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by Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo
The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of
Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of
faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for
all peoples. Allah has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For
example, when Allah spoke directly to Moses, He said, "And I have chosen you, so
listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of
worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance." [Taha
13-14]
Similarly, the prayers were made obligatory upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
during his ascension to heaven. Furthermore, when Allah praises the believers, such as in
the beginning of surah al-Muminoon, one of the first descriptions He states is their
adherence to the prayers.
Once a man asked the Prohpet (peace be upon him) about the most virtuous deed. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) stated that the most virtuous deed is the prayer. The man asked again
and again. The first three times, the Prophet (peace be upon him) again answered,
"The prayer," then on the fourth occasion he stated, "Jihad in the way of
Allah." [This is form a hadith recorded by Ahmad and ibn Hibban. According to
al-Albani, the hadith is hasan. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sahih al-Targheeb wa
al-Tarheeb (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1982), vol. 1, p. 150]
The importance of prayer is demonstrated in the many of the Prophet's statement. For
example, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The first matter that the slave will
be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the
rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be
bad." [Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih
al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503.
The importance of the prayers lies in the fact that no matter what actions one performs in
his life, the msot important aspect is one's relationship to Allah, that is, one's faith
(imaan), God-consciousness (taqwa), sincerity (ikhlas) and worship of Allah (`ibaadah).
This relationship with Allah is both demonstrated and put into practice, as well as
improved and increased, by the prayer. Therefore, if the prayers are sound and proper, the
rest of the deeds will be sound and proper; and if the prayers are not sound and proper,
then the rest of the deeds will not be sound and proper, as the Prophet (peace be upon
him) himself stated.
In reality, the prayer is performed properly - with true remembrance of Allah and turning
to Him for forgiveness - it will have a lasting effect on the person. After he finishes
the prayer, his heart will be filled with the remembrance of Allah. He will be fearful as
well as hopeful of Allah. After that experience, he will not want to move from that lofty
position to one wherein he disobeys Allah. Allah has mentioned this aspect of the prayer
when He has said,
"Verily, the prayer keeps one from the great sins and evil deeds" (al-Ankaboot
45). Nadwi has described this effect in the following eloquent way, Its aim is to generate
within the subliminal self of man such spiritual power, light of faith and awareness of
God as can enable him to strive successfully against all kinds of evils and temptations
and remain steadfast at times of trial and adversity and protect himself against the
weakness of the flesh and the mischief of immoderate appetites. [Nadwi, p. 24]
The overall affect that the properly performed prayers should have upon humans is
described in other verses in the Quran: "Verily, man was created impatient, irritable
when evil touches him and niggardly when good touches him. Except for those devoted to
prayer those who remain constant in their prayers
" (al-Maarij 19-23).
As for the Hereafter, Allah's forgiveness and pleasure is closely related to the prayers.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 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. This feeling in the heart is then reflected on the body. The person
remains still and calm. His gaze is also lowered. Even his voice is affected by this
feeling in the heart. For more details on this concept (as well as the difference between
it and khudhu`), see Muhammad al-Shaayi, al-Furooq al-Laughawiyyah wa Atharahaa fi Tafseer
al-Quran al-Kareem (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ubaikaan, 1993), pp. 249-254.] 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." [Recorded by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud,
al-Nasa'I and others. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.
1, p. 616.] ]
The prayers are a type of purification for a human being. He turns and meets with his Lord
five times a day. As alluded to above, this repeated standing in front of Allah should
keep the person from performing sins during the day. Furthermore, it should also be a time
of remorse and repentance, such that he earnestly asks Allah for forgiveness for those
sins that he committed. In addition, the prayer in itself is a good deed that wipes away
some of the evil deeds that he performed. These points can be noted in the following
hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "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 (peace be upon him) then said, "That is like the five daily prayers: Allah
wipes away the sins by them." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The five daily prayers and
the Friday Prayer until the Friday prayer are expiation for what is between them."
(Recorded by Muslim.) |
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