Quiet (dhikr) time.

In the past few months, I have trouble sleeping at times. Either I have difficulty falling asleep, or difficulty staying asleep. Last night, for example, I woke up after 5 hours asleep, even though I did not have to wake up for two more hours and could have slept for 7 hours. In times like these, I fight the urge to jump out of bed and do something 'productive' and try instead to use the time for quiet activities, such as reading, catching up on news/blogs on the 'net, and planning my life. I do not always engage in 'dhikr' as it is conventionally thought of, if one's definition of dhikr is 'remembrance of God through the use of reading Qur'an or saying duas'. However I do remember God through my quiet activities during those wee hours of the morning when the world is quiet, preparing itself for the inevitable blitz of activity as a new day cranks to a slow, cantakerously wondrous start. Although I was always a pensive sort of person, ever since I was a small child, I find myself relishing my pensive, quiet early morning dhikr moments even more than I ever had, and actually look forward to having difficulty sleeping or waking up early, strange as it may sound. I even got a prescription for a sleep aid, which I did use once and received a lovely 8 hours of dream-free sleep. However, last night I slept without it, and I wonder if I did so with the unconscious desire to wake up early once again in order to partake in my quiet dhikr time. Only God knows...

Interestingly, I did some research online about the benefits of quiet time during the day. One article (http://www.brighthub.com/science/medical/articles/14090.aspx) claimed that stress levels rise when a person has no quiet time during a normal day. The article gave several suggestions for seeking out quiet time in a day, such as getting up early, or surrounding your living and/or work space with pictures of nature.

In another article, (http://www.thirdage.com/brain-fitness/why-you-need-quiet-time) Rikki Fowler, a silence coach, notes, "With silence people slow down, and they get a chance to hear themselves think."

The Qur'an also mentions quiet in reference to a home being a place of 'rest and quiet': "It is God Who made your habitations homes of rest and quiet for you; and made for you, out of the skins of animals, (tents for) dwellings, which ye find so light (and handy) when ye travel and when ye stop (in your travels); and out of their wool, and their soft fibres (between wool and hair), and their hair, rich stuff and articles of convenience (to serve you) for a time." (Qur'an 16:80).

Also, in Surah Al-Muzammil, the 73rd chapter of the Qur'an, God says of the importance of getting up during the night for prayer and contemplation of God:

"Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the Word (of Prayer and Praise). True, there is for thee by day prolonged occupation with ordinary duties: But keep in remembrance the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him whole-heartedly." (Qur'an 73:6-8).

So seek out those quiet times for the betterment of yourself/your ruh, whether they be during the early morning hours, late at night or mid-day.