Prayer and SteadfastnessHow Can I Stay Committed to Prayer and Not Leave It?
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.
Some Muslims feel sincere pain because they are not steady in prayer. A person may preserve it for a few days, then weaken or become busy, and perhaps one prayer passes him by, so he gives in to discouragement and leaves the rest of the prayers. He may want to return, but he waits for an ideal time or a strong feeling of faith, so the delay increases.
The correct path does not begin by waiting for a new feeling. Rather, it begins with sincere repentance and a prayer performed now. Prayer is not a reward for someone who has already become righteous; it is one of the greatest things by which the heart and life are rectified. A person whose sins are many should not distance himself from it; rather, he is in the greatest need of standing before his Lord and asking Him for guidance, forgiveness, and steadfastness.
Allah says:
{اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ، إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنْكَرِ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ}Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prevents immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. Allah knows what you do. [Al-‘Ankabut 29:45]
SectionKnow the Status of Prayer and the Danger of Leaving It
Prayer is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies, and it is an obligation tied to specific times. It is not permissible to take it out of its time without a valid Islamic excuse.
Allah says:
{فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِكُمْ، فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنْتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ، إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى المُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا}When you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying on your sides. Then when you are secure, establish prayer. Indeed, prayer has been prescribed upon the believers at fixed times. [An-Nisa 4:103]
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه said: I asked the Prophet ﷺ: Which deed is most beloved to Allah? He said:
“Prayer at its proper time.” I said: Then which? He said: “Then honoring parents.” I said: Then which? He said: “Jihad in the path of Allah.” Abdullah said: He narrated these to me, and if I had asked for more, he would have given me more. Agreed upon.
A severe warning came regarding leaving prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The covenant between us and them is prayer, so whoever leaves it has disbelieved.” Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad, and authenticated by scholars.
The Tabi‘i Abdullah ibn Shaqiq رحمه الله said:
“The Companions of Muhammad ﷺ did not regard the abandonment of any deed as disbelief except prayer.” Narrated by At-Tirmidhi and affirmed by scholars.
Scholars differed regarding the ruling on one who leaves prayer out of laziness while affirming its obligation, but they agree that leaving it is among the most dangerous and greatest sins. A Muslim should not use the difference of opinion as an excuse for carelessness, and he should not take it upon himself to judge specific individuals. Rather, he should fear for himself and hasten to repentance and preserving prayer.
Along with the severe warning against leaving prayer, the virtue of preserving it is great. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Tell me, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he bathed five times every day, would any dirt remain on him?” They said: No dirt would remain on him. He said: “That is the example of the five prayers; Allah erases sins through them.” Agreed upon.
This is from Allah’s grace in expiating minor sins. As for major sins, they require sincere repentance that fulfills its conditions.
StepStep One: Make the Five Prayers the Foundation of Your Day
Do not make prayer a task placed into whatever empty space remains in your day. Rather, build your day around its times. Know the correct prayer times in your city, and place them in your schedule before work, study, visits, and appointments.
Allah says:
{حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الوُسْطَى وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ}Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah devoutly. [Al-Baqarah 2:238]
Preservation includes performing prayer in its time, taking care of its conditions and pillars, and not exposing it to loss through procrastination.
StepStep Two: Pray at the Beginning of the Time as Much as You Can
The more you delay prayer without need, the more likely busyness and laziness become. When the time enters, make the default that you get up, not that you negotiate with yourself over five minutes followed by another five.
It has already been mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ made prayer at its proper time among the most beloved deeds to Allah. This does not mean every prayer must be performed in the first minute, for the Sunnah has come with a legislated delay in some times; rather, the point is that a Muslim should not make delay a habit that exposes the prayer to being missed.
StepStep Three: Prepare Before the Adhan
If possible, be in a state of wudu, prepare your prayer clothes and place, and finish what will distract you before the time enters. Preparing beforehand removes many small barriers that laziness exploits.
If the mu’adhdhin calls the adhan while you are busy, stop what you are doing at a suitable point, answer the mu’adhdhin, then make wudu and pray. The more you repeat this transition, the easier standing for prayer becomes, by Allah’s permission.
StepStep Four: Move Away From the Phone When the Time Enters
One of the greatest causes of delay is that a person says: I will finish this clip or message, then the minutes pass. Put the phone away, turn on a clear prayer reminder, and do not dismiss it except while you are getting up for wudu.
