The First Habit: Protecting the Five Prayers
Bismillāh.
This is a reminder first to myself, written in need, not from a place of knowing, but hoping.
If it benefits you too, then All praise is due to Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone.
In every journey of personal growth, there’s often a temptation to begin with something flashy: waking up early, writing out routines, tracking habits. But for the Muslimah seeking a life of balance and barakah, there is only one true first step:
Salaah.
Not just praying - but protecting the prayer.
“Guard strictly the five obligatory prayers, especially the middle prayer. And stand before Allah with devotion.”
— Sūrah al-Baqarah (2:238)
This is not a box to check. It is the structure of your day, your soul, your time. It is the five appointments Allah has chosen for you, scattered across the day to realign your heart and keep your life in orbit around His remembrance.
Discipline doesn’t start with productivity.
It starts with submission. And Salaah is the habit that trains the nafs to pause, submit, and obey.
💬 A Letter to Myself
Dear self,
If you can’t protect your prayer, nothing else will feel grounded.
The day begins, flows, and ends with the five. If they are neglected, rushed, or delayed - the rest will fall out of place too.
And if they are upheld, sincerely and consistently - everything else will follow with ease, by the permission of Allah.
“The first thing the servant will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement is his salaah. If it is sound, the rest of his deeds will be sound. If it is corrupt, the rest will be corrupt.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 413; Hasan)
Start here. Rebuild here. This is your first fortress.
⚙️ What I’m Trying to Build
Here are small steps I am taking in sha Allah - and you can too - to honour salaah with sincerity and structure:
🧭 1. Plan Around the Prayer - Not the Other Way Around
Anchor your day to the five prayers in your planner or phone calendar.
Treat them like unmissable appointments.
📿 2. Master the Timings
Learn the prayer windows and pray as early as possible within each.
Especially Fajr and ‘Asr — which the Prophet ﷺ warned about protecting.
“Whoever prays the two cool prayers (‘Asr and Fajr) will enter Paradise.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 574)
📱 3. Remove Distractions During Prayer
Put your phone on airplane mode during prayer time.
Pray in a quiet room/space with intention - it matters.
🪞 4. Make Wudhu a Moment of Renewal
Take your time. Say the du‘a after wudhu:
أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن محمدًا عبده ورسوله
Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu Wahdahu la sharika Lahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluhu [I testify that there so no true god except Allah Alone, Who has no partners and that Muhammad ((ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger],'
اَللَّهُمَّ اِجْعَلْنِي مِنْ اَلتَّوَّابِينَ, وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنْ اَلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Allahumma aj’alni minat-tawwabina waj’alni minAl-mutatahhirina [“Oh Allah! Include me among those who repent and those who keep themselves pure”.]
🌒 5. Don’t Skip Witr
The Prophet ﷺ never abandoned Witr, even while traveling.
“Make Witr your last prayer at night.” - (Sahih al-Bukhari 998)
🧱 Start Small, Stay Consistent
Our 5 daily prayers are a foundation for our Islaam. There is no compromise when it comes to them. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to grant us ease and success. Remember -
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "My Lord says, 'If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "
(Sahih al-Bukhari 7536)
Struggling with consistency in timing and Khushu’? Start by prioritising one of the five that’s been hardest (e.g. Fajr).
Build from there, week by week, not all at once.
Celebrate quiet victories - even a prayer on time with full focus once a day is progress.
“The most beloved deeds to Allah are those done regularly, even if they are few.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim
📖 Qur’an and Sunnah Anchor
“Indeed, ṣalāh prevents immorality and wrongdoing. And the remembrance of Allah is greater.”
— Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt (29:45)
Salaah disciplines desire.
Salaah humbles the ego.
Salaah is the pause your heart was created to return to, five times a day.
🧵 Final Reflections
The life you want to build starts here.
With a heart that turns to Allah — regularly, honestly, even imperfectly.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be present.
And you need to return.
And return.
And return again.
Sincerely,
still striving, still learning —
your sister in need of Allah.
