How to wake up for Fajr prayer

How many times have you noticed that you are taking a nap through the Fajr prayers? How many times have you told yourself only ‘5 minutes left’? The next thing we know is that the sun has risen and Fajr time has passed.

Quite often, we experienced the scene as most of us are familiar with it. Waking up for Fajr is certainly a difficult task for most Muslims. In the words of our beloved Holy Prophet:

“While you sleep, Satan ties three knots on each of your backs and breathes the following words at each knot. When he is unleashed, the second knot is untied, and when he prays, all knots are untied, and he wakes up in the morning to be cheerful and energetic. Otherwise, he will be discouraged and lethargic.” Bukhari 4:491

By beginning our day with the Fajr prayers, we incur the big advantages of Allah because the prayer of Fajr holds extremely good importance in the realm of Islam. While the whole world sleeps, Allah wants to see the ones of His dedicated servants who sacrifice their sleep with the intention to stand in Salah, with the only cause of worshipping Him and exalting Him. It is a time of utter peace and calmness while the hustle-bustle of the sector involves a standstill and not anything stands among us and our Lord.

However, waking up for Fajr can pose a tough challenge for a maximum of us. Here are some steps you may observe to assist yourself get off the bed and performing your Fajr prayers on time:

Remember: You’re doing this for Allah

Before you go to bed, remember why you have to get up for Fajr prayers. That is to please Allah. If we can’t sacrifice sleep to stand in front of him for a few minutes, how does he empower us in our worldly trials and future? Can you expect it? How can you expect him to be there for us when we can’t give up a mundane sleep for even a few minutes?

Remember the rewards of praying Fajr

Every night, enumerate the blessings and rewards associated with Fajr Prayer to motivate you to awaken to the blessed work, as highlighted in the following hadith:

“Anyone who observes Al-Bardan (the prayers of Fajr and Asr) will enter Jannah.” Bukhari 9:57

“The one who prays in the morning (Fajr) is under the protection of Allah. Son of Adam! Beware, otherwise, Allah blames you in every way from his protection.” Muslim 9:59

“Anyone who prays before the sun rises and sets will not enter the hell.” Muslim 9:58

Firm intention

Knowing how important it is to wake up for Fajr, you decide to do everything on your own to provide Fajr and fulfill your obligations to please Allah. Consciously make Fajr prayer a part of your daily routine, just as you prioritize work in another world throughout the day. Unless you consciously intend to wake up with Fajr, all other efforts will be in vain. Go to bed with the intention of waking up.

Make a sincere dua

Before you fall asleep, make a sincere dua, ask Allah for help, and wake up in time for Fajr prayer. If you call him, he won’t let you fail. You'll be amazed at how sincere Dua is far more effective than just an alarm clock.

Make a point to sleep early

This is almost natural. If you go to bed early, you will naturally get up early. This basically serves the purpose of waking up to prayer and starting the day with fresh notes. Staying up late can make you feel tired, lethargic and lacking energy all day long. Do not try to engage in multiple activities just before going to bed. Then you will get up in the middle of the night. Prioritize and minimize your daily work to keep your head clean and sleep faster.

ARR