Author: Syeda Mehr Mustafa
Every Muslim soul is different. Despite being prescribed the same obligations in worship, we all react differently to them. Some might find it easy to remain consistent in prayer, while others don’t. At times, the acts of worship that came easily before, seem impossible now, and what seemed impossible before, feels like a breeze now.
There is no shame in admitting shortcomings; the only problem is if they persist. Instead of despairing over our persistent problems, it’s better to consistently strive for solutions.
The thing about salah is that it’s not merely a routine habit or an exercise in self-discipline and time management. Consistency in salah is about establishing and nurturing a relationship – rather, five different relationships – we establish to gain proximity and access to Allah.
When we think of daily prayers, we often group them all together. Such a blanket approach to anything can be overwhelming. So think of Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha as five different friends you meet daily at different times.
Whether you haven’t prayed in years or if you find yourself skipping more than you like, here are a few tips for establishing consistency:
One at a time
Sometimes, it can be challenging to establish five out of five prayers, so take them one at a time, especially if you aren’t praying at all. Start with the prayer that fits easiest into your schedule. For example, if you have time in the evenings, recite maghrib and aim to establish it every day for a week before adding isha to the equation.
Once you have reached the stage where you can’t imagine not praying in the evenings, and the same you that delayed in angst, guilt and heedlessness is now rushing to the prayer mat with joy – you know it’s time to carve space in your mornings and afternoons. Give each prayer at least one to two weeks to imprint itself on your soul and muscle memory before adding another.
Remember, each daily prayer is different. What Fajr asks of you is different from what Zuhr demands. As you spend time with each prayer, you’ll slowly experience their subtle differences. One can only enjoy consistency by finding nuances in worship and exploring their effects on one’s soul. So cherish them, hold on to them, and guard them jealously from your heedlessness.
Before you know it, you will be consistent in salah in three to ten weeks.
Stop looking back (for a bit)
Before you say, three to ten weeks till I reach 5/5? What about all my qada salah? You’re just asking me to incur more by this one at a time method!
Remember that the aim of consistency is to decrease the total number of your qada deliverables. The main way, of course, is to clear the backlog. But the truth is, if you’ve been quite inconsistent, you’ve already incurred a lot of qada prayers. So before moving on to address the backlog, make sure you’re not increasing your obligatory qada.
So, from the day you start your first maghrib, make sure you do not increase your qada for maghrib and so on for each prayer. After you feel confident in your consistency for over ten weeks, make a plan to clear the backlog.
If you’re just dealing with inconsistency here and there, be mindful of which prayers you miss, and make establishing them for a few weeks your top priority before clearing their backlog.
Enjoy the process
Enjoy the process of becoming consistent. Cherish it. If Allah granted you tawfiq to recite one salah daily, bask in that honour and privilege. Don’t be ungrateful in that moment of bliss by thinking about all the prayers you haven’t performed. The guilt is more likely to demotivate and dissuade you. Learn to be content with each blessing. Let this contentment naturally guide you to seek more instead of forcing it.
Observe the peace and the feeling of having done something right after each salah. There is truly no feeling like it. Hold on to it – and let it increase your cravings for bliss. Let the peace of qurb with Allah be your guiding force in establishing consistent salah, not your fear of punishment.
Allah does not need our prayers; we need to pray to Him. So every chance you get at performing a prayer, every heedless thought you have successfully overcome to make your way to the prayer mat, is an achievement. It’s a battle that your taqwa and tawakkul have won against the shortcomings of your fitrah. So celebrate the small wins; they’ll lead you to ultimate victory.
Prayer is a privilege
Salah is not merely an obligation; it’s predominantly a privilege. So, treat the ability to offer your prayers as an honour. Instead of imposing it upon yourself, bring yourself to a stage where the 5-60 minutes you spend in obligatory worship are the best moments of your day. Make sure salah is something you look forward to, not perform out of fear and obligation.
A long time ago, in the streets of Basra, the esteemed Sufi saint Rabia Basri ran around with a pail of water in one hand and a bush on fire in the other. When asked where she was going, she said to burn the idea of heaven and douse the flames of hell in the imagination of the believers so that no one worshipped Allah for the desire of reward or the fear of punishment.
She acted not from a place that did not fear Allah, nor one that did not believe in heaven or hell, but from the highest form of taqwa, which inspires such awe in Allah that it cannot fathom praying for any other sake but qurb. After all, salah may be wajib, but it is only wajib as it seeks qurb with Allah. Such taqwa cannot see reward or punishment because it has recognized that He is the Only Being worthy of worship.
So if you pray, don’t pray out of fear of punishment or desire for reward. Pray because your Lord is worthy of praise and worship. Pray because you want to be amongst those bestowed with the greatest honour and privilege—to be His worshipper.
Author intro:
The author is a Fulbright scholar with a M.A. Islamic Studies from George Washington University. Her research focuses on Al-Sajjad’s life and the Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah.
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