Salat - The Daily Prayers

BISMILLAH AL-RAHMAN AL-RAHIM RABBI SHRAHLI SADREE WAYASSIRLEE AMRI WAHLUL UQDATAM MIN LISAANI YAFQAHU QAWLI.

My elders, brothers in Islam, Salaam Alaykum.

Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur'an says in Sura Taha, Verse 14,

"Surely, I am Allah, there is no God but I, therefore serve Me and keep up prayer for My remembrance.

I would like to discuss briefly the underlying concept of Salat - the Daily Prayers, a waajibat act for all of us.

What is a True Prayer?

A true prayer is an intimate relation between you and Allah; between the created and the Creator.

Prayer has a healing effect upon people especially, upon those whose hearts are broken, those who are in distress, or those who are disturbed and depressed. It soothes the spirit and calms the mind. Prayer is the beginning of a sincere move to stop all wrongdoings and bad habits and an attempt to replace them by positive thoughts and good deeds.

It is a soul-searching program of self-discovery, personal development and self-reconstruction.

In short, it is a means of connecting to the main source, the source of all goodness, Allah (swt). For Allah himself says in the Holy Qur'an, Wa akeemis salaata lizikree - And keep up prayer for My remembrance.

Let us see why salat has been so highly recommended, and why it is considered to be the main pillar and the foundation of Islam.

Why are all other good deeds of people not of use unless they perform their daily prayers? Are there other benefits coming to us out of performing our daily prayers?

Certainly, the daily prayers have many more good side benefits. First, let us look at the aim of the creation of mankind from the Islamic point of view. This is a central issue in Islam. We believe that Almighty Allah created us, human beings, for a purpose.

Following a set path and reaching a certain destination (without any deviation) would be that purpose.

Hence, we should clearly map our route for the final destination and always have the objective in our mind. Knowing that whoever sets forth for a journey should not lose sight of his objective and follow the straight path to it. Being careful that there are side-tracks and even sometimes-similar paths, which will not end up where he wants to go. He should stay off those. For added security we all should follow the Holy Qur'an, and the teachings of the Ahlulbayt.

The objective and the purpose of all this is the growth and the continuous development of human beings and their return to Allah (swt). We must try to develop our latent and hidden potentials to the highest level possible. As a result becoming more humane and more refined and using all our talents for the betterment of ourselves, the world and all mankind.

So, we should know Allah and follow the guideline He prescribed for man's exaltation. The aim of following a guideline is to help people get more out of their lives. Acquiring good habits and discarding the bad ones will encourage a person and give meaning to his life. A life without discretion is useless and aimless.

Islam gives us the plan, the outline and the direction as to how to reach the goals and more important than that, it brings us closer to Allah. Daily remembrance of Allah will remind us of the reason for our existence and our ultimate destination. To gain NEARNESS TO ALLAH.

Looking at our daily activities with the hustle and bustle of school, homework, sports, T.V., Internet; and for some of you WORK, there is hardly any time for thinking, meditating or pondering about what is going on. The entanglements and the preoccupations with life are such that one can hardly find a free moment to think. Hours, days, weeks and months pass without any interruption, and we notice neither the beginnings nor the endings of these periods of life.

Assigned daily prayers, set at different intervals during the day, act like an alarm clock informing us as to the passing of valuable time. It is like a timetable showing us the time for end of lesson is near.

All these remind us that

IF, WE PERFORM OUR SALAAT DAILY!

At set periods during the day: early in the morning, at midday, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night a Muslim is asked to pray. The main principles, the goals and the final objectives are stated and repeated several times by the worshipper so he knows his duties and his responsibilities. He checks his course of action and adjusts himself to the right path. This is the role of the daily prayers, through this, a good Muslim reaches the highest level of humanity and spirituality, though, step by step.

The obligatory daily prayers with all their rituals represent Islam in action, however on a small scale.

Islam is concerned about the body, the mind and the soul of each person in the society. These entities are put to work individually, or in conjunction with one another for the welfare of mankind. During prayers (salat) the body, the mind and the soul of a worshipper are utilised.

Moving the hands, the feet, the tongue, bending, sitting, standing and prostrating are all bodily activities.

Thinking about the meaning of the words, phrases, and the statements and also reviewing the basis and the fundamentals of Islam will put the mind to work.

Thinking about Allah getting inspiration, fantasising and imagining what would it be like to be close to Allah is where the soul comes in.

A Muslim can combine all his energies (physical, mental and the spiritual) together to help him get to a higher stage with the mere act of a perfect prayer.

Our first Imam, Imam Ali-ibne- Abi Talib (as) has said: "If a prayerful person knew to what extent he was surrounded by Allah's Mercy, he would never raise his head from the state of prostration.

Salat in Islam has a wonderful and enhancing power over people. It has a special role of connecting the weak and vulnerable human beings to Almighty Allah, the Powerful and the Source of all goodness. Once this connection has been made the person feels more powerful, extended and stable. One can use prayers as an effective remedy for changing human weaknesses to strength and restoring one's confidence and determination.

The Holy Prophet (saww) has said: "There comes no night but that the angel of death calls to the dead in their graves, and inquires what they regret, for today, when they have vividly seen and known the next life. The reply they give is: 'Verily, we regret and envy the believers who are in their mosques and they are praying while we are not; they are giving alms and we do not; they fast during Ramadhan but we do not…"

So my Elders and brothers

Remember the FORCE, the concentration of MINDS, the UNITY of MUSLIMS worldwide who are all facing QIBLA and doing SOOJOOD to the ONE and ONLY CREATOR ALLAH (SWT)!

Let us pray to Allah (swt) to accept our prayers in this Holy Month and give us long life so we can spend more time in Salaat.

Rabbana Taqabbal Minna, Innaka Antasamiool Aleem. Wasalaam alaykum warahmatullahi wabaraktu.

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