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As-salamu alaykum.

Members of my family often ask me to wake them up to pray Fajr because I usually am able to sleep in more than they can and so I am more comfortably awake around that time. Sometimes, especially when I am trying to wake up older family members, I'm met with great anger when trying to wake them up. I was taught at the local masjid when I was younger that if I accepted the responsibility of waking someone up to pray (or of alerting them of the times to make other prayers) and I failed to ensure that they got up, I would accrue a sin on myself as well (obviously, this would not absolve the person who missed their prayer of their own sin). Does anyone know if there is any basis for this?

JazakAllah Khayran for all of your help.

[reervieltnope]

Brother the way you have phrased your question(s) really requires a scholarly answer, which I am obviously not, so I will refrain from commenting on whether you are accruing sin if you wake them up or not.

However, I will say that Insha'Allah it is a highly virtuous action to try to politely wake up your family members for Fajr (or any salat), and Insha'Allah a source of great reward from Allah . My opinion would be that if the people in your house are all adults, then your responsibility is to notify them that it is Fajr time and make sure they understand what you are saying (i.e. not just nodding their head in deep sleep without being aware). Maybe repeat the process a few minutes after if they have still not woken up. In my opinion, your responsibility is fulfilled when you have notified them politely. You don't have to sit there and keep trying to wake them up until they either get angry at you or get out of bed. Again, that is my opinion and I have no idea what the actual scholarly consensus on this issue is.

If a family member of yours has specifically asked you something like "please make sure you do whatever you have to do to get me out of bed at Fajr time", then it may be a different story and you may try harder to wake them up, even if they get angry at you. But even then, if it happens every morning that they are just getting angry at you and not getting up, then that's something you need to address with them and ask them what they would like you to do. For example, there was a time when I was having trouble waking up for Fajr and I told my family members to wake me up at X time and make sure I wake up even if they have to bring a glass of water and spill it on me (and I wasn't joking). Alhamdulillah, it never came to that point (lol), but had they actually splashed water on me because I wasn't waking up, then I wouldn't have been angry at them, rather I would have thanked them. So it depends what the person has asked you to do.

I know a brother who Masha'Allah goes to the masjid for Fajr every morning and some of his family members have asked him to wake them up for Fajr daily. When he wakes up, first he goes straight to their room(s) and notifies each one that it is Fajr time. Then he goes to the restroom himself to make wudu etc & when he comes out of the restroom, he checks to see if the person/people he notified have woken up. If they are out of bed then he goes on his way. If they are not out of bed yet then he notifies them once more and tells that that he is leaving so he won't be able to wake them up again. By this time the family member usually gets out of bed, or at least acknowledges what he is saying to them. Then he changes and leaves his home for the Masjid and considers his responsibility fulfilled. Throughout the process, he keeps making dua to Allah to wake up his family member(s) for Fajr. He says they are inconsistent so sometimes they get up but other times they don't. However he has done his part in his understanding. The dua Alhamdulillah is the key because he has told me stories where something 'weird' happened which forced the family member to get out of bed when they didn't seem to be waking up originally. It's all because of the dua. One time he walked out of his house and realized he had forgot his car keys inside (this brother never 'forgets' anything like keys etc at home!), so he had no choice but to call a family member at home, ring their phone, and they were forced to get out of bed to go give him his keys. He said that he knew that was from Allah and maybe the family member would have fallen asleep without getting up for Fajr had that not happened. Allah knows best.

The other, and the correct Islamic way, again IMO, would be to give Adhaan in an audible manner which everyone can hear. Then whether they answer that call to prayer or not is between them and Allah , but the one who gave the Adhaan has fulfilled their responsibility by letting people know it is prayer time. I also know someone who does this at their home for each salat he is home for and then whether his (adult) family members join him or not is up to them.

The key is to not just do the action of waking people up but even more so continuously make dua to Allah swt to make it happen. Anyone who wakes up for Fajr everyday, including yourself Masha'Allah, will openly admit that they know for a fact and they themselves have nothing whatsoever to do with waking up at such early hours of every morning (and different times depending on time of the year), but rather that it is only and only Allah Who is waking them up. If Allah has not willed for them to wake up for Fajr on a particular morning then they can have all the alarm clocks in the world and they can have a rain of water fall on them but they won't get up. May Allah give us all the taufeeq to guard all of our salats. Ameen.

Allah knows best.