Advice for Salat in Western countries

 

Ramadan Mubarak, may this blessed month be a month of mercy and forgiveness for us all.

 

I've been living in the USA for a few years now, and although I've been very impressed by the number of Muslims here and their gratefulness to Allah for being Muslim, there's one thing I've noticed that continuously saddens me.

 

Although many Muslims are very careful not to eat pork or drink alcohol (which is great al-hamdulillah), at the same time they neglect very important aspects of Islam, especially Salat (Prayer). When I ask them why they don't perform the five obligatory Salawat, the excuses are never ending. Most excuses usually revolve around "no time", "too many distractions", "lack of a proper place to pray", and "embarassment" (especially at work or school).

 

I'd like to share some tips that I've learned that have benefitted me, and I hope may benefit some of you as well.

 

1. Before anything, know the importance of Salat, either by reading books written by Muslim Scholars or asking them directly if possible, or listening to audio recordings or watching video recordings where Scholars discuss Salat and its importance.

 

2. Always carry a "sijjada" (small prayer rug) with you in your car if you drive, or in your bag or locker if you are a student. You never know when you'll need it. This has come in real handy for me, especially when unexpected circumstances come up.

 

3. Plan your schedule of activities around the Salat times, not the other way around. In other words, make Salat your priority, not the activites. For example, if you're going out to eat or shop with friends in the afternoon, plan on doing so maybe 20 minutes after Salat al-asr so that you have time to pray asr before you leave, and will make it back home or to the masjid in time to pray maghreb. 

 

4. If you are going to an unfamiliar area that is not near your house, use the internet to locate Masajid (mosques) closeby. www.islamicfinder.com is an excellent website to locate Masajid anywhere.

 

5. Always make wudu'u before you leave the house no matter where you're going, or how long you expect to be gone. Unexpected situations often occur, so this way you'll be ready inshallah.

 

6. There should be no embarassment when it comes to Salat, whether it be at work, school or anywhere. Tell yourself that what you're doing is right and for the sake of Allah, and block everything else out. You may feel a little uncomfortable the first couple times you pray with non-muslims around, but after that it becomes easy. If you're worried that people will come up to you and ask you what you're doing while you're praying, I'll tell you what I do. With my sijjada I keep a small piece of paper that I always place up against my shoes so people can clearly see it. On the paper in black marker I wrote: "I am a Muslim and I'm praying, please don't disturb me until I'm done. Thanks". You'll be surprised how people will read the paper and just walk away. Most people will actually respect you for sticking to your beliefs. There may be a few curious people who will ask you later on about your prayer and its purpose, so it's good to have atleast some knowledge about Salat.

 

7. As long as you're determined, there is always a place to make Salat inshallah. At school or university, maybe an empty classroom or a locker room. At work, maybe the conference room or an empty office. Even at a clothes store, maybe you can use the changing room. There really is no excuse.      

 

I hope this humble advice benefits someone out there, and I'd like to hear if any of you have any more tips to add to the ones I mentioned.

 

Thank you,

Wassalamu Alaykum           

              

I'm very happy to hear that you take your Deen seriously, and I hope that many other young brothers and sisters do the same. When it comes to Salat, you said you thought that many Muslims did not pray because they were lazy. That may be true for a few, but after years of interacting with people, along with my own personal experience (may Allah forgive me, there were times when I used that excuse), I have found that laziness really isn't the reason. The underlying reason I believe is a lack of true fear of Allah, as well as what is called in Arabic "Tool Al-Amal", which means believing that we have many more years to live, so we put off Salat thinking "I'll start praying more consistently when I get older".