I had the privilege of growing up in two contrasting family setups. There was my real family. We were muslims; albeit nominal and liberal. Nobody wakes up for fajr, let alone tahajjud. We manage to mumble a “good morning” to one another and go off to our various schools or workplaces.
Then, there was the Uncle Mike’s. We were just family friends but they loved me like their own blood. They would come for me during the December break and take me back home after the New Year festivities. They were devout christians. Their morning devotion was more like a mini church service. It runs from 5am till around 6am.We sang, prayed and studied the Bible together. This was where I discovered that humans communicate with an higher being called GOD. The difference was clear to me, even as a kid. I knew something was missing in my birth home.
I started following two of my sisters to church. I guess they too, saw this deficiency and started searching for God on their own. My journey back to Islam is long and tortuous, but I will reserve that story for later. Bottom line is: a home without prayers is nothing. I don’t care how long you spend praying. Just do it. Muslims pray 5 times a day, minimum. If we add about 5 mins for ablution, 5 minutes for the prayer, and 5 minutes for supplications and supererogatory prayers; that’s 15 minutes for each salat, and 75minutes per day. That’s not even up to the time to watch a football game!
If you think prayer is irrelevant in premarital and marital discourses, I’m sorry, I can’t help you. May The Almighty open your eyes to see the truth and your heart to embrace it. Aameen.
AskDoctorKT 