Why the times of the Prayers matter
Tags: Muslim, Islam, Prayer, Faith, Reflections

Why the times of the Prayers matter Sarah Follow Jan 25 · 7 min read

If all that was expected of us was to pray 5 times a day, we would be ordered to wrap them up within 24 hours as we saw fit. Instead, each prayer comes with an allotted time, and for good reason.

First things first. Allah doesn’t need our prayers nor does He need our worship. We need it and it is solely for our benefit. The namaaz is a gift for humanity directly from Allah, yet we don’t cherish it as we should. Our innate thanklessness has made us blind to so much of His goodness in this world, it’s a sad state of affairs. Let’s hope we understand the meaning of it before we die and not be deprived of the ultimate good of the hereafter. Ameen.

The thing about Islam is, that it is very close to human nature. There is nothing in this religion that is not aligned with who we are. Which is why, to be able to reflect on the benefits of Islam, one does not need scholarly knowledge, but needs some common sense. Any knowledge it acquires after it will only elevate his/her status in deen.

At the root of it, the purpose of the namaaz is to keep you away from sin and to keep evil away from you.

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Fajr: This is the first prayer of the day and happens before sunrise. Not only is this the best time for you to start your day, but it is also a way to discipline yourself. There is no one in this world who is focused and accomplished according to worldly standards who does not start their day at Fajr. Whether or not they pray, that’s their decision. Your body goes to sleep in darkness and when you wake up in Fajr, it wakes in darkness. This gives it enough time to adjust to the gradual ascent of the day. It also is a way to keep your sleep in check and for you to start your day in purity, even if you slept in a state of impurity. You are not rushing it to go into work-mode. Every organ is rejoicing in supplication, it’s the most peaceful hour of the day, you are bringing your focus towards your goal in that time and you are filling yourself up with positivity. It’s impossible to distract a person who starts their day in such a supreme way.

Dhuhr: This is in the middle of the day, normally right before lunch. It’s an important reminder right at the peak of your work and home responsibilities that you need to return to the Almighty. This break often takes away the stress, workload, pressure of any sort and brings your mind to peace if you pray with focus. This 10-minute break can leave you recharged to handle the challenges of the rest of your day with full force. This break also reduces the magnitude of any problem that was looming on your mind and shows you that nothing in your professional and personal life fell apart in this time. It all comes down to perspective. The role of each prayer can differ for each one of us. Normally, this is a time when the sun is at its peak, hence it is reasonable to expect fatigue and tiredness around Dhuhr. This prayer has probably warded off many of your reckless decisions and anger filled moments.

Asr: This is definitely the laziest, most tiring part of the day. Asr is after lunchtime, children are home from school, people in the office are slacking off and rushing to their coffee mugs, and some are even napping on their desks. The Asr prayer is the most crucial in this time as it keeps you away from making a mistake or committing a sin. This is the time when a person is in their weakest mental state and prone to negative influence. This is a time when humans are their most vulnerable. You will also find this to be the time when people are making their post-work plans, and often these plans are not very constructive. The Asr prayer instils in them a reminder to keep themselves clean and pure so that they don’t taint it. Asr emphasizes the importance of praying in congregation, as the influence and impact of a positive group is stronger than any evil. It is not uncommon to rest after this prayer. It becomes very unlikely for a heart that has remembered Allah in this time to commit a sin. But, indeed, the heart forgets, which is why the Maghrib follows shortly after.

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Maghrib: The Maghrib prayer is in the evening, right before the sunset. This too is a busy time of the day as offices are closing, people are wrapping up their businesses to go home, the houses are busy in dinner preparations and finishing chores. In the eagerness of getting to a place of rest, Allah again calls us to prayer. This too is a way to humble our race of life. The stretch of Asr-Maghrib is the trickiest part of the day. Most bad decisions, vulnerable conversations, and planning of sinful activities happen in this time. Which is why it is preferred to rush to your homes before Maghrib. Now, it might not be possible in today’s world where most people work post-Maghrib. But, they should realize this prayer as an opportunity to safeguard themselves. Students and young people mostly are engaged in mindless activities, gossip, wasting time, sitting in cafes and a lot more that is not adding constructively to their minds. If the call to Maghrib does not stir them and shake them, it means the devil has truly taken over the hearts and the minds.

Isha: Ideally, this prayer happens after dinner if your day is disciplined to the hour. If not, dinner follows shortly after. This is the longest prayer of the day and should be spent in focused time spent with The Almighty. This should also be the time where you recall your entire day and discuss with your Creator your problems, triumphs, wishes and desires. Ask for repentance in detail about all that you did wrong. Make the most of this appointment with Allah. What’s recommended is that you spend time with family and go to sleep right after, but again that depends on the way you are earning your living in today’s world. The time after isha is also filled with fitnah and call towards evil. If you are a student then engage yourself in education, if you are a professional then engage yourself in education too. Husbands and wives, mothers and fathers should spend time with each other and their children at this time. Tend to each other’s needs, listen to each other’s stories and make up for all the time away during the day. This is also in a way a form of worship — to love those who you are responsible for. After this, either busy yourself in light supplication or give your eyes some rest before you wake up again for the night prayer (Qiyam-ul-Lail or Tahajjud).

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Now, the above-mentioned opinion is only a way to spark some perspective. Nothing in Allah’s system is in vain. Everything has an order and a reason. It is absolutely important to offer your prayers at a priority because if you reflect, it is The Almighty himself calling YOU towards Him. You don’t get to have a choice in this matter. Leave everything you are doing and rush towards Him. Don’t bring in the exceptional situations where your prayer gets delayed or missed, don’t make it a norm nor argue on behalf of those events. But, if it is becoming a habit and a routine, then stop lying to yourself and fix your habits. Don’t delay your prayer with a daleel (an argument, a justification) that satisfies your side of the situation. That’s not the point of reflecting on why prayers were assigned at different times. The benefits of the namaaz are many, but it is up to you to think, ponder and then be grateful about them.

Pray — it strengthens you. — Nabeel A. Qadeer

Think about your day and see how different prayers have been constructively adding to your thought process and keeping you away from evil. Identify these benefits for yourself because indeed, the namaaz is the only way to connect with The Almighty. It’s a pre-requisite, the bare minimum, the essential. What even are you doing with your day if not being mindful of one prayer to the next?