The Importance of Fajr prayer

A few years ago, I stumbled upon an interesting piece of advice while reading a book in a library. It says that if a person wants to visualise an ideal life, he should start by visualising his ideal day; how it should be, from the moment he wakes up in the morning till he goes to bed at night.

So I sat there, thinking about it. But before I was done imagining the perfect 24-hour course in my head, another thought barged in. “Is it even possible for a day to be considered perfect if a Muslim starts it by missing his Fajr prayer?”  

As Muslims, the importance of the five daily prayers is common knowledge. We were taught of their virtues, the warnings against neglecting them and how non-negotiable they are compared to many other religious duties. The five daily prayers are considered one of the pillars of Islam. They are the noblest of obligations after our Shahaadatain (testimony of faith). They will be the first deeds to be judged on the Day of Judgement just as the Prophet ﷺ once said:

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ صَلاَتُهُ فَإِنْ صَلُحَتْ فَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ وَأَنْجَحَ وَإِنْ فَسَدَتْ فَقَدْ خَابَ وَخَسِرَ.

It means: “Indeed the first deed by which a servant will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection is his Salat (prayers). If it is good, he is successful and triumphant, but if it is defective, he has failed and lost.”

With that being said, we ought to know that the Fajr prayer is granted special mentions and unique virtues in the Quran and the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These merits are meant to motivate us to do our best in observing it and to depict missing it as a real misfortune, worthy of regret and deep introspection.   

Four Fajr facts we should fear of missing out.

Fact 1: It is the symbol of true faith and devotion.

This does not come as a surprise. It is not an easy feat for a person to consistently wake up from his slumber and leave the comfort of his bed early in the morning every day. Afterwards, he washes himself up and prepares to communicate with his Maker, ignoring the fact of how late he slept last night or how daunting his day is about to be. This happens regardless of how cold the nights are in winter or how short they are in summer. And all these sacrifices are done for the sake of pleasing his Lord.

This is the manifestation of the sincerity of one’s Imaan (faith) and his fear of God even in seclusion. That is why Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

لَيْسَ صَلَاةٌ أَثْقَلَ عَلَى المُنَافِقِينَ مِنَ الفَجْرِ وَالعِشَاء 

Which means: “No prayer is heavier upon the Munaafiqiin (hypocrites) than the Fajr and the `Isha’ prayers.”

Fact 2: It is an act of servitude witnessed by many angels.

Allah has angels on Earth tasked with performing duties during the day and others with performing duties at night. It is mentioned in a hadith that the daytime angels and nighttime angels gather on earth during Fajr. Then, those who spent the night with us will ascend to the skies and Allah will ask them, “How did you leave My servants?” The angels will say, “We left them when they were praying (Fajr) and we came to them when they were praying (‘Asr).” 

This is without a doubt an honour for observers of the Fajr prayers as the noble angels of Allah bear witness to their prayers in front of Allah every day.

Fact 3: It is a good start for the day, protecting us from laziness and negativity.

While we are sleeping, there are things happening around us that are not apparent to the naked eye. There is a hadith in which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, “The night is long, so keep on sleeping.” If that person wakes up and makes zikr of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and in good spirits, otherwise, he gets up in low spirits   and lethargic”

Fact 4: Observers of Fajr prayer are promised paradise.

Rasulullah ﷺ said in a hadith:

مَنْ صَلَّى البَرْدَيْنِ دَخَلَ الجَنَّة

Which means: “Whoever observes the two prayers of the cool hours- Fajr and ‘Asr- will enter paradise.”

All good deeds lead to heaven and that includes all prayers. However, some of them are mentioned specifically in the Quran and hadiths to be a cause for a servant to enter heaven, like the Fajr prayer, to put an emphasis on its virtue and to remind the believers to be really mindful of it lest they neglect it.

Virtues of observing Fajr prayer in congregation (jama’ah).

The glad tidings mentioned above are just some of the general virtues of praying Fajr. Far greater rewards await people who observe Fajr prayer congregationally in the house of Allah. Here are four of them:

Virtue 1: Allah’s protection throughout the day.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

مَنْ صَلَّى ‌الصُّبْحَ ‌فِي ‌جمَاعَة فَهُوَ فِي ذِمَّةِ اللّهِ

Which means: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then he is under Allah’s protection.”

