A 24-Hour Guide

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al- Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has bestowed the religion of Islām upon humanity as a gift; indeed, it is the greatest of blessings. The beauty of Islām lies in its presence in every single moment of a person’s life. A life without it lacks beauty, for order and discipline are of utmost importance. The most important thing is for a person to be clean when commencing their morning worship; one must be clean from head to toe. He must be fully purified, and in a state of ablution, as no act of worship can be performed without it. Even those who do not rise for the Tahajjud prayer will wake up for Fajr prayer and begin their day with ablution; and if one fails to wake up in time, performing ablution is the very first thing they do upon rising. As our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam stated, the face, hands, head, and feet touched by the water of ablution will manifest as a radiant light upon believers on the Day of Judgment, allowing them to be recognized among the masses. While others remain in a state of pitch-black darkness, devoid of light, the believer is illuminated by the radiance emanating from every limb touched by the water of ablution. The same applies to the rest of the day; when a person begins the day with ablution and prayer, the time leading up to the next prayer becomes of barakah. Thus, one remains in the presence of Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla throughout the entire twenty-four-hour day, with not a single minute spent apart from Him ﷻ.

Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, some forty years ago, we too fulfilled our military service. There, not even a single minute of the twenty-four hours was truly your own. The times for sleeping, eating, and moving about were all strictly regulated. Although we did the shortened service for one month, but even during that brief period, one could not act independently for even a minute under that strict discipline. This situation serves as a fine example of the orderliness found in Islām; military service teaches a person that life is neither empty nor purposeless. One cannot afford to squander time. Every moment is precious and begins with the morning; whether one rises for the Tahajjud prayer, at the time of the Adhan, or simply when one wakes, one carries out one’s duties in an orderly way until they sleep. From the moment of waking until retiring—and even after lying down—one maintains this routine; before sleep, one performs acts of worship and makes ablution. One goes to bed in a state of ablution and sleeps after performing two rak’ahs of

Qiyamu l-Layl. In this way, you spend the entire twenty-four hours of the day in obedience to and worship of Allāh ﷻ. That is when your life becomes truly fulfilled.

People occasionally ask, “What is the meaning of life?” Well, this is precisely the true meaning of life. You did not come into this world according to your own mind. Allāh ﷻ sent you here and made known what your duty is. You are to fulfill that duty; there is no need to do anything else. Allāh ﷻ sends your sustenance and guides you regarding the necessary steps for your livelihood. You simply live your life in accordance with Allāh’s ﷻ commands, doing whatever lies within your power until your final breath. If you can appear before the Divine Presence in this state, that is the greatest gain; your life will not have been wasted. Otherwise—as people often say these days—one simply “loses their life.” Many people lose their lives; they let them slip away in vain. Therefore, let us ensure our lives do not go to waste; let us not lose our lives, but rather make the most of them in the true sense, in shā’a Llāh. May Allāh ﷻ help us all. May He ﷻ grant guidance to those who do not yet realize this, so that they, too, may come to appreciate the value of their lives, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allāhi t-Tawfīq. Al-Fātiḥa.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 08 September 2026/ 26 Rabih Al-Awwal 1448 Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul