Summer spells holidays! Most people get a much earned break from work, and children are off from school to enjoy a much needed rest from the four walls of the classroom. But I have a question, what do you mean by holiday?
To many people a holiday is a break, the end of chores, routines, and work. But how can we break from fulfilling our duties and living as Muslims? How can we break from our worship, our ibaadah? How can we have a break from our salah routine? The plain answer is: we can't. As Muslims, we never truly have a complete, physical rest; we are constantly busy with worshipping Allah, and striving to please Him.
During the holidays many will slack in their ibaadah; they sleep late at night, often past midnight and sometimes after fajr prayer. Sadly though, the night is not spent standing in Qiyaam, making duaa, or in improving oneself; it is spent in idle chatter, backbiting, crude jokes, and eating more than one's stomach has room for, all of which are contrary to the Sunnah, the way of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This will lead to fajr being prayed late, or not at all in some cases. Those who manage to pray it after the night's banter will find themselves dragging their feet, and their eyelids will be sore from sleeplessness. The mental presence and fear of Allah during the prayer will be lost and the salah will merely be a repetition of rituals and motions.
Sadly, this has other consequences; such people will usually sleep in until noon time, waking up late for the dhuhr prayer, again. Because of staying up so late, the men will miss out on the rewards of praying in congregation at the masjid, and they will also miss out on the blessings of the morning hours.
As Muslims we have to constantly live up to certain standards. These standards were legislated by Allah, and depicted to us through the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Whilst we may take a holiday from our jobs, and schools, we can never take a break from our religion. Our religion is a comprehensive way of life that governs everything we do. For each action we carry out, we will be rewarded for in accordance with the guidelines given to us by Allah. So in reality, the Muslim is never on holiday, they are constantly on duty, and aware of their responsibilities towards Allah and towards others and their own bodies and minds.
Whilst on ‘holiday' (and I use the term to refer to a break from work, school, etc) make sure your salah is prayed on time, and in congregation for the men. Make sure you optimize your benefits during Ramadan by not only fasting, but also reading the Holy Qur'an daily, performing voluntary night prayers, and maintaining the best Islamic conduct and good manners in general.
And a reminder for my dearest sisters; please do not lose you hijab over the summer, or take a ‘break' from it. You can make it through a couple months of heat. Be strong, hold your head up high, Allah has blessed you with being a Muslim woman.
