BEFORE PERFORMING SALAH HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT

"While you are listening to Adhan, the Compeller of heaven
and earth is calling you to meet Him"

While you are making Wudu, you are preparing yourself to
meet The KING of all the Kings"

While you are on the road to go to the Masjid or going to your
prayer mat , you are responding the call of Allah, the Great Lord of the Mighty Throne"

While you are making Takbirat al Ihram, you are standing
between the hands of you Creator The Authoritative"

While you are reciting Surat Al Fatiha, you are in a private and
intimate conversation with Your Lord, The All Hearing, The All
Knowing"

While you are performing the gestures of Salat, Angels (whose
number is known only by Allah), are still in ruku and others are still in sujud for thousands of years"

"While you are in sujud, you are in the greatest and the most
beautiful place: near to your Lord The One and Only"

"while you are making tasleem (salams at the end of prayer), the
most beautiful feeling that you can have in that moment is that
you can’t wait the next salat to meet your Lord The Most Compassionate, The Merciful"

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHILDREN PERFORM SALAAH ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT REMINDING THEM

My Daughter was 12 years old and salaah was like a heavy burden on her. One day I told her to perform her salaah and I watched her go off. She took her musalla and threw it on the ground. I asked her if she read her salaah and she replied, “yes.” I was devastated as I knew she was lying to me. I watched her closely and knew that she hadn’t performed her salaah. Believe me, without feeling I slapped her across her face. I know I shouldn’t have reacted with aggression but I was upset with her attitude. The situation has troubled me and I cried and I repented to Allah Ta’ala to forgive me. The slap, the talks, the reminders, all did not benefit my child in the least.

One day, one of my friends told me that she once went to visit one of her friends. Her friend was not very pious, but when the azaan was called out, she noticed her children rushing for salaah without any reminders or quarrels.

Quite shocked at what I saw, I asked her how her children perform salaah on their own without quarreling or a reminding them. She said to me, “My secret is that before I got married I make this Dua daily until today.

After she advised me to also read this dua, I also began reciting it daily. My Sisters and Brothers! Since I began to recite this dua, my daughter is now the first to perform her salaah without any reminders or quarrels. She gets up for Fajr Salaah without any alarms. Her brothers are now also eager to perform salaah without any difficulties. In fact now we have to ask her to wake us up for salaah.

I know You are now eager to know what dua this is.

This dua is in Surah Ibraheem [14], ayah # 40

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِیۡ مُقِیۡمَ الصَّلٰوۃِ  وَمِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ ٭ۖ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ

O my Lord! make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! and accept Thou my Prayer. "Rabbi-Ajal'ni muqeema salaati, wa min Dhurriyyati, rabbana wataqabbal duaa"

Start today, do not wait until you get married and until you have kids - "prevention is better than cure."

A GUIDE TO MAINTAIN FAJR SALAT

{And then there followed after them (the prophets) an evil generation who delayed the prayer and followed their lusts. Soon will they face destruction, except he who repents, affirms his faith and does deeds of righteousness} [Soorah Maryam: 59-60]

Introduction

Sufficient it is for me to praise Allah and supplicate Him for peace on those servants of His whom he has chosen. To proceed: I have read this letter entitled "Mending the Rift" and found it to be valuable in the choice of its subject matter. Thanks to Allah, the author succeeded in realising the growing tendency of people to miss the Dawn Prayer in congregation inthe mosque. He noticed with dismay that mosques are getting virtually empty of people at that time, except for a few elderly people and some adults who, with Allah's assistance, found their way back into the mosque. Indeed, even a sizeable majority of these elderly people have stopped coming to the mosque to uphold this prayer in congregation and have grown lazy about the other prayers as well.

