About The True Reality

Our goal is to inspire all truth seekers to seek personal development through reading the Holy Qur'an and learning about Allah Almighty.

Table of contents

1) Wake up for Salat ul Layl
2) Offer Fajr prayer
3) Stay up until sunrise
4) Read Qur’an, supplicate, & visualize
5) Journal Activity
Download FREE worksheets for this activity here.

Hopefully you’ve read about the Mysticism of the Dawn and you bear witness to the Glory of Allah in that special time between Night and Day. But what should we actually do when we're awake with Allah at Dawn? Keep reading to find out how to create your morning routine in the way of Muslim Mystics and lovers of Islamic Irfan.

1) Wake up for Salat ul Layl

Salaat ul Layl actually means Night Prayer. We deeply discuss the virtues surrounding the Salaat ul Layl (also known as Tahajjud prayer) in the Mysticism of Night in Islamic Spirituality. 

But you can start your morning routine with Salaat ul Layl because the last hour of Night before the Dawn is the most spiritually charged time of the Night.

So, for a super spiritual morning routine, wake up 1 hour before Dawn to prostrate yourself to Allah in the Night Prayer.

If you do these works of devotion, Allah says in Qur'an that He will raise you to a station of Praise and Glory :

78. Keep up prayer from the declining of the Sun until the Darkness of the Night, and the morning prayer and reading; surely praying and reading in the morning bears its testimony.

79. And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory. 
- Surah 17, Al Isra, The Night Journey

2) Offer the Fajr Prayer

 To take advantage of the cosmic blessings available during the Dawn, you should get up for Fajr Prayer. Fajr is one of five obligatory prayers (also called fard or wajib prayers).  

Allah has ordered us to worship Him before the rising of the Sun to glorify His Mighty Power and thank Him for his Graceful Blessing -  for all of Nature gets vitality from the Sun, Alhamdulillah (all praise be to God).  

Pray Fajr right as it comes in to be amongst the first of God’s servants to praise Him. Plus you can make the most of the precious quiet time you have after you've prayed.

Fajr prayer comes in 2 minutes earlier each day so setting your alarm to wake you up as soon as the Dawn comes in means that over time you’ll be able to start your morning routine earlier and earlier and unleash new pockets of productive time in your day.  

TIP: If it's hard to wake up for Salaat ul Layl one hour before Fajr, another way to practice extra devotion to Allah is to offer 2 rakats of sunnah prayer after Fajr prayer. Remember Allah rewards those who worship devoutly so we should take advantage of the many opportunities He gives us to turn to Him.

Allah says in surah 3 - Family of Imran (Imran was Mary's father):

113: Not all of them are alike: of the People of the Book are a portion that stand (for Right); they rehearse the Signs of Allah all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration.
 
114: They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: they are in the ranks of the righteous.

115: Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knows well those that do right. 

3) Stay up until Sunrise.

Allah says in Qur'an, surah 40:13,

 "He it is Who shows you His Signs and sends down Sustenance for you from the Sky: but only those receive admonition who turn to Allah."  

Imam Zayn al-Abideen (great grandson of our Holy Prophet Muhammed) advises us to not sleep before sunrise because the transition between Night and Day is the time that Allah distributes Sustenance to people.  

So, after you’ve woken up from your precious sleep, and prayed the Fajr Prayer, you should stay up with your Lord and engage with Him during this short miraculous time until the Sun rises.  

4) Qur’an, Supplication, & Visualization

In the Qur'an Allah speaks favorably about those who are found seeking Forgiveness and Mercy at Dawn :  

Surah 3 - The Family of Imran (Amran):  

15. Say: For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home; with companions, and the good pleasure of Allah. For in Allah's sight are (all) His servants.  

17. Those who show patience, firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of Allah); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning.  

At Dawn, when Allah is changing the Night to Day and most creatures are still sleeping, you can be among those who are found praying for forgiveness, reading the Qur'an, and supplicating to Allah about your condition.  

Read Qur’an  

Find a Qur’an that is easy for you to understand. Commit to reading the Qur’an like a book. Make the intention everyday to understand the Message that the Creator of the universe is trying to give you.

Inshallah your life will change once you uncover the valuable Truths and Prophecies that Allah gives us to live a good life on earth, and to manifest a good life after death.  

Supplicate to Allah  

Supplication (also known as Dua in Arabic) is the action of asking for something earnestly and humbly from Allah. Imam Zayn al-Abideen, the great grandson of Prophet Muhammad, dedicated his life to writing spiritually profound supplications on our behalf, to Allah. Imam Zayn al-Abideen’s style of devotion to Allah reflects the essence of Qur’an and how we are meant to communicate with our Lord.  

The book Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya is a collection of Imam Zayn al-Abideen's supplications and whispered prayers that are perfect for igniting within us an intense yearning to reach intimate nearness to Allah, the Beloved.

Look at the table of contents and choose a supplication that resonates with you the most.  

Visualization  

After reading the Qur'an and whispering your supplications and intentions to Allah, close your eyes and imagine your day and which deeds you will do and not do for the sake of Allah. Make intentions to always remember Allah in every action you take.  

Visualize and plan out exactly how you are going to be patient and true in word and deed today. You’ll find that it’s easier to fulfill your promises to yourself when you imagine in detail how you will fulfill your intentions.

Tomorrow when you sit in stillness and silence at Dawn, you can reflect on how well you followed your plans and account for all your actions the day before.

These are the habits of a Muslim mystic.  

Prophet Muhammad once advised his companion Abu Dhar:  

“No one can be among the pious people unless they keep track of what he or she is doing. In the sense that you should be accounting everything you do.”  

Imam Khomeini also reminds us of a simple truth - to take things one day at a time. Imam Khomeini once said:  

“In the morning, ask yourself, is it a big deal to be good for just one day? Not forever but just one day. For this day promise me that you will not commit a sin.”

5) Journal Activity

Sunday Morning Prayer 

Allah has shown us one way to approach Him through supplication. Now it’s time to implement His wisdom into our lives.

To help you get started with supplicating to Allah in your morning routine, we’ve prepared a special gift for you. We selected a very spiritually charged Sunday Morning Prayer extracted from Sahifah Sajjadiyyah by Imam Ali Zayn al-Abideen.

The Sahifah Sajjadiyyah is the oldest prayer manuals in Islamic sources and one of the most beautiful works of Islamic spirituality from early Islamic history.

Your instructions are to read the Sunday Morning supplication then answer the journal prompt questions. Journaling helps you recall what you prayed for so that you perceive and appreciate your blessings.

Download the worksheets to help you complete this activity.

Related articles:

The Mysticism of Dawn in Islamic Spirituality

Surah 113 Al-Falaq, the Dawn