How can patience be observed in worshiping Allah and following His commands?

Ibn al Qayyim[1] said, “Worship not performed regularly is of no value.”[2] This would refer to those who pray occasionally, as is the case with those who pray only on a Friday or in the month of Ramadan, commonly called, “Ramadan Muslims” or “Friday Muslims”. There is also a general belief about worshiping on the last Friday of Ramadan, referring as ‘Jumatul Wida’ as some people consider it to have more importance than other days of Ramadan, but this has no basis in the Sunnah. Infrequent worshiping is not acceptable to Allah. A root cause analysis of infrequent worship reveals what is called precautionary worship, meaning just in case there is Allah then that worshipper feels he would be safe.[3]

If one doubts the existence of Allah, he has disbelieved. Belief in Allah is belief based on certainty, not doubt. So worship based on these thoughts has no value. It’s just physical exercise.

An example is someone financially capable of making Hajj at an early age delaying it to a later stage in his life under the pretext that when you make Hajj at an early age and you come back and commit sins, then your Hajj is wasted! The person who then makes Hajj later in life may not attain ‘Hajj-e-Mabroor’[4] simply because, a life that has been lived screaming, swearing and using abusive language does not dramatically change when a person makes Hajj.

Regular worship is a primary requisite. It’s not easy because when things are done regularly, it becomes a norm and the sincerity tends to be lost. What is the use of a regular prayer when the hearts are not in it? Therefore, we have to stop, reflect and regularly question ourselves and renew our intention.

In worshiping Allah, we need to make sure we don’t deviate from the way of our Prophet (ﷺ). This is because deviation will cause us to lose the value of our prayer. So we have to maintain sincerity and abide by the Sunnah. It is natural for us to have an aversion to carrying out certain acts of worship, and waking up for Fajr salaah could be one of them. It is difficult and we will have to struggle. So one needs to be patient here. Patience consists of restraining our desires and fulfilling the commandments of Allah.

References:

[1] Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr or Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah  (1292–1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH)

[2] “Patience in worshipping Allâh سبحانهوتعالى and carrying out His instructions means that you perform the prescribed acts of worship regularly and do so sincerely and with knowledge. Worship that is not performed regularly is of no value. Even if worship is performed regularly, there are two dangers. Firstly, we risk losing our sincerity, if the motive for performing prayers is not to please Allâh سبحانهوتعالى and draw closer to Him. So to protect our worship we must make sure that we are sincere. Secondly, we must be sure never to deviate from the way of the Prophet صلىاللهعليهوسلم, so we have to ensure that our worship is done according to the Sunnah.”  (Uddaat Al Saabireen wa Dhaakiraat Al Shakireen, Ibn Qayyim)

[3] Explanation of the World of the Jinn and the Devil, Dr. Bilaal Philips (audio)

[4] Pilgrimage which is complete and acceptable by Allah