what is the best way to be consistent in prayers

[fairy333]

Askm,
I wanted to know how one can be regular at praying??? i mean i find it difficult to pray either just because of laziness or due to some excuses...how can i be consistent???

['Abd-al Latif]

THE best way is to learn Arabic

[fairy333]

jazakallah

[crimsontide06]

1st welcome to the boards! I find it hard too. There are a lot of good threads here http://www.islamicboard.com/prayer/ In the prayer section

[Periwinkle18]

And plus u hav to fear Allah too cuz He's going to ask you why you didn't pray. If u keep Allah in mind inshaAllah u won't miss any prayers

[جوري]

Doing small consistent deeds that don't cease is better than doing one large one and then thinking you can't keep up with such standards, losing momentum and hope with it. Shaytaan loves to come between us and Allah swt in every way, so even there especially the distractions and whispers will at times be overwhelming.. Perfect what you can and add to it but don't give up on it and don't over exhaust yourself..

and Allah swt knows best

[Muwaahid]

Some of the scholars mentioned switching up some of the AUTHENTIC adhkaar [rememberances] and Ad'iyyah [supplications] so that your Ibaadah [worship] doesn't become ritualistically a format in which the heart and mind is no longer attentive and is absent, like reciting a different openining supplication, when you make rukoo3 or sujood recite other AUTHENTIC adhkaar or ad'iyyah in each of the different positions. There is an amazing book on this issue called sifatu salah an nabiyyi [alayhi salam] min takbeer ilaa tasleem ka'annahu taraahu" description of the prophet's prayer from takbeer [saying Allahu Akbar] until Tasleem [saying salamu alaykum] as if you can see him" It has been translated into english as well. By instituting this way you will look forward to every salah and be more attentive in your salah as well, also try memorising more qur'aan so that you have more to recite from, also consider the virtues of wudoo, and what adhkaar there are surrounding the wudoo, all of this will assist you in being more attentive to making the salah, lastly, we must remove any and all distractions and obstacles that prevent us from making our salah on time, tv's radios,mp3 players, ipods, internet all of this should be abandoned, salah generally doesnt even take that long a couple of minutes usually, but also keeep in mind you are offering the salah to someone who is not in need of your salah, you are in need of your salah to be accepted.

[Signor]

Assalamu Alaikum

The best way to achieve consistency in this regard is to first and foremost purify and rectify one’s intentions. The salah is something that should only ever be done purely for the sake of Allah, and doing it to impress others will never help you achieve the objectives of forgiveness and God-consciousness.It all starts with recognizing that your Muslim and it’s an obligation for you to pray. If you miss your prayer make it up, that’s better than not praying at all.

Secondly, make du’a that Allah helps you overcome whatever it is that is holding you back. Revolve your schedule around prayer and not the other way around! Salat is a shield against sin, and we are all witnesses to that.Whether they are the whispers of shaytaan, laziness, etc., Allah hears all supplications and is the only One capable of answering them.It takes 5-10 minutes to pray, depending on your speed. That’s nothing, don’t be fooled into thinking Salat is a big physical workout, if you can hit the gym for an hour then yea. It’s actually a spiritual workout and it is tough, but without sincere effort and consistency, you won’t see any progress. The last piece of advice would be to stop procrastinating and to never give up.

Many times people have this idea of wanting to “start fresh” and so they will wait until a new day starts so they can pray all five prayers, thinking, “I haven’t even prayed fajr so what’s the point in praying duhr?” This is just procrastination in disguise and the etiquette of the Muslim is to always hasten to do good deeds.

It may seem difficult to maintain the prayers at the start, especially if you are not accustomed to waking up for fajr or making the ablution so many times a day, but remember that Allah sees you. He sees your striving in His path and He hears your supplications to make it easy for you.

God Bless

[crimsontide06]

Many times people have this idea of wanting to “start fresh” and so they will wait until a new day starts so they can pray all five prayers, thinking, “I haven’t even prayed fajr so what’s the point in praying duhr?” This is just procrastination in disguise and the etiquette of the Muslim is to always hasten to do good deeds.

This is what I do a lot I can't make myself wake up...and when I do, it's too late.


why couldn't it be 5 times during the day? lol Prayer helps you prevent yourself from committing a sin, u aren't going to sin if you are asleep...

the body needs sleep, you mess up the sleep cycle. I'll try and do better..

[~Zaria~]

Assalamu-alaikum,

When we perform our salaah out of Love and Gratitude to Allah, rather than a ritualistic duty - than there is more meaning to our prayers, and we are in a state of wanting to prostrate to Him.

We are drowning in so many 'minor' (and major) sins today, that our hearts find difficulty in 'beating for Allah'.

Remind yourself constantly - what is the actual purpose of your existence?
Is it not for the worship of Allah?


Az-Zaariyaat 51:56
"And I (Allâh) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone)."


We can not focus on this purpose if our minds and hearts are 'cluttered' by the fitnahs of this world.

Are we willing to give up TV, movies, pornographic sites, the tunes of shaytaan (music), illicit relationships, gossiping, backbiting, etc - ALL for Allah?
Are we willing to change our way of dress, our speech and mannerisms - to the way of the prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam), who was most beloved to Allah?

If not, then how do we expect to gain any satisfaction from our ibaadat?

Do we remember HOW MUCH Allah has blessed us with?
Our sight, hearing, intellect; our families, food, shelter.........if we had to spend our entire lives JUST in the worship of Allah, we still will not be able to thank Allah sufficiently for all that He has bestowed on us.

Just think about that.....

Yet, all He asks of us is just 5 prayers a day!

We have to make the effort to change our HEARTS - by having the desire to live in accordance to all that He has commanded for us.

If there is no change of the heart - then our salaah is simply a means of 'gymnastics' - a physical act, that has little meaning.


So my few suggestions would be:

1. Constantly remind yourself of the purpose of your existence - the worship of Allah.

2. Make the effort to give up all that is haraam/ displeasing to Allah......this life is just a temporary amusement - when are we going to realise this?

3. Read Quraan (with translation) daily - remembering that this is our Creator, speaking to US. How can we love Him, if we dont have a desire to know what He is telling us?

4. Try to befriend those, who remind you of Allah. Insha Allah, your hearts will start to work in sync - towards His worship.

5. Know that Allah is watching over you at all times (al muraqabah) - imagine His disapointment and displeasure when we miss a salaah.

6. Remember death frequently.......that every moment that is passing is forever gone. And oneday, when we take our final breathes we would be wishing that we had the chance to make just one more sujood before Allah.


7. Give up all that is haraam/ displeasing to Allah.......Im repeating this, because it is SO important.
^ If we are not willing in this regard, then we shouldnt expect to see any changes in our outward actions.


These are just a few that come to mind at present.

Insha Allah, there are more knowledgable members here who can provide more advice.