Salat - صلاة - the 'obligatory' five prayers.
Current situation:
We see a lot of Muslims around us from all age groups who have not yet started to think of taking Salat as a matter of serious concern. Knowing the importance of Salat in Islam and in a Muslim's life and still neglecting it is nothing but playing the fool.
Salat has become a burden for many (majority) of us today. The love and passion for Salat which our ancestors had, have vanished. We search for cure and remedies elsewhere leaving and ignoring the Salat.
We should realize that Salat is something uplifting, revolutionary, and empowering and is a means of peace. It is the easy way to reach Allah. Allah says in a qudsi hadith :
"Out of all the ways through which My servant gets closer to Me, Salat is the dearest to Me"(Bukhari).
Avoiding such a gift is nothing but being ignorant and unwise. Seeing the brothers and sisters not offering Salat really hurts.
--------------------------------------------
Being a person offering Salat five times a day doesn't mean one is religious. Its a way which will eventually make a Muslim pious. Salat is a basic ritual which distinguishes a Muslim from Kaafir (non Muslim). Yes, a Muslim not offering Salat is as same as a kaafir.
Evidences From Qur'an
"But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion..." {At-Tawba : 11}
Brotherhood in religion cannot be erased except when a person goes out of the religion completely.
The evidence derived from this aayah is that Allaah defined three things that the Mushrikeen have to do in order to eliminate the differences between them and Muslims :
- they should repent from shirk
- they "should perform Salat", and
- they should pay zakaah.
"But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil" {Maryam : 59}
Evidences From sunnah
“Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the prayer.” *1
"The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is the prayer, and whoever neglects it has disbelieved (become a kaafir)." *2
The first thing to be questioned about on the day of judgement is Salat.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet ( Pbuh ) said: “The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer..." *3
What Salat is?
Salat is a purification process. It cleanses a Muslim.
"If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?” The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.” The Prophet then said, “That is like the five daily prayers: God wipes away the sins by them.” *4
Salat keeps one who performs it from falsehood and from all forbidden actions.
“ Verily, prayer refrains from indecency and evil” {Al Ankabooth : 45}
Allah promises forgiveness to one who offers Salat in perfection.
Rasulullah (saw) said : “Allah has obligated five prayers. Whoever excellently performs their ablutions, prays them in their proper times, completes their bows, prostrations and khushu` [Khushu` in the prayer is where the person’s heart is attuned to the prayer] has a promise from Allah that He will forgive him. And whoever does not do that has no promise from Allah. He may either forgive him or punish him.”*5
SubhanAllah ! Allah is giving us a PROMISE that he will forgive us! What more can we ask for? How can we not offer Salat when we have so many sins? We should realize that Salat is a way for us to get our sins forgiven.
--------------------------------------------
Feeling Lazy to Pray??
Many of the young and energetic Muslim youngsters complaint that they feel lazy to offer Salat. What we fail to understand here is that Salat was MADE EASY upon us.
Its interesting, read this :
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"....Allaah enjoined upon my ummah fifty prayers, and I came back until I passed by Moosa who said, ‘What has Allaah enjoined upon your ummah?’ I said, ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it further. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it further.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He said, ‘(The prayers) are five but (the reward) is fifty. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed [cf. Qaaf 50:29].’ Then I went back to Moosa and he said, ‘Go back to your Lord.’ But I said, ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’…” *6
Aren't we lucky for Allah's mercy? It was fifty and it got reduced to five and we are too lazy to perform that too !! How ungrateful we are being to Allah and his prophet (pbuh) by not offering Salat ?!
We see people handicapped or without hands or legs in our day to day life, but we don't see any one without head walking on streets, isn't it? The same way, Salat is the head of a Muslim, without Salat there exists no Muslim. Understand the importance of Salat, learn what are the rewards of performing Salat and ignoring Salat and work on getting rid of laziness which is from shaithaan.
Warning to those who neglect Salat :
"But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil " "Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all." {Maryam : 59 - 60}
Here we see what is the place for those who have abandoned the prayer but Allah (swt) is the most mercyful and gives us chances to repent and be saved.
"So woe unto those performers of Salat" " Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times" {Maa'un 4-5}
This ayah warns us that we have to pray our Salah on its fixed timings and not delay them without a valid reason.
This ayah warns us that we have to pray our Salah on its fixed timings and not delay them without a valid reason.
“O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allâh. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers.” {Munaafiqoon 9}
The commentators of the Qur’aan say: “The ‘remembrance of Allah’ (zikr) mentioned in these Aayaat means the five daily prayers. If anyone is so busy in buying and selling, or with his daily work of earning a livelihood, or with his children, that he cannot perform prayers on time, he will be among the losers.”
"What lead you into Hell? They will say: “We were not of those who offered Salât" {Muddathir 42-43}
--------------------------------------------
Benefits of Salat :
- Salat is a gift given to the Rasool (pbuh) and Muslims, given on the night of Isra' and Mi'raj
- It prevents one from Fahsha and Munkar. (Fahsha = indecency, Munkar = all types of sins)
- It washes away ones sins
- It is a light for the one who performs it both in this life and the next
- It makes Allah love you and the people love you
- It teaches you punctuality –all prayers have a prescribed time
- It teaches you community cohesion & unity.
- Salat teaches humility
- Salat teaches brotherhood and sisterhood
- It causes one to be blessed by ALLAH
- It causes one to attain yaqeen, certainty
- Your salah is a demonstration of your love to ALLAH and to his Rasool (pbuh)
- And some worldly benefits. It has got many health benefits ;)
--------------------------------------------
Conclusion :
If there's a will, there's a way. If you don't know what all should be recited during Salat, go ask someone or just google it (make sure its from authentic sources) !
We can repent and start offering Salat. Allah is Rahman and Raheem, all Merciful. He will forgive.
Understand that tomorrow has not been promised to anyone of us. Aren't we seeing our friends, beloved ones, school/collage mates dying each day by one or the other reason? What makes us believe that nothing will happen to us and we will be alive tomorrow?
--------------------------------------------
If we feel distant from Allah and his blessings it is because we are not fulfilling his commandments. We are not performing the five obligatory Salats.
(See, the condition of us Muslims is such that it forces me to write 'obligatory' before mentioning Salat ! )
When we feel distant from Allah, understand, Allah has not moved an inch. Its we who have done Hijra (migration) from Allah and His Rasool (pbuh).
Have faith in Allah. Remember that Salat is the basic requirement/qualification to be recognised as a Muslim and its not being religious.
--------------------------------------------
Be in good company who will remind you of Allah and Salat either by their actions or words.
- Without offering Salat how can one boast about being a proud muslim in front of others?!
- When others criticize or insult Islam, how can one who doesn't offer Salat, defend them?
- Without offering Salat how can we propagate Islam? Whom will the daa'ees (preachers) point out to when non-Muslims ask for a perfect Muslim model?
- Aren't we putting down our religion? Aren't we becoming ungrateful to the Creator? Aren't we disrespecting and abandoning the Qur'an and Rasoolullah (pbuh)?
Can't we even give five minutes for each prayer? "Atleast" that much to our Creator who gave us these many years of life? If we can't then our situation is very drastic!
--------------------------------------------
Have you ever felt that 'I should start praying' feeling. If you have felt so then be happy, you have that wick in you, you just have to lit it up ! You yourself should do it, no one else will do it for you.
Take 'that step' and make a contract with you and Allah that you will never miss a single prayer in life, whether a Salat becomes Qadha'(time of salat passes) or not.
--------------------------------------------
▶A bad trend◀
Nowadays one of the trends among many young Muslims is to leave the Salat's which they couldn't perform on time. Change this attitude and decide yourself that you will never leave any Salat. Even if Salat's time is over, pray it and remove your indebtedness towards Allah.
Not performing the prayer at their due times intentionally, without any real excuse and missing them is a major sin. Nevertheless, although our indebtedness towards Allah is removed by the late performance of missed prayers, the sin of the 'late performance' remains. For this reason, we must not only perform the missed prayers, but we must also ask forgiveness from Allah.
--------------------------------------------
Lastly,
- All those praying in masjids should try to make their prayers meaningful and understand what is being uttered.
- All those guys praying at home/hostels try to take yourselves to the nearby masjids and make it a habit, no doubt you will be able to appreciate yourself for that. The feeling when one prays at masjid is entirely different from the prayers performed elsewhere, it will bring coolness to ones eyes and heart.
- All those who don't pray, start praying now itself. Now its never 'late', but tomorrow it might be.
- Ask Allah, no doubt He is the One who guides all of us. Start praying from wherever you can and guys slowly take yourselves to masjids. Get accompanied by those guys who go to masjid regularly and ask them to take you along.
Built your relationship with Allah. Compell yourself to pray five times daily and remember Allah promises to forgive if you do so, whatever your past may be.
" Remember, once a Muslim understands these many things about Salat then how can he/she neglect it? "
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
★ " Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance." { Taa-Haa : 14 } ★
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
*1( Narrated by Muslim in Kitaab al-Eemaan from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah from the Prophet PBUH )
*2 ( It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah )
*3 (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 770).
*4 (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
*5 [Recorded by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’I and others.]
*6 Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 342; Muslim, 163
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
Compiled and edited by :
Adil A Rahman
--------------------------------------------
Courtesy :
www.islamtomorrow.com
www.islamqa.info
www.dunyatodeen.wordpress.com
www.islamtomorrow.com
www.islamqa.info
www.dunyatodeen.wordpress.com
