Some real news please!!

I opened my eyes and lifted my face from the pillow. No matter the position I fall asleep I nearly always awake with my face buried in the pillow and with the pillow wrapped up in my arms. I look down to my phone and I have woken up ten minutes earlier than I needed to alhamdulillah. I turn off the alarm on my phone and get my self out of bed. I walk over to the window and open the heavy long and dark curtains, it is still dark outside but there is a clarity to the sky and the air that whistles in through a hole in the wooden frame.

I go to the bathroom and perform my wudu, the water is so cold and fresh I give thanks to Allah (swt) straight away, grateful for the gift of limitless water, grateful for the supply of clean water, and grateful for the supply of cold water with which to cool my self and to perform my ablutions. I can’t help but also think what it must be like for other Muslims past and present, those who live in arid areas of the world where water might not be available, or if it is may often be unhealthy and if it is clean warm from the temperate climate. I think how difficult it must be to refrain from consuming water during periods of fasting. I think Allah (swt) once again for my situation and make my way back to my room to pray my fajr salat.

My wife is still asleep in the bed so I run my still wet finger across her lips, droplets of water moistening them and she stirs from her slumber. After some moaning and complaining she gets up and goes to bathroom. I get out the prayer mats and sit down and relax whilst she gets herself ready. When she comes back into the room she is awake and refreshed, she gives me a small kiss and we get ready to pray.

As I dissolve into the act of prayer for the first time I feel the Kaba in front of me and my heart is fluttering. It is such a strong and enveloping feeling I am carried away into the feeling of how close Allah (swt) is during salat. A wave of reverence rushes across me and immediately I become aware of my words, and body becoming more reverent in each of its actions and proclamations.

An image flashes into my head, there is an imam in front of me leading salat and reciting a surah and although there is no physical form there is a light where his heart would be and I see from that this bright white stream of Arabic text streaming up and out of his mouth as he recites the surah. The light of the characters is streaming out towards me. I also now have a blurred almost irrelevant form and the characters stream towards area of my heart and it lights up with the message of the holy Qur’an. I feel the power of the knowledge and the cleansing nature of the word of Allah (swt) throughout my whole being and fresh frigid water begins to stream from my eyes.

As I finish my salat I begin to return to myself, not wanting to leave that moment but seeing the light fading either through my inability to concentrate that hard any longer or through the natural order of having had my fair share of the light of the holy Qur’an, the word of Allah (swt).

I make my dua’s to Allah (swt) so grateful for the experience I just had and anxiously ask that I might be so lucky as to have the same experience again. I ask for Allah (swt) to keep me to his path and in his light. I ask for Allah (swt) to grant me a share of his limitless knowledge, limitless forgiveness, to help me control my anger in times of stress. I ask for Allah (swt) to protect me, my wife, my family and friends, the ummah and all those people of the book from ourselves and the wrong path. I finish by saying thank you for everything that Allah (swt) has granted me and that he grant me the strength to perform my next salat, on time and with dedication Insha’Allah.