Assalamu alaikum, ya nesan!

Wake up early, and start your day in earnest. From East to West this is one thing that is shared by successful people in all spheres of life. Our bodies are designed to maintain a cycle throughout the day, and though our bodies adjust to exceptional situations, maintaining the cycle is when the body performs at its optimum. Part of that cycle is waking up early, and Subahu or Fajr as some call it, should not be just a prayer that we wake up for, it should ideally be the start of the day, as the blessings of this time is mentioned in the hadith -

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا

Sakhr Al-Ghamidi narrated that, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning)."

Sunan Ibn Majah, English reference : Vol. 3, Book 12, Hadith 2236, Arabic reference: Book 12, Hadith 2321

Everything about the morning hours are beautiful. The Sun which beats down on us throughout the rest of the day is benevolent at this time, and catching its rays upon your bare skin will ensure that your body generates Vitamin D, which is essential in keeping your body healthy, and more importantly elevating your mood. Vitamin D is not easily absorbed through food, therefore catching the morning Sun shine is an opportunity every Saracen should try to exploit. From sun rise to about 10 a.m. let the rays of the Sun onto your skin for about half an hour. This is sufficient to boost Vitamin D production which will keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

The morning hours are when the air is at its cleanest. If you live in an urban or suburban area, your air is toxic, with carbon monoxide, rubber and tar dust. Therefore, doing your breathing exercises nice and early will allow you to inhale pure clean air from which pollutants have settled out, overnight. Find a quite spot near a window, and sit cross legged with your back straight. Inhale slowly and steadily until your lungs are full, and then exhale just as slowly and steadily. Many of us “modern people” lack enough oxygen in our blood, and this will help counter that to a certain extent.

If you are a desk worker your lack of exercise will catch up with you eventually. You may not have the time to exercise throughout the day, and at the evening times, the roads are dusty and crowded that taking a stroll may be frustrating. In the morning hours though, this is not the case. As you breathe hard during your work out, you are spared the lung full of dust and instead rewarded with refreshing clean air. The pavements are yours to walk around your neighborhood, and hopefully notice things you hadn’t before. In addition, the birds are out as well, to cheer you on in your effort to maintain a healthy life.

Therefore, dear Saracen, Ibn Serendib hopes you will consider waking up early, and make Subahu (or Fajr) the start of your day. Allah keeps practical benefits with prayer, so let us exploit them.

May Allah make you happier, and healthier!