Many Muslims confess that one of hardest things for them to do is wake up for Salaat al Fajr. You know, this prayer comes at the time when you are deep in your sleep and trying to get in those last few minutes of precious sleep before you have to wake up to face the day.

If it happens that you find it difficult to wake up for Salaat al Fajr on time, there are some tips you can explore to help you become that person who wakes up for Fajr at the earliest time, in sha’a Allah.

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Make Dua

Undoubtedly, the first step to waking up for Salaat al Fajr at the right time is to make dua to Allah (ta’ala) to make it easy and possible for us. Have sincere intentions that you want to be that person who wakes up for Fajr at the right time and make dua that Allah (ta’ala) make this possible for you.

It was mentioned before the Prophet (ﷺ) that there was a man who slept the night till morning (after sunrise). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He is a man in whose ears (or ear) Satan had urinated.” (Bukhari)

So maybe your inability to wake for fajr is an influence from shaytaan and with the help of dua you can overcome this challenge, in sha’a Allah.

Something to motivate: “Whoever offers the morning prayer, he is under the protection of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.” (Ibn Majah)

Sleep Early

Sometimes, making a simple change to our sleep schedule is enough to help us wake up for Salaat al Fajr. If you stay up for the most part of the night and go to bed late, there is a chance that by the time it is time for Fajr, you are just getting deep into your sleep and you will find it difficult to get up.

So it is advisable that one takes a look at their current sleep schedule and see if it is a factor in their inability to get up for Fajr. If it is, make a commitment to get to bed earlier than you currently do, and sleep as quickly as you can. You know what they say; “early to bed, early to rise…”

Something to motivate: Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “The two Rak’ah of Fajr are better than the world and what is in it.” (Tirmidhi)

Cut Off Nightly Distractions

The last thing many people do before they fall asleep is that they check their social media feeds. One more scroll through Twitter, or even a quick email check and before you know it, you are several hours deep into the internet rabbit hole.

This is a habit that affects how early we wake up for Salaat al Fajr. If you are already sleeping late because you are engrossed in things that probably have no benefit, it becomes difficult to wake up for Fajr.

Let your last actions before you sleep be something that moves your heart closer to Allah (ta’ala). Recite surah Mulk and the Muawidathain, perform ablution, and sleep on your right side. All of these are Sunnah habits that benefit us more than anything else and they draw the heart closer to its Lord.

Something to motivate: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘If the people knew what (reward) there is in the ‘Isha’ prayer and fajr prayer, they would come even if they had to crawl.’” (Ibn Majah)

Get a Fajr Buddy

Back in college, my sister’s friend would ask her to call every morning to wake her up for Salaat al Fajr. They did this for a long time until, by Allah’s will, her friend got used to waking up early for Fajr, even without a phone call to wake her up. There are people who have been blessed to find it easy to wake up Salaat al Fajr, and it is a good idea to find such a person to help you too.

Something to motivate: Rafi’ b. Khadij reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:

“Offer Fajr prayer at dawn, for it is most productive of rewards to you or most productive of reward.” (Abi Dawud)

Sleep Simple

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) had such a simple bedding that many of us probably cannot fathom in this age. While he was in his wife Hafsa (RA)’s house, his bed was a canvas sheet folded into two.

One day, Hafsa folded this sheet into four and this caused the Prophet to wake up later than usual in the morning. He found out what Hafsa (RA) had done and asked her to unfold the sheets because it made him too comfortable, thus missing Qiyam ul Layl.

The type of bed that we sleep on may be contributing to us missing Salaat al Fajr. I know that we choose our beds for comfort these days, but as much as possible, look for a way to not be so comfortable that you sleep on endlessly and miss Fajr.

Something to motivate: “They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.” (Qur’an 32: 16-17)

Set an Alarm

I know that many people have developed an immunity against their alarms these days and you may find yourself hitting the snooze button regularly.

One trick to prevent yourself from doing this is by making the adhan (the call to prayer) your alarm sound. You can do this with a Salah app on your phone, or if your phone has the capabilities, you can install and select an Adhan recording as the tone for your alarm.

The voice of the muazzin will remind you of your commitment to wake up for Salaat al Fajr at the right time, in sha’a Allah.

Something to motivate: “He who went towards the mosque in the morning or evening, Allah would arrange a feast for him morning or evening in Paradise.” (Muslim)

Even though we may find it a struggle to wake up for Salaat al Fajr at the right time, as Muslims, we should find motivation in the importance of fulfilling our obligations and commit ourselves to striving to be one of those who observes Salah at the right time.

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