Our Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) is our exemplar who provided the best example in spending long hours of the night in prayer and waking intime for Fajr Prayer. This record was authentically known of him both in his teachings and his living example as he did not like sleeping before Ishaa [night] Prayer and discouraged his followers from useless talk after it. In this he was followed by his companions and all the muslims up to a time not very far from our own days. They knew the reasons which cause laziness and lessen motivation to observe prayers in time (be such prayers Fard [obligatory] or Nafla [optional] and warned people against them so much that some of them are reported to have said: "If you are unable to pray at night, then that is a clear sign that your sins have shackled you and deprived you of good deeds". Al-Hasan al-Basri was once asked: "Why is it that we cannot uphold prayers at night?" He answered: "You are shackled in your own sins".

Motivation is presently lacking among muslims. Otherwise they would not have given in to sleep even if they had to stay awake in the first part of the night. When one of them is required by his work arrangements or for his own worldly benefit to wake early at dawn, he would no doubt take the necessary precaution not to miss his appointment. He will forsake his peace of mind and have a restless sleep just for fear he might be punished or have his salary reduced. When it comes to prayer, they have no excuse especially when in our modern times Allah has provided us with alarm clocks which would be set at any time we wish. The problem therefore, is one of laziness. Such people do not know what they are missing. The Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said with respect to those who do not observe Ishaa and Fajr prayers: "Had one of them known that he would find a wholesome meal or two good targets, he would have come for Ishaa prayer."

All in all, for him who sincerely wants to purify his soul from the attributes of the hypocrites, let him steer clear of laziness, be active,put into practice the action inspiring instructions laid out in our religion, accustom himself to take the initiative and realise what he and everybody in his position are missing in terms of the health of the body and great reward from Allah. Only then will his performance improve, Allah willing, and he will make up for what he has missed and follow the lead of the best of generations.

Allah, the Most High and Exalted, is the Provider of success and assistance. Peace and Blessings be upon Prophet Muhammed, his household and followers. Signed, Abdullah Ibn Abdur-Rahmaan al-Jibreen.

The Text

Most surely all praise belongs to Allah, we praise Him and we seek His Aid and Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our actions. Whomsoever Allaah guides there is none to misguides and whomsever He misguides their is none to guide. I send prayers and blessing upon our leader Muhammed with the best of prayers and the most complete submission.

To proceed:

One of the ill-seeming phenomena and most serious precedents boding impending danger and punishment, giving reason to fear and calling for most urgent consideration on our part requiring immediate investigation into its causes and treatment of its symptoms is the fact that a growing number of observers of prayer deliberately shun Fajr prayer in congregation and only perform it at times other than its lawful time.

It may be the case that this is due to their wasting away long hours at night engaged in idle and leisure pursuits. Our ancestors not very long ago used to make a point of going to bed early, to lock their doors after Ishaaprayer and to make their dinner light so as to be able to wake up for Fajr prayer in an energetic state. That is why they led a happy, peaceful and healthy life experiencing the real taste of life.

The advent of modern civilisation spoiled both our religious observances and our worldly arrangements. As a result, we have fallen into laziness and inertia; our bodies grew fat and flabby; we move about less frequently whilst showing a greater readiness to sleep and a marked inability to perform the most trivial of manual actions.

The present paper attempts therefore to suggest ways which may be of help in inducing us to wake up for Fajr Prayer; for instance:

ONE: To make sure to go to bed early as the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam)used to discourage sleep before performing Ishaa prayer and especially engaging in conversation after it. Certain cases were excepted, some of which are enumerated by Imam Nawawi in his explanation of Muslim's account. Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy upon him says:

The reason why conversation after it is discouraged is the fear lest it leads to staying awake for long , which might induce drowsiness and difficulty with observing night prayers or Subh [dawn] prayer in their permitted, preferred or best times. The topics covered by this restriction are all fulfilling no good useful purpose. However, as to useful verbal activities, such as the pursuit of knowledge, listening to the wise tales of righteous people, talking to one's guest or bride, or members of one's family for the sake of company, interacting with travellers with a view to protect themselves and their goods, embarking on talks designed to conciliate between people or intercede before them in a good cause or to enjoin good and forbid evil and admonish people by pointing to a beneficial course of action to follow etc... there are no such restrictions.

