Salaam friends,

How do we find your hearts today?

Last week, we spoke about about thresholds in the form of iḥrām and takbīr, and what it means to step out of one state and into another.

Because the more closely you look at the life of the pilgrim, the more familiar it feels.

The familiarity is easy to see; just look at the foundations of a pilgrim’s experience:

In other words, the foundations are already known to us and Ḥajj is not separate from ordinary worship. It is ordinary worship intensified — a magnifying of rhythms already present within our worship.

Now let’s compare it to salah:

SubḥānAllāh.

This reminds us why ṣalāh matters so deeply. Yes it is obligatory, but more than that, it is training the heart in the exact qualities Ḥajj demands — of presence, surrender, discipline and detachment.

So we might not be standing on ‘Arafah this year. We may not hear the talbiyah echo across the desert air. But the sacred seasons still reaches us wherever we are in the world.

So this week, we’re sharing a few small practices, not as productivity goals or spiritual checklists, but as ways of entering these days more consciously (which are only a few days away incidentally!)

But before we proceed — we’ve shared this before — this is the duʿāʾ that was traditionally recited by the Prophet ﷺ upon sighting the new moon and particularly, at the beginning of lunar months, especially for Ramaḍān, Dhul-Ḥijjah, and the moons of ‘Eid.

Āmīn 🌙!

1. Treat Your Takbīr Like An Entrance

We already spoke about the likeness between takbīr of salāh and the iḥrām of Ḥajj last week. Let's convert that to something practical now.

Just as the pilgrim's official pilgrimage begins by his entering into iḥrām, let your salāh journey officially begin with Allāhu Akbar.

So before one ṣalāh this week, try this:

Pause for three seconds before beginning your and very consciously and intentionally, leave something outside the prayer. This could be an anxiety, a conversation or a task waiting for you later.

Then say: Allāhu Akbar. Slowly. Savour it.

Mean this when you say it: “Allāh is greater than what currently occupies me.”

2. Increase Your Takbīr During These Ten Days

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

One of the sunan of these days is increasing your dhikr, and in particular takbir.

Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar,
lā ilāha illa Allāh,
wa Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar,
wa lillāhil-ḥamd.

Allāh is the Greatest, Allāh is the Greatest.
There is no god except Allāh.
Allāh is the Greatest, Allāh is the Greatest,
and to Allāh belongs all praise.

There is something very soothing about repeatedly reminding the heart that Allāh is greater: greater than our fears, greater than our distractions and greater than the things we have unintentionally allowed to loom too large.

3. Practice Small Forms of “Iḥrām”

Part of what makes iḥrām transformative is restraint.

The pilgrim temporarily leaves certain comforts and habits behind in order to become more spiritually attentive.

And so there is wisdom in asking ourselves:

What might we put down during these ten days?

Remember constant consumption can make the heart noisy. And worship often requires quietness to be fully heard.

4. Stay Longer After Ṣalāh

The essence of ‘Arafah is standing before Allāh.

One of the travesties of modern life is how quickly we rush away from moments that actually only require presence from us.

Ṣalāh of course, will always be a prime example of this (unfortunately)! We finish prayer and immediately return to whatever demands our attention.

But this week, try remaining seated for just two extra minutes after salām.

Let the prayer settle before re-entering the world again.

The pilgrim does not sprint away from sacred space and our salāh too is a place of pilgrimage.

4. Move Like A Pilgrim

The pilgrims’ journey itself is worship. His walking is dhikr, his waiting is dhikr and his movement is dhikr.

We can do the same too by turning ordinary moments into moments of remembrance:

🚘 saying istighfār while driving
👩🏽‍🍳 making du‘ā while cooking
🍄‍🟫 repeating takbīr while out in nature
📝 sending ṣalawāt between tasks
🧠 beginning mundane tasks with bismillāh more consciously

Not every moment needs to become productive but one of the lessons of Ḥajj is that even ordinary movement can become an act of good when the heart remains connected to Allāh.

May Allāh allow these sacred days to settle deeply within us all.

Āmīn 🤍.

Love and du’ās,

The Minara Team