How to Wake Up for Fajr Every Single Time!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful

Unfortunately Fajr is one of the toughest challenges for many of us today. With this post I intend to share some tips that I only wish somebody who have guided me to earlier. Put them into practice at a pace you feel comfortable and InshAllah you will be waking up on your own before the alarm rings.

I have summarized and selected 7 methods from the 13 methods listed in the book, Remembrance of Allah, by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad (ra). I would highly encourage everyone to read the book as it also provides the best guidance on how to concentrate on prayers and explains the purpose of Sunnah prayers. You will not find such matters explained so beautifully elsewhere.

One way—not very useful in my opinion—is to use the alarm clock. It creates dependency, and fails to produce the resolute will. If you go to sleep having resolved to get up for Tahajjud, you will be in a state of worship all night. Being determined, you will get up. Those depending on the alarm clock, but lacking determination, will often shut the alarm clock to go back to sleep. When they get up, they generally feel sleepy in Prayers. Their dependency prevents them from full awakening and alertness. However, under certain circumstances the alarm clock may be used by beginners or others. 

There are thirteen methods, which can help in getting up at night. Anyone who sincerely tries them will, God willing, benefit from them. There may be difficulties in the beginning, but in the end these methods will prove useful. I have derived these methods from the Holy Qur’an and Hadiths. It is Allah’s Grace that these points, which remained hidden from others, have been manifested to me. To save time, I will only give my conclusions without quoting the references.

(Remembrance of Allah, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad, pg 34)

Zikr is an Arabic word meaning remembrance.
Zikr-i-Ilahi means the remembrance of Allah.

There are different forms of Zikr: salat, recitation of Quran, recitation and pondering on attributes of Allah, and publicly proclaiming the attributes of Allah. Explanation is best left to the book Remembrance of Allah.

1. End your day at Isha Prayers

Avoid continuing conversations after Isha Prayer, as a general rule Holy Prophet (saw) forbade it.
There are two reasons of this:
(a) what may start as a short conversation will continue late, leaving you unable to wake up early.
(b) if your conversation is not related to matters of faith your attention will be diverted. Ideally you want to go to sleep in a state of remembering Allah as you will find yourself waking up with the same thoughts.

Try your best to schedule your day to end after Isha Prayers. It is not forbidden to carry out important assignments after Isha but it is best avoided. This time is better spent in Zikr before going to sleep.

2. Perform Wudu (ablution) before going to bed

Renew your ablution even if you are already in a state of ablution. It affects the heart and creates a special kind of freshness. If you go to sleep in that state of freshness, you will get up in the same condition. This is a common observation. One who is smiling at bedtime is generally smiling when they get up. Likewise, one who sleeps crying will often wake up crying. Go to sleep fresh so that you can easily wake up fresh!

3. Recite Zikr Before Falling Asleep

Falling asleep in a state of performing Zikr will cause you to wake up again for Zikr (Fajr) during the night. The more Zikr you perform, the earlier you will get up for Zikr before the morning. The Holy Prophet (saw) used to perform Zikr in the following manner before going to sleep: He recited Ayatul-Kursi (verse 2:255) and the last three chapters of the Holy Qur'an; he then gently blew upon his hands and lightly passed them over his body three times. Then he turned towards his right and said:

Allahumma inni aslamto nafsi ilaik. Wa wajjahtu waj hi ilaik. Wa fawwadtu amri ilaik raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaik.La malja’a wa la manja’a minka illa ilaik. Allahumma aamanto bikitabikalladhi anzalta wa nabiyyikalladhi arsalta.

O Allah, I put myself in Thy protection, and turn my face towards Thee and assign all my affairs to Thee, with complete inclination and fear of Thee. There is no refuge or protection from Thee except towards Thyself. I believe in Thy Book, which Thou hast revealed, and Thy Prophet that Thou hast sent.

4. Firmly Resolve to Wake Up For Fajr

If you go to bed doubting that you will be able to wakeup for Fajr it will likely result in your doubts becoming reality . God has granted us the power to make our mind obey our will, exercise this with a firm resolution to wakeup. With a strong mental state your body will sleep but your mind will be alert ready to wake you up exactly at the desired time.

5. Eat Dinner Early

Have your last meal several hours before going to bed. Either eat before Magrib Prayer or right after it. Sometimes even if your spirit is active the body may not be. The body acts like a yoke: if the yoke is too heavy it strangles the spirit. The stomach should not be full at bedtime. It has an adverse affect upon the heart and makes us lazy.

6. Cleanliness

Stressing the importance of cleanliness Holy Prophet (saw) said "Cleanliness is half of faith" (Muslim). Angels abhor filth and only associate with those who are clean. Physical cleanliness affects purity of the heart. One who is clean will have the help of angels waking them up. Likewise the bed should also be clean, as it will also directly influence ones spirituality. Special care should be taken in respect to cleanliness.

7. Purify your Heart Before You Sleep

This last point is the most important one of them all. It not only helps us in getting up for Fajr but will also save us from many sins and weaknesses. Before retiring for sleep, ponder if you have any malice or harbour any rancour or prejudices towards anybody. If so, remove it, the heart should be totally clean at bedtime. The self purification achieved through this practice will help enable you to get up for Fajr. Moreover, should you breathe your last during the night; you will miss the opportunity of asking forgiveness for this sin.

References (linked):
1. Remembrance of Allah, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad (ra)