What is the philosophy behind the importance of being awake in the time between morning Azan to the sunrise?
In Islam it is recommended so much to be awake between the time of morning Azan(call to prayer) and the sunrise.
It has been described in the Narrations as an hour from the hours of paradise, and many benefits and consequences have been mentioned in them for it, and as summary we can say that if someone wants the blessings of this world and the hereafter, he/she should be awake in that specific time.
It might seem for some people that there is no any difference between different times of the day, but according to the Quran, it is not so, so we see that for example midnight is a time in which the night prayer and repentance is recommended.
Another recommended time is the time which is our subject.
Allah said in the holy Quran chapter Taha verse 130:
وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا وَمِنْ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَى
“And exalt with the praise of your lord before sunrise and before sunset. And in the watches of the night and at the edges of the day, exalt him, so that you will be pleasing.”
Or in chapter Qaf verse 39, Allah said:
فَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ
“Bear then with patience what they say. Exalt with the praise of your lord before sunrise and before sunset.”
Another point which can be another base for our discussion is this point that the angels of Allah have different duties, for example some of them are assigned for the fertilization of the clouds, plants and humans, the other are assigned for division of the sustenance and livelihood, some other angels have the duty of divisions of the affairs of the people, etc.
As some Narrations describe, the divisions of the sustenance and the affairs of people by angels are done in this specific time i.e. between the morning Azan till the sunrise.
Allah said in chapter Zariyat verse 4:
فَالْمُقَسِّمَاتِ أَمْرًا
“Then by the distributors (angels), ordered.”
There is a Narration as the exegesis of this verse, that says:
“The angels divide the sustenance of human in the time between the morning Azan and sunrise, so the one who sleeps in this time; in reality he/she has slept from his/her sustenance.”
When we refer to the exegesis of the verse in chapter Ghafir verse 55 in which Allah said:
وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ
“And ask forgiveness of your sins, and exalt with the praise of your lord in the evening and at dawn.”
We see that the exegesis says that the meaning of the word “ابکار” is this time.
This time is recommended for performing prayer and reciting the holy Quran.
Allah said in chapter Isra verse 78:
أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا
“Establish the prayer at the decline of the sun till the darkening of the night and the Quran recital at dawn. Surely, the Quran recital at dawn is witnessed.”
Imam Baqir peace be upon him in a debate with the Christian bishop said about this time:
This time is from the times of paradise, so in this time the patients get cautious and the pains get calmed and the one, who did not sleep in night, falls asleep and Allah has made this time beloved in this world for those who are eager to the hereafter.”
The same Imam said:
“Satan spreads his army in two times, the time of sunrise and the time of sunset, because these two times are the times of negligence.”
Let me briefly mention some of the benefits of being awake in this time according to the Narrations:
-The division of the sustenance.
-Escaping from calamity.
-Being safe from the financial damages and losing the capital (if we recite the Doa which is mentioned for this time)
And now let me mention briefly some of the disadvantages for sleeping in this time:
-Poverty and distress.
-Calamity.
-Blindness of heart.
-Being in need for sustenance to others.
-Negligence.
-Being a cause for yellow face.
Some people think that it is just moral prescription, but the physical benefits of being and remaining awake are something that have been proved by scientific researchers.
For example there is a hormone by the name of “Somatotropin” which in known as the hormone of growth, the time in which this hormone is produced and discharged, is during two hours after sunset, and it is recommended in the Narrations to sleep in this time.
But on the other hands there are a series of hormones that they increase stress by the name of “Corticosteroid”, the time in which these hormones are produced and discharged, is two hours before sunrise or let’s say the time about which our subject is.
If someone is asleep when the discharge of these hormones gets most, he/she is more exposed to heart attack, and also it is said by the researchers: the time in which most of deaths in dream happen, is this time.
And as the last point it must be said that the sustenance is not just financial aspects, but rather it includes spiritual aspects as well, that are so much more important than material benefits, like finding the chance to visit the holy shrines of infallibles or finding the good friends, or being the neighbor of a good family, or having the chance to have more precious lifetime with the opportunity of doing more good deeds etc.
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Sources:
Samamos.com narrating from the newspaper of Kayhan
