ACTS OF WORSHIP TO DO IN RAMADAN
SALAH
Salah is our strongest connection with Allah Ta’ala. It’s a way of reminding ourselves that Allah Ta’ala exists, the favours He has done on us and how we need to make Him our focal point in life.
The five daily Salahs are already compulsory—in fact, we get seventy times the amount of reward for praying them in Ramadan. If someone doesn’t have a habit of praying them already, this month should be the ideal moment they start.
Not only is it easier because of the absence of the Shayatin and the effect of fasting and going against our desires, but everything becomes collective in Ramadan. We go Fajr together, as it’s right after Suhur; we pray Tarawih together; and we get to even break fasts together in the Masjid. We all are trying to improve ourselves, and there is no better time than to start in Ramadan.
Ideally, we should be praying in the Masjid. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم greatly emphasised for us to pray together in Masajid, and he would become upset when someone nearby didn’t without valid reasons. We should remind ourselves that the Masjid is the House of Allah Ta’ala, our Creator, Our Provider, Our Sustainer, and the One who looks after us and fulfils our needs. We should visit him whenever He asks us to, and five times a day is not much to ask, especially as all the Salahs are spaced out throughout the day. If we don’t go, we should feel deprived as He didn’t call us, rather than thinking that we chose not to go.
If we already have a habit of praying all the Salahs, then we should always be finding ways to upgrade our Salah, just as we upgrade everything else in life, whether it’s our houses, our cars, our phones and even our clothes.
Here are some ways to improve your Salah in order of priority:
1. Pray each Fard Salah on time
2. Pray each Fard Salah in the Masjid
3. Pray the Sunnah Mu’akkadahs before and after their respective Salahs
• 2 before Fajr
• 4 before Zuhr and 2 after it
• 2 after Maghrib
• 2 after ‘Isha
4. Pray the Sunnah Ghayr Mu’akkadahs before their respective Salahs
• Either 2 or 4 before ‘Asr
• Either 2 or 4 before ‘Isha
5. Pray your Salahs with the first takbir, i.e. being there in the rows when the Imam starts the Salah, without missing any Rak’ahs
6. Praying in the first Saff (row)
7. Praying other Nawafil Salah
• The Nawafil Salah for Zuhr, Maghrib and ‘Isha
• Tahajjud – more detail on the next slide
• Ishraq – At least two Rak’ahs immediately after sunrise
• Duha – At least two Rak’ahs after mid-morning but before Zuhr time.
• Awwabin – A total of Six Rak’ahs in sets of two Rak’ahs prayed after the Maghrib Fard. You can count the two Rak’ahs of Maghrib Sunnah as part of the six.
• Salatu‘l-Hajah – Two Rak’ahs to be prayed when there’s a need you wanted to ask from Allah Ta’ala
• Salatu ‘t-Tawbah – Two Rak’ahs to be prayed when you want to seek forgiveness for a major sin
• Tahiyyatu ‘l-Masjid – Two Rak’ahs to be prayed when you enter a Masjid before sitting down, as a way of greeting Allah Ta’ala. If you don’t have time for it, you can intend whichever other Salah you’re praying first in the Masjid as Tahiyyatu‘l-Masjid as long as you haven’t sat down (though you can’t do this with Maghrib Salah)
• Tahiyyatu ‘l-Wudu – Two Rak’ahs to be prayed after finishing Wudu
8. Praying with as much concentration as you can, focusing on Allah Ta’ala watching you. This will be challenging and you may need further advice from a qualified Shaykh.
The Importance of Tahajjud Salah
Tahajjud Salah is one of the greatest Salahs you can perform. It’s a Salah for showing your love and sacrifice for Allah Ta’ala. You give up your sleep and comfort for His sake, meeting Him and speaking with Him at a time when the majority of the country is asleep. This is the best time of the day to focus on Allah Ta’ala, especially as your mind will be clearer if you have woken up after a few hours of sleep and you will have finished with your daily responsibilities.
Scholars explain that it’s extremely difficult to become a Wali (close friend) of Allah Ta’ala if you don’t pray Tahajjud, as it has always been a common trait between all of the friends of Allah Ta’ala in the past that they prayed Tahajjud.
Ramadan is the most appropriate month to be praying Tahjjud, as it’s the month of connecting with Allah Ta’ala and asking for His friendship. It’s even easier as we’re usually awake at that time having Suhur anyway
Before having your Suhur, take out some time to pray Tahajjud Salah followed by five minutes of Du’a. In total, it may not be more than ten minutes. Pray the Salah slowly and calmly, making your Ruku’ and Sujud longer than usual. Try to pray lengthy portions of the Noble Qur’an if you can. When you finish, sit for the five minutes and make Du’a for everything you want, especially forgiveness and Allah Ta’ala’s friendship.
It’s important to pray your Tahajjud first along with a Du’a, and then doing your Suhur, as the Tahajjud will be rushed otherwise. It’s more rewarding to delay your Suhur to the ending time.
Lastly, if you have any Salahs that you’ve missed out in your life, it’s a good idea to make a start to pray to them this month. These are called the Qada Salahs and sometimes called Qada ‘Umri.
Calculating how many of each Salahs you have missed is a daunting task. However, once it is done and recorded, it’s easier to keep track of it. To calculate the missed Salahs consider the following:
• There are five Salahs in a day (six if you include the Witr of ‘Isha). If there are 365 days in a year, you will need to pray 365 of each Salah for every year that you have missed.
• You may have prayed Jumu’ahs every week, so since there are 52 weeks in a year, you can subtract 52 Zuhrs for every year.
• In the previous years, you may have prayed your Salahs for a duration. For example, in Ramadan you may have prayed every Salah, or at least Maghrib and ‘Isha, as many break their fast in the Masjid and pray Tarawih there in Ramadan. Subtract thirty of each from your total for every year.
• You may have also prayed some additional Salahs in workplaces or schools. Try to calculate these and subtract them from the total.
The total you’ll have will still be a large number, maybe thousands! However, you shouldn’t feel despondent. The scholars explain that even if we show to Allah Ta’ala that we’re making an effort by praying just one of each Salah a day, we will be forgiven for missing them.
Try to pray at least one of each after every Salah. However, avoid praying them in front of others— especially after Fajr and ‘Asr as these Salahs have no Sunnah prayers afterwards, and it will be obvious to others that you’re praying Qada. Revealing your sins of missing past Salahs is also a sin!
BY HUDA PRESS
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