The Coolness of my Eyes lies in Salah/Prayer.
The Distinguishing mark of a Muslim:
Besides beliefs , among the four basic duties recognized by Islam , Salah undoubtedly occupies the most important position . The importance Salah may be conceived from the facts that the first duty enjoined upon the Prophet peace be upon Him , was to offer Salah . And further , the Holy Quran frequently uses the phrase observing Salah perfectly , which clearly suggest that Salah is the most important distinguishing ark of a Muslim .
Actions Are but by Intention :
Earlier in Grade Five we have seen that Deen Is something interpreted to mean religion , it does not give its fullest meaning . In fact the Deen embraces n all the aspects of life related to the beliefs and actions of man ; both public and private . Briefly speaking Deen in Its broadest sense is the life of a Muslim , Likewise , Ibadah - the worship - too has a wider meaning in Islam .
A Hadith Has it: Actions Are but by Intention and very man shall have but that which he intended , It is true that a right intentions turns pour work into Ibadah. All duties from the highest to the humblest become highly rewarding in the sight of Allah if they are carried out with the right intention to seek his Pleasure . It is true that right intention sanctifies work , rest , our joys our sorrows and the whole of our life's activities but it should be remembered that none of the whole of the other duties can ever replace any of the basic duties prescribed by Islam namely , Salah , the Zakah , feasting , in the month of Ramadan and the Hajj. During the recent years some so- called scholars are heard arguing that since it is the intention that counts ; it is alike whether you perform Salah or do you office duty honestly . This is not the place to go into details . It will be , however , sufficient to point out that such interpretation Of Islam as the one hinted above is very sorrowful and extremely dangerous .
The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him , is recorded to have said : Islam has been built on five pillars : to confess that there is no God but Allah , paying the Zakah, Making the pilgrimage to the house , And the feasting ion Ramadan . These are the pillars of Islam . The precise form and manner on which the various , Ibadah; should be carried out , are once for all revealed by Allah to His Prophet peace be upon Him .
Every attempt to present them in form and manner other than taught by the Prophet is to try to demolish the very structure of Islam. And as Muslims it is our foremost duty to condemn all such attempts.
The value of Salah:
Salah is the pillar of Islam; it is the pillar of Faith . Salah is the heart of faith. It is recognized by the Quran as the first and the foremost duty of a Muslim.
The Quran says : I have only created the jinn and the man that they may serve me .
Hence it is the man's obligation to serve and worship Allah , it comes within him as natural inclination . The man who offers Salah fulfils the purposes for his creation and existence .
Allah says in the Holy Quran : { And establish regular prayer and do not be of those who associate partners to Allah}
It comes in another place : says: { They are those who if we firmly establish them on earth , remain constant in prayer , give the Zakah , and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong : and with Allah rests the final outcome of all events }
Salah is the saviour of Faith; it is the condition for salvation in the Hereafter . Salah is obligatory on everyone : the rich and the poor ,the sick and the healthy , the travelling and those in battle . No adult is exempted from offering Salah .
The Holy Quran speaks high of those who offer Salah regularly and perfectly and it severely condemns those who omit or relax their ptrayers.
In Surah Mudassir - Allah says : { What has brought you into the hell - fire ? They will answer : we were not of those who offered Salah , and neither did we feed the needy ; and we used to talk faleshood with vain talkers , and we used to deny the Day of Recompense , until it certainly came upon us .
SALAH IN HADITH:
A Hadith has it : Between the servant and disbelief is the omission of Salah. In another place it comes : Between the disbelief and Iman is the omission of Salah .
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon Him , is reported to have said ; Tell me is a stream flows at the of anyone of you and he bathes in it five times a day , will any dirt be left on his body ? The companions said : No dirt will be left, So is the case with the five prayers . Allah removes and Washes away sins on their account.
Mu'adh ibn Jabal , a companions of the prophet says : I was with the prophet on a Journey . On day as I rode beside Him when I asked : O Messenger of Allah , Point out something to me I may do that may take me to paradise and keep me away from the Hell . The prophet peace be upon Him said : You have indeed asked about something great , yet it can be achieved by those for whom Allah has made it easy . Worship Allah associating no partner to Him , offer your prayers regularly , pat out of your wealth what is due to the poor , fast in the month of Ramadan and Go for Hajj . The prophet then said : Shall I not mention to you the gates of Good? I said : Yes the Prophet of Allah , please do show me , He said : Fasting is a shield and a means of protection of yourself , charity removes your errors just as water puts out a burning fire , and your offering Salah in the late hours of the night is the sign of your being conscious of Allah .
The Prophet then Continued : Shall I not tell you what the heart of of the matter is, its backbone and its peak?, I said : Yes , Messenger of Allah , Please do , The heart of Islam is to submit to Allah , its backbone is Salah , and its peak is the Jihad - to strive in the case of Allah .
Salah offered at its proper times is the best thing in the sight of Allah . Salah is to the believer , what water is to the fish . The Prophet peace be upon Him used to say the coolness of my eyes lies in Salah . Salah brings comfort to the heart ; it is the shelter of a believer and a source of peace and strength . It is a strong and unbreakable rope stretched out between Allah and the believer. It is the comfort of his soul and a remedy for his ills, remedy that never fails .
Whenever something worried the Prophet peace be upon him , he used to turn to Salah . If a strong wind blow , the holy prophet would go to the mosque and stay there praying till the wind would stop . In fact Salah is the sign and symbol of Islam .