The phone is beneficial if it reminds you, and harmful if it turns you away. So make technology a servant of prayer, not a competitor to it.
StepStep Five: Preserve Congregational Prayer if You Are Among Those for Whom It Is Obligatory
Congregational prayer is one of the strongest causes of steadfastness for able men, because the adhan, the iqamah time, walking to the masjid, and righteous company make prayer a fixed part of the day.
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever would be pleased to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him preserve these prayers where the call is made, for Allah prescribed for your Prophet ﷺ the ways of guidance, and they are from the ways of guidance. If you were to pray in your homes as this one who stays behind prays in his home, you would leave the Sunnah of your Prophet; and if you left the Sunnah of your Prophet, you would go astray. There is no man who purifies himself and perfects purification, then heads to one of these mosques, except that Allah writes for him one good deed for every step he takes, raises him one degree by it, and removes one sin from him by it. I saw us, and no one would stay behind from it except a hypocrite known for hypocrisy. A man would be brought supported between two men until he was placed in the row.” Narrated by Muslim.
As for a woman, she helps herself perform prayer in its time in the suitable place, and the members of the household can remind one another of prayer without harshness or irritation.
StepStep Six: Fix Your Sleep to Preserve Fajr
It is not enough to wish to rise for Fajr while staying up late every day without need. Among the practical causes are:
- Sleeping at a suitable time after ‘Isha.
- Setting more than one alarm when needed, away from the hand so that you are forced to get up.
- Asking a trustworthy person to wake you.
- Leaving the phone before sleep by a suitable amount of time.
- Remembering Allah upon waking and going directly to wudu.
- Avoiding repeated use of the snooze button, because it often returns you to sleep.
Abu Barzah al-Aslami رضي الله عنه said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to like delaying ‘Isha, which you call al-‘Atamah, and he disliked sleeping before it and talking after it.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Shaytan ties three knots at the back of the head of one of you when he sleeps, striking each knot and saying: You have a long night, so sleep. If he wakes and remembers Allah, one knot is undone. If he makes wudu, one knot is undone. If he prays, all his knots are undone, and he wakes energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise, he wakes in bad spirits and lazy.” Agreed upon.
StepStep Seven: Learn What You Need for Prayer
Some people leave prayer because they are not confident about its description or fear making mistakes. The cure is to learn wudu, the description of prayer, and the essential adhkar from a trustworthy source, not to leave prayer.
Learning the meanings of Al-Fatihah, the takbir, tasbih, and tashahhud makes prayer closer to the heart, but weak khushu‘ does not remove its obligation. Pray and strive against yourself, and do not wait for perfect khushu‘ before you begin.
StepStep Eight: Seek Help From Allah
Steadfastness is success granted by Allah, so do not rely on your willpower alone. Allah says on the tongue of Ibrahim عليه السلام:
{رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي، رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ}My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and from my descendants. Our Lord, accept my supplication. [Ibrahim 14:40]
From Mu‘adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took him by the hand and said: O Mu‘adh, by Allah, I love you. By Allah, I love you. He said: I advise you, O Mu‘adh, do not leave saying after every prayer: O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You well.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i, and authenticated by scholars.
Say this supplication with a needy heart, and ask Allah to make prayer beloved to you and keep you firm upon it.
StepStep Nine: Seek Help Through Companionship and Family
Choose a righteous person with whom you cooperate in reminding one another of prayer. Attach yourself to the masjid, gatherings of knowledge, and companionship that helps you obey Allah. If you are responsible for a family, wake them gently, prepare the time of prayer for them, and be an example before being a commander.
Allah says:
{وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا، لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا، نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ، وَالعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى}Command your family to pray and patiently persist in it. We do not ask you for provision; We provide for you, and the outcome is for taqwa. [Ta-Ha 20:132]
The wording {وَاصْطَبِرْ} indicates that preserving prayer requires ongoing patience, not a temporary burst of enthusiasm.
StepStep Ten: Do Not Make One Missed Prayer a Reason to Leave the Rest
One of Shaytan’s most dangerous entrances is that a person misses a prayer and says: I have failed, then leaves the entire day. What is correct is that he hastens to what is required, repents from his shortcoming, and preserves the next prayer.
Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it without negligence should pray it when he wakes up or remembers, because the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, its expiation is to pray it when he remembers it.” Narrated by Muslim.
As for deliberately taking a prayer out of its time, that is a grave sin from which sincere repentance is required. One sin must not become a new abandonment.
