The most important meeting is first!
#2 Barakah Time through Taqwa habits
Can you take a moment to think about the most important meeting or task for today? Is it a meeting with your boss, a discussion with a family member about something important, or a meeting with a client to finalize a deal? None of the above!
The most important meeting of the day is your meeting(s) with the Lord of all worlds, Allah SWT. It is your PRAYER 😊.
Why is Salah the most important meeting?
Prayer is a genuine, personal, and interactive meeting with Allah SWT (Transform My Prayer by Iqbal Nasim). It involves reciting the Quran, engaging in tasbih, tahleel, takbir, sending blessings upon our beloved prophet (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him), making supplications, and more. Its comprehensiveness encompasses all possible rituals that establish a connection with Allah, comfort our hearts, and make life easier for us in this world and the hereafter.
Allah says (Quran 70:19-35)
Indeed, humankind was created impatient: distressed when touched with evil, and withholding when touched with good— except those who pray, consistently performing their prayers; [....] and who are properly observant of their prayers.
This passage shows that prayer can strengthen us and improve our handling of worldly matters. It is a meeting where we submit to Allah at every position and seek His guidance to live the best version of ourselves. Through prayer, we restore our original identity as servants of Allah, which is the highest status we can reach.
Jabir ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The key to Paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is ablution.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 4
Subhanallah (All glory be to God), if you only have one key for your house, how careful would you be to keep it safe when you are away? What would be your mindset if you found your key lost when returning home?
Prayer is powerful; it helps us become our best selves and attain Allah's pleasure and the ultimate reward in the hereafter.
How do we gain these benefits from prayer?
Maintaining the quality of your prayers is essential to gain these benefits. Prayer is the best gift Allah gave us during the ascending of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) to Allah SWT. Being negligent and lazy in prayer is harmful to us.
Allah says (Quran107: 4-6)
So woe to those who pray; yet are unmindful of their prayers; those who only show off.
It shows the serious consequences of neglecting prayer and remaining unmindful during prayers.
I want to share a beautiful lesson from the course "Transform My Prayer" by Iqbal Nasim. In our prayers, our body (actions), mind (thoughts), and heart (feelings) must align to submit to Allah. When we bow down (ruku'), that is the most unstable position in our Salah. While in that position, we say, "How perfect is my lord, the Majestic." It's so beautiful - being in an unstable position and declaring that Allah is in complete control, and we say it in a personal manner (My lord). This makes us humble in front of the Lord of the world and confident by accepting our weaknesses and uncertainties while also feeling the urge to connect to Allah in any situation, thus restoring our best identity as servants of Allah and feeling closeness to our lord.
May Allah keep us steadfast and focused in our daily prayers.
What to do?
Remember to schedule the five daily prayers in advance and before any other tasks in your daily or weekly schedules.
Allow 10-15 minutes before the prayer time (adhan) for preparation. Use this time to disconnect from worldly distractions, perform ablution consciously, and reflect on the significance of the upcoming prayer.
While performing the Salah, focus on understanding the words and their meaning. If you don't know the meaning, dedicate time to learning and understanding it, as it will enhance your concentration during Salah.
After the prayer, take some time to reflect on the quality of your prayer and think about how to improve it.
Please check out Br. Iqbal Nasim's website for the transforming course on Transform My Prayer (Transform My Prayer (iqbalnasim.com)). May Allah bless his generosity as he made all his transforming courses freely accessible to the Ummah.
If you need an accountability partner in this transformative journey to become a better version of yourself, and please Allah SWT. Get in touch. I am happy to help you, God willing.
Duáas
Haneef
In my coaching program, I help my clients develop habits of praying on time and increasing the quality of their prayers (All praise be to God; it also allows me to upgrade the quality of my prayers). Don't delay taking action if you are worried about constantly missing prayers amidst the hustles. Fix your prayer; it will fix everything. God willing.