TWO: To be assiduous in observing the Aadaab [good manners prescribed in Islam] as to what to do before sleep such as making Du'aa [supplication], bringing one's palms together, very mildly spitting into them and reciting the last three soorah's of the Qur'aaninto them and them wiping them over one's face, head and body, being physically and religiously pure and performing a two rakah voluntary prayer after wudhoo [ablution]. A muslim has to ask his wife, parents, relatives or neighbours to help waking him up. Once waken up, he should not linger lazily for long in bed, lest he acquiresthe vices of the hypocrites who come to prayer showing ample signs of laziness and lack of enthusiasm.

THREE:To fill one's heart with faith and good deeds. Once faith is alive in the heart, it induces the person to do good deeds and strive unremittingly hard. Faith is like a tree which only yields good fruit when irrigated from the streamlets of good deeds, thus bringing about an improvement both in personal conduct and at the interactional level with society at large. The lack of such streamlets or water supplies proportionately causes faith to wither and wilt. The heart is highly sensitive to external hardening stimuli, such as excess food or drink or aberrations in watching or listening (letting your eyes and ears loose to what is unlawful for them). You should therefore protect your heart from such external allurements.

FOUR: To keep away from Ma'aasi [acts of disobedience to Allah] by protecting the eyes, the tongue, the hearing and all the senses from indulging in the perception of objects that Allah has made unlawful for us. As an alternative, one should concern himself with matters pertaining to the worship of Allaah, such as devoting one's sight to the reading of Allaah's Book, meditating over the creatures that Allaah has created in this universe, reading books of knowledge etc. One member of the rightly guided early generations was asked about the reason why people found it difficult to uphold voluntary prayers at night. He answered: "Your sins have shackled you". No doubt sins can be a major cause for a persons inability to enjoy the blessings of piety. As Imaam Ibn ul-Qayyim said, sins are wounds and some wounds can be fatal.

FIVE: To bear in mind the great reward for attending Fajr prayer in congregation on time, and the strong rebuke for him to fails to observe it and to satisfy its conditions. Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (radhiyallahu anhu) related:

I heard Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) say: "He who prays Ishaa in Jamaa'ah [congregation] is as if he has prayed for half the night. As to him who (also) prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he has prayed all night." [narrated by Maalik and the wording is that of Muslim who also reported it]

Similarly, Bukhaaaree and Muslim and An-Nasaaee related on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud (radiallaahu-anhu) that he said: The case of a man who slept all the night up to sunrise (without waking up for Fajr) was related to the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) whereupon he said: "That was a man in whose ear Shaytaan has urinated", or he said "in both his ears".

The urinating is literally true, as Imaam Qurtubi says, since Shaytaan urinates and has sexual intercourse and procreates in a manner that Allah alone knows (1). To ascertain for yourself the truth of this assertion, look at the faces of those who come to deal in their daily business withouthaving prayed Fajr in congregation at due time; look at their faces at working hours. You will surely ask Allaah for refuge from a lot as miserable as theirs. But, after all what do you expect from a person in whose heart Shaytaan has urinated!!!

SIX: To realise the bad effects resulting from one's failure to pray Fajr, such as the melancholic and depressive state of mind and the loss of many religious and worldly benefits, and the good effects resulting from managing to perform it. In this respect the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said:

"Shaytaan ties three knots on the crown of any one of you in your sleep. He says upon each knot that he ties: "You have a long night before you, therefore sleep". But if you wake up and mention Allah, Most Exalted in remembrance one knot will be untied. If you then make ablution another knot will be undone. If you then proceed to pray the last knot will be disentangled. Thus, you will feel in the morning energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise you will feel in a despicable state, lazy". [narrated by Maalik, Bukhaaree, Muslim and Abu Dawood]  

The time following Fajr prayer is full of goodness and blessings. At-Tirmidhee narrated upon the authority of Al Ghamdi that the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: "O Allah bless my Ummah in its early rising!" and whenever he dispatched an expedition or army he sent them early at the beginning of the day. Sakhr was a merchant who always sent his merchandise early in morning thus, becoming wealthy (3). That is why we find the craftsmen and traders are particular about making good use of this time. Those who sleep up to the late morning have denied themselves the blessings of this early hour.

