Tamara Gray – Tahajjud Waking Soul & Society #06 How to Wake Up for Tahajjud

Tamara Gray
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The speaker gives advice on improving one's sleep habits, avoiding "bitterness" and "head damage," and emphasizes the importance of being calm and aware of one's body's natural processes. They also give advice on avoiding feeling like one is supposed to be and becoming a person that makes the most of the day, emphasizing the importance of praying at night to fill one's busy day with joy and work.

AI: Summary ©

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			Let's pretend, or let's say for
the moment, that, yeah, I want to
		
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			get up and pray to haju. I want to
do this. You know, I really want
		
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			to implement this in my life. So
how do you do it? How do I What
		
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			are some practical tips to make it
happen and make it happen easily?
		
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			Let's look at the day. First we
want to we want to use the day to
		
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			help the night, and then we use
the night to help the day. How do
		
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			we use our day to help our night?
First of all, we want to not
		
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			overeat, especially at night. So
we don't want to have inospanola,
		
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			the the heavy, heavy dinners of
nighttime that are actually quite
		
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			common in many different countries
that I've been in are not helpful
		
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			for paying tahajjud. The habit of
eating light, lightly at night or
		
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			not overeating at night is much
better. Going to sleep with an
		
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			empty stomach is much it makes it
much easier to wake up at night.
		
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			And we all know those of you, and
I'm sure it's most of you, because
		
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			this is the way of the world
today. Most of us have been on a
		
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			diet, and one of the first things
they tell you, when you're going
		
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			on your diet, don't eat at night.
Don't eat at night. Don't eat at
		
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			night. It's not only something
that isn't good for us physically,
		
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			also spiritually, it can take away
from our ability to wake up at
		
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			night. So that's one thing.
Secondly, if you can take a nap in
		
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			the day, especially if the nights
are short, try to take a nap in
		
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			the day, a power nap, like a 10
minute nap, a 20 minute nap, this
		
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			will also really help you to wake
up at night. In fact, that in
		
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			itself, was a piece of advice from
rasulallah himself, where he
		
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			advises us to seek help in eating
at night for fasting, and to seek
		
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			help with a little nap in the day,
for tahajjud. So now we have two
		
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			things. We have eat less in the
day, or at least eat less at
		
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			night, and we have to take a nap
in the day. Now, the prayer at
		
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			night is something just like
anything. When you want to get it
		
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			done, when you want to start a new
habit, you need to be thinking a
		
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			lot at first and less later. So in
the beginning, start out by
		
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			choosing where you're going to
pray. Set it up before you go to
		
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			sleep. Set out your prayer
clothes. So if you are so if you,
		
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			if you don't know where your
prayer clothes are, set them out.
		
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			Have them folded. Maybe iron them.
Lay them out nicely. Have that
		
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			prayer carpet laid out already.
Maybe have the most half open to
		
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			the place you want to recite. Have
some lighting out. Put a candle
		
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			there with the thing. Don't run
around the house at three in the
		
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			morning looking for something to
light the candle with. You're not
		
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			going to light it. Have it there
and ready. Have everything set up.
		
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			So when you get up in the morning,
all you're doing is making mud and
		
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			praying,
		
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			and it's a comfortable, beautiful
feeling and setting.
		
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			Now, there are a couple of things
I want to, I guess, warn you about
		
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			to pay attention to because these
are things that will get in the
		
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			way of developing this new habit.
One of them is bitterness. A heart
		
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			that is full of bitterness, a
heart that is full of grudges, is
		
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			a heavy heart, and that heavy
heart is very difficult to pull
		
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			out of the bed at night. So try
during the day to be aware of what
		
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			your heart is saying, what your
heart is feeling, and avoid the
		
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			bitter, angry, ugly heart that is
doing Riba. Riba of the heart is
		
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			when you're talking about people
in your heart. Namima of the heart
		
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			is when you're slandering people
in your heart. Bitterness of the
		
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			heart is when you can't stop you
keep on repeating it, repeating
		
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			it, repeating. Why did they do
this? Why did they do this?
		
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			All of this stuff. Try your best
to become a person who's calm on
		
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			the inside, who doesn't have all
of this ugly talk about
		
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			individuals or groups of people on
the inside, basically become the
		
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			person we're supposed to be,
become a person who follows in the
		
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			footsteps of Rasulullah, become
one of our early community, one of
		
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			those who stood out in front of
the rest of the world As people
		
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			who were of the best, who called
for what is good and pushed back
		
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			against what is ugly. This is we
are the Ummah to be this. We are
		
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			called to be the Ummah that brings
forth beauty, that brings forth
		
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			positivity, pushes back on all
that is ugly and harmful. A heart
		
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			full of bitterness is harmful. And
let me tell you something, it
		
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			doesn't harm the person you're
bitter towards. Sometimes we
		
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			think, if I'm, you know, my ain't
my inner anger, oh, they'll see
		
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			they don't care. Doesn't hurt
them. It only hurts you, and it
		
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			does hurt in helping to wake up
for tahajjud. So that's one thing
		
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			to work on in the day, to make
sure that the heart is a heart
		
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			that is clear.
		
