The Importance of Salat Author : Shariffa Carlo
When I was researching this, I was
surprised to see how few sources we have which encourage salat and so
many that instruct. Especially in light of the fact that so many of our
brothers and sisters have abandoned the salat --- May Allah guide us
all. Some of the greatest blessings imaginable are so simple yet we try
so hard to make them so unattainable. Great rewards are the blessings
that Allah has given us for various acts that we perform. The greatest
of them all is the salat. Allah has enjoined on us five prayers a day.
Simple, efficient, and packed with benefit, this small amount of time
that we spend in remembrance of Allah, speaking to Him, seeking from
Him, gaining from Him...this short time that we give to Him from the
multitude of time He has given us is so tiny, yet so power-packed.
Imagine
the honor Allah has bestowed upon us by actually providing us with a
time and a place for a private audience with Him. When we pray, we are
actually talking to Allah who is listening to us and will, if we are
sincere and humble in our supplications, grant us what we ask. Narrated
Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "A faithful believer while in prayer
is speaking in private to his Lord..." Sahih Buykhari: Volume 1, Book
8, Number 405:
Just the blessing and honor we get from reciting
the Fatiha in our salat should be sufficient incentive for us, but the
unfortunate truth is that it is not.
Narrated AbuHurayrah: The
Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone observes prayer in which he
does not recite Umm al-Qur'an, it is deficient (he said this three
times) and incomplete. It was said to AbuHurayrah: At times we are
behind the Imam. He said: Recite it inwardly, for he had heard the
Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) declare that Allah the Exalted
had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves between Me and My
servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. When the servant
says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High
says: My servant has praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The
Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant
has lauded Me. When he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of
Judgment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me, and sometimes He
will say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. When he (the
worshipper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He
(Allah) says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will
receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshipper) says: Guide us
to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast been
Gracious--not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those
who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My
servant will receive what he asks for. Sahih Muslim: Book 4, Number
0775.
The immensity of this honor is mind-boggling if we really
think about it in its reality. Reciting Quraan, the Words of Allah --
Speaking directly to Allah! Think about it in worldly terms. May of us
are awe - struck by even the lowest of creatures on this earth. Some of
us would literally be left speechless if we were to have an opportunity
to meet with one of these kafir singers or some King or President, but
we take our audience with Allah so casually that we sometimes have the
audacity to blow it off. We don't even show up. Allah guide us!!!! Even
though, Allah has promised us to accept the sincere prayers and to
reward them :
Allah says:
And when My servants ask you
concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the
suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and
believe in Me that they may walk in the right way. 2:186
And:
Those
who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular
prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on
them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. 2:277
And:
But
the firm in knowledge among them and the believers believe in what has
been revealed to. you and what was revealed before you, and those who
keep up prayers and those who give the poor-rate and the believers in
Allah and the last day, these it is whom We will give a mighty reward.
004.162
Allah does not need us. We need Him. We must call upon
Him to achieve in this life and the next. He is our Creator and our
Master. Our Rabb (Lord) and our Malik (King). He is the one who
deserves all the awe, fear, love, respect and reverence, but in our
petty life-mindedness, we forget this or ignore it or, Allah forbid,
disbelieve in it.
Allah says:
O you who believe! whoever
from among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a
people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, lowly before the
believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in
Allah's way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer; this is
Allah's Face, He gives it to whom He pleases, and Allah is
Ample-giving, Knowing. Your (real) friends are (no less than) Allah,
His Messenger, and the (fellowship of) believers,- those who establish
regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in
worship). 5:54-55
Does nothing affect us anymore or even faze
us? Are our hearts and souls sealed so tightly? We must recognize the
power and importance of the prayers. We must establish them, and we
must seek the blessings which accompany them. Otherwise, we are beyond
lost.
Yet, instead of doing this, we are consistently calling
upon that which has no true power to help us or hurt us. We give our
awe and our respect to the Kings of the earth and devalue the King of
the Worlds. How many of us -- out of fear or shame --- will remove our
coverings or our beards because we fear losing an employment
opportunity or fear jail? Too many of us have done it already.
