Question: Lately, I have not been punctual in my
salat. Many times, I do not offer qada of the missed salat also. I feel very
guilty about this and want to be punctual in offering the 5 times daily salat. Please
give some naseehat (advice) so that I become regular and punctual in offering
salat. Answer: بِسْمِ
اللهِ
الرَّحْمنِ
الرَّحِيْم In the
Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. -
Read ahadith on the warnings and
punishments of neglecting salat. Do this everyday. -
Ask yourself if you will be able to
bear those punishments mentioned in the ahadith for neglecting salat. -
Ask yourself if it is easier to
bear a little hardship now and offer salat or be punished in jahannam. -
Realise that there is no magic pill
which will enable you to perform salat without your nafs trying to stop you
from doing so. Realise that for your entire life you will have to battle your nafs
in order to offer salat and to follow the ahkaam of Shariah. Even the
awliyaa'ullah have to undergo this same battle for their entire life. Yes, by
spending time with pious people and abstaining from sins, it will become easier
to battle one's nafs. But the battle itself will not go away until death. -
Spend time in tabligh as frequently
as you can. -
Everyday spend 10-20 minutes doing
muraqaba. Muraqaba is that you close your eyes and see yourself dying in that
very instant. Thereafter see everything that happens to you after your death,
such as angels taking your soul, your family burying you in a dark, lonely
grave, answering munkar and nakeer, getting up for hashr and giving hisaab,
people going to jannah and jahhanam, etc etc. See it in as much detail as you
can. -
Everytime you miss salat, make it a
habit to give a certain amount of money as sadaqa to the poor. The amount
should not be too much that you cannot bear; but it should also not be too less
that your nafs does not even feel it. Tell your nafs that you will keep on
punishing it in this way everytime you miss salat. Inshallah, if you consistently and rigidly follow the above to the best
of your ability, you will become punctual in salat. And Allah knows best Mufti 5/1/2013 Darul Ifta |