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			Of ugliness. A second important
tip for the of how to sort of a
		
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			spiritual tip out, I'll say, is to
note the actions of the day. Note
		
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			the actions of the day. Do your
best to have a day of goodness.
		
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			The more your day is full of
goodness and kindness, the easier
		
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			it becomes to wake up at night,
the more good deeds you have in
		
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			the day, the more your intention
is in a good place, all of the
		
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			more the day is filled with
beautiful work, actually, like the
		
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			work that we're doing to help
others, to care for others, caring
		
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			for ourselves, the more this is
going to give us the strength and
		
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			ability to wake up at night. Now
the prayer at night is a sensitive
		
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			thing. But in the beginning, when
I say sensitive, what do I mean? I
		
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			mean the prayer at night is
something that,
		
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			because it fills us with gas,
fills us with fuel, gives us the
		
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			strength that we need to do the
work that needs to be done.
		
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			It's sensitive to a day of rafla,
a day of heedlessness. So it's a
		
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			beautiful thing, because it
becomes not a vicious circle, but
		
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			a beautiful circle. The sensitive
night of prayer fills our day with
		
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			the strength that we need to do
the deeds that we need to do, and
		
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			then doing those deeds gives us
the hymn, me the strength to get
		
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			up at night and pray.
		
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			Now, if you miss it, what are you
going to do if you miss it? If you
		
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			miss it, just start again. Just
keep going. You missed it one day.
		
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			No problem. Keep going if you're
sick and you can't get up for a
		
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			few days. Subhanallah, if you're
praying before your illness, it's
		
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			as though you're praying during
those days, this is the generosity
		
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			and the effect of tahejud on our
spiritual lives. So set up your
		
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			space, create that habit, make a
day that helps your night, and
		
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			know for sure that your night will
help your day. Becoming a person
		
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			of tahajjud, begins with you,
begins with me, individually, but
		
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			pretty soon the family can become
a family of tehshut, and all of a
		
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			sudden now we have this beautiful
home where in every corner there
		
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			is recitation of Quran, there are
angels descending to listen to
		
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			1234,
		
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			members of the family, five, six,
however, member, however, many
		
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			members of the family there are,
and it becomes a home of beauty
		
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			and and worship. If you are saying
to yourself, oh, that will never
		
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			happen, don't. Don't get stuck
there. You're not praying to make
		
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			other people pray. You're praying
tahajjud, because this is the
		
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			worship of the believer. This is
the worship of the Noah fill. This
		
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			is the worship the nafila. This is
the worship that makes us of those
		
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			whom Allah loves. This is the
strength that we need,
		
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			but also look to the beauty of the
possibility of that spreading in
		
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			the home. What happens then begins
to spread to the community. We as
		
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			a community, as an ummah, change.
We begin to grow in strength and
		
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			beauty. We begin to become as the
people of the early generation. It
		
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			is time for us to shed, to shed
the the shackles of this dunya, to
		
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			shed the shackles of what holds us
back in in in hardship and in
		
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			difficulty, and know that the cure
for us is in tahajjud. Seek it.
		
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			Grab it. Grab it as the most
wonderful, amazing gift. Make it a
		
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			habit. Make it the thing that
gives you energy, and know that as
		
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			you do that, it will be giving
energy to people around us. Our
		
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			masajid will grow because the
boards of the masajid, the people
		
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			in the masjid, are going to grow.
Our nonprofits will grow in
		
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			goodness and in health because the
people of the nonprofits, the
		
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			workers, everyone is growing, our
communities will grow, because as
		
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			we have spiritual strength, we
will begin to reach out to the
		
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			places around us with that
spiritual strength and bring
		
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			goodness. We will follow truly,
truly in the Sunnah of Rasulullah
		
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			sallam. We will truly walk in the
footsteps of the words of the
		
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			Quran calling out to us to be of
the Ibadah Rahman calling out to
		
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			us to be of the worshipers calling
out to us to be of those who pray
		
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			to hazju calling out for us to be
of those who Qum Lail, who stand
		
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			at night. May Allah make all of
us, of those who stand at night,
		
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			of those who benefit from the
nightly prayer, of those who who
		
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			soak it in and in that soaking are
able to spread it like glitter
		
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			mercy wherever we go, spread it
like droplets of beauty wherever
		
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			we go, and let it, let it be of
that thing that grows us,
		
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			individually, as families, as.
		
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			Communities as an ummah to be at
makam and Mahmoud, ah, at that
		
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			praised and blessed state that
brings us personal joy, communal
		
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			joy, global joy, sha Allah, taala,
sha Allah, all of us will be of
		
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			those who pray tahajjud and be
thinking of one another at night
		
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			and praying for one another.
Alhamdulillah, mean Allah,
		
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			akandesino na Vienna, Muhammad,
you.