I have been struggling with this reflection for weeks—like a broken tune stuck in my head or a great story whose end I don't know. But I have decided that reflecting on the Qur`an is not about perfection but rather about connection. So here is my imperfect attempt at stringing together a thought that may or may not relate to you, but it is a means for me and hopefully for you to connect with Allah—and that suffices. Lately, my thoughts have been consumed by the quality of my prayers—or, more accurately, lack thereof. Ramadan draws near, and I seem to lack the drive to prepare for it. The month of taraweeh and tahajjud is upon us and I am not ready. The Salah, which is meant to be a connection between me and my Master, seems to be broken. It feels like I have been on autopilot for some time, and my prayers have become automated. When you have to do the same task five times a day for as long as you live, it is inevitable that you become accustomed to the task to the point that you can do it in your sleep. The sad reality is not that I can do the salah in my sleep, it is that I am doing sleep in my salah! So I had to ask myself that age-old question: 'Why do we pray?' not because I don’t know, but because I needed to remember. In the verse 20:14, Allah commands Musa AS to establish the prayer لِذِكۡرِيٓ 'for My remembrance' Allah says. In other words, if Musa AS wants to remember Allah and that intimate conversation they just had up on the mountain, all he needs to do is pray. Now you and I didn’t get this honour of speaking directly to Allah like Musa AS, so how do we get this special connection? It's simple really, by getting to know Him. And once we know something about Him, we make it a point to remember it over and over—this is where willpower comes in. We try so hard to remember our loved ones, especially those who have passed on. We look at their pictures; we tell their stories; we visit their graves; we donate on their behalf; we make dua for them; all these so that we do not forget them. But as time goes on, we gradually start forgetting; we forget how they used to laugh, how they looked, how tall they were, how they walked, how they talked; it all starts to fade—no matter how closely we try to hold on. This is the case for the people we loved and lived with, the people we knew well, the people we met and dined with, and the people we promised to always be there for each other. We are bound to forget. It is in our nature. So Allah, in His infinite wisdom, prescribed for us a regimen to ensure we do not forget—the prayer is meant for us to remember. It is the connection that reminds us of our creator, our purpose, our mission, and our destination. Because with time, we will gradually start to forget—from the distractions and temptations of the Dunya—but the Salah is meant to refocus our attention, to remind us every day—five times at least—of our purpose and destination. It is not about robotic movements that we get accustomed to; it is about establishing a connection in order to remember. It is an activity of the mind and the heart more than the activity of the body, and that takes even more willpower, dedication, and devotion every single time. So let’s purpose ourselves to connect to remember. Especially as we anticipate the arrival of the ultimate month to connect and remember. اَللّٰهُمَّ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضان اَللّٰهُمَّ سَلّمْنِيْ إِلى رَمَضانَ وَسَلّمْ لِي رَمَضانَ وَتَسَلَّمْه مِنِّي مُتَقَبَّلا Ameen!