Salaam
21-11-2005, 11:50 AM
When was the last time we let ourselves be the Shaytaan's toilets? Because once our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) was told about a man who slept through the morning and missed Fajr. Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "Shaytaan urinated in his ears"
Missing prayers, praying late or even leaving the prayer is a major problem facing this Ummah today. This problem is so severe that today there is a genuine need for us to give Da'wah not only to non-Muslims [B]but to Muslims as well. In the old days, you became Muslim, you lived among practicing Muslims and you started practicing yourself and that was a wrap. Now there is actually a need for Muslims to invite other Muslims to the Masjid. I can only imagine trying to explain to a new Muslim the importance of Salaah and him retorting "Why don't Muslims pray then?"
Prayer is the most fundamental manifestation of faith. Prayer is the most important form of worship we can perform. When prayer is established the rest of the Deen will follow, but if prayer is lacking the rest will be lacking as well. Prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahadah. It is so important that according to some scholars, leaving prayer constitutes Kufr. All four Imaams recommended severe punishments for someone who openly refuses to pray and persists in that sin. Prayer will be the first thing we will be asked about on the Day of Judgement.
Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded, but if it is bad then he will be doomed and have lost" [Al-Tabarani]
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) erases our sins by means of prayer. Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "What do you think if there was a river by the door of any one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?" They said, "No trace of dirt would be left on him." He (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "That is like the five daily prayers, by means of which Allah erases sins"
Prayer is the most important religious duty and commitment and when prayer is lost, all religious commitment is lost because our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "Between a man and Shirk and Kufr there stands his giving up prayer" [Muslim]
The importance of prayer is not just limited to our own souls. There are many stories of people coming to Islam just by watching and observing prayer. I read the story of one lady who became interested in Islam. The story of her conversion went as follows. She was passing by a Masjid and she saw a man sweeping the floor of the Masjid. The call for prayer was made and the man left his sweeping and joined the prayer. Right then, a man in an expensive car came and he joined the prayer right beside the sweeper and they prayer together. The lady said that's when she decided to convert to Islam because Islam has the power of uniting people and it reduces differences among people. We constantly hear "try this Da'wah technique, try that Da'wah technique". An excellent Da'wah technique is prayer. Just pray and show what it means to pray and that will be Da'wah from you.
There are many benefits of prayer (including Da'wah) but is that why we pray? The reason we pray is because Allah has commanded it and for no other reason. We hear alot of people saying "Prayer teaches discipline, prayer does this and that".
Prayer may have physical, emotional and other benefits but that is not the reason why we pray. We pray solely to obey the command of Allah. If Allah had commanded us to prostrate fifty times a day instead of five, we would be doing it fifty times a day.
The reason why Iblees was banished from the company of the angels was because he refused to obey the command of Allah when he didn't prostrate to Adam and that was why he was cursed. When we prostrate our example is similar to that of the angels who obeyed and prostrated. [B]When we refuse to do so, we imitate Shaytaan.
We must also also understand that before we try to do any extra religious duties, we must first check to see if our prayer is correct because prayer is obligatory while other acts are not. It is foolish to look towards completing extra acts when what is obligatory upon us is lacking.
The Sahabah considered the prayer to be very important. How close to do we hold the Salaah in our hearts? May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) help us establish the prayer completely and may he help us develop Khu'shoo in it, ameen.
Missing prayers, praying late or even leaving the prayer is a major problem facing this Ummah today. This problem is so severe that today there is a genuine need for us to give Da'wah not only to non-Muslims [B]but to Muslims as well. In the old days, you became Muslim, you lived among practicing Muslims and you started practicing yourself and that was a wrap. Now there is actually a need for Muslims to invite other Muslims to the Masjid. I can only imagine trying to explain to a new Muslim the importance of Salaah and him retorting "Why don't Muslims pray then?"
Prayer is the most fundamental manifestation of faith. Prayer is the most important form of worship we can perform. When prayer is established the rest of the Deen will follow, but if prayer is lacking the rest will be lacking as well. Prayer is the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahadah. It is so important that according to some scholars, leaving prayer constitutes Kufr. All four Imaams recommended severe punishments for someone who openly refuses to pray and persists in that sin. Prayer will be the first thing we will be asked about on the Day of Judgement.
Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded, but if it is bad then he will be doomed and have lost" [Al-Tabarani]
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) erases our sins by means of prayer. Our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "What do you think if there was a river by the door of any one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?" They said, "No trace of dirt would be left on him." He (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "That is like the five daily prayers, by means of which Allah erases sins"
Prayer is the most important religious duty and commitment and when prayer is lost, all religious commitment is lost because our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, "Between a man and Shirk and Kufr there stands his giving up prayer" [Muslim]
The importance of prayer is not just limited to our own souls. There are many stories of people coming to Islam just by watching and observing prayer. I read the story of one lady who became interested in Islam. The story of her conversion went as follows. She was passing by a Masjid and she saw a man sweeping the floor of the Masjid. The call for prayer was made and the man left his sweeping and joined the prayer. Right then, a man in an expensive car came and he joined the prayer right beside the sweeper and they prayer together. The lady said that's when she decided to convert to Islam because Islam has the power of uniting people and it reduces differences among people. We constantly hear "try this Da'wah technique, try that Da'wah technique". An excellent Da'wah technique is prayer. Just pray and show what it means to pray and that will be Da'wah from you.
There are many benefits of prayer (including Da'wah) but is that why we pray? The reason we pray is because Allah has commanded it and for no other reason. We hear alot of people saying "Prayer teaches discipline, prayer does this and that".
Prayer may have physical, emotional and other benefits but that is not the reason why we pray. We pray solely to obey the command of Allah. If Allah had commanded us to prostrate fifty times a day instead of five, we would be doing it fifty times a day.
The reason why Iblees was banished from the company of the angels was because he refused to obey the command of Allah when he didn't prostrate to Adam and that was why he was cursed. When we prostrate our example is similar to that of the angels who obeyed and prostrated. [B]When we refuse to do so, we imitate Shaytaan.
We must also also understand that before we try to do any extra religious duties, we must first check to see if our prayer is correct because prayer is obligatory while other acts are not. It is foolish to look towards completing extra acts when what is obligatory upon us is lacking.
The Sahabah considered the prayer to be very important. How close to do we hold the Salaah in our hearts? May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) help us establish the prayer completely and may he help us develop Khu'shoo in it, ameen.