Blindspot!
From Issue: 779 [Read full issue]
Time with God
It has been a long-standing tradition of the Muslim world that people have some kind of daily devotions beyond the obligatory rites. Obviously, there has been a decline in this. We have lost our remembrance of God. People are deemed "good" Muslims today only because they perform the daily prayers (which is, of course, necessary). But there was a time when neglecting prayer was nearly impossible. There were strong, positive social pressures to perform the prayers.
In Islam, the morning is a time of sakina (calm and tranquility). Our current culture of "rush" harms our sense of "day" and causes us to miss opportunities of spiritual growth. Speed has become the chief premiums: fast food, fast cars, fast rails, fast jets, fast entertainment, and the like. So much speed, but where is it all leading? People have little time to even stop and ask that question. Haste, it is said, is Satan's work. So take time with God, be with Him, in the morning and evening. No one is suggesting the life of a hermit. But do take time to purify the soul and protect it from the mirages and delusory things of modern living.
Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 182, 183