There are many benefits to the health derived from waking up for Fajr prayer. For instance, the highest proportion of ozone gas (03) in the atmosphere is registered at dawn. It then gradually fades away until comlplete disappearance by sunrise. This gas has a very beneficial effect on the nervous system as it vivifies the brain and energises the muscles such that when a person inhales the beautiful breeze of the dawn, known as the SABAA wind, he will experience a pleasure that is unparalleled at any other time of the day or night (4).

SEVEN: To lose no time to categorically clear yourself from the stigma of hypocrisy. Because of the difficulty of waking for this time, praying Fajr in congregation provides evidence that a person has firm faith and is free from hypocrisy. That is why in a hadeeth narrated by Bukhaaree and Muslim, the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: "Indeed, the most difficult of prayers to bear, for the hypocrites, are Ishaa [night] and Fajr prayers. If only they knew what they are missing , they would sooner come, even if crawling on their knees".

The most worthy companion, Abdullaah and Ibn Mas'ood (radiallaahu-anhu) asserts "The only one indeed who misses them[i.e. Ishaa and Fajr prayers] is a confirmed hypocrite" (5). Ibn Umar (radiallaahu-anhu) said "When we find a man missing from the Ishaa and Fajr prayers we nurture suspicions about him"

(6)If you want a criterion for evaluating a person's degree of faith and truthfulness monitor his observance of Fajr prayer. If he passes the test, that should be taken as a sign indicating the strength of his Eeman [belief, faith]. Let us then testify to his truthfulness since he managed to achieve the greatest victory over himself and to be superior to the pleasure of sleeping in bed. If he fails the test, this is an index to his weakness in faith, a hardness in his heart, an indulgence in self-gratification and a defeat against his own whims.

How is it then that he who indulges in sleep and misses prayer should conceivably feel comfortable while people are delighting in the mosques in the company of the Qur'aan, listening raptuously to Allaah's message, and basking happily in His gardens. He who prefers the pleasures of the bed to the pleasure of the communion with Allaah is the real loser.

These are a few suggestions to help you wake up for Fajr prayer. May Allah make them useful. Glory be to Allah, Most Exalted over any false attributions and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all Beings.

THE MAGNIFICENCE OF TAHAJJUD SALAAT

It is said that: "For every good deed that an obedient slave and servant performs for the Pleasure of his Glorious Creator and Sustainer - Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala, the reward for it is specified in the Most Holy and Glorious Qur'an. Except for the regular performance of Tahajjud Salaat which commands an unusually high reward on account of its great worth, the reward is only known to Rahmathul Liel Ala'meen."

Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala tells us about those who forsake the comfort of their warm beds in His Remembrance in verses 16 and 17 of Surah Sajda:

 

"They forsake their beds of sleep, while they call on their Lord, in fear and hope. And they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them." "Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them - as a reward for their good deeds."

 

Men and women "breathless with adoration" shun soft comfortable beds and luxurious sleep. The limbs of their bodies are exercised in offices of devotion and Ibadah in the performance of Tahajjud Salaat that is offered after midnight in the small hours of the morning. "In fear and hope": In spiritual fear lest their dedication to Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala should not be sufficiently worthy to be accepted and a spiritual longing of hope that their shortcomings will be overlooked by the Mercy of Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal. Their adoration is not shown only in constant Ibadah, but also in practical service and charity, out of whatever gifts they may have received from the Glorious Creator.

