Advice for a friend

salam,

I have a friend who converted to Islam but has, simply, found it too difficult to adhere to the obligations put upon us. He still believes, but he can't stick to the routine. He sent me this email, can anyone help?

[quote=]I’ve got another question about Islam, if that’s OK.

I think that the intellectual acceptance of Islam was something I could manage under my own steam and embrace without too much trouble. The difficulty I didn't anticipate though was the change in lifestyle – I found that much more problematic: getting up at 3 am every day to pray; fasting for a whole month; only eating Halal food (it doesn't exist in my region of France).

Obviously if one lived in an Islamic society where the adan wakes everyone up; where the whole community is fasting together; where even McDonalds' is halal then it would be so much easier.

I think changing ones lifestyle when older is much more difficult. But it is not impossible. I was reflecting yesterday just how many things in my daily life I discipline myself to do: I disciple myself to get up everyday, however I feel, to go to work; I discipline myself to sit here at work from 9-5 even though I don't like it; and so on. So it would be no complete novelty to disciple myself to pray 5 times a day.

So my question is this: is there any room in Islam for a gradualist approach to praying? I know Salat is obligatory, but is it an absolute requirement that one starts praying 5 times a day or is there room for a step by step approach as small kids start with baby steps then pray with family at maghrib or isha... then slowly pray asr then zuhr then fajr?![/quote]