“Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the prayer.”

I know how it feels. You are a busy student in school, you may not have many Muslim friends, and you really want to pray your Salah in school, but you don’t know how to. How do you keep your Wudhu? How do you make the time to pray? How do you get rid of the embarrassment of someone walking into your room when you pray? Worry not, because in this article, I will be sharing with you all the tips on how to pray even in school or at work, whether you are a Hijabi or a non Hijabi. 

What is Salah?

Salah is one of the pillars of Islam. Muslims perform prayers and pray their 5 prayers throughout the day at set assigned times.

Before school/work:

Make Wudhu.

Hopefully, you are making Wudhu in the morning for Fajr anyways. You can choose to keep this Wudhu on for the rest of the day or even do Wudhu right before you leave the house. Regardless of when you do Wudhu, wear a pair of socks while you are in the state of Wudhu. Even if you do not plan to break your Wudhu, if it ends happening, you can just do Masah over Socks.

Take the essentials with you.

If you are a non Hijabi, always keep a headscarf with you, preferably the long home ones. You can just buy one only to wear outside and always keep it in your bag. Also have a pocket prayer mat. If you wear makeup, and you suspect you will need to wipe your make up off, have a cleanser and cotton pads to wipe them off. Keep a water bottle to use in the toilet, if you need to use the toilet. For me as a Hijabi, I just carry a pocket prayer mat with me everywhere. I also keep a moisturiser to moisturise my face after Wudhu. 

It might seem like a lot, but trust me, it is not that much in the long run. 

Check the prayer times and make a to do list around your prayers.

This is the best way to ensure your prayers are incorporated. You can also fit your tasks around your prayers. Another reason why you should do this is because then you also know when your free periods are to make Wudhu so you can get prepared for prayer.

During School/Work:

Do Wudhu.

So it may feel a little scary to do this in public. But please do not be ashamed of doing Wudhu in front of others. Muslims will usually know what you are doing and if you encounter non Muslims, tell them that you are getting ready for prayer. If they have questions, seek knowledge about Wudhu. Remember that you are not only spreading Dawah but you are also cleansing yourself and your sins are falling off before prayer. So make Wudhu with confidence.

You also don’t need to wash your feet if you did Masah over socks. If you want more information about this, check out this article.

Find a spot to pray. 

You are incredibly lucky if you have a prayer room in your school/work place. I am absolutely blessed that my school does have a prayer room and I thank Allah for it. If you don’t have access to a prayer room, find a spare room to pray in. No one should ever restrict you from prayer unless you are interrupting anything. Have the app on your phone to find the Qibla and then place your pocket prayer mat on the ground and pray!

Bonus tip: consistency is key!

On those days where your Imaan is low, you may find it hard to pray. There will be days where you ask yourself what is the point, you may feel lazy or too sad. But remember that Allah sees your efforts. And indeed, Allah promises that:

Make friends who also pray if possible! You can keep each other accountable! You can then start to go to Islamic events and improve even more. But always keep your intentions pure. 

So keep praying! It will pay off in this life or/and in the Hereafter In Sha Allah!

That is it! That is how you pray! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. If you enjoyed this article or found it beneficial, please check out my other articles too:

As always, Allah knows best. Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

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Hey guys! I hope that everyone has started the new year 2020 with happiness, joy, gratitude and motivation! I feel that this year has 12 new chapters and 365 new chances. Just don’t forget – believe in yourself and never give up!

Because the New Year is a time to improve yourself, you may also want to focus on your spiritual side and think about who really gave you this chance to live another year. For me as a Muslim, Allah has given me this chance to breathe and more opportunities to renew myself. Through the ups and downs of 2019, it is time to strengthen your connection with Allah. Make prayers as a time when you feel safe and peaceful.

But it can be hard to do this, as daily practises take time to turn into a habit. So in today’s article, I will share some ways that will In Sha Allah help you to build that connection with our beloved Allah.

Disclaimer: I am not an Imam or any professional, I am just a Muslim teenager striving to help others :).

Get to know about Allah.

It is important to know who Allah really is as we cannot see Him. You need to know who you are prostrating to the floor for, whose words you are reading from the Quran and who you are putting your faith in. One way to do this is to read the 99 names of Allah as it truly demonstrates the nature of Allah and the love He has for all of us.