I
have seen brothers and sisters leave their salat -- waiting till they
arrive at their home -- after the prayer times have elapsed --- because
they were at work or at school and/or they either did not want to be
seen in public doing this thing or were afraid of their boss or their
teacher's reaction or --- the silliest yet -- because the available
locations were not up to their comfort standards. Ya Allah! How far has
the Muslim fallen that we had a prophet who prostrated in the mud but
his followers can not prostrate on cement or concrete instead of nice
cushy carpet or sweet grass?
When will we remember and adhere to the words of Allah?
Say:
Shall we call on that besides Allah, which does not benefit us nor harm
us, and shall we be returned back on our heels after Allah has guided
us, like him whom the Shaitans have made to fall down perplexed in the
earth? He has companions who call him to the right way, (saying): Come
to us. Say: Surely the guidance of Allah, that is the (true) guidance,
and we are commanded that we should submit to the Lord of the worlds.
And to establish worship and be dutiful to Him, and He it is unto Whom
ye will be gathered. 6:71-72
and
Every soul will taste of
death. And ye will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which
ye have fairly earned. Whoso is removed from the Fire and is made to
enter paradise, he indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but
comfort of illusion. 3:185.
Brothers and sisters, I beg you, for
your own soul's sakes. Let us stop fearing social reactions. Let us
stop following the ways of Shaytan. Let us stop worrying about our own
comforts. Let us stop worshipping these things with our actions or
inaction and let us return to worshipping, fearing and loving Allah.
Allah
has made it so easy for us to worship Him. If you can't do it standing,
sit. If you can't do it sitting, lie down. If you can't move your
trunk, move your head. If you can't move your head, move your eyes. If
you can't move even your eyes, at least move your heart!
I
challenge anyone to find one other activity so blessed by Allah or man.
Can you go to your employer for one hour a day and reap as much reward?
Can you be a student for an hour a day and get such reward? What
activity can you do that will give you so much for so little, and if
this is not enough, to make it even easier, this hour --- this
insignificant morsel of time --- is divided up into five periods over
twenty-four hours. Subhana Allah! Allah is truly the Most Generous, the
Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent!
You want more easy blessings? What about this?
A
man questioned his companions, "If there was a river at the door of
anyone of you, and he took a bath in it five times a day would you
notice any dirt on him?" They said, "Not a trace of dirt would be left.
That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out
(annuls) evil deeds." This was narrated from our beloved Prophet by Abu
Huraira: Sahih Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 10, Number 506:
and:
Narrated
Uthman ibn Affan: I heard Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) say: When
the time for a prescribed prayer comes, if any Muslim performs ablution
well and offers his prayer) with humility and bowing, it will be an
expiation for his past sins, so long as he has not committed a major
sin; and this applies to for all times. Sahih Muslim: Book 2, Number
0441:
What a blessing! Something so simple -- praying --- blots
out every single one of the minor sins committed till we are as clean
from our sins as a man who bathes five times a day is clean from the
dirt. What more can we ask for? What greater ease is there in gaining
the pleasure of Allah? Allah has commanded us to pray. The fear of
burning forever in the hellfire should be enough to motivate us to
perform this duty, but Allah, in His infinite Mercy and Justice has
given us both the carrot and the stick. Don't pray, and He will punish
you. Pray, and the blessings you get are beyond description: Paradise
everlasting. Subhana Allah! One spot in paradise is worth all of this
world and everything in it!!!!
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet
said, "A place in Paradise as small as a bow is better than all that on
which the sun rises and sets (i.e. all the world)." He also said, "A
single endeavor in Allah's Cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is
better than all that on which the sun rises and sets." Sahih Bukhari:
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 51.
Why so great a punishment and so great a reward? Because Allah created us for one purpose alone, to worship Him. Allah says,
I created the jinn and man only that they might worship Me. 51:56
We
are here only to worship Allah, not to get that perfect job, that
house, that car, that man, that woman, that degree, that (fill in your
own blank). We are the slaves of Allah. As such, we need to show our
gratitude for the blessings He has bestowed on us. Can you see? Can you
walk? Can you hear? Can you speak? Can you love? Can you work? Can you
study? Can you feel? Choose a blessing, and show the proper gratitude.
For the doctor who removes our appendix in the nick of time, we shower
him with thanks. For the teacher who gave us the recommendation that
got us into college, we are eternally grateful, but to Allah who gave
us everything we have, we can not find the hour a day to thank Him?
Where are our priorities?
