Umm Rashid
I spent most of Monday, 22 March watching the live broadcast of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s funeral. Like millions of Muslims, I felt keenly the sense of loss, the orphaning of the Palestinian cause and trepidation for what the future holds.
Yet, a part of me felt consoled by the will of Allaah. What a blessed way to depart! From reports of his last hours, I gathered that as was his habit, the sheikh got up an hour before the dawn prayer. He prayed in the wee hours of the night, read the Qur’an and supplicated Allaah, before leaving for the congregational prayer at the mosque.
Here was a frail old man, paralyzed and partially deprived of sight exerting himself to his utmost in the way of Allaah – spiritually and physically. Contrast this with the majority of Muslims. How many of us get up for fajr ---much less tahajjud-- and make it to the masjid? How many of us have devoted our lives for an Islaamic cause – helping the oppressed and needy, da’wah, education?
Gilad Atzmon, a London-based Israeli writer says in an article: For those who fail to realise, today's barbaric Israeli act is an open call for a world war. It is the final wake up call for every Muslim around the world. It is violent proof that Israel isn't only against the Palestinians but rather against Islam.
Everyone’s heard the story about the Muslim bragging to a Zionist that eventually Islaam will overcome them…and the Zionist replied that as long as Muslims remained the way they were there – “until the pathways were full of worshippers going for the fajr salaah at dawn like the Friday prayer” -- there was nothing for the Zionists to fear.
This story kept coming back to me throughout the day… when I saw Muslims talking about “opening the gates of hell” on TV, when I heard the heroic rhetoric on internet forums and chat rooms, when I saw platitudes being exchanged in my neighbourhood, when I read reams of words in the newspapers.
No doubt this was all done with good intentions and faith, but how to translate good intentions into good actions?
For starters, by trying to pray the fajr salaah in congregation.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Prophet SAW said, “If they knew the merits of Salat after nightfall (‘Isha') and the morning (Fajr) Salat, they would come to them even if they had to crawl to do so.” [Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Prophet SAW said, “No salaat is more burdensome to the hypocrites than the fajr (dawn) prayer and the ‘isha' (night) prayer; and if they knew their merits, they would come to them even if they had to crawl to do so.”
[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]
The early Muslims followed the Prophet SAW’s advice and his example: they ate a light dinner and made it a point to retire to their beds early after ‘isha prayer. We, on the other hand, have made eating out, late-night dinner parties and shopping sprees a way of life. As a result, more often than not we wake up for fajr exhausted and weary...or not at all.
The Prophet SAW discouraged conversations after ‘isha salaah and Imaam Nawawi [ra] explained why: “The reason why conversation after it [‘isha] 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.”
He also enumerated the conditions in which exceptions are allowed: 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
Ever wonder what their views would have been on our customary "night about town?" Ever notice how none of today’s post-prandial activities qualify as being particularly useful? Watching tv or surfing the net for hours on end, hitting the town in the company of friends, hanging out at the mall or at entertainment centers…add your own as you go…
Among the tips Shaikh Salih al-Munajjid offers to help one get up for fajr, he says: “Make sure that one is clean and recite adhkaar (prayers) before sleeping. Have a sincere intention and be determined when going to sleep, that one will get up for fajr. A person who goes to sleep hoping that the alarm will not go off, and that no one will come and wake him up, will not -- with such a corrupt intention - be able to get up to pray fajr. ”
When the alarm goes off in the morning, its best not to linger for the proverbial “ 5more minutes” and get out of bed with masnoon words : Alhamdulillaahil ladhee ahyaana ba’ada ma amaatana wa ilaihin nushoor”. [All Praise be to Allaah, the One who brings to life after death, and to Him is the return.]
The Prophet SAW 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, Bukhaari, Muslim and Abu Dawood]
The time following the fajr prayer is full of blessings. The Qur’an says: “…innal qur’aanal fajre kaana mashhooda.” Surah Al Isra […verily the recitation of the fajr is witnessed (by angels)] The Prophet SAW said: “O Allah! Bless my Ummah in its early rising!” and whenever he despatched an expedition or an army he sent them after the fajr salaah.
Just how worthy we are proving of the Prophet SAW’s blessing comes to the fore in Ramadaan…when we have mosques packed to capacity for taraweeh, but attendance is rather “sparse” for fajr, when a lot of people are sleeping off the effects of their night vigil. ‘Umar RA once deplored this trait, when he learnt that a person had stayed awake the night for the tahajjud salaah, causing him to miss the fajr congregation. He remarked that the man had exchanged the greater good for the lesser.
If a person is already in the blessed habit of waking up and attending congregational fajr salaah, it is the person’s duty to encourage others –one’s family, friends and neighbours to do the same. “...Help you one another in al-birr and at-taqwa (virtue, righteouseness and piety)...' [Quran;5 :2]
A Muslim man or woman should make the effort to encourage their spouse and children to rise early and pray fajr since the Qur’an says: “..and enjoin al-salaah (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them (the prayers)…” [20:132].
Imagine the blessedness of a house whose inhabitants rise at dawn to praise and thank their Creator…imagine the blessedness of an entire neighbourhood …of an entire Ummah!
Only Muslims who are strong enough to fight the shaytaan and battle their own desire for comfort every day –at fajr when the mu’ezzin says as salaatu khairum min an naum [as salaah is better than sleep] —will have the strength to fight their enemies. It’s a simple principle that has been proved in history, many times over.
Umm Rashid
