One of the most beautiful things about Islam which is very apparent to both muslims and non muslims all across the world is the Adhaan (calling to prayer). Making the adhaan for prayer is an act of worship which many across the world enjoy doing. Within the call, there are very profound and insightful statements which help to bring our lives back into perspective.
The Adhaan is the muslim call to prayer which is delivered prior to the times of prayer to indicate that the congregational prayer will be beginning shortly. This is conducted before each of the 5 obligatory daily prayers. SubhanAllah with how far Islam has spread, there is not time in the day where adhaan is not being recited in the world. (Please click on the link for a demonstration)
One aspect that struck me with the Adhaan was the phrase ‘hasten to success’ which is repeated in twice. But the question that arises is how does salaah lead us to success?
SubhanAllah I have always found salaah to be an opportunity to break away from worldly matters. A time in which we can ignore everything else around us and focus on our relationship with Allah and aim to seek his pleasure. This is the greatest desire that us as muslims should have and it should outweigh any other worldly matter.
I remember a time when I used to complain about the timing of salaahs whilst at university. During the winter in the UK the daily prayers are very close together with Zuhr, Asr and Maghrib all being due in a 4 hour timeframe. Whilst preparing for my January exams I would usually exclaim that I can’t revise during these times as Salaah would break up my flow of revision (putting worldly matters ahead of my deen). But I will never forget the response which a close friend of mine would advise me when I would mention this. They would say ‘You will achieve more in completing those salaahs then having to use that time to revise.’ SubhanAllah this had totally changed my perception on Salaah and helped me appreciate its importance.
As I continually prayed salaah at their prescribed times I noticed how the dunya which I once desired and prioritised, was now chasing me! SubhanAllah it was an incredible feeling and really helped to improve my relationship with Allah and really see a new way of life. Of course throughout life there will be a time where the dunya will catch up and it becomes a continuous battle but it is important to persevere and insha Allah we will see the rewards of our efforts.
But how do we achieve success? One tip which at the Imaam at my local masjid would try to promote is basing your times of the day and engagements you may have planned around salaah. For example If you are planning to meet with a friend or family member rather than specifying a time such as 1pm, instead say that you will meet them after zuhr salaah. Without realising insha Allah you will have made salaah the highest priority and at the same time may gain some reward for ensuring others complete their salaah too.
Another tip is to continually remind ourselves to appreciate what salaah is. Allah SWT had given this ummah salaah as a gift during Al isra’a wal Mir’aaj (Prophet Muhammad’s ascencsion to heaven) and we should do our best to refrain from considering this as a burden. Insha Allah the more we change our perspective of salaah, the more our love for doing it will increase and insha Allah the closer we will feel with Allah.
So the questions we need to continually ask ourselves is do you want success? You can achieve it in 5 easy steps!
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