ANOTHER MISSED SALAH.

My phone’s alarm went off but I snoozed and went back to sleep.

It was 5am and the blaring sound of the microphone from the muezzin would not stop.I knew I had to wake up and honour the meeting with my Maker, but the cool breeze of early dawn made it easy for me to go back to bed. I tucked back in and had some more sleep.

Sunlight made its way through my window and greeted me.With the sun rays causing me to close my eyes and slowly open them as it adjusted to the light.I grudgingly opened my eyes and whispered,

Another missed Salah.

Many of us have experienced the sweetness of having a conversation with Allah but often do not find the motivation to make it a point each day. And honestly, we do not have a tangible reason to why we are unable to keep it going.For the most part, we know it is a battle with ourselves, a battle within.

Ibn Qayyim said, “when Shaitan makes a heart familiar with the ways of evil, he prompts it to do a few good deeds in order to delude its owner into thinking that he is on the whole a doer of good.”

We are engrossed in other matters of the world and lack discipline to focus on what matters most. A relationship with Allah through Salah.We need to appreciate the fact that, we must battle with our soul in order to please Allah.

So what sparks our desire to pray?

Personally,

I see Salah as an opportunity to connect with Allah and to honour my obligation to Him.I understand that, it is my obligation as a Muslim and if I love Allah or at least want to know him, I should pray.

• A beautiful place of worship sparks my desire to pray. Hence, I have a little corner in my room where I pray ,with my beautiful prayer mat which is comfortable and uplifts my mood.

• The call to prayer by the muezzin also has this effect on me.As he calls me to goodness.(look for the translation of what the muezzin recites) 

• My community of sisters who constantly urge me on and talk about spirituality spark a desire to be a more practicing muslim.The kind of people we have around us have a great toll on our behaviour.I find that, keeping people who uplift you spiritually matters a lot.

• For some people, stressful situations spark their desire to pray.And becomes an even daunting task for others.Know yourself and quickly find reinforcement where necessary.

The heart of the believer is never in one constant state for a long time and so we can never be perfect.But when we discipline ourselves and find what sparks our interest to pray, we get a lot better.Allah loves you and knows your struggles but you have to FIGHT YOUR SOUL.

May Allah grant us closeness to him and may He make the practice of the Deen easy for us. Aameen.

But I’m curious to learn from you.What makes you pray?