belong, that is in the other world. God bless you my sister and the entire Ummah.
Jazaakkallahu khair sister for a precise and invaluable reminder to all of us.
May Allah azza wajal reward you in both worlds.
AL Hamdulillah. If you want to wake up for Fajr prayer without any alarm, try this – The last thaught when you close your eyes to sleep is imagine yourself doing tawaf of the kabaa or preparing to go for Umra, recite Ayatul Khursi and 4 Kuls and duwa for sleep Allah humma bismeka Amutu wa ahiya. And make niayat that you want to wake up for fajr prayer. Not to forget doing Wudhu before going to sleep. This works with me, inshallah it will help you. Dont think about any wordly things when you close your eyes for sleep.
Mashallah may Allah bless you
Asslamu alaikum,
recite the following along with translaion before going to bed. you would find it very easy to get up for fajr.
the following verses of surah bakara
1 – 4, 255 – 257, 284 – 286.
surah ikhlas (112),
surah falaq (113),
surah naas (114)
really good tipsssss,,,,,
Asslamu aIikum,
Allah(SWT)Give you success in this life and hearafter Suhan allah very nice.
Asslamu alikum,
May Allah(SWT)give you success in this life and hereafter.Subhan allah very nice
Yr ears remain diluted with the pee(urine) of iblees unless you wake up to pray fajr so does the three joints of your neck remain tight and locked should you miss Fajr.We shall eventually be punished for not waking up as Allah says that 2 rakats prior to farz prayers at fajr should suffice as a means to providing your daily needs.
I ask Allah to reward you and improve the condition of the believers
JazakAllah khair for such helpful tips.I never knew about alarm clocks with the quiz option.Now that I have installed it I ,am so glad waking up for Fajr has become so easy!!! The alarm keeps ringing until and unless you don’t solve it or swing it like 20 times!!!!! I am surely going to forward the tips to all my friends. May Allah reward you!!!!
JazakAllah khair for such helpful tips.I never knew about alarm clocks with the quiz option.Now that I have installed it I ,am so glad waking up for Fajr has become so easy!!! The alarm keeps ringing until and unless you solve it or swing it like 20 times!!!!! I am surely going to forward the tips to all my friends. May Allah rewa!!!!
JazakAllahu Khair for your feedback, help us spread this noble work by sharing in your circle, Aameen. May Allah rewards you too.