Imagine having the Prophet ﷺ himself guaranteeing that you will be safeguarded all day by Allah Ta’ala. Won’t you feel at ease and calm throughout the day? 

Scholars have two views on interpreting this hadith. Some of them said that this is a warning for anyone not to ever harm a Muslim who observes his Fajr prayer in Jama’ah as he is under Allah’s protection. Some scholars on the other hand opined that this is a warning for those neglecting Fajr prayers as they are starting their day desecrating the covenant between them and their Lord. Either way, this shows the prestige of those who pray Fajr in Jama’ah.

Virtue 2: The perfect light on the Day of Resurrection.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Give good tidings to those who regularly walk to the mosques in darkness for having a perfect light on the Day of Judgment.”

So when darkness engulfs everyone during the Day of Reckoning, they will be among the chosen ones that have perfect light surrounding them. This is the just retribution for their journeys to the mosques in darkness when they were living in this world to pray. May Allah grant us the honour of being among these people. 

Virtue 3: The rewards of making Qiyamullail.

Qiyamullail is the act of enlivening your night with acts of worship. If waking up for Fajr is hard for some people, then Qiyamullail is an even more gargantuan task. Not many will find it easy to wake up in the middle of the night to pray, read the Quran and make zikr for an hour or two. But by Allah’s grace and mercy, He decreed that whosoever prays Fajr in Jama’ah will be rewarded as though he made Qiyamullail for half of the night. We can’t even guarantee that we are able to sit and worship Allah for half a day without being distracted or tired. This just shows how big the reward is for just praying Fajr in congregation, which leads us to the last point. 

Virtue 4: Rewards so handsome, we will crawl for it if we have to.

To describe how magnificent are the virtues of praying Fajr in Jama’ah, Prophet ﷺ said:

وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي الْعَتَمَةِ وَالصُّبْحِ لأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا

Which means: “And if the people know what is the reward for attending the ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayers, they would be present even by crawling if they have to.”  

Some tips to help us observe Fajr.

After knowing the above-mentioned virtues, we should already be motivated to incorporate this deed in our lives if we have yet to do so. However, the reality is that some of us are still struggling to even wake up on time for Fajr, let alone for going to the mosque in the wee hours. The good news is that the way forward is just a few simple adjustments away.

Firstly, we should go back to the foundation: our intention. This is very integral to our success in this matter, and also in all aspects of our life. Our intention must have the adequate strength and sincerity to it. A half-hearted consideration to wake up early is a harbinger of failure, especially for heavy sleepers. At the same time, an enthused will to wake up early may help to actualise your plan but will not bear the desired fruits, i.e. the promised rewards, if you are not sincerely doing it for the sake of Allah. On top of that, a strong and sincere intention comes with a consolation prize if it fails to materialise; you will still be rewarded for trying.

Secondly, this strong and sincere intention must be manifested by some form of action. This is a no-brainer but we should all know that in order to wake up early, staying up late should be avoided. In fact, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ disliked people having unnecessary conversations after ‘Isha’. If that is the case for normal conversations, then staying up late doing sinful activities is even worse.

When we are facing a pressing problem, we will try to find a solution for it. We will do our best to search for any lawful way to eliminate the problem at hand. Missing Fajr prayer must be seen as a problem that needs fixing. Those having trouble waking up on time should employ all the cards available in their hands; set multiple alarms, avoid using a bed that is too comfy, have friends to wake them up, or time their fans to automatically switch off at a point so the sheer discomfort will assist them waking up. In the end, it is not silly if it works. It is though, if we think missing Fajr constantly is something that can be ignored.  

If the pursuit of the ideal life starts with the ideal day, then our ideal day starts this way. By waking up at the prescribed time, by purifying our bodies and hearts to face our Creator, by glorifying and worshipping Him before the sun even appears on the horizon. We are, after all, nothing but His slaves.

May Allah grant us the guidance and the honour to be among the observers of prayers. May Allah help us in our strife to get closer to Him.