Wisdom Pearls of Islam

Importance of Fajr and Ishaa Salaah

What will happen to you when you pray Fajr?

If you only knew the amazing things that would happen to you when you pray fajr, you would go to it crawling.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "If they knew the merits of Salat after nightfall ('Isha') and the morning (Fajr) Salat, they would come to them even if they had to crawl to do so.''

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

To make it clearer to you, I am going to give you a simple example. Don't you find that many people nowadays try to insure all their valuables (Like cars and houses) and some will even go to the extent of insuring their life!!!?

The prayer of Fajr is an inclusive insurance to your entire life. It protects you and compensates you for the whole day and the whole night too. It simply insures that you have a complete day free from all dangers. How?

Jundub ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "He who performs the dawn prayer (fajr) will be under the protection of Allah, so beware lest Allah questions you about what you owe him. For if Allah questions anyone of you and he falls short of fulfilling the duty which he owes him, then He will retaliate for him and throw him upon his face into the Hellfire."

Source: Sahih Muslim 657

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim

So from the time you pray fajr until the following fajr you are under the protection of Allah.

That is not all....what else?

On the top of the daily insurance you will also receive a night insurance, which is even better than life insurance people run to buy. With fajr prayer you will increase your life by the third. So if you were to live 75 years you will live 100 years and if you were to live 100 years, you will live 130 years and so forth...How?

Isn't sleeping a missing part of your life?

If you sleep 8 or 7 hours every day without neyya, that time is considered wasted in terms of your deeds. But if you pray fajr in congregation it is like you have been praying the whole night.

Uthman bin 'Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) saying: "One who performs 'Isha' prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat for half of the night. And one who performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat the whole night.''

[Muslim]

Imagine a whole night of prayers and worship can be achieved with two raka'as despite the fact that you were sleeping in bed!!! Doesn't this make you so happy to pray fajr??

Any insurance you buy is going to be only in this dunia (this world) but the prayer of fajr is for the dunia and the hereafter.

Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Convey glad tidings to those who walk to the mosque in the darkness. For they will be given full light on the Day of Resurrection.''

[At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

It's a shame to find people so keen to set up their alarm clocks to get up to go to work on time but if you were to walk to the masjid for fajr, you will find the streets so empty with only you and may be a person or two!!....Just an hour or two later, you will find the streets are so packed and crowded....what happened?....everybody is going to work and to school.....Do you want them to deduct from our pay!!?

I know the sisters might feel left out as they do not go to the masjid for fajr!?...

Well here is the good news, make sure you go to bed early with the neyya that you are sleeping to rest so you can wakeup for fajr and in shaa Allah your whole night will be counted as reward. So have a sincere intention.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended

But don't stay up all night and sleep at 2 AM and expect to wakeup for fajr...in this case of course you will not wake up and your neyya won't be true.

Another thing you can do dear sister is to urge the men in your family to go to the masjid by sharing with them these rewards and by waking them up and in shaa Allah you will gain the same reward without decreasing any of their reward.