 

"Delights of the eye": An idiom for that which pleases most and gives most satisfaction. In our present state we can scarcely imagine the real bliss that will come to us in the future. What can be the delight that Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala has kept in store for them, concealing it from the eyes of all? Had it been something similar to the flowing streams, the magnificent mansions, and diverse bounties of Jannah, He would have described it - as in the case of other deeds, of which (at least) the Mala'eeka are aware.

 

This shows that the reward for the regular performance of Tahajjud Salaat is above all these and of a different kind; its greatness stands beyond that which can be communicated to anyone, especially the inhabitants of this lowly world. Do not liken the blessings and the bounties of this Doonya to those of the Aghirah. Do not imagine that Jannah and the gardens therein are similar to the gardens of this Doonya, only somewhat vaster and of a greater degree of grandeur.

 

There is the abode of Divine beneficence and the house of the hospitality of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala. The entire world is not comparable in grandeur to a single hair of a houri of Jannah. It is not even comparable to a thread of the garments made for its inhabitants. Despite all this, Almighty Allah has named none of these rewards for the regular performance of Tahajjud Salaat, and has only referred to the high station of theirs in the words of the verses quoted from Surah Sajda. But, alas, we are indolent, being not men of certitude. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for us to be neglectful to such a degree and to be so drowned in deep sleep till morning.

 

If the night vigils were to make us aware of the mysteries of Ibadah and were we to preoccupy our minds with the remembrance and contemplation of our Most Glorious Creator and Sustainer our nights would become mounts of ascent into the Divine Proximity. Our reward would be nothing other than the vision of the Absolute Beauty. Woe to us, we are negligent, we love our sleep and do not want to awake from slumber till the end of life and remain under the intoxication of nature. Woe to us, ever day increases in stupefaction. Woe to us who live on the animal plane, comprehending nothing but eating, drinking and lovemaking!

 

Whatever we do, even if it is performing our daily Salaat, that too is merely meant for catering to the needs of the belly. Do we imagine that the Salaat of Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salaam was similar to ours? He did not even speak to Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin Alayhis Salaam of his wishes. He was Khalil-ul-Rahman - the friend of Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal and only turned to his Glorious Creator.

 

It is possible that after a period of performing regular Tahajjud Salaat and habituating ourselves to it, Rahmathul Liel Ala'meen will Insha'Allah help us and cover us with an invisible gesture of grace with the robe of His Rahma'h. In the Wasiyyah addressed to Hazrat Ali R.A. by our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, he said:"O Ali! I enjoin you regarding certain habits that you must safeguard." Then our Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam prayed: "O Allah succour him." Then (continuing his advise) he said:

 

"Observe the night vigil." "Observe the night vigil." "Observe the night vigil."

 

The great significance of Tahajjud Salaat may be understood from the following tradition: It is reported that our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam asked Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin Alayhis Salaam to exhort him to something. Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin Alayhis Salaam said:

 

"O Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam! Live you as you wish, for verily you will depart from this Doonya someday. And love whatever you like, for verily you will have to part from it. Act as you wish, for verily you will have to face it. Know that the distinction of a believer lies in his establishing the night vigil (Tahajjud Salaat) and his nobleness lies in refraining from (maligning) the people's honour."

 

The high degree of its significance can be understood from Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin's recommending it to our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam for had Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin Alayhis Salaam deemed anything else as more important, he would have mentioned it while giving advice. It is said on the authority of Hazrat Abbas R.A. that our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam said:

 

"Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala appoints the night vigil (Tahajjud Salaat) as sustenance for His slaves. Man or woman, when he/she wakes up at night with sincere devotion towards Almighty Allah, performs Wudhu, and performs Tahajjud Salaat for the Pleasure of Almighty Allah with the purity of intention, with wholeheartedness and with tearful eyes, Almighty Allah appoints seven rows of Mala'eeka to pray behind him/her. No one except Almighty Allah can count their number on each side of each row, which extends from the east to the west. When he/she concludes the Salaat, Almighty Allah writes grades for him/her equal to their number."

