Dear Mama,
Remember how you used to be after Asad* and me to pray regularly? Well,
I wish I had listened to you earlier. But well. No use crying over spilt milk.
All these years, I would try to regulate my prayer routine; I tried
to at least pray twice a day, if not that then at least pray the Friday
prayers. It was, of course, not enough. Somehow, I just never managed to push
myself hard enough. I don’t know what it was really, I am at a loss of words to
explain why I had been so ignorant of this habit that Allah has made compulsory
for us. There were times where I was plain lazy and others where I was super
rebellious (an extremely wrong attitude).
However, today, I can proudly say that I have become quite regular
(Alhamdulillah), in fact, I even wake up for Fajr most days, effortlessly. Although
it has only been around two months since I’ve adopted this new routine but I
have to admit, it is the best thing to have happened to me in a long time.
The Quran, the Holy Scripture that has been sent down to mankind
is the best possible gift ever. The Quran beautifully entails a way of life for
us and reminds us over and over that Allah is the Most Merciful, the Most
Gracious and to Him we shall all return. I recommend reading the
translation/tafseer to ALL my friends and family who are looking for peace and
tranquility. (I am still in the process of reading it, so I won’t go in details).
The Quran mentions the importance of Salah after every few Ayaats!
O
you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is
with the patient. (Al Baqarah- 153)
Say,
"Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for
Allah , Lord of the worlds. (Al An’am- 162)
Recite,
[O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer.
Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of
Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do. (Al Ankabut -44)
With all the sudden deaths, the disasters around the world and
everything going constantly haywire, I finally resorted to praying to Allah to
find peace and answers. In my heart, I know that Allah intended for me to find
the right path. I know that the fact that I can acknowledge the benefits of
prayer in my life is a gift in itself.
Praying so regularly has changed my perspective on life. Yes!
Believe it or not! In a matter of a few weeks, I feel the change inside me. I
love the routine; in fact, I look forward to the next prayer time. I feel proud
of myself every night after performing the Isha prayer and go to sleep more
peacefully. The days when I wake up for Fajr, I feel that my time is spent more
productively. Taking out time for Dhuhr and Asar during a busy school day makes
me feel on top of the world. And to ensure that I don’t miss Maghrib, I have
stopped napping at odd hours! My whole routine is in place Alhamdulillah. And
apart from this, the biggest thing that I have gained from this habit is: I
have LESS time to think about unnecessary issues in life! I spend more time on
the important stuff and I feel LESS depressed. I look forward to the day where
my heart will be completely at ease! In sha Allah.
Before I sign off, the purpose of my post? I URGE everyone and
anyone who reads this, try an incorporate at least one Salah in your timetable.
Trust me, baby steps will take you a long way!
Allah says
"Take one step towards Me, I will take ten steps towards you. Walk towards
Me, I will run towards you." (Hadith Qudsi)
Keep sending me some positive vibes and love from Jannat Mama! I
love and miss you immensely!
Trying to make you proud always,
Love, M!
*Asad is my younger brother. Fahad is the youngest. He was too young to pray back then.
