Ramadan

Why is it important to engage in prayers before dawn in Ramadan? Imam Khamenei responds

I have said several times that if we do not take advantage of the time before dawn, in this tumultuous world, there would be no other private time for us to spend on attending to our souls and our God. There would really be no other time. We are so busy.

 

My dear friends! The month of Ramadan is a great opportunity. It is a great opportunity. It is, of course, an opportunity for promulgation, an opportunity for clarification, an opportunity to get closer to the people, and an opportunity to help the poor. But more than anything else, it is an opportunity to pray, and get closer to God. It is an opportunity to fast, an opportunity to enjoy the divine feast and be God's guest. The divine feast we talk about is your fasts and your prayers.

 

Of course, the acts of the month of Ramadan are too many. Look at Iqbal by Sayyed Ibn Tawus and you will see for every night, there are so many acts, and different prayers mentioned that some of us are unable to do, and some of us are not aware of the importance of them - which is a different subject to be addressed on another day - but there are some minimum limits that should not be missed.

 

Many wake up before dawn in the month of Ramadan. This time should not be missed. Before dawn is a great time. I have said several times that if we do not take advantage of the time before dawn, in this tumultuous world, there would be no other private time for us to spend on attending to our souls and our God. There would really be no other time. We are so busy. In 24 hours, a number of hours are spent on sleeping, and the rest of the day we are busy. Everyone is busy with something. The free time we had before does not exist anymore. It is not, of course, a problem of our times. Rather, it is part of the nature of our times. Our lives today are entangled with machines. Today, there are phenomena that did not exist before. As a result, we are busier.

 

During the day it is not possible. Of course, there are those who are close to God at all times, constantly praying, even while moving, trading, working at their desks, or on a computer: "Those who are constant at their prayers" [Quran 70:23]. Some people are constantly praying. We are far from them and cannot reach them, and our only opportunity is before dawn. If we miss this opportunity there will be no more. God save you all.