Salaam Minara Family,
As we get closer to the sacred month of Dhul Hijjah, what’s sitting on your soul? We’re sharing a personal struggle with Fajr [thoughts below ⬇️] but also starting to think about what this upcoming month teaches us about salah.
Maybe you’ve been blessed to join the millions of blessed pilgrims this year - maybe not. While not everyone can make the physical journey to Makkah, each salah is a sort of migration, from world to beyond. Just as the pilgrims shun the comforts of their daily, familiar world, we step away from life in the fast lane five times a day and we are reminded that essentially nearness to Allah isn’t tied to Geography. All we really need to do is turn our face to the Qibla.
Dhul Hijjah is the best month to perform simple acts of worship whether this means improving our salah, being more consistent with it or offering nafl [optional] prayers if heart and time allow!
Dhul Hijjah
A unique part of believing in something is accepting the hidden and the unseen. In Islam, this is what true faith is right, believing and trusting even though we cannot always see, know or understand the outcome. Aligning our instinct to control with faith can be fraught but it’s that very fragility which what makes the journey wonderous.
And the unseen rewards of sacred months like Dhul Hajjah reminds us that timing matters even though we may not always understand it. It’s not just what we do but when we do it, not in a time that suits us but navigating Islam’s timing - it’s part of the tightrope of faith.
Our advice?
Don’t look down! 🃏
What I’m Telling Myself about Fajr
Confession: Fajr has been immensely difficult for me in the past few weeks.
And I’m really, really sad about it.
I’ve been waking up with a pit of anxiety knowing exactly how my day will pan out. And sometimes it’s not so much the day not going as planned [thankful to Allah for this], but more this heaviness that sits with you all day, encroaching on my to-dos.
Productivity: check, rhythm - not so much.
For me it feels like a room that’s tidy, yes - you know the cushions are in place, the surfaces are clean but something is missing. Is it the warmth in the lighting? The absence of a familiar scent? The softness in the fold of the cushion corners?
I can’t quite put my finger on it but the space feels flat. It’s functioning for sure but not quite alive.
This is exactly how my day feels without Fajr. It’s this unseen blessing that gives weight to the hours and lightness to the burdens but [a very strong but] that unseen blessing is missing.
And so I’m left feeling out of sorts, out of sync even if everything looks fine on the surface.
Frankly, I’m done with this feeling and so I’m giving myself a little pep talk. These are five things I’m telling myself, sternly and gently.
This is the time when Allah descends to the lowest heaven and He’s waiting to hear from you.
If I can show up to every meeting, every appointment, move mountains to meet every deadline on time, what disservice am I doing to my Creator by not showing up?
Don’t let Shaytan win before the day even starts.
Blunt but necessary. He wants me to stay in bed. I’m going to prove him wrong before sunrise.You’ve been seeking clarity. You’re searching for the barakah.
Don’t sabotage my own du’a. My body craves sleep but my soul craves salvation. I need this so so much.
If Allah gave you life this morning, the least I can do is show up for Him.
Waking up isn’t guaranteed. If I’ve been gifted another breath, offer it back in worship even though it is no equal.
You’ve never regretted praying Fajr but you’ve always felt the loss when you didn’t.
This is pure fact. I know it; I feel it; I live it. A Muslim can be stung once, even twice. But thrice? That’s just foolishness on my part.
What are you telling yourself for the salah that is sticky for you?
Linking this blog post [written by Minara’s founder] here shared previously as well as a link to Minara’s Fajr Challenge.
Hoping they inspire in sha Allah 💜
Stillness before sunrise: making this the month’s mantra!
With love and du’as,
The Minara Team
