As Salaam o Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barkatuh!
A`uzu billahis Samee`il`Aleem,
minash shaytanir rajeem!
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem!
Wa Salaatu wa Salaam
`alaa Rasulullah-
Salallahu `Alayhi wa Sallam
The Importance of Prayer
Question:
What is the Importance of Prayer ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
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 Prophet (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
Prophets 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 most important
aspect is ones relationship to Allah, that is, ones 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,
"...and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful
and unjust 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, Allahs 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* 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-NasaI 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.)
Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo
------------
Footnote: *Khusu*= [Khushu` in the prayer is where the persons 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.]
Source:islamqa.com
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Alahumma infa`ni bima `allamtani wa `allamni ma yanfa`uni!
OH ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me
and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me!
(Aameen)
With kind and humble regards,
Umme Safoora
Click to join Precious_Teachings_Of_Islam
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