Sleeping and Missing Salat al-Fajr (2/3)

The practical aspect of dealing with this problem includes a number of steps which the Muslim can take in order to get used to performing Salat al-Fajr regularly in congregation. These steps include:

1. Sleeping Early

According to a sahih hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to dislike sleeping before 'Isha' and talking afterwards. The Muslim should not sleep before Salat al-'Isha' because it is obvious that most of those who sleep before it will spend the rest of the night feeling so tired and heavy that it will be as if they are ill.

Also, the Muslim should not talk after 'Isha', and the scholars have explained the reason why doing so is disliked: it is because doing so leads to people staying up late, which in turns leads to the fear that they will sleep and miss Qiyam al-Layl, or the correct or preferred time for Fajr prayer.

The kind of talk that is disliked after 'Isha', as the commentators explain, is that in which there is no clear benefit, but if there is some benefit – such as studying and gaining knowledge, learning stories of righteous people, speaking to a guest, spending time with one's wife and family, speaking to travellers and taking care of them and their luggage, or any other permissible reason – then there is nothing wrong with it. This has no connection with the reasons for which many people stay up late nowadays, to do wrong and commit sin! So the Muslim should sleep early, so that he can wake up refreshed to pray Fajr and avoid the kind of late nights that make him too tired to get up and pray Fajr in congregation.

It is a fact that people differ with regard to their need for sleep, so it is not possible to dictate a set number of hours that people should sleep, but each person should stick to the time that will give him enough sleep to wake up refreshed for Salat al-Fajr. If a person knows from experience that sleeping after 11pm, for example, will mean that he cannot get up for Fajr, then from an Islamic point of view he should not sleep any later than that … and so on.

2. Making Sure that One is Clean (tahir) and Reciting Adhkar (prayers) Before Sleeping

This helps a person to get up for Fajr.

3. Having a Sincere Intention and Being Determined, When Going to Sleep, that One Will Get Up for Fajr

But a person who goes to sleep hoping that the alarm will not go off, and that no one will come and wake him up, will not – with such a corrupt intention – be able to get up to pray Fajr whilst he still has this bad intention.

4. Remembering Allah as Soon as One Wakes Up

Some people may initially wake up, then they go back to sleep again. But if a person remembers Allah straight after waking up, this will loosen one of the knots of Shaytan, and will motivate him to get up. When he performs wudhu', his determination becomes stronger, and Shaytan is driven further away, and when he prays, his Shaytan is defeated, his balance (of good deeds) becomes heavier, and he will feel happy and energetic.

5. Seeking Help from One's Family and Friends to Pray Fajr, and Encouraging One Another in this Regard

This is essential, and is undoubtedly included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meanings):

"… Help you one another in al-birr and at-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)  …" [Al-Qur'an Surah al-Maa'idah, 5:2]

"By Al-'Asr (time). Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience." [Al-Qur'an Surah al- 'Asr, 103:1-3]

The Muslim should encourage his wife, for example by waking her up to pray Fajr, and she should encourage him, no matter how tired and exhausted he may be. Children should also seek their father's help to wake up, so he can wake them when it is time for the prayer. No father should say "They have exams, they are  tired, let them sleep, poor kids." It is a mistake to think that be doing this one is being a kind and merciful parent; true parental mercy means that the father wakes them up to worship Allah.

"And enjoin As-Salah (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them (the prayers) …" [Al-Qur'an Surah Ta-ha, 20:132 – interpretation of the meaning].

Just as family members should help and encourage one another to pray Fajr, so brothers in Islam can also help one another. For example, university students living in the same residence or neighbours in the same neighbourhood can help one another by knocking on a neighbour's door to wake him for prayer and helping him to worship Allah.

6. Praying to Allah to Help Him to Wake Up to Pray Fajr in Congregation

Du'a' is one of the greatest sources of strength and success in all things.

7. Using Various Means of Being Woken Up, Such as Alarm Clocks

These should be put in the most appropriate place. Some people put the alarm clock next to their head, and when it rings, they turn if off at once and go straight back to sleep. Such a person should put the clock a little further away, so that he can feel that it is really waking him up.

One can also arrange to receive alarm calls from the telephone company, and no Muslim should think that it is too much to pay for this service if he needs it, because this is spending in the way of Allah, and waking up to obey the command of Allah cannot be measured in terms of worldly wealth.

8. Throwing Water in the Face of the Person Who is Sleeping

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praised the man who gets up at night to pray, and wakes his wife, and when she refuses to get up, he throws water in her face; and he praised the woman who gets up at night to pray, and wakes her husband, and when he refuses to get up, she throws water in his face. [Reported by Imam Ahmad in Al-Musnad, 2/250; Sahih al-Jami', 3494].

Throwing water in a person's face is one of the means of waking a person for prayer that is prescribed by Shari'ah. In fact it is quite refreshing and energizing. Some people may become enraged when woken in this manner, and they may shout and swear and issue threats, so the person who is seeking to wake another should employ wisdom and patience, and remember that the pens are lifted from the record of one who is sleeping (i.e., his deeds are not being recorded while he is asleep) – so he should put up with any bad treatment, and not let this put him off trying to wake people up for prayer.

(Continued)