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Fajr

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Created: 2006-09-06 20:53:15

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Fajr Prayer
The time for the Fajr or the morning prayer starts at dawn and ends at sunrise.
i) Fajr prayer: 2 Rakaat Sunnat Muakkadah, 2 Rakaat Fard
Narrated Jarir bin Abdullah: I gave the pledge of allegiance to Allahs Apostle for to offer prayers perfectly, to pay Zakat regularly, and to give good advice to every Muslim.

Narrated Ghailan: Anas said, "I do not find (now-a-days) things as they were (practiced) at the time of the Prophet." Somebody said "The prayer (is as it was.)" Anas said, "Have you not done in the prayer what you have done? Narrated Az-Zuhri that he visited Anas bin Malik at Damascus and found him weeping and asked him why he was weeping. He replied, "I do not know anything which I used to know during the life-time of Allahs Apostle except this prayer which is being lost (not offered as it should be)."

"And He it is Who made the night a covering for you, and the sleep a rest, and He made the day to rise up again" (Qur?an 25:47).
Certainly sleep is one of the blessings from Allah. At the end of a busy day a person looks forward to sleeping and regaining enough energy for the next day. Sleep is also important for good health and safety reasons. However, studies vary as to how much sleep is enough. Some studies claim 8-10 hours is a requirement for everyone. However, the Prophet Mohammad (saws) used to sleep very few hours in the night and used part of the night for prayer. Recent studies confirm that this may actually be healthier for some people.
Sleep is important for health and safety reasons. Lack of sleep can lead to mental illness, relationship problems, absence from work and even traffic accidents.
The Fajr prayer is the dawn daily prayer recited by practicing Muslims. It is the first of the five daily prayers (salah). The five daily prayers collectively form one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The Fajr prayer is mentioned by name in the Quran at 24:58. According to some opinions, it is considered by Muslims to be more precious than their lives. Inspired by the tafsir of the two hadiths that were transmitted on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), the worth of the Fajr daily prayer is explained as being God?s most-favoured prayer since others are asleep. This has made the Fajr daily prayer the most essential and obligatory congregational prayer to be held by Muslims together in groups in mosques.
Narrated Humaid: Anas bin Malik said, "Whenever the Prophet went out with us to fight (in Allahs cause) against any nation, he never allowed us to attack till morning and he would wait and see: if he heard Adhan he would postpone the attack and if he did not hear Adhan he would attack them." Anas added, "We reached Khaibar at night and in the morning when he did not hear the Adhan for the prayer, he (the Prophet ) rode and I rode behind Abi Talha and my foot was touching that of the Prophet. The inhabitants of Khaibar came out with their baskets and spades and when they saw the Prophet they shouted Muhammad! By Allah, Muhammad and his army. When Allahs Apostle saw them, he said, "Allahu-Akbar! Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is ruined. Whenever we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned."

The Fajr prayer requires two Fard rakaah. In a congregation, the leader of the prayer, Imam, recites aloud. However, two Sunnah rakaah are highly recommended prior to the two Fard rakaah.
The time period within which the Fajr daily prayer must be recited is from the beginning of dawn to its end.
This makes the Fajr prayer an indication of the beginning of the Muslim daily obligatory fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Researchers have found that people with chronic insomnia are more likely than others to develop several kinds of psychiatric problems, and are also likely to make greater use of healthcare services (Yang). Lost productivity due to sleepiness has been estimated to cost the national economy as much as $100 billion annually and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated more than 100,000 auto crashes annually may be fatigue related (Yang). Because of this, some studies claim that 8-10 hours should be required for everyone. However, recent studies have confirmed what the prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) did may be healthy for some people.

