Most of us struggle to get up at Fajr time. There can be several reasons for this; ranging from weakness in eeman, to lack of discipline. However, the intention of this post is not to list them and then chastise people. Rather, I would like to list a few practical tips that can help us in waking up for Fajr. One major benefit of praying Fajr, apart from the immense reward, is the freedom from the guilt of missing this salah. Of course, if you aren’t feeling bad about it, then you’re in deeper trouble. So, without further ado, here are my tips for waking up for Fajr:.
1... Know what you’re missing out on:
Here are three Hadees about the virtue of praying Fajr. For the believer, they should be sufficient motivation.
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (656) that ‘Usmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) say: “Whoever prays ‘Isha’ in congregation, it is as if he spent half the night in prayer, and whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”
Abu Dawood (561), al-Tirmidhi (223) and Ibn Maajah (781) narrated from Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (SAWS) said: “Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the dark, of perfect light on the Day of Resurrection.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb.
Al-Bukhaari (657) and Muslim (651) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said: “The most burdensome of prayers for the hypocrites are ‘Isha’ and Fajr. If only they knew what (reward) there is in them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl. I was thinking of ordering that the call to prayer be given, then I would tell a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would set out with some men carrying bundles of wood and go to people who do not attend the prayer, and burn their houses down with them inside.”
2 ... Plan the day ahead:.
Before you sleep, create a general plan for the next day. The first thing on your agenda should be waking up and praying Fajr. This little exercise prepares you mentally and it also programs your subconscious mind. With good enough practice, getting up for Fajr may become second nature.
3 ... Drink a little water:.
If you’re a heavy sleeper or in the habit of sleeping very late, then drinking some water right before bedtime may help. You may be able to resist the call to salah, but you can’t resit the call of nature . When you’ve woken up already, why not make the most of this and pray Fajr? Caveat: This may not work for everyone.
4... Sleep early:.
You’ve heard your parents say it all your childhood life. But there’s no escaping it! Sleeping early is the most effective way of ensuring that you get up for Fajr. This may be difficult initially, but if you keep waking up early, eventually your body is going to demand more sleep. That’s when sleeping early comes in.
5... Eat light before sleeping:
If you’re in the habit of eating heavy meals before bed, give it up now! It will make you sluggish; cutting down your chances of waking up for Fajr and ruin your health in the long run.
6... Keep your alarm at a distance:
This has helped me a lot. Keeping my alarm close by meant I’d just shut it off and go back to sleep (sound familiar? ) Instead, I keep it at a distance, which forces me to get up, walk to it, and then shut it off.
Now, I’m slightly more awake which leads me to the next point.
7... Perform Wudhu immediately:
Just do it! There’s no option of going back to bed. Of course, once you’ve done this, I’d be surprised if you still felt like sleeping without praying. The final leg is for the sisters to pray at home and for the brothers to head for the masjid. Remember, praying Fajr at home is only for the sisters!
I hope these tips were useful. Be sure to add more that you’ve found to be effective.
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