 

It is reported from Hazrat Anas R.A. that he heard our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam say:

 

"Two Raka'ats of prayer performed in the middle of the night are dearer to me than the entire world and everything therein."

 

In a number of Ahadith it has been reported that Tahajjud Salaat is a Mu'min's honour and dignity, and is his/her adornment in the Akhirah, in the same way as children and wealth are the adornments of this world. Had there been no other merit besides this for Tahajjud Salaat, it would have been enough. We do not know what honour and distinction it is and what it means to possess the station of being befriended by Rahmathul Liel Ala'meen. All intellects fail to comprehend it.

 

Tahajjud Salaat bestows the most reward of all the Nawafils. One can perform anything from four, eight, twelve or twenty Raka'ats. The tradition in Bayhaqi relates that the performance of four Raka'ats is equal to four Raka'ats on Shab-e-Qadr. The performance brings a Muhmin near to Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala.

Kaffara (payments) of ones previous sins and is prohibitive for the future sins. (Ref: Tirmidhi Shareef). Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal bestows His Rahma'h (mercy) on those who willingly sacrifice the comfort of their sleep and warm beds for the remembrance and Pleasure of their Glorious Creator. (Refs. Abu Dawood, Nisai).

 

Rahmathul Liel Ala'meen sends out a message in the last part of the night announcing that if there is any appeal to Him it will be answered and if there is anyone seeking His forgiveness their Taubah will be accepted. The doors of Almighty Allah's Mercy are opened and this is the time when ones prayers and supplications are accepted. We should never ever become oblivious of the power and mysteries of Ibadah. If we cannot perform Tahajjud Salaat with sincerity of intention, we should at least strive for the delight that Almighty Allah has kept hidden from all the sights and recite the following prayer with full attention and sincerity of intention:

 

"O Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala! I humbly implore Thee to rescue me from the home of illusion and this abode of delirium. O Most Merciful Allah! Help me to return to the abode of eternity. Grant me the ability and preparedness to depart from this Doonya before such an opportunity is lost."

 

The light that we all seek through constant Ibadah in One Whose Brilliance illuminates the heavens and the earth as Almighty Allah declares in verse 35 of Surah An-Nur:

 

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth."

 

Does anyone know of any being in the entire realm of existence , or in the spheres of fancy and imagination, or in the realm of rational abstractions, which possesses the attributes of absolute perfection and absolute beauty except the Sacred Essence of the Supreme Majestic Source of the Cosmos? Does anybody know of any absolute, immaculate beauty, except that of the Absolute Beloved?

 

Our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam had a special fondness for Tahajjud Salaat. It was during this prayer that his feet used to swell up due to long stretches of standing in Qiyam. Those who are familiar with the lives of the illustrious Sahaba Ridwanullahi Ta'ala Alayhim Ajma'een and have a good grasp of the traditions, Islamic history, and the Sunnah of Almighty Allah's Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam will know how zealously vigilant they were in the regular performance of Tahajjud Salaat. Salatul Tahajjud had become a distinguishing feature of their programme of life, so much so that in the court of Emperor Heraclius it was said:

 

"They were worshippers by night and horsemen by day."

 

Imaan Hassen Al-Basri R.A. reported: "When the call of Truth came to them they affirmed it whole-heartedly and the conviction of it sank into the depths of their souls. Not only did their hearts but their bodies, their minds and their eyes bow in complete submission. By Allah! If you had seen them you would have thought that they were a people who had beheld everything with their own eyes. They heard the Word of Rahmathul Liel Ala'meen and submitted totally and completely. Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala has praised them in verses 63 and 64 of Surah Al-Furqan:

 

"The (faithful) slaves of Allah Most Gracious are those who walk upon the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them they say, "Peace". Those who spend the night in adoration of Allah prostrate and standing."