Modern studies show that this may actually be the best advice for many people. In fact, many studies are showing that less sleep or even lack of sleep can be healthier in some cases.
Narrated Salim bin Abdullah: My father said, "Allahs Apostle used to raise both his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and on saying the Takbir for bowing. And on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same and then say "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida, Rabbana walaka-l-hamd." And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.
A six-year study of more than a million Americans shows that a good nights sleep lasts seven hours. It also showed that people who sleep for eight hours or more tend to die a bit sooner. Study leader Daniel F. Kripke, MD, says,"You really dont have to sleep for eight hours and you dont have to worry about it. It is evidently very safe to sleep only seven, six, or even five hours a night (DeNoon)."
Kripke and co-workers analyzed data from an American Cancer Society study conducted between 1982 and 1988. The study gathered information on peoples sleep habits and health, and then followed them for six years. Study participants ranged in age from 30 to 102 years, with an average starting age of 57 years for women and 58 years for men. In the study the death risk for people with too much sleep was 34 as compared to only 12 for those who slept 8 hours and only 22 for those who had too little sleep.
Narrated Nafi: Whenever Ibn Umar started the prayer with Takbir, he used to raise his hands: whenever he bowed, he used to raise his hands (before bowing) and also used to raise his hands on saying, "Sami a-l-lahu Liman hamida", and he used to do the same on rising from the second Raka (for the 3rd Raka). Ibn Umar said: "The Prophet used to do the same."
These findings are similar to those in the dietary realm that show that eating too much food is much more harmful than not eating enough (of course massive extremes such as starvation and not sleeping at all are not included in this discussion). Kripke even noted that, "For 10-hour sleepers, the increased risk of death was about the same as that for moderate obesity."
Some studies have even experimented with sleep deprivation to cure depression. Up to 60 of depressed people will show a 30 improvement after just one night awake, according to a review article published in the January 1990 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. People who feel the most depressed in the morning and improve later in the day seem to benefit the most from a night without sleep (Yang). However, keeping people up all night is not a long-term solution and researchers often found a relapse in people once they went back to "normal" sleeping hours.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs Apostle said, "You see me facing the Qibla; but, by Allah, nothing is hidden from me regarding your bowing and submissiveness and I see you from behind my back."
Further research showed that one reason staying up all night worked was because sleep inhibits the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that helps control our metabolism and, indirectly, our levels of energy. An estimated 25 to 35 of depressed patients have low TSH levels. Recent research has shown that while sleep inhibits the release of TSH, staying awake through the night and the early morning hours boosts it. This "new" scientific research is completely in accordance with the habit of the prophet (saws), which was to sleep shortly after Eisha prayer (earlier than most people sleep nowadays), and wake in the very early morning hours (sometimes as early as midnight) again to pray.
Ibn Abbas said, "The Prophet slept till he snored and then prayed (or probably lay till his breath sounds were heard and then got up and prayed)." Ibn Abbas added: "I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt, Maimuna, the Prophet slept for a part of the night, (See Fateh-al-Bari page 249, Vol. 1), and late in the night, he got up and performed ablution from a hanging water skin, a light (perfect) ablution and stood up for the prayer. I, too, performed a similar ablution, then I went and stood on his left. He drew me to his right and prayed as much as Allah wished, and again lay and slept till his breath sounds were heard. "
This is similar to the therapy given to depressed patients in Europe who are told to sleep early for a week, awake at midnight and then ease back into a "normal" sleeping schedule by waking a bit later each morning, but no later than sunrise (Yang).
Narrated Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir: Once Jabir prayed with his Izar tied to his back while his clothes were Lying beside him on a wooden peg. Somebody asked him, "Do you offer your prayer in a single Izar?" He replied, "I did so to show it to a fool like you. Had anyone of us two garments in the life-time of the Prophet?"
If you already feel you don?t have enough sleep you may wonder, though how less sleep can make you feel better. Oftentimes sleep problems are related to sleep quality rather than length of sleep. Things a person can do to improve their sleep quality is: eat at least two hours before bedtime, change to healthier dietary habits, check with a doctor about possible sleep apnea, snoring issues, or TMJ, sleep on your side, avoid alcohol and sedatives, lose weight and find a comfortable mattress.
Narrated Aisha: the mother of believers: Allah enjoined the prayer when He enjoined it, it was two Rakat only (in every prayer) both when in residence or on journey. Then the prayers offered on journey remained the same, but (the Rakat of) the prayers for non-travellers were increased.
So how do you know how much sleep you need? Many people instinctively feel what is right for them. If you feel great after 7 hours, but feel tired if you get five hours or nine hours then you know that seven is your "ideal sleep" time. However, sleep requirements may also vary with life events. During travel or personal trauma or illness sleep requirements may increase.
John McDougal, author of several dietary books, offers a further distinction between people who need more or less sleep. He says in his book The Quick McDougal Cookbook, that healthy people usually need only 5-7 hours of sleep a night. This, in fact may be the reason many people think they need more sleep. Bad dietary habits can cause sleepiness. One such example is the heavy feeling one gets after eating a large meal or the drug-induced state that bread causes in some people. Dr. McDougal says that as long as a person is healthy they should need less than 8-hours of sleep. Medical science seems to be saying that if you need more that 8 hours of sleep you need to work on some dietary issues and strive to need less sleep. Even the prophet (saws) spoke against extremes in sleep deprivation and told men who stayed up all night for days on end praying, that they needed to moderate their habits and also get some sleep.
Narrated Sahl bin Sad: The people were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm in the prayer. Abu Hazim said, "I knew that the order was from the Prophet."

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