Download Salah – The Second Pillar of Islam – 23 November 12

Salah - The Second Pillar of Islam
‫قال هللا تعالى‬
Allah swt says in Surah Ta-Ha 20v14: "Verily! I am Allah. None
has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform
as-Salat for My Remembrance.
Brothers in Islam: A human being is primarily a servant and
slave of Allah. Therefore Allah swt has programmed in man’s
innate nature to worship Him and fulfil the covenant that he has
made with Allah. To solidify this concept in the hearts and minds
of people, Allah the Almighty has made Salah compulsory.
Ibn `Umar (ra) narrated that: The Messenger of Allah said, "Islam
is based on five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except
Allah and that Muhammad (pbuh) is His slave and Messenger;
establishing of Salat; the payment of Zakat; performing Hajj; and
fasting during the month of Ramadan.'' (Recorded by Bukhari)
In another Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) says that: Salat is the pillar
of Deen and the foundation of Islam. He who upholds Salah has
upheld Islam and he who leaves Salah has left behind religion.
(Recoded by al-Bayhaqi)
The importance of this pillar of Islam can be established from the
fact that there are hundreds of Ayats in the holy Quran which are
directly or indirectly instructing us to establish it. The primary call
of the Holy Quran to human beings is to submit to their Creator.
The manifestation of this submission is through Ibada which
means worship and obedience.
This call for submission is proclaimed in many places in the Holy
Quran.
Allah swt says in Surah al-Baqara v21:”O mankind! Worship
your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before
you so that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”.
Allah says in Surah al-Dhariyat, 51:v56: “And I (Allah) created
not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me
(Alone)”.
The purpose of Salah is to establish an intimate relationship
between the servant and his Creator. This is renewed five times a
day and it continues throughout one’s life. Thus, it creates a very
intimate bond with the Creator.
Unlike other acts of worship such as fasting, Hajj or Zakat, which
are required to be performed at specific times once a year, Salah
is to be performed in all circumstances even when a person is ill
or travelling.
Again, in other acts of worship a person can do other things, for
example a person can eat and drink during Hajj or buy or sell
during fasting. But during Salah no other task can be performed
however small. The most complete concentration is essential
when we are performing Salah. If we reflect, we will see that
Salah is the embodiment of all Ibada.
Zakat is the sacrifice of wealth while Salah is the sacrifice of time.
Salah is the most important obligation for a Muslim. After saying
Shahadah by which we enter the fold of Islam, the very first
obligation testing our sincerity is Salah.
It is not only for this Ummah that Salah was made obligatory, but
we read in the Holy Quran that Allah (swt) enjoined the
performance of Salah to the Ummah of all prophets.
Again its importance can be judged by the fact that it is the only
Ibada which was made compulsory directly by Allah talking to the
prophet (pbuh) during the Mi’raj (meeting with Allah). It is
mentioned in a Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira (ra) that: The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "The first of man's deeds for
which he will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will
be the Salat.'' (Recoded by At-Tirmidhi)
Salah plays a very important role in our lives as it brings us into
direct communion with Allah, our Creator. It is really an intimate
conversation with our Creator. Being a conversation it is not a
monologue. We read surah al-Fatiha in every rakat. In a Hadith
qudsi, the prophet (pbuh) relates from Allah how He responds to
what we say:
I have divided the prayer (Salah) between Me and My servant,
half is for Me and half for him, and My servant shall have what he
asked for. For when my servant says: “All praise belongs to Allah,
the Lord of all the worlds”, Allah says: “My servant has thanked
Me and praised Me.” When the servant says: “The most Merciful,
the Beneficent”, Allah says: “My servant has extolled Me”. When
the servant says: “Master of the day of judgment”, Allah says:
“My servant has glorified Me ... This is My portion.” When he
says: “You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help”,
Allah says: “This is common between My servant and Me. He will
be given what he will ask.” When he says “Guide us on the
straight path...” Allah says: “This belongs to My servant, and My
servant shall have what he asked for.” (Muslim, Tirmidhi,
Ahmad).
Neglect of Salat has dire consequences for us in the hereafter. Its
neglect will lead us into Hellfire. In Surah al-Muddaththir a
conversation is narrated in which the sinners will be asked: "What
has caused you to enter Hell?" They will say: "We were not of
those who used to offer their Salat.
The help of Allah is promised for those who perform Salah. Thus
it is mentioned in the Holy Quran: ‘and Allah said: "I am with you
if you perform As-Salat....”.’ (al-Mai’dah 5:12)
Salah is the supreme act of submission by human beings before
their Lord. When we bow down and prostrate we show our
humility. Thus, it is the perfect embodiment of Allah’s superiority
and man’s humbleness. In Salah we establish a very close
relationship with Allah. We say two very great Tasbeeh in Rukoo
and Sujood. We constantly praise and glorify and proclaim Allah’s
greatness. In Tashahud and Salawat we praise Allah and seek
His blessing upon the prophet (pbuh) and his family.
Indeed, we are nearest to Him when we are in prostration: Allah
swt says in Surah al-Alaq 96: 19: Nay! (O Muhammad pbuh) Do
not obey him (i.e. Abu Jahl). Fall prostrate and draw near to
Allah!
It is narrated in the Ahadith that by performing Wudu and offering
Salah we wipe our minor sins; and regular Salah brings us into
the presence of our Creator frequently. Hence we try to be
cautious not to commit acts of indecency and immorality.
This characteristic of Salah is mentioned in Surah al-Ankaboot
v45: where Allah swt says: ‘Recite (O Muhammad pbuh) what
has been revealed to you of the Book (the Quran), and perform
As-Salat. Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha'
(immorality) and Al-Munker (wrongdoing), and the remembrance
of Allah is greater indeed. And Allah knows what you do.’
We are encouraged to pray in the mosque and in congregation.
Its reward is 27 times more than praying alone. This collective
worship strengthens bonds of brotherhood among Muslims.
When praying in the mosque, we all stand in a row, shoulder to
shoulder, the rich and the poor, the black and the white of every
race and nationality. This demonstrates the equality of all human
beings.
There are a number of other Ahadith recorded by our noble
scholars relating to the benefits and blessings of Salat.
Narrated by Ibn Masood (ra) that: I asked the Messenger of Allah
"Which act is the best?'' He (pbuh) said, "As-Salat at their fixed
times.'' I asked, "What next?'' He (pbuh) said, "Being dutiful to
parents.'' I asked, "What next?'' He (pbuh) said, "Striving (Jihad)
in the way of Allah.'' (Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Narrated by Buraidah (ra) that: Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
"That which differentiates us from the Disbelievers and the
Hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He, who abandons it,
becomes a Disbeliever.'' (Recoded by At-Tirmidhi)
Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra) that: I heard Allah's Apostle (pbuh)
saying, "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?" The Sahaba said, "Not a trace of dirt would be left." The
Prophet added, "That is the example of the five prayers with
which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds." (Recorded by Bukhari)
Thus, in the short time we spend in each prayer we converse with
Allah and seek His guidance and help in all our affairs. Salah
thus fulfils our spiritual as well as our material needs. It is only
through the blessings of Allah that we can survive in this world.
Let us pray that Allah may keep us steadfast in our Iman and that
we regularly pray and enrich our souls with love of Allah (swt).
Ameen