Dhikr, or the remembrance of Allah ﷻ, is like food for the soul. Just like our bodies require consistent nourishment, our souls do as well. And just as the body is not able to perform basic functions if it does not get proper nourishment for an extended period of time, the soul must also be fed regularly, so that it can perform its basic function: to worship and connect to Allah ﷻ. The habit of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the great scholars of the past, was to pray the Fajr prayer and remain in dhikr until sunrise. He once told his student that this is the food for his soul, and if he doesn’t feed his soul, what will the result be?
There are two major lessons we learn from this story. Firstly, it emphasized the importance of the dhikr of Allah. Secondly, the morning is a key time for the person who is striving toward Allah ﷻ. When the day is started in the dhikr of Allah ﷻ, it has an effect on the rest of the day. The morning is the optimal time to feed the soul, as it charges up the body to be able to withstand the trials it will endure during the day. Additionally every subsequent attempt to come closer to Allah ﷻ will become easier. But if a person begins the day in the negligence of Allah ﷻ, there is an increased risk of not remembering Allah for the rest of the day.
