7 TIPS HOW TO STAY UP AFTER FAJR
Nothing kills productivity like waking up at 10am to start your day,
or waking up with just enough time to sloppily get dressed and race to
work, arriving frantically and foggy-brained. You try to get through
your To-Do List but before you know it, it is time for dinner, and then
Isha prayer, and you are feeling quite unaccomplished. The problem is
that you had a good 2-5 hours during which you could have achieved
maximized productivity, but you slept through it! okay, I admit I did this during looooong hols
What time am I talking about? The time right after Fajr prayers. It
is a blessed time that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) made dua
for, He said: “O Allah, bless my Ummah in its early hours”. *terharu, sobs*
Here are 7 ways to help you stay up after Fajr to become a beneficiary of blessings and success insha’Allah:
1. Go to bed early and rest
After the Isha prayer, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)
would not like to engage in unnecessary talk and would take to his house
to go to sleep. This is the similar life-style for many communities
where electricity has not created a false sense of daylight. Societies
that maintain going down with the sun inevitably rise with the sun,
making the most of their morning to do ‘ibaadah or secure their
livelihood. If you need to fit in more sleep, try taking a nap before or
after Zhuhr. Enough with late night movies & all, people!
It is not a surprise that Shaitan is trying to prevent us from the
worship of Allah and prevent us from a productive morning. However,
Alhamdulillah, we were given the prescription to combat his whispering:
a. Celebrate the praises of Allah by saying:
Alhamdulillahi allathee ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilayhin nushoor.
‘All praise and thanks is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.‘
‘All praise and thanks is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.‘
b. Perform ablution
c. Pray
Then after you have prayed, do not allow
yourself to get back into bed. Perhaps splashing your face with cold
water, having a bite to eat, or drinking some water or fruit juice will
help brush off any drowsiness.
3. Perform the prescribed dhikr after Fajr
If you still have the urge to jump back into your warm comfy bed
after Fajr, remember that the best extension of the prayer is the dhikr
that you perform afterwards.
”The angels keep on asking Allah’s forgiveness for anyone of you,
as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and he does not pass
wind (Hadath). They say, ‘O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to
him.” (Bukhari)
Plus, the longer you stay up, the less likely you will go back to sleep (and the less likely you will be able to fall asleep). Can’t agree more right! So, let’s read Ma’thuurat together so that your sleepy head gets refreshed :D
4. Aim to pray Duha
Duha prayer is an extra voluntary prayer you can pray approximately
20 minutes after sunrise until 45 minutes before Zhuhr prayer.
In the morning charity is due from every bone in the body of
every one of you. Every utterance of Allah’s glorification is an act of
charity (Subhan Allah). Every utterance of praise of Him is an act of
charity (Alhamdulillah), every utterance of profession of His Oneness is
an act of charity (Laa ilaha ill Allah), every utterance of profession
of His Greatness is an act of charity (Allahu Akbar), enjoining good is
an act of charity, forbidding what is distreputable is an act of
charity, and two rak’ahs which one prays in the forenoon will suffice.
[Muslim]
Who wouldn’t want that reward?
By the time it is allowed to pray Salat-ul-Duha, you will be more awake and will have already completed your morning dhikr
5. Recite/reflect/memorize Quran
After Fajr prayer is an amazing time to be alone with the Quran.
Before the day’s distractions set you off course, use this time to
recite, reflect and memorize The Quran. If you are like me, if I do not
read my daily dose of the Quran in the morning, I find it incredibly
difficult to sit after work or at the end of the day to try to get some
quality time with the Quran. Believe me, you will feel the benefit when
you start your day remembering Allah.
Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian]
until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed,
the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.(17:78)
6. Exercise
An early morning walk or stretches will get your blood moving and you
will find that you have the energy to stay up and make the most of your
day insha’Allah.
7. Have a list of tasks ready
Has this ever happened to you? You are awake, bright and early,
feeling particularly productive. You look around…and you begin to ask
yourself what to do. If you do not have a plan for your morning, then
you will inevitably waste time wandering and half-completing tasks. Use
the morning wisely by writing your To-Do List first thing after
Salat-ul-Duha, or even better, the night before. Aim to complete 3-5
tasks before you set off to work or school.
You will energized and fantastic having recited Quran,
remembered Allah (dhikr), performed an extra prayer, and knocked off
items from your To-Do List…all before you go to school or work! And you
will still have the whole day ahead of you insha’Allah.
O Allah, help us benefit from the beautiful morning hours. Ameen.