3 ways to upgrade your Salah

We have entered the blessed last ten days of Ramadan. This morning I woke up with the desire to subtly upgrade the environment that surrounds me when I pray.

When we talk about improving our Salah we often look into how to be more focused and present, that's definitely the most important thing about this beautiful practice.

However today I was reflecting on the importance of adhab, the etiquette we adopt while praying. It's easy to forget that you are presenting ourselves to Allah, especially when you wake up at 3am, feeling and looking like you were hit by a bus.

In the Hanafi madhab it is even Makruh (highly disliked) to pray in clothes that you wouldn't go out with. 

I come from a culture in which it is normal for women to pray in their pyjamas and where people literally go out dressed like that to run errands (my moroccan sisters will get me).

But I love the idea of putting in effort to look good in front of Allah. Because who else deserves to see us in our best apparels more than the One who Created us?

So today I did 3 simple things that made me feel like I was honouring my salah a little bit more:

1. I ironed my praying outfits, you know the super long ones that get all wrinkled? I also hung them instead of shoving them in a basket.
2. Then I perfumed those same outfits with my favourite scent: Musc 12 by Kayali.
3. Finally, i rubbed some musk on my prayer mat: when I was in Yemen, I remember the indescribable joy I would feel when performing sajdah on a mat that would surprisingly smell sweet. I wanted to recreate this feeling.
4. I purchased a digital adhan clock to feel as though I'm in Morocco or Madinah and Mekka because I truly and deeply miss the sound of the adhan.

Those small actions made me look forward to the next prayer and I pray that it always is the case.

Give them a try and let me know how it goes for you.

Keep me and the team in your du'as during those precious nights, may Allah grant us the blessings of Laylatul Qadr.