Salah plays a fundamental role in the Islamic faith
Salah (Prayer) is the second most important pillar of Islam and is the most regular compulsory action in a Muslim’s life
In this story, I’ll talk about Salah's importance and how it impacts our lives. I thought it was time to write about it and share my thought on it as well with you. I hope, this story will be interesting for those who have some queries and are curious to know about the second pillar of Islam “Salah “.
There are many references to the significance of Salah that are given in the Islamic scriptures (Quran and Hadith). The various Islamic scriptures explain the importance of Salah’s merits, rituals, and etiquette.
Importance Of Praying Salah in Islam
Worships are between a person and Allah and so are the punishments. There are five Pillars (Creed (shahada), Prayer, Fast, Alms, and Pilgrimage) of Islam. So Salah (also called “Namaz”) is one of the obligatory Five Pillars of Islam after the declaration of faith where “Muslims bear witness that there is no deity that is worthy to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is the servant and the messenger of Allah”. They all are obligated.
Originating from the Arabic language the word Salah has various meanings such as connection, prayer, and it is generally considered the act of worshipping Allah SWT and a daily obligation upon every Muslim above mature age to pray five times a day on time during specific times of the day which are: pre-dawn (fajr), noon (dhuhr), mid-afternoon (asr), sunset (maghrib), and early night or evening (‘Isha), and millions of Muslims pray facing towards the direction (qibla) of the Ka’aba located in Masjid-Al Haram
There are several verses of the Holy Quran and countless hadiths that can be understood Importance of praying Salah.
I’m quoting some here:
As Allah (SWT) has said in the Holy Quran, “Guard strictly [on] the prayers, and the prayer — [the] middle, and stand up for Allah devoutly obedient.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:238)
“Surely the Salah at fixed hours (of the day and night) has been enjoined upon the believers.” (Quran 4:103).
“Abdullah asked the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) “Which deed is the dearest to Allah?” He replied, “To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 527).
Names of the Five Obligatory Prayers:
There are five separate daily obligatory prayers that must be performed at their specified time every day. There are many other prayers that Muslims can perform voluntarily for their own benefit especially during the Holy month of Ramadan because of the many rewards and blessings given in this virtuous month.
Fajr: This is performed before sunrise
Zohr: This is performed at midday
Asr: This is performed between Zohr and sunset
Maghrib: This is performed at sunset
Isha: This is performed between Maghrib and midnight
Jummah (Friday Prayers)::
Each Salah prayer consists of a number of rakaat (units), which are split throughout the day as follows. A Muslim can offer voluntary units should he or she wish in the form of nafil prayers.
Rules And Guidelines About Salah:
Before we can perform Salah, we need to prepare ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. Salah has several specific rules & guidelines to perform which must be followed. Muslims face the direction of the KABA, the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah, whenever they perform their Salah. All Salah are initiated with the recitation of the adhaan which means a call to prayer. It is highly recommended that men perform the five daily Prayers in congregation at a mosque. However, women especially those with young children may pray at home.
The Salah involves several physical movements like standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting. It also involves the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran in Arabic along with several dua (supplications).
Before Muslim perform Salah, they need to prepare themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. The first essential step to perform Salaah is a purification ritual called Wudu, it is a physical and spiritual act to purify itself. It follows a process to wash hands, mouth, nostrils, arms, face, ears, hair, and feet. It is such an important part of the Salah that if anyone decides to leave it because of forgetfulness then their prayer will not be accepted by Allah.
It has several material and spiritual benefits. A Muslim who makes Wudu at least 5 times a day forms a habit of cleaning, which protects him from causes of illnesses and purifies him of microbes.
There are some hadith can be understood Importance of Wudu and I’m quoting here.
The Prophet (pbuh) addressed Anas bin Malik as follows: “Make your wudu properly and fully so that the guardian (hafaza) angels will love you and your life will be lengthened.”
How to do Salah Prayer:
Final Thoughts::
The purpose of life is to achieve genuine happiness by worshiping the True one God (Allah) in everything that we do. There must be a way for them to express their humility and acceptance of God’s commands.
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”[Qur’aan 51:56]
Salat is how Muslims show both their physical and spiritual submission to Allah. Just like the other acts of worship which are obligatory, the goal of Salat is to bring the Muslims closer to Allah.
We being Muslims need to prepare for our akhirah and always do a good deed. If we do or not, there’s no affect on Allah. We never know when our soul will leave our body and life after death is eternal.
It is the best way of earning good deeds. But one day Allah will ask you about this best act of worship. Nobody, not even our own parents, loves us more than our Lord, for He created us. Yet, He only asks for around 30 minutes of our entire day. To have this connection with our Lord can only strengthen and purify our character and soul. Therefore, we should pray to Salah on time, and our best effort should be in the direction of praying to Salah in the early hour.
“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely, I am near, I respond to the call of the one who prays to Me, so he should respond to Me and believe in Me, so that he may be led on the right path”. The Holy Qur’an (2:186)
Just a reminder to non-Muslims. ““Islam doesn’t cause division amongst humanity. In fact, It unites people together.”
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