All praises are due to Allah, the pure and the most compassionate, who has singled out the prayer of Fajr with a great reward and compensation. I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, the uniquely One, who has no partners in His one-ness, and I testify that our Leader and Master, our Prophet Mohammad ﷺ (peace be upon him), is the perfect example of servanthood unto Allah, and His Messenger. O Allah, send your peace and blessings upon him and upon whomsoever follows him in guidance until the Last Day.
To continue: I advise you, servants of Allah to adhere to a heartfelt consciousness (Taqwa) of Allah, for Verily Allah says:
وَأَنْ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَهُوَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
And to establish prayer and fear Him, and it is He to whom you will be gathered.
Allah also states in his blessed Book (the Qur’an):
أقم الصلاة لدلوك الشمس إلى غسق الليل وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كانَ مَشْهُودًا
Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
In this blessed verse, Allah commands us to offer the prayer in its set time. He also stirs us to honor this prayer by giving it its due, in that it is of profuse rank and reward. This is the prayer of Fajr (dawn). Allah has sworn by the prayer of Fajr and entitled a whole chapter of the Qur’an by its name. For Allah says:
وَالْفَجْرِ وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
By the dawn [time and prayer], and [by] the ten nights.
Allah has also sworn by the sanctity of its time, stating:
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ
And by the dawn when it breathes
Scholars have said that by ‘breath’ is meant the sun rising and lighting up the horizon. In similar manner, Allah says:
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ
And [by] the morning when it brightens
Scholars have said this is a reference to the spreading and diffusing rays of the Sun as it brightens the day in the morning. It is considered that at this time, the spiritual presence of a multitude of Angels descends, flocking to be around those of the select of the servants of Allah (who are engaged in His remembrance). So these Angels bear witness to the prayer of the worshippers, hearing the remembrance of Allah therein, and especially hearing the recitation of the Qur’an. They record all these noble deeds in their Scrolls. In this regard, the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him), is reported to have said:
يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيكم مَلائِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ، وملائِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَيجْتَمِعُونَ في صَلاةِ الصُّبْحِ وصلاةِ العصْرِ، ثُمَّ يعْرُجُ الَّذِينَ باتُوا فِيكم، فيسْأَلُهُمُ اللَّه وهُو أَعْلمُ بهِمْ: كَيفَ تَرَكتمْ عِبادِي؟ فَيقُولُونَ: تَركنَاهُمْ وهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ، وأَتيناهُمْ وهُمْ يُصلُّون
Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn and afternoon prayers. Those (of the angels) who spend the night among you, then their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about the matter: How did you leave My servants? They respond: We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying.
So who deserves to rejoice more than someone who avails the company of the Angels witnessing and recording their prayer at Fajr? For they are in the company of the noble Angels, and who is better than a person who tries his utmost to ensure that he preserves his prayer of Fajr, and to pray the prayer of Fajr in a congregation of believers?
For, generally speaking, the Fajr prayer marks the beginning of the day and entails that a person leave his sleep as a response to the call summoning every believer at that time:
الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ، الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ
Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep.
So the believer is tasked to respond, to get up and to make a move for the prayer, to strive to place himself in the Divine presence before His Lord. This response from him, is itself humbling and submissive, and as he begins standing, bending and bowing in prayer, he further abases that egoic-self that stands in the way of true submission. He then has the opportunity to intimately supplicate to his Lord: A supplication that rises out of hope and awe. Wouldn’t such a person get what they ask? Wouldn’t they be saved from that which they fear? Wouldn’t they be freed from the traps of the Shaytan (devil). Such people are those who become the best of the living. They are those who can lay claim to having the most expansive and merciful hearts, the most subtle and alert bodily vigor, and the purest of intentions, when it comes to those who purify themselves for Allah. This is testified to by the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him), who is reported to have said:
يَعْقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى قَافِيَةِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا هُوَ نَامَ ثَلَاثَ عُقَدٍ … فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ؛ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ صَلَّى انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَأَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ
When one you sleeps, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with, “You have a long night, so sleep well.” So if one awakes and mentions Allah, a knot will be loosened; if he performs ablution another knot will be loosened; and if he prays, the third knot will be loosened; and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise he will be in bad spirits and sluggish.
This ability to be ‘active’ comes out of a sense of joy, a joy one feels when Allah has accepted one’s worship. For such people, not only is there the availing of good in this life, they have also been promised a great reward as recompense in the next.
Our Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him), has advised us to specifically guard our adherence to the prayer of Fajr. This was precisely because it holds a tremendous amount of good and Baraka (grace) and he wished that we would obtain that and not be deprived. The Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:
وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي الْعِشَاءِ وَالصُّبْحِ لَأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا
If they [the people] knew the reward for the `Isha’ and the Fajr prayers in congregation, they would join them even if they had to crawl [to attend it].
The Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) would not have said this statement if there wasn’t some tremendous reward that he wanted to prevent us missing out on. In another narration he (peace and blessings be upon him) alludes to what this reward is, by stating that it is the equivalent of having prayed ‘half of the entire night’, stating:
مَنْ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ كَانَ كَقِيَامِ نِصْفِ لَيْلَةٍ، وَمَنْ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ وَالْفَجْرَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ كَانَ كَقِيَامِ لَيْلَةٍ
If anyone prays the night prayer in congregation, he is like one who keeps vigil (in prayer) till half the night; and he who prays both the night and dawn prayer in congregation is like one who keeps vigil (in prayer) the whole night.
There is also a special protection one gets from Allah when observing Fajr, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is narrated to have said:
مَنْ صَلَّى الصُّبْحَ فَهُوَ فِي ذِمَّةِ اللَّهِ
Whoever offers the morning prayer (in congregation), he is under the protection of Allah.
Scholars hold that such a ‘protection’ amounts to a state of security that one has with Allah in this life and the next. The Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) stated that whoever guards and ensures they pray their Fajr, whilst walking to the Mosque to attend congregation, shall have a special distinguishing light on the Day of Judgement:
مَنْ مَشَى فِي ظُلْمَةِ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى الْمَسَاجِدِ، آتَاهُ اللَّهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Whoever walks in the darkness of the night to the Mosque [to pray Fajr and Isha], shall be bestowed a light on the Day of Judgement.
The darkness of the night includes both the prayers of Fajr and Isha, hence their special status. In addition, the prayer of Fajr is a means by which one is saved on the Day of Judgement:
لَنْ يَلِجَ النَّارَ أَحَدٌ صَلَّى قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا
He will never enter the Fire, the one who prays before the sun rises and before it sets.
The reference to ‘before the sun rises’ is Fajr, and the reference to ‘before it sets’ is Asr. Hence we can say that someone who persists and is committed to the prayer of Fajr, will be from the people of Paradise, by the permission of Allah. For the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
مَنْ صَلَّى الْبَرْدَيْنِ – أَيِ: الْفَجْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ- دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
He who observed the two prayers at the two cool hours (i.e. Fajr and Asr) enters Paradise.
And what does it mean to enter Paradise? It means to partake of endless bliss, with blessings that never come to an end. And yet there is even more therein. There is the ‘Vision’, the direct witnessing of the Lord of all existence, for the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:
إِنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ، كَمَا تَرَوْنَ هَذَا الْقَمَرَ، لاَ تُضَامُّونَ فِي رُؤْيَتِهِ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَنْ لَا تُغْلَبُوا عَلَى صَلَاةٍ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا فَافْعَلُوا. يَعْنِي: صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: (وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا
[The companions were sitting with the Prophet when he looked upon the full moon and then said]:
“You shall see your Lord just as you are seeing this [full] moon, and you will not be harmed in your vision of Him [therein]. So if you are able, do not let yourselves be overpowered [by your egos] in the observance of the Prayer before the rising of the sun (Fajr) and before its setting (Asr). So make sure you adhere to this. [The Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) then quoted the Qur’anic verse from Surah TaHa: 20:30] And glorify your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting.
O Allah make us from those who truly establish the prayer in our hearts, minds and bodies. Who adhere to its correct times and practice. I say this, and I seek forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the All-Forgiving and the All-Merciful.
O Worshippers: The time of dawn is a time of Baraka (grace). Allah has made it from the signs of His omnipotent power. He has praised Himself by His creative capacity, referring to Himself by the Title:
فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ
[He is] The cleaver of daybreak
So whoever gets up before Fajr and busies themselves with Dua, and orients themselves towards their Lord, placing their hopes upon Him alone – will find Allah hears them and grants them that which they seek. For Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُمْهِلُ حَتَّى يَذْهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ، ثُمَّ يَنْزِلُ فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ مِنْ سَائِلٍ؟ هَلْ مِنْ تَائِبٍ؟ هَلْ مِنْ مُسْتَغْفِرٍ؟. قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ: حَتَّى يَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ
Indeed Allah allows for time to pass till one-third of the night is over. He then descends to the lowest heaven and says [whilst knowing best]: It there any supplicating (of need)? Is there any repenting? Is there any seeking forgiveness? A man then asked the Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him): Is this done till daybreak (at dawn)? The Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) responded: Yes (meaning it is till Fajr).
And with this, we ask You O Allah that you send Your prayers and blessings upon all of the Prophets and Messengers, and especially on our master, our Prophet, Prophet Mohammed ﷺ (peace be upon him) and upon his family and all of his companions.
O Servants of Allah: Remember Allah and He will remember you. Thank Him for His blessings and He will increase you therein.