Read the translation of the Quran.

It can be easy to read the Quran in Arabic but to really connect with it in your heart, you should read the translation along with it. You can understand Allah’s words and this can even motivate you in daily life. For example, the verse at the beginning of this article really inspires me.

Learn about the Prophets.

The Prophets are our role models and the ones who were able to spread the message of Islam so much that Islam is such a wide religion now all over the world by the help of Allah.

They are the ones who we should strive to follow so by knowing their actions, how they overcame their tests and trials, and how they built a connection with Allah, we can follow it. You can watch trustworthy videos on YouTube related to this.

Perform acts of worship (Ibadah).

The five daily prayers are so crucial that it is even part of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. Even though our lives can get busy, we must remember Allah every day by reminding ourselves through the prayers. Incorporate your routine according to the prayers, not the other way around. For example, you may say that you will start studying after school after Asr prayer.

You could also read the Quran or give to charity.

Be grateful about everything and remember that Allah is the cause for all the good that has happened to you.

Through thick and thin, Allah has been there for you. Through hard times, Allah gave you the path to overcome it. Through every breath you take, Allah has control over it. Through all the happy times, Allah has given the success. You have so much to be grateful for and to thank for. Praying is only benefittable for you, not Him. So thank Allah and make the Niyyah to build a connection with Allah for 2020. 

I hope that you somehow benefit from this article In Sha Allah. Please share this article with your family and friends so you may also receive the reward In Sha Allah and please check out my other articles:

http://surobiscribbles.com/10-things-to-do-before-the-new-year-2020/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

“The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” [Qur’an: 97:3-5]

Masha Allah, we have made it to the last ten days of Ramadan 2019. We should be grateful to experience such a spiritual and rewarding time of the year.  But what is even more exciting is that the last ten days of Ramadan holds a special day – Laylatul Qadr. Laylatul Qadr is the time to earn endless blessings.

But first, what is Laylatul Qadr?

Laylatul Qadr is ‘The Night Of Power’ when the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). This day falls on one of the odd nights in the last ten days of Ramadan. Because we don’t know which specific date it is, Muslims are advised to pray and seek forgiveness from Allah during the last ten days, in order to hopefully land on that special night and earn rewards. It is a brilliant opportunity to change your scales for the Hereafter. As mentioned in the Hadith above, whatever good you do will be equal to doing it for approximately 83 years. This is immense.

So now we shall go on to the tips on how to make the most out of this night.

What to supplicate in Laylatul Qadr

Best dua of the last 10 nights: اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

(O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me).

Give to charity

Charity is an important element in Islam and makes you earn many rewards. By giving little charity that you can afford every day in the last ten days of Ramadan, can make you get the reward equal to 83 years.

Keep your schedule as free as possible

By having fewer tasks to do during the last ten days will help you to spend more time in prayer. You can spend time reading the Qur’an, praying and seeking forgiveness from Allah.

Try not to waste time on useless tasks and don’t procastinate

Procastinating is something that all humans do but try to cut this off during this precious time. Be aware of your social media usage, or wasting time in general.

Walk to the Masjid if you pray Isha in the mosque (if possible)

This means that if you walk to the Masjid, it will be equal to walking for 83 years!

Go over the Tasbih several times (do Dhikr)

Recite different supplications and praise Allah as much as you can using the Tasbih.

Read the Qur’an

We celebrate Laylatul Qadr because of the Qur’an, so spend time contemplating on the deeper meaning behind the Qur’an and recite the words.

Have Iftar with your family

Having Iftar with your family is very beneficial if you spend a lot of time studying or working late hours. Use the last days wisely.

Relect on this Ramadan

As this amazing month is ending sadly, we should take the time to reflect on what good we have done this Ramadan and start planning for the next year. In Sha Allah, we will live to see another Ramadan where we can be even better than this Ramadan.

Those were my tips on how to maximise your rewards during the last ten days of Ramadan. If this article helped you in any way, please share it with your family and friends so that In Sha Allah you get the reward too. If you enjoyed this article, check out my other articles too:

http://surobiscribbles.com/sleepy-during-ramadan-then-read-this-my-ramadan-series/

http://surobiscribbles.com/the-blessings-of-taraweeh-prayers-explained-my-ramadan-series/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!