Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam. As a Muslim it is mandatory to perform the five daily prayers at certain times. These prayers are like individual meetings with God and a remembrance of God throughout the day. These meetings help build a relationship that involves thanking, praising, and asking God for whatever you need.  Prayer is an important part of living a life full of blessings.
When your life is blessed, it is more fulfilled and you gain a feeling of satisfaction. In Islam having a strong relationship means being in contact with God whether it’s in good or bad times. Praying throughout the day reinforces this practice of always being connected with God so you can accept the bad things that happen and know they are meant to be. This approach also builds a strong faith that can accept what happens in life including any short comings you may experience.

From personal experience I have seen that the power of prayer has truly changed my life. I learned that whenever we are certain or uncertain about something it is important to pray to God to bring the best outcome for us. When you ask for God’s blessing and advice, things may take a turn in ways you never expected. One of the most important aspects to maintaining a strong relationship is to not forget God in good times. If we only ask God to help us when we feel weak, but forget to thank him when we are strong that undermines this important relationship. Working to build a strong relationship is saying Alhamduilllah (all praise is to Allah) in both good and bad times.

When God does something we must understand it’s for a good reason although sometimes it may seem impossible. Here is an example from my personal experience of how holding on to faith has changed my life.

Five years ago I lost my older brother in a bad car accident. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me. At the moment I couldn’t understand why this happened, who to blame, or how to take it in. The statement that people kept repeating to me sounded like the craziest thing at the moment “ Siham God tests the people He loves” I could not understand what they meant.

After I cooled down a bit, I came to a realization that this was Gods will, and if God choose this for me it must have been for a good reason. This situation taught me to say alhamdulillah even though what happened was terrible.

Maintaining strong prayers during that time was crucial to me. But I knew that God had my back even though what was happening was horrible. At the time it was very depressing and I thought I was never going to be my normal self again. I thought I was never going to have the courage to even smile. But then Gods mercy came into the picture for me.

People would ask how I am doing or say I should see a therapist, but I did not feel the need. I knew that God did it for a good reason, although at the time we were blind to this reason. Having the relationship with God and being able to pray for my brother put me at ease.  God granted me the patience to move on.

Many people question me on how I was able to move on, and my answer has always been that it’s all from the mercy of God. Having a relationship with God molds us to accept what happens to us and to keep praying and hoping for the best.

Life isn’t always going to head in the direction of our choice, but when we have strong faith what does happen ultimately is to our advantage. I must admit if I didn’t have the strong relationship with God I think I would have been derailed onto the wrong path after my brother’s death. Maintaining a strong relationship with God is what pushes me every day to wake up, move on and tackle every situation no matter what it may be.