PRAYER: Performing the prayers is of utmost importance. It is the second pillar of Islam after the testimony of faith. The Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) 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.”
[al-Tabarani]
He (SAWS) also said:
“If a person performs the five daily prayers, after making a thorough wudu (ablution), and prays them at the beginning of their time with complete humility and submission, Allah has promised to forgive him.”
[Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ahmad]
It is recorded that Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has said:
“The first thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment is prayer. Allah will say to His angels (even though He already knows), “Look at my servant’s prayers. Were they complete or not?” If they were complete, it will be written as complete. If they were not fully complete Allah will say, “See if my servant has voluntary prayers.” If he has them, Allah will say, “Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his voluntary prayers.” Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same manner.”
[Ahmad]
Praying extra, voluntary prayers, other than the 5 daily ones, has much blessing in it. As Aisha (RadiyAllahu Anha) quoted the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) as saying:
“The two rak’ah before Dawn (Fajr) Prayer are better than the word and all that which it contains.”
[Muslim]
Umm Habibah Ramilah bint Abu Sufyan (RadiyAllahu Anha) narrated that she heard the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) saying:
“A house will be built in Paradise for every Muslim who offers twelve units of Prayers other than the obligatory ones in day and night, to seek pleasure of Allah.”
[Muslim]
The following sayings of the Prophet, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, also show the importance of prayers: Rabi’ah ibn Malik al-Aslami (RadiyAllahu Anhu) reported that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Ask (anything).”
Rabi’ah (RA) said: “I ask of you to be your companion in paradise.”
The Prophet (SAWS) said:
“Or anything else?”
Rabi’ah (RA) said: “That is it.”
The Prophet (SAWS) said to him:
“Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., supererogatory prayers).”
[Muslim]
It was also related from Jabir (RadiyAllahu Anhu), the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“If one of you offers his prayers in the mosque, then he should offer a portion of his prayers at home, as Allah has made saying prayers in one’s home a means of betterment (for him).”
Ahmad records from ‘Umar (RadiyAllahu Anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“The supererogatory prayers prayed by a person at home are a light. Whoever wishes should light up his house.”
[Ahmad, Muslim]
Performing prayers also washes away sins as the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) has described to us in a couple of narrations. One is from Abu Huraira (Radiyallahu Anhu) who said: I heard Allah’s Apostle (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) 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?”
They said:
‘Not a trace of dirt would be left.’
The Prophet (SAWS) added:
“That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds.”
[Bukhari]
Abu Dharr (RadiyAllahu Anhu) also narrates that once our Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) came out of his house. It was autumn and the leaves were falling from the trees. He caught hold of a branch of a tree and its leaves began to drop in large number. At this he remarked, “O Abu Dharr! When a Muslim offers his Salaah (prayer) to please Allah, his sins fall away from him just as these leaves are falling off this tree.”
[Ahmad]
It is recorded in Tirmidhi, that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Whenever a Muslim prostrates to Allah, He will elevate him one degree and forgive him one bad deed.”
REMEMBERING ALLAH (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala)
Abdullah ibn Abbas (RadiyAllahu Anhu) narrates that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Those who will be invited first into the Jannah (Paradise), are those who praise Allah both in prosperity and tough times.”
[Hakim 502/1]
Anas ibn Malik (RadiyAllahu Anhu) narrates that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Verily Allah is pleased with His slave who praises Allah whenever he eats something and drinks something and praises Him thereupon.”
[Muslim]
Imams Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“He who utters a hundred times in a day these words:
‘la ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa huwa’ala kulli shai’in qadir’
(none has the right to be worshiped but Allah. He is One and he has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is omnipotent),’
he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins with be blotted out from his scroll…”
And also Imams Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
:And he who utters: ‘Subhan-allahi wa bihamdihi’ (Glory be to Allah and His is the praise) one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean.”
Narrated Abu Huraira (Radiyallahu Anhu): Allah’s Apostle (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other, saying, “Come to the object of your pursuit.'”
He added:
“Then the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the world.”
He added:
“(after those people celebrated the Praises of Allah, and the angels go back), their Lord, asks them (those angels)—-though He knows better than them—-“What do My slaves say?” The angels reply, ‘They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar, and Alham-du-lillah,
Allah then says “Did they see Me?” The angels reply, ‘No! By Allah, they didn’t see You.’
Allah says, “How it would have been if they saw Me?” The angels reply,
‘If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.’
Allah says (to the angels), “What do they ask Me for?” The angels reply, ‘They ask You for Paradise.’
Allah says (to theangels), “Did they see it?”
The angels say, ‘No! By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.’
Allah says, “How it would have been if they saw it?”
The angels say, ‘If they saw it, they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.’
Allah says, “From what do they seek refuge?”
he angels reply, ‘They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire.’
Allah says, “Did they see it?”
The angels say, ‘No By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.’
Allah says, “How it would have been if they saw it?”
The angels say, ‘If they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.’
Then Allah says, “I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them.”‘
Allah’s Apostle (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) added,
“One of the angels would say, ‘There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was not one of them, but he had just come for some need.’
Allah would say, “These are those people whose companions will not be reduced to misery.””
[Bukhari Book#75, Hadith #417]
RECITING THE QUR’AN:
Abdullah ibn Amr (RadiyAllahu Anhu) reports that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said: “On the Day of Judgment, it will be said to the man devoted to the Qur’an, ‘Go on reciting the Qur’an and continue ascending the stories of Paradise and recite in the slow manner as you had been reading in worldly life; your final place will be where you reach at the time of the last ayat of your recitation.”
[Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud]
HELPING YOUR FAMILY
The Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) wife Aisha (r.a), when asked what he used to do at home, replied: ”He spent his time helping his family until the time of the prayer and then he hurried to pray.” (Bukhari)
ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO GOOD:
Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:
“Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action.”
[Muslim]