QuestionShould I Start With One Prayer and Then Gradually Move to Five?
No. The five prayers are all obligatory in their times, so it is not permissible to deliberately leave some of them under the claim of gradualism. Begin all of them today, and make gradualism in the Sunnah prayers, voluntary deeds, and building habits that help you remain firm.
QuestionWhat Should I Do if I Do Not Feel Khushu‘?
Pray and do not leave prayer. Khushu‘ is a great goal, but it does not always come before prayer; rather, it grows through knowledge, calmness, striving, and frequent standing before Allah. Not feeling the sweetness of worship is not an excuse for leaving an obligation.
QuestionShould I Leave Prayer Because I Still Fall Into Sins?
No. You must repent from the sin and preserve prayer at the same time. Do not let Shaytan combine two sins against you: the sin itself and leaving prayer. Sincere prayer is among the greatest things that help you repent and leave evil.
QuestionWhat Should I Do if I Missed a Prayer Because of Sleep or Forgetfulness?
Pray it immediately when you wake up or remember, and take the means that prevent this from recurring. As for one who deliberately stays up late or neglects the means of waking until missing prayer becomes his habit, then along with praying when he wakes, he must repent from his negligence and fix its cause.
QuestionHow Can I Remain Firm Upon Fajr Prayer?
Sleep at a suitable time, leave the phone before sleep, set enough alarms and place them away from you, ask someone to wake you, remember Allah when you wake up, and do not return to bed before making wudu and praying.
QuestionIs It Permissible to Delay Prayer Because of Work or Study?
It is not permissible to take prayer out of its time merely because of work or study. A Muslim organizes his time and performs it in its time, and he benefits from Islamic concessions when their valid causes are present, not merely because of ordinary difficulty. In special cases, he should ask people of knowledge while explaining his circumstances.
QuestionWhat Should I Do About Many Prayers I Missed in the Past?
Repent to Allah sincerely and begin preserving the current prayer immediately. As for making up prayers that were deliberately abandoned, there is known detail and scholarly difference regarding it, so a Muslim should ask a trustworthy scholar about his situation and not make the difference of opinion a reason to delay today’s prayers.
QuestionMay a Woman Leave Prayer Because of Tiredness or Children’s Responsibilities?
Prayer does not fall because of ordinary tiredness or being busy with children. She prays according to her ability and within the time, and organizes whatever help she can. As for menstruation and postpartum bleeding, she does not pray until she becomes pure; leaving prayer then is obedience to the Shariah. Then she returns to prayer immediately after becoming pure, and she does not make up the prayers missed during menstruation or postpartum bleeding.
Mu‘adhah رحمها الله said: I asked Aishah رضي الله عنها: Why does the menstruating woman make up fasting but not make up prayer? She said: “Are you a Haruriyyah?” I said: I am not a Haruriyyah, but I am asking. She said: “That used to happen to us, and we were commanded to make up fasting, but we were not commanded to make up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim.
QuestionWhat Should I Do if Depression or Mental Illness Weakens My Prayer Routine?
The suffering of a sick person should not be belittled, nor should he be accused of weak faith. Mental illness is a real illness that needs treatment and support. At the same time, prayer does not fall as long as the mind remains present. Rather, the Muslim prays according to his ability, seeks Allah’s help, seeks trustworthy medical assistance, and tells a trustworthy person who can help him organize treatment, sleep, and prayer. If the condition is severe or affects awareness, he should ask people of knowledge about the ruling of his specific case and should not build the ruling on assumption.
QuestionIs It Correct to Make a Vow So I Do Not Leave Prayer?
Preserving prayer does not need a vow, because it is already obligatory. It is better to seek Allah’s help, take practical means, repent when you fall short, and not place extra obligations upon yourself that you may be unable to fulfill.
QuestionI Committed, Then Relapsed. Can I Begin Again?
Yes. The door of repentance is open, and what is required is that you begin now and not surrender to despair. Benefit from the previous experience: identify the cause that led to stopping, close its door, and seek help from Allah and from righteous company.
ConclusionConclusion
Steadfastness upon prayer does not require waiting for an ideal life. Rather, it requires sincerity with Allah, standing when the time enters, and patience renewed every day. Preserve all five prayers, organize your sleep and work around them, seek help through the masjid, companionship, and family, remove what distracts you, and do not make one slip a door to stopping.
Always ask Allah:
{رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي، رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ}My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and from my descendants. Our Lord, accept my supplication. [Ibrahim 14:40]
