Salaam friends and happy Sunday
Apologies for the delay in last week’s newsletter [perpetrator: a frantic schedule!]. We hope you enjoyed it regardless 🙂.
We considered a topic or two, but Maghreb kept tugging at the sleeve of our attention so today’s issue belongs to the Maghreb prayer!
Maghreb and the sunset.
Two beautiful entities designed to harmonise. A moment when the sky bruises peach and lilac, birds retreat to their nests, kitchens fill with the sighs of kettles and pitter patter of pans and the body begins to loosen its grip on whatever madness the day has demanded thus far!
The Maghreb prayer and sunsets are definitely transitional moments…
Across faith, literature and psychology alike, transitional moments are considered spiritually charged and emotionally vibrant.
At dusk, cortisol [aka stress hormone] begins to fall, signalling to the brain that urgency has completed its shift, and melatonin [aka sleep hormone] starts its ascent, preparing us for rest and introspection.
Neuroscientists sometimes talk about the ‘crepuscular sensitivity window’ [scientific-sounding but actually, a surprisingly-poetic concept] where mood and memory pathways become unusually receptive. Some people feel a hush of melancholy at this time and never quite know why.
Islam of course, in its ancient intelligence solves this melancholy with prayer. Rather than leaving us to drift into the evening unanchored, our tradition places an act of worship right where the mind grows reflective, allowing us to release the day mindfully instead of collapsing into it by default.
Think about it: Maghrib arrives quickly and passes quickly right - the window for Maghreb is short. This brevity far from being incidental, disciplines our relationship with time. Modern life treats transitions as background noise; we move from task to evening, from noise to more noise without ever noticing the handbrake between one state and another.
So Allah has timetabled a prayer precisely there, at a moment when cortisol drops, melatonin rises, and the feels a body it adrift. Instead of collapsing into evening restlessness, Maghrib offers a conscious threshold so that you arrive into the night with the best of starts.
We all know about the practice of sleep hygiene and Maghreb to us feels a little like that - but a neurological one.
So when Maghreb comes around tomorrow, use it as your handbrake to pause, reset and recharge.
Spiritual recalibration - here we come 🥳.
Du’a to Carry You this Week
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ”When you finish the Maghreb prayer, say ‘O Allah, save me from the Fire’ seven times. If you do so and then die that night, you will be granted protection from the Fire. And do likewise after the Fajr prayer, and if you die during the day, you will be granted protection from the Fire.” [Abu Dawud]
Transliteration: Allahumma ajirni minan-naar.
Ayah of the Week
إِذَا فَرَغۡتَ فَٱنصَبۡۖ وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَٱرۡغَب
“So when you have finished, turn your attention [with effort] to worship, and to your Lord direct your longing.”
[Qur'an 94:7-8]
The most common interpretation of this ayah from Surah Ash-Sharh is that when you have completed your daily tasks and duties, you should turn to the remembrance of Allah.
Here are three small ways we can apply this everyday:
Phone Pause
As soon as you hear the adhan, or you’re aware that a prayer time has started - even if you are not able to read your salah there and then, put your phone down, to acknowledge the presence of the salah and your intention to fulfil.
Bismillah Before, Alhamdulillah After
Before beginning a work or home task, say Bismillah. After completing a task, say Alhamdulillah. Your act of routine is transformed into an act of worship. By doing this, you’re building a habit of remembering Allah not only in worship, but in the everyday maintenance of life.
Maghreb at the First Moment
As the window for Maghreb is short, aim to pray this salah as soon as the time begins. When we pray it promptly, we’re training ourselves to respond to Allah’s call without delay.
Wishing you a very blessed week ahead 💜.
Love and du’as,
The Minara Team
