Fajr Namaz

The fajr prayer (before dawn) is a
time when many people are heedless and
sleeping. The fact that your heart wants to
wake up, yet your body keeps sleeping, and
thus you feel regret later that morning, is a
gift from Allah Ta’ala.
Allah is keeping you connected to Him through
your desire to worship Him and your regret
when you falter, but showing you that this
connection doesn’t come without effort and
yearning on your part. In the end, every step
we are enabled to take towards Him is really
only because of His divinely-gifted ability
(tawfiq) that He blessed us with.
In terms of trying to ensure that one wakes up
to pray fajr, there are three types of things one
can do: 1) physical, 2)mental and 3) spiritual.
In order to make the effort to rise for fajr, the
first thing we must do is understand the great
status this prayer time holds, both as a time
of the day, and amongst the five obligatory
prayers.
The Importance of the Fajr Prayer
In the Qur’an, Allah Most High says:
“So establish the Prayer after the declining of
the sun [from its zenith, for Dhuhr and then
Asr] to the dusk of night [Maghrib and then
‘Isha] and the [Quranic]recitation of Fajr
[prayer]. Indeed, the [Quranic] recitation of
Fajr is witnessed.” [al-Quran 17:78]
The meaning of witnessed here means that
both the angels of [previous] night and the
angels of the [new] morning intently listen to
the Fajr prayer being recited aloud because of
its great status and virtue. [al-Suyuti, Tafsir
al-Jalalayn]
The Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace and
blessings be upon him) has said:
“Whoever performs the Prayer before the rising
of the sun [Fajr] and before its setting [‘Asr],
will not enter the Hell.” [Muslim]
and
“Whoever prays the two cooler prayer times
(i.e., Fajr and `Asr) will enter Paradise.” [Al-
Bukhari and Muslim]
Ibn ‘Allan comments on that Fajr and ‘Asr
were specified since they are two times when
one can easily miss the prayer: whether they
are lost in sleep during Fajr, or engrossed in
trade and work at ‘Asr. It is understood that
the one who prays these two, usually prays all
five daily prayers.
Finally, the reward mentioned in the hadith
indicates that the one who regularly prays Fajr
and ‘Asr can be expected to have a good
ending to their life: that they die upon faith as
a Muslim. Which of us would not be eager to
rise for the Fajr prayer if we truly understood
the benefits: a death on faith and eternal
success? [Ibn ‘Allan, Dalil al-Faliheen]
Some Warnings About Missing the Fajr Prayer
There are also warnings mentioned regarding
missing the Fajr prayer. The Prophet [Allah’s
peace and blessings be upon him] said:
“The most burdensome prayers for the
hypocrites are ‘Isha and Fajr [AM: because
they prefer the comfort of sleep to prayer], but
if they only knew what they contain, they
would come even if they had to
crawl.” [Ahmad]
and
“Whoever prays the dawn prayer [Fajr], then
He is under Allah’s protection. So beware, O
son of Adam, that Allah doesn’t call you to
account for being absent from His protection
for any reason.” [Muslim]
If the rewards do not convince us, once we
understand the seriousness of going about our
day without Allah’s protection around us for
the day in which we missed Fajr, that should
push us to make every effort to wake up the
next morning, and keep trying, until we
establish its observance as a habit.
Some Practical Steps to Waking Up
There are many different techniques to try to
wake up for Fajr. They vary from person to
person, depending on what prevents a person
from waking up.
Physical Preparations
There are various physical preparations: 1)
winding down before bed and sleeping early,
2) setting multiple alarms out of one’s
immediate reach, 3) simplifying one’s bedding,
4) drinking ample water so one is forced to
the washroom, or 5)having a family member
or friend wake you up when they rise. These
are some of the main suggestions, of which
sleeping early is perhaps the most common
remedy.
Mental Preparations
Then, there are mental preparations: 1) before
bed, visualizing oneself rising, washing and
praying, 2) telling the mind with firm resolve
before bed that there is an important
appointment at Fajr that one must attend
[with Allah], or 3) warning the mind
beforehand that the body will indeed be
tempted to close its eyes “for just a few more
minutes” when the alarm rings- and not to
give in to it.
Spiritual Preparations
Finally, there are the spiritual preparations: 1)
filling the heart with the importance and love
for praying Fajr and the fear of missing it, 2)
begging Allah Most High before bed for the
ability to wake up the following morning, 3) a
feeling deep-seated regret and sadness if one
misses it and immediately making it up, and
4) trying to avoid other major sins in one’s life
and repenting from them to try to gain divine
assistance [tawfiq].
If one accidentally misses Fajr however, while
they should feel regretful, they should never
feel despair and hopelessness such that they
feel dissuaded from trying to wake up the next
morning, since it is a sign that they were
relying on themselves, and not on Allah Most
High as they should be.
The Reality of Fajr
Few people find it hard to wake up if there is
a plane to catch the next morning, or a
lucrative job interview. This is because we are
so desirous to take that trip or get that job, so
our eyes open with vigor when the alarm
rings. Some people might awaken even before
the alarm, due to their anticipation.
The only reason this does not happen as often
for Fajr is because we haven’t attached the
same importance to the Hereafter as we have
attached to our worldly lives. Our awe and
sense of duty to Allah Most High might be
weaker than our desire for the ephemeral
things around us.
Those who are attached to Allah, however, see
Fajr as more important than the rest of the
day’s affairs put together, and so they find it
easy to rise to worship their Lord, in
submission and gratitude. They then find
peace from this, which spurs them to rise
again, in a positive cycle. Thus, its about
breaking bad cycles and establishing good
ones.
May Allah Most High make us all among
those who rise and pray Fajr easily and
consistently, out of submission and gratitude.