Tariq Mehanna
Allah said in Surat Al ‘Imran, v. 121: {“And remember when you left your household in the morning to post the believers at their battle stations...”}
This is the first of approximately sixty verses in the Qur’an that relate to the Battle of Uhud, and describes how the Prophet (عليه الصلاة و السلام) chose the morning time of day to go out and organize Mujahidin at Mt. Uhud. The point to notice is the specific mention of the morning.
The morning, the earliest part of the day, is the best time to get things done. Sakhr bin Wada’ah al-Ghamidi related that the Prophet said: “O Allah! Bless my Ummah in its early-risers!” and whenever the Prophet would send out an expedition or army, he would do so at the beginning of the day. Sakhr himself was a trader, and would send out his caravans at the beginning of the day, and as a result, his wealth was abundant.
And indeed, looking through the Qur’an, one finds many references to significant events occurring in the early hours of the day. It was the morning that Allah chose to be the time for the destruction of the People of Lot, as mentioned in v. 81 of Surat Hud: {“... Indeed, morning is their appointed time. Is not the morning near?”} and v. 66 of Surat al-Hijr: {“And We made to him this decree that their root would be cut off in the early morning.”} and v.38 of Surat al-Qamar: {“And indeed, an abiding torment seized them in the early morning.”} And in v. 60-66, in Surat ash-Shu’ara’, we see that it was at sunrise that Prophet Moses split the sea after being chased down by Pharoah and his army.
And it is the two optional rak’at before the morning prayer that the Prophet described as being “more beloved to me than the world and what is in it,” such that he would never neglect them. And it is the morning prayer itself that, when prayed in jama’ah, the Prophet said “places one under the protection of Allah.”
If you look at your own days, you cannot deny that the days that you start your activity early after Fajr time are far more productive than the days where you sleep for a few hours after praying. Whether it’s going into work early, taking a morning jog, studying for a class early in the morning, memorizing Qur’an early in the day, travelling from the morning, even eating breakfast in the morning as opposed to delaying the first meal of the day, and so forth – think to yourself how such days compare in their productivity to those days when you do nothing in the morning. The difference should naturally be clear, and this is why it was a Sunnah of the Prophet and his Companions to start the day early, even when it came to something as physically demanding as battle.
So, try to avoid laziness and inactivity following the Fajr prayer, and instead use this time to get a headstart in your daily tasks, and be from among those the prophet was referring to in his supplication: “O Allah! Bless my Ummah in its early-risers!” And know that the most refreshing, rewarding, and useful activity to engage in in the morning hours is the remembrance of Allah, as the Prophet said of himself: “For me to sit with a group remembering Allah from dawn to sunrise is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves of the descendents of Isma’il.”
One last point remains to be mentioned, and that is that many of us realize the blessing in this time of day and would love to take full advantage of it, but cannot escape the grogginess and lack of energy that characterize our mornings. There are many such as myself who are simply not morning people. So, how can we change that and have the energy to utilize our days to the fullest extent possible?
First, we have to accustom ourselves to limiting our activity after praying ‘Isha’, and sleep early. It is reported in an authentic hadith that the Prophet strongly discouraged useless conversation after praying ‘Isha’, and disliked sleeping before it. This is because avoiding these two practices would facilitate a good, early sleep that would leave one feeling fresh upon waking up.
Secondly, waking up a bit before dawn to engage in some worship has a direct effect on your mood for the early part of the day. Both al-Bukhari and Muslim report that the Prophet said: “Satan ties three knots on the back of your neck when you go to bed, saying over each knot: ‘The night is long, so rest.’ So, if you wake up and remember Allah, one knot is untied. If you make wudu’, another knot is loosened. If you then pray, the last knot is untied, and you wake up energetic and in a good mood. Otherwise, you wake up in a bad mood and lazy.”
Taking all of this into account, then, it is no wonder that Allah would make specific mention in this verse of the time of day that Prophet began organizing for Uhud , and this one verse can do much to make our days more productive than they are, with Allah’s permission.
