InShaAllah, this Ramadan will mark 5 years since I started praying Salah regularlyâŚ
Iâm not posting this to brag or show off, but to hopefully help every one who is struggling with praying their salah.
Before I even started praying I used to sit on social media all day, Iâd post a few Qurâan ayah here and there, and I used to feel as though what I am doing as a muslim was enough. That my imaan was growing because of my social media posts. It wasnât.
I used to keep getting into islamic debates online, Iâd argue against non-muslims and defend Islam against terrorism, Iâd debate with brothers and sisters about âwhat is hijabâ, and about music, and about all sorts of other things - the typical arguments you see online. I had a lot of things going on in my life and I used to vent my frustration online⌠to random people - but it never gave me peace.Â
I would sit on the computer and watch islamic lectures on youtube, about the history of Islam, about marriage, about famous muslims from the past, about the importance of Salah, but the irony was I would watch these videos on salah, while neglecting the times of prayer. - I still couldnât find peace, I was always moody and used to keep my distance with my family.
Ramadan 2012 was around the corner, I used to see these posts about âRamadan muslimsâ and how certain muslims will only act religious in Ramadan and not any other time of the year - It frustrated me even more, as I felt that I was one of those people. So I set myself a goal. I used Ramadan as a catalyst. I prayed all Salah during Ramadan and used that motivation to continue after Ramadan. I tried my best. Every single Salah I tried my best to pray.
I focused on my Fajr Salah first, if I could wake up for Fajr, then the other four should be a piece of cake. So I was there, I never missed a single Salah for a whole year - and with it I felt more peace around me, I felt closer to my family as well.
I wonât lie to you, after the first year, I kind of slacked with my Salah, I missed one fajr, and then began delaying certain prayers through the day - but I would still make sure I made up for them. Even if I wasnât on time, I would do my best to pray the missed salah - it started having an effect on me as a person again, I started getting moody at times, and lost my temper easily.Â
Alhamdulillah, for the past few weeks Iâve been striving to pray on time again, especially now that Ramadan is here. So I just want to tell anyone that has difficulty with their prayers, and get told they are just âRamadan Muslimsâ - donât worry, this could be the year you start praying every single salah. Just keep yourself motivated. Ramadan is the best time to make that change. Everyone has a starting point, but I want to say something; it may be cliche, but I can honestly say I have seen the benefit in my life, as a person, that salah has helped me gain more patience.
If youâre not praying salah on time, or are missing it, do your best and you will see how much your life improves.
May Allah make it easy for us.