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Over the past year, I’ve had plenty of time to meditate on my life’s purpose as a Muslim. I hadn’t realized how desperately needy I was until the opportunity of time opened its arms and hugged me. It fostered personal growth and cultivated reflections of the importance of Islam in my life while re-igniting my passion for Islamic knowledge.
Born and raised as a Muslim, never knowing any other religious way of life, I had begun to take my Islam for granted, often admiring the “new Muslim zeal” that popped off the faces of reverts and how cautiously some retained this zeal as they became “seasoned” Muslims. And I recall feeling embarrassed that I (in my eyes) didn’t display the same “pop." I sought numerous ways to obtain Allah’s bounty and became more disciplined in prayer; a pivotal point in my spiritual journey. Always reflecting on Allah’s references to the virtues of praying during the night and reading Qur’an after Fajr prayer, but never putting it into consistent action. Allah says in surah Al-Isra (the migration), ayahs(verses)78-79:
“Establish regular prayers -- At the sun’s decline
Till the darkness of the night, And the morning prayer
And reading: for the prayer And reading in the morning
Carry their testimony. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!”
These ayat couldn’t be any clearer. Allah tells us right here that praying in the small watches of the morning act as an additional prayer for you. Who doesn’t need an extra prayer counted in their favor? What do we receive from prayer and praying? We receive blessings insha’Allah (Allah willing), peace of mind, spiritual growth, balance, focus, structure, and discipline to name a few benefits.
For most of us, the Fajr (dawn) prayer is one of the most challenging prayers to make next to Asr, due to the time of day that it occurs. Our bodies are normally experiencing a deep sleep -- REM (rapid eye movement) mode, when Fajr salat comes in. If it wasn’t for a command from Allah to pray at this time, the majority of us would not interrupt our most deep sleep for anything. However, salatul Fajr has tremendous rewards. We as Muslims have been given the keys to achieve success in this life and in the next, one of which is to pray salatul Fajr and read the Qur’an afterwards. It’s up to us to be conscious of the wisdom embedded in the words of the Qur’an and act accordingly.
Muslims must seek understanding of the words of Allah even if it requires us to break from our sleep to praise him and read his book of guidance and instructions. With the difficulty surely comes the ease. Allah tells us that we will have our share of discomfort or difficulty, but only the believers will come out of this discomfort and triumph, through understanding and diligent study of the Qur’an.
Complacency is not an option for the believer. Our goal is too large and too important to become complacent. Our goal is the jennah and complacency is a barrier between it and us. In surah Al-Baqarah (the cow), ayat 121, Allah says, “Those to whom We have sent the book, study it as it should be studied: Those who reject faith -- the loss is their own.” We have not been created to be losers; Allah wants us to victorious, which is why he provides multiple avenues for attaining his blessings and mercy. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to seek those avenues or will we continue living on stale knowledge, lackadaisical study habits, and mediocre prayer regimens.
We will seek Allah’s blessings every chance we breathe, each morning we wake and every night we sleep. Each morning that Allah returns our inspired spirit back to our waiting bodies, we will experience an epiphany morning. An epiphany morning that will enlighten, inspire, motivate, and cultivate a renewed sense of Islam, leaving you with that “new Muslim zeal."
Like myself, you to can come to appreciate this time before ot hers have woken or have gone back to sleep after Fajr. The mind and spirit are more receptive, allowing for the flow of understanding with precise clarity and wisdom to seep into the subconscious realms of your mind. There is something about the morning that makes me feel balanced. When the air is still, the house has settled, moonlit darkness peeks through window treatments and I sit on my prayer rug knowing that by indulging in these acts of worship there is a potential blessing for me and all I can do is smile, because my Lord is so generous.
By sunrise, I feel like I’ve completed a day load of activities, because I gave myself a mental schedule to follow each morning. After prayers I would read Qur’an and reflect on the ayahs read. Then I would review some basics of Islam to stay fresh and on top of “my game” (it’s almost as if I’m in a contest with myself to be a better Muslim than I was yesterday). Then I would become familiar with Arabic terms used frequently in the Qur’an by looking up the Arabic roots. I recently learned about the supererogatory prayer Salatul Duha which has merits of 360 individual acts of Sadaqah.
Until you truly reflect on Allah’s mercy with an open mind and spirit, you won’t honestly see his countless blessings. I became quite emotional upon absorbing this concept. I shared my new information with my family and friends, per chance they too were in the dark. All in all during these mornings I’ve learned what it really means to seek ways to worship your lord. It means reflecting on Allah’s commands and contemplating on my actions and duties as a Muslim. I have more responsibilities to this ummah than merely appearing (through dress) to be Muslim.
My life purpose is first to worship Allah and through this comes answers to my questions and the ability to fulfill all other life purposes. Taking advantage of this time to restructure and refocus my ideals and goals has only made me spiritually and mentally stronger. I always thought that I was strong in faith, but through my self-discoveries this past year, I’ve learned that I will always need to be stronger and my learning should never stop. I also realize that I’m a baby in this religion and my journey has just begun (Insha’Allah).
You may be wondering what happened to me this past year to afford me the opportunity to experience such an epiphany. Well, I became a new mom of a baby girl who is named Mizan which means balance or scale. I’ve had the great blessing and opportunity to stay at home with her during this first year of her life and watching her grow puts my life into perspective. Simply put, she represents what I ask Allah to grant the Muslim ummah during my epiphany mornings...Balance.
What will you ask Allah for in your epiphany mornings?
Takiya Akbar is wife and an at-home mother of two daughters. A Biology graduate of Lincoln University, she is the author of 365 Questions for Youth:Ceative Qestions to Provoke Thought and Communication and is currently working on a book that will emphasize the empowering qualities of young muslim girls.
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