It is one of the most important pillars of Islam. When A Muslim offer Salah sincerely his sins fall off as the leaves of trees fall in autumn . Allah loves those who offer Salah perfectly . They remain in His Shelter .
Preparing for Salah :
After hearing the Azan , start preparing for Salah , and see that you are clean and free from Najasah . Relieve yourself in the toilet if need be , perform Wodhu perfectly and reach the mosque in time . Enter the mosque sending salat - peace -to the Prophet and saying
Respect for Mosque :
The Arabic Word for mosque is Masjid , It means a place where one prostrates oneself or a place worship . The messenger Of Allah is recorded to have said : The whole of the earth has been made a mosque for me ,A Muslim may therefore , offer Salah anywhere he likes . But inspite of this the mosque plays very significant role in Islam . In truth it is the center of Muslim religions life .
The mosque is the Holy place and should be treated as such . Due respect must be shown to the House of Allah and therefore shouting or talking loudly is strictly prohibited . The mosque should be kept clean and no one , therefore , may enter it with shoes on. Form a habit of reaching the mosque in time to be able to find the Jammah in Full . On enter the mosque offer two Rak'ahs Nafilah of Tahiyyatul - Masjid - to greet the mosque . The Holy Prophet is recorded to have said :: When anyone of you enters the mosque , he should not sit until he has offered two Rak'ahs } Naafilah - in case there is time for it }
Is a person however , join the Jamaah directly on entering the mosque or engages himself in offering the Sunnah Raak'ahs before sitting down, it will meet the purpose .
Jama'ah- The congregation:
Fard services of Salah should always be offered in Jama'ah The holy Prophet of Allah severely condemned those who did not offer Salah in Jama'ah . He is reported to have said : By Him , Who holds my life , i sometimes feel like asking as fire to be made and commanding for Azan to be sounded , and asking someone to lead people in Salah , then going after those who do not attend the Jama'ah and setting their houses on fire , The Holy prophet of Allah is reported to have said that whoever offers Salah perfectly with Jama'ah for forty days, without missing the first Takbir , he would be kept away from two things 1} the hell - fire and 2} hypocricy . To offer Salah with Jama'ah is twenty seven times more rewarding than Salah offered alone . Foe what he performs Wodhu doing well , and goes out to the mosque , merely for the love of offering Salah Jama'ah , he does not take a step forward without being raised a degree and having a sin forgiven for it { MUSLIM}The worst stealing is stealing from Salah:
Salah is one of the five pillars of Islam . A Muslim is known by the way he offers Salah . Tell me How you perform Salah and I will tell you what are , To correct a common English saying . Once a man entered the Masjidun - Nabwi after the Prophet peace be upon Him . He offered Salah and walked up to the Prophet and greeting Him . After returning his greeting , the messenger of Allah said to him : Go back and offer Salah for you have not offered it . This happened thrice till the man said : By Him , Who has sent you with the Truth ,. I cannot offer Salah in a way better than this one . Kindly instruct me how to do it .
The Prophet Said : Whenever you stand for offering Salah pronounce Takbir and then recite from the Quran and then bow yourself till you feel at ease . Then stand up erect , then prostrate yourself to your satisfaction , then perform Julus till you feel at ease , and do the same in all your Salawat .
You are aware that taking things that belong to others is stealing but the worst stealing is stealing from Salah . That means not to carry out its acts properly .
Salah and its conditions :
There are certain conditions that control the act of Salah . These conditions must be met before one could offer it . These conditions are regarding :1. Niyyah.2. Taharah- purity of the body , the clothes and the place .3. Covering the parts of body .4. Wodhu,5. Facing the Qiblah,6.And performing it in proper time . No one may pray without meeting all these conditions . But while these requirements must be met ; before starting to offer Salah; there are certain essential things within Salah that must be very carefully observed , They are in fact the Pillars of Salah and if any of them is missed or carried out faultily , the Salah will not be complete . They are as follows:
The Pillars of Salah :
1. The Takbiratul - Ihram:that means to enter Salah saying { Allah Hu AKBIR}. This is called the takbiratul - Ihram because after its pronouncement all the activities such as talking , answering questions , eating or drinking are forbidden ;
2. Al- Qiyam,
3. Recitation from the Quran : Allah Messenger is recorded to have said :
He , who did not recite Surah Al Fatihah in his Salah, did not offer it .
4. Rokou,
5. Sajtatayn; the two Sajdahs,
6. Julus for the Tashahhud,
7. To follow the sequence prescribed for the Salah.
These are the pillars of Salah and if any of these acts is missed or faultily carried out; the Salah will not be complete .
Things that annul the Salah:
A person's Salah is said to be annulled in the following cases. That means the Salah will become invalid if any of the following things take place during the offering of Salah and it will have to be repeated .
These things are as follows:
1.Laughing boisterously ,
2.Eating or drinking though it may be a little .
3. Speaking of matters not related to Salah, however ,involuntary acts such as sneezing , coughing and belching do not render the Salah invalid , But to cough unnecessarily without a genuine reason is bad .
4. Making movements not related to the acts of Salah .
5. Annulment of Wodhu,
6. Neglecting any of the pillars of Salah such as Rokou or Sajdah.
Salah is one of the most important pillars of Islam . Offering Salah regularly deepens our Faith . But Salah is controlled by certain conditions . You should remember them , because no one may pray perfectly without meeting theses requirements.
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