 

Imaam Hassen Al-Basri R.A. also said: "These are the ones who remain standing erect in prayer for the sake of their Glorious Creator and cover their faces with dust, tears run down their cheeks and in whose hearts the love and fear of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala is embedded. There must have been something for which they had deprived themselves of the sleep of the nights and which made their hearts tremble with the great Muhabbat of Allah."

 

The regular performance of Tahajjud Salaat had become the practice and distinguishing mark of all virtuous men, theologists, Mujahids, reformers and preachers. They obtained the energy and the fuel for the whole day's work from the sublime form of the night vigil. One who had not seen them at their devotions in the dark and silent hours of the night, could never know from where they derived their strength, enthusiasm and their superhuman capacity to endure cheerfully, day in and day out, the privations and hardships of religious preaching and endeavour. Salatul Tahajjud is a most beautiful gift given to us. Let us strive to awaken our hearts and inform it of the truth narrated from our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam who said:

 

"This world is the farmland of the Akhirah."

 

If we do not sow the seeds of righteous deeds in the few days of our life here on this Doonya, the opportunity will be lost forever. When we reach the threshold of the other world and death seizes us, deeds come to an end and all hopes are extinguished. If, Allah forbid, we continue to remain in the slavery of lusts and the captivity of various carnal desires until the Angel of Death arrives, it is possible that Shaythaan may achieve his ultimate objective of wresting away our faith. Let us wear the girdle of servitude to Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala - the Most Merciful and the Most Glorious, that we may Insha'Allah be free from every kind of servitude and slavery, that we may attain to the absolute kingdom of Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen in both worlds.

 

This Doonya is a Mu'min's prison and is not the abode of Divine award and the place of the manifestations of Almighty Allah's Kingdom. Let us clear our hearts of the dust from the mirror of our spirit and turn our hearts attention to the focal point of Absolute Perfection. Only then will we witness its effects in this world itself and our hearts will attain such an expanse that it will become the realm of the manifestations of Almighty Allah's total Sovereignty, thus becoming greater than all the worlds. Let us pay heed to the promise that Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala has made to us in verse 8 of Surah At-Tahrim:

 

"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In the hope that Your Lord will remove from you your evil deeds, and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow, - The Day that Allah will not permit the Prophet and those who believe with him to be humiliated. Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our Allah! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us forgiveness: For Thou has power over all things."

 

O Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal! forgive the Ummah of Your Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. Unite their hearts with mutual love, set right their mutual affairs and grant them victory over Thine enemies. Ameen!

10 TIPS ON HOW TO CONCENTRATE DURING SALAT (PRAYERS)"

10 TIPS ON HOW TO CONCENTRATE DURING SALAT (PRAYERS)"

1. Before standing up for Prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are pressed by
hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the ...call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are
the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.

2. Perform your wudu’ (ablution) well, paying due care and attention.

3. Approach the Prayer with zest and passion as if it is the last prayer in your life before dying. Actually the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we
could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass Prayer in merit and excellence.

4. Visualize that in your Prayer you
are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him—which,
in fact, is true.

5. Think of the Prayer you are performing as if it were the last Prayer of your life. In fact, it
could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another Prayer.

6. Picture the scene of the Last Day
when people will be lined up into two groups, one destined for Heaven, and another for Hell,
and ask yourself where you would be placed.

7. Focus your mind on what you are reading in your Prayer and recite simple suurats that you understand it's meaning and ponder on the
meaning whiles u recite.

8. If, in spite of your best efforts, your mind is still wandering, seek refuge in Allah and bring your mind back to Prayer.

9. Pray to Allah and beg Him to grant you true the joy of concentrating in your Prayer and
protection against the wanderings of your mind.

10. Place your eyesight to the one spot where you will be making your sujuud while you recite and avoid taking your eyes from that spot.

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