The Importance of Prayer

Salaams to everyone, I decided to write about the importance of prayer in our daily lives. As a recent revert, I must admit the hardest part was adapting to the five mandatory prayers in Islam. It was a challenge remembering the times to pray but I knew it was important to learn. I also learnt that Salah is the second pillar of Islam. Learning to make wudu before Ramadan was interesting and exciting.

For me, it is my quiet time with Allah (SWT). It is an open channel of communication where you can express yourself freely without judgement. Throughout my life, I was faced with so many challenges. At the age of sixteen, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, she unfortunately died when I was eighteen years old. Being so crushed and filled with emotions, I still had all the pressure from school plus dealing with friends and taking care of my younger brother.

I was so lost and confused. I became very depressed and even had to seek counselling. I didn’t even know what year we were in at the time. Being young and inexperienced was heartbreaking. I finally got a boyfriend at age 21 and I felt very overjoyed to have someone to express my feelings to, but little did I know that the feeling was only temporary. He died in a horrible car accident when I was 23 years old. Another tragedy for me again. Please tell me will it ever get better?

After those incidents, I devoted my life to volunteering and helping others. It was great to assist other people but I was still so lost and hurt inside. I kept searching my whole life, just to find some peace but nothing was working, no counselling, no medicine, nothing.

When you think it was over, then came the worst part. At age 33, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought for sure that I was going to die and I was actually happy with that. It’s been very rough for me. Only this year by some twist of faith, I was eventually hired while undertaking chemotherapy, as jobs are still difficult to get particularly in these Covid times.

I saw how the Islamic faith works and I was quite intrigued. I quickly learned about the peace that can be attained. So before Ramadan, I took Shahada and began fasting. I also began to pray five times a day, plus do Dhikr and read the Holy Quran. I also continued my good deeds through volunteering and giving Zakat. I am now learning about the voluntary prayers that can also be said. I must admit, it seems a lot but when I started, it was like I could not stop. 

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After Ramadan, I missed the fasting, so I try to fast the three white days in each month. It took a lot of sacrifice and determination to make this work but I can safely say that I am at peace now, yey!

I searched my whole life for a sense of love and belonging. Growing up without parents, I always felt so alone inside. No matter how many people were around me physically, there was a deep void that no one could have filled.

I placed my full trust in Allah (SWT) through prayer every day and I now understand the true power and importance of prayer.

I finally realized that making dua was the real answer that all my problems because guess what my brothers and sisters, once you open your heart to Allah (SWT), you will never walk alone again, Ameen!