Transformation -- Obedience, Love and Loyalty

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Do you go to the masjid for prayers this Ramadhan because everybody is doing it or because they have great taraweeh imam or because they have special foods or because you can see your friends, etc?

When you go to the masjid tonight for prayers, stop and ask yourself, "Why am I doing this -- standing long hours in prayers at night (perhaps until early morning), and getting very little or no sleep at night?"

If the answer is other than to become a slave of Allah and worship Him, then there is something missing in our understanding of why we are created.

Allah Almighty says,

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)

[Qur'an, Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

In worshipping Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, we must have total obedience to His commands, full love for Him and complete loyalty to Him. If you have one and not the other, then you need to work on your worship. It is natural that if you truly love someone, you always want to please that person and loyal to that person. This is how we should worship Allah.

Prayers are supposed to transform you and your personality. If you are not transformed and you are still doing haram -- gossip, cheat, lie, broke promises, taking riba; you are still not wearing hijab, you are still an angry or a nervous person; you are not good to your parents, family, neighbors; you are not giving charity or stingy; etc, then there is something wrong with your prayers. Take the opportunity this Ramadhan to really learn your prayers properly and strive to have more khushu' in your prayers, starting with your wudu' (ablution).

Du'a during wudu'

Mouth: O God, help me read Your Book and glorify Your name.
Nose: O God, grant me to enjoy the fragrance of paradise, while you are pleased to promise it to me.
(at the time of throwing dust from nose, say "I seek refuge with You from the stretch of Hell and from the evil of the world.")
Face: O God, make my face white and bright with Your light on the day when You will make the faces of Your friends bright.
Head: O God, cover me with Your mercy and shower upon me You blessings.

or

Mouth: O God, Help me to recite Qur'an and to make zikr
Nose: O God, Grant me to smell the fragrance of paradise, don't let me smell the smell of the hellfire
Face: O God, Whiten my face on the day when faces are whitened, don't blacken my face on the day when the faces are blackened
Hands/Arms: O God, Grant me my book of deeds on my right hand; Don't give my book on my left hand or behind my back
Head: O God, Grant me under the shade of Your throne
Ears: O God, Make me of those people who listen to speech and follow what's best in that speech
Neck: O God, Release my neck from the hellfire
Right foot: O God, Strengthen my foot on the bridge over the hell on the day when some people slip into hell
Left foot: O God, Make my sins forgiven and my works accepted and my transactions one day will not come to ruin

May Allah make us His best slaves and accept our worship. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam