10 Reasons Why We May Feel Tired or Sleepy During Worship

Bismi-Llah, Al-Rahmani, Al-Rahim. Oh, my God, even if you tie me with chains, deprive me of the stream of your bounties in the presence of people. Divulge all my scandalous acts before the eyes of all your servants. Order me to hell and prevent me from meeting the righteous ones. In spite of all of this, I will never stop hoping for you. I will never stop expecting your pardon and your love will never exit my heart.

These are the monumental great words of the Holy Fourth Imam, Imam Ali, Zain Al-'Abidin, As-Sajjad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the supplication that is often recited during the nights of the Holy Month of Ramadan called Du'a Abu Hamza Ath-Thumali.

Anyone reflecting on these and other amazing words of this du'a will come to the conclusion that it's recited by a man deeply in love with his creator, desperate for his grace, blessing and mercy, teaching you and I one of the best ways to speak to our Lord.

There is one part of Du'a Abu Hamza that is quite intriguing. Imagine you're reciting the Qur'an or trying to focus on a Du'a recitation or actually performing your Salah, and you become bored, you start to yawn, or become sleepy. Have you wondered why that is? As a physician of the soul, Imam As-Sajjad, alayhi as-salam, in this supplication, gives us 10 possible reasons. Let's briefly recall them.

What is wrong with me? Whenever I feel that my soul has become decent and that I have become close to achieving what those who constantly turn to You achieve, a misfortune strikes me, causing my feet to be shaken, and standing against my showing servitude to You.

First, "Sayyidi, la'allaka 'am 'babika taradtani". Oh, my Master, perhaps you have pushed me away from your door. The Imam, alayhi as-salam, wants us to think, maybe I'm constantly not taking on the signs and the opportunities you have sent me, O Allah. I keep ignoring them and therefore, "wa an khidmatiKa ayhaytani" and you have dismissed me from your service. Why would we not have the Tawfiq or blessing to serve God?

Number two, "Aw la'allaka ra'aytani mustakhiffan bihaqqika fa aqsaytani" or perhaps you have noticed that I have belittled the duties that You have made incumbent upon me, and therefore You set me aside. It is the obligations, the morals, the responsibilities, brothers and sisters, from prayers to charity, from keeping my tongue and eyes and ears in check, to visiting relatives. Perhaps I have not been listening and obeying.

Number three, "Aw la'allaka wa jattani fee maqam al-kadhdhibin farafathtani", or perhaps You have found me amongst the liars, and thus You have rejected me. Remember, in prayers we stand stating, Allah Akbar. But in our lives, is this reflected? Do we place God first, or is it our desires? Do we pick and choose from Faith that suits us? Do we do what we have to, like pay our dues, even if it hurts?

Number 4, "Aw la'allaka ra'aytani ghayra shakirin li na'mayka fa haramtani" Or, perhaps You have observed me showing no gratitude for Your blessings, and thus You have deprived me of them. We often wonder why we don't have more sustence or Rizq. Why not a longer lifespan? Why no more grace? Have we truly shown thankfulness for what we have? That is of course, not only via the tongue, but by not abusing all the blessings from the Almighty Subhana wa Ta'ala, that He has bestowed upon us.

Number five, "Aw la'allaka faqadtani min majalis al-'ulama'i fa kadhaltani" or perhaps You have not found me in gatherings of the scholars, and thus You have let me down. How much have I invested in seeking "Ilm" knowledge from the correct sources? Do I attend the mosque and take part in the programs? Do I encourage my family to do so? Am I listening to the right people?

Six, "Aw la'allaka ra'aytani fi 'l-ghafilin, fa min rahmatiKa ayastani" Or perhaps, O my Lord, You have seen me among the headless ones, and thus You have made me despair of Your mercy. We can become indifferent to sins. We won't feel the pain of disobedience anymore. We somehow can become numb. Once we do, the Imam, alayhi as-salam, states, we start to despair from the mercy of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala.

Seven, "Aw la'allaka ra'aytani a'lifa majalisi al-battalin fabayni wa baynahum khallaytani" Or perhaps, my Lord, You have found me fond of the sessions and the gatherings of the wrongdoers, and thus You have referred me to them. How much time do I waste? How much accountability and introspection do I perform? Do I associate with the wrong crowd? Is their negative actions impacting and rubbing off on me?

Eight, "Aw la'allaka lam tuhibba an tasma'a du'ai faba'adtani" Or perhaps You don't want to listen to my prayers, and thus You have kept me away from You. Why wouldn't our merciful Lord not want to listen to our du'as? Maybe it's because they are hypocritical. We are asking for Paradise whilst not working for it. Or we want God's forgiveness whilst not forgiving others.

Nine, "Aw la'allaka bi jurmi wa jarirati kafaytani" Or perhaps You have punished me for my offences and sins. Yes, it's a huge burden. Our sins are clearly a barrier between us and Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. They cause us much suffering. We need constant istighfar, seeking forgiveness to soften our hearts and lighten the Lord on our souls.

Finally, number 10, "Aw la'allaka biqillati hayai min kajazaytani" Or perhaps, O my Lord, You have penalised me for my shamelessness. Are we embarrassed when we commit wrong, when we are alone, for example? Do we forget God is watching? Are we negligent to the extent that we don't think about the fact that we will be held accountable?

These, my dear sisters and brothers, are important reminders that we should keep in our minds and reflect upon them more and more in this holy month of Ramadan. The more we reflect on them, the more we implement them in our lives, the more we will reap the fruits of such Supplication and the amazing wonders of the blessed month of Ramadan.