Don't get me wrong. Gratitude to the
one who helps is part of the Islamic character: The prophet said "Those
who are not grateful to the people are not grateful to Allah" (sahih)
We have to be grateful to those who help us, but we can never forget
that the greatest gratitude belongs to Allah. It is His right upon us!
Narrated
Mu'adh: I was a companion rider of the Prophet on a donkey called
'Ufair. The Prophet asked, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's right on
His slaves is, and what the right of His slaves on Him is?" I replied,
"Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "Allah's right on His
slaves is that they should worship Him (Alone) and should not worship
any besides Him. And slave's right on Allah is that He should not
punish him who worships none besides Him." I said, "O Allah's Apostle!
Should I not inform the people of this good news?" He said, "Do not
inform them of it, lest they should depend on it (absolutely)." Sahih
Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 108.
If all this, Paradise
everlasting, is not enough, as a prize for our gratitude and our
seeking of His pleasure, Allah has promised us the greatest of gifts:
the more we attempt to reach Allah's Pleasure, the closer He will come
to us.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Allah says: 'I
am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he
thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he
remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he
remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is
better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit
nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance
of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking,
I go to him running.' " Sahih Bukhari: Volume 9, Book 93, Number 502.
Allah
will come to us if we make even the smallest attempt to come to Him.
Allah. Imagine that. Allah -- the Most Supreme, the One who needs us
not, the One who Provides and needs no provision, the One who Gives
Life and takes Life. Allah!
He will come to us -- all we have to do is draw nearer to Him. Him! Yes, none other than Allah!
Please.
Take a second. Reflect on the magnitude of this. Really reflect on it.
This is huge! This is the honor of honors. For the one who has no
faith, there is no way to instill in him the immense blessing that is
found in an audience with Allah. Here we are -- piddly humans,
insignificant creatures who deserve neither Allah's forgiveness nor His
favors, but rather we deserve His contempt because of all the evil we
create. Yet, in spite of our unworthiness, in spite of the fact that we
are so low in comparison to Him, Allah has promised to listen to,
accept and respond to our prayers. Alhamdulillah rabi al Alamiin. La
ilaha ila anta subhanak ini kuntu min adhaleemeen. (None has the right
to be worshipped except you. How perfect you are. Verily I was among
the wrongdoers).
I can not emphasize this enough. Please! Think
about it! Who is Allah?? He is the All Powerful, the All Mighty. Do we
deserve such an honor? Do we even consider it an honor anymore? We had
companions who were so awestruck by the magnitude of Allah's Mercy in
listening to us that when they went to make salat, they almost fainted
from the fear and awe at the thought of having an audience with Allah.
But today, we have no time to keep our appointment with Allah. The job,
the kids, the school, are all too important to neglect, but Allah ---
He can wait. Authu billah! I seek refuge in Allah from Allah! May Allah
guide those of us who can not find the time for Him. What a great loss
they have cursed themselves with. Listen to this with your hearts.
Narrated
Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Angels keep on descending from and
ascending to the Heaven in turn, some at night and some by daytime, and
all of them assemble together at the time of the Fajr and 'Asr prayers.
Then those who have stayed with you over-night, ascent unto Allah Who
asks them, and He knows the answer better than they, "How have you left
My slaves?" They reply, "We have left them praying as we found them
praying." If anyone of you says "Amin" (during the Prayer at the end of
the recitation of Surat-al-Faitiha), and the angels in Heaven say the
same, and the two sayings coincide, all his past sins will be
forgiven." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 54, Number 446.
What
will these angels say about us? "We left him/her watching TV, Allah, as
we found him/her ?", "We left him/her chatting on the computer, Allah,
as we found him/her ?", "We left him/her at his lucrative job, Allah,
as we found him/her ?", "We left him/her sleeping, Allah, as we found
him/her?", "We left him/her studying, Allah, as we found him/her?" or
"We left him/her praying as we found him/her praying?"
You decide how you want your case presented to Allah.
My
dear brothers and sisters: Al deenu naseeha (The religion is advice)
and advice profits the believers, so I leave you with the following --
the greatest advice ever given, the words of Allah.
Say: "My
Lord hath commanded justice; and that ye set your whole selves (to Him)
at every time and place of prayer, and call upon Him, making your
devotion sincere as in His sight: such as He created you in the
beginning, so shall ye return." 7:029
And
Say: "Truly, my
prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for
Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: 6:162
Source from islamway.com
The Importance of Salat
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