Falling in love isn’t difficult, especially when the seat of human emotion is the heart.
Whether you’re falling in love with your spouse as a newlywed or even a new city, it is that sense of peace and emotional well-being found in the things that we love most that provides a lasting bond.
The greatest thing, however, that a new Muslim can fall in love with is the Islamic prayer. As Allah Almighty says in the Noble Quran:
Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (Quran 2:277)
1- Learn to Pray Perfectly
The Islamic prayer is a prescription for success in this life and the next. It gives you the unique and special opportunity to seek an audience with your Lord five times a day. For new Muslims, falling in love with the prayer will help you build a solid foundation of faith. It will grow and prosper like spring flowers blossoming after winter’s escape.
I purchased a how-to pray book and created a set of flashcards to use while I prayed. I wasn’t sure if my prayers would be accepted due to the flashcards, but using them for just a few weeks is what helped me perfect my prayer.
It can be intimidating for a new Muslim to learn the Islamic prayer. I still remember how nervous and anxious I felt as I began to learn it as a new Muslim more than two decades ago. I thought I would never be able to learn the “movements” or even the words in Arabic. And I felt inadequate and overwhelmed, but I never gave up.
Things have changed a lot since I embraced Islam. New Muslims today can take full advantage of YouTube prayer tutorials. They can use apps that will guide them to perform the prayer flawlessly. By the grace of Allah Almighty, the use of technological resources to learn the Islamic prayer relieves most, if not all, of the worry and anxiety I felt when those tools were not available.
2- Create a Specific Space
The Islamic prayer is special and it should be treated accordingly. While it’s true you can pray anywhere, praying in a spot that is clean and free from distractions is ideal so that you can focus on your worship.
Devote a small corner in your home, if possible, to create your own prayer space. Make it unique from the rest of the home so that family, and even visitors, recognize the space as a place of worship.
You can decorate the corner with wallpaper, a colorful mat and even hang a small shelf to hold Islamic art and your Quran. Each time you step into your prayer spot, you’ll feel a sense of warmth and love as you prepare to make the connection with your Lord.
3- The Power of Prayer
It uplifts the human soul while extending peace through every limb as you stand, bow and prostrate before the One who created you from nothing more than clay.
Never underestimate the power of prayer. From the beginning to the end of each prayer, a believer can easily discern a sense of peace and tranquility seeping into the heart regardless of whatever turmoil or angst the believer is going through.
To fall in love with the Salah means you offer it according to the Sunnah, in a proper state of ablution and with a heart firmly turned to your Lord. It means that you offer it on time even if you’re sleepy, overwhelmed with work or the devil finds another way to dissuade you from performing it to perfection. Always remember, you never know which prayer will be your last and you should pray each one as if it is.
A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, teach me something, but make it concise.”
The Prophet said:
When you stand for your prayer, then pray as if you are saying farewell. Do not say anything for which you must apologize, and abandon any desire to acquire what other people have. (Sunan Ibn Majah 4169)
The Salah is soothing to heart. It is the quickest way to seek a solution to the life challenges and difficulties that our world presents.
A heart firmly attached to the prayer is one that is also attached to its Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer.
(From Discovering Islam’s archive)
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