What is Salah?
Imagine meeting your Best Friend at your favourite hangout. Your Friend knows everything about you, you can always count on your Friend to be there for you when-ever you need. Your friend is also very gen-erous, He gives you a lot of cool gifts and beneficial advises. You are always happy in the company of your Friend. This is the example of Salah. Allah is our Best Friend, available for us 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We can meet Him in Salah, receive His mercy and blessings and come out happy with peace.Salah is from the Arabic word 'silah' which means connection. Salah is a personal experience and intimate connection with Allah, our Loving and Merciful Creator. Salah engages the mind, body and soul in a series of physical rituals coupled with Qur'anic recitation and Prophetic supplication.
Before we discuss why we should perform Salah, we must first know Allah, to Whom we are performing Salah to. Allah has introduced Himself in the Qur'an with amazing and astonishing Attributes and Characteristics.
Who is Allah?
“Allah - there is no God except Him, the Everliving and the Everlasting, the Sustainer of (all) existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on the earth...His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and there is preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” [2:255]“Have they not looked at the heaven above them - how We structured it and adorned it and [how] it has no rifts? And the earth - We spread it out and set mountains and made grow therein [something] of every beautiful kind….And We have sent down blessed rain from the sky and made grow thereby gardens and grain from the harvest. And lofty palm trees having fruit ar-ranged in layers - as provision for the servants, and We have given life thereby to a dead land.” [50:6-11]
“It is He Who made the earth tame for you - so you walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection….It is He Who produced you made for you hearing and vi-sion and hearts [intellect]; little are you grateful...it is He Who has multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered.” [67:15,23,24]
Allah is so Holy, Magnificient and Perfect that everything in the universe glorifies Him; the trees droop their branches out of His respect, the ani-mals move with their heads hung low and even the birds tweet His praises. The shadows humble themselves to Allah and the mountains stand si-lently in His awe.
Why Salah?
“Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what they do.” [24:41]“The seven heavens and the earth and what-ever is in them exalt Him. And thereis not a thin except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed.” [17:44]
“And the thunder exalts [Allah] with praise of Him—and the angels [as well] from fear of Him.” [13:13]
“And to Him is praise throughout the heav-ens and the earth.” [30:18]
Benefits of Salah
- Salah deepens our relationship with Allah, it brings us closer to Him.
- Salah is an acknowledgement of our faith and belief in Allah.
- Salah grants us patience and peace.
- Salah helps us overcome lonli-ness. It gives us an outlet to re-lease our thoughts, worries and desires to Allah.
- Salah helps us stay away from sins and temptations.
- Salah teaches us time manage-ment and self-control.
Allah says...
ReplyDelete"Indeed, Salah has been decreed upon the believers at specific times.” [4:103]
“O you have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord - that you may succeed.” [22:77]
“Maintain with care the [obligatory] Salah and [in particular] the middle [Asr] Salah and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.” [2:238]
“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and Salah. ” [2:153]
“O you who have believed, when [adhan] is called for the day of Friday then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave business. That is better for you, if you only knew.” [62:9]
“Recite what has revealed to you of the Book [Qur'an] and establish Salah. Indeed, Salah prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and remembrance of Allah is greater.” [20:45]
“Have you seen the ones who deny the recompense...are heedless of their Salah.”
[107:1,5]
“Indeed, the hypocrites….when they stand for Salah, they stand lazily, showing (themselves to) the people and not remembering Allah except a little.” [4:142]
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said...
ReplyDelete“Salah distinguishes between a Muslim and a
non-Muslim” [Muslim]
“The first thing taken into account from a person's deed on the Day of Judgment is Salah” [Tirmidhi]
“If a person guards his Salah [performs it on time, performs it well always] it will be a light, proof and a means of salvation on the Day of Judgment. Whoever did not guard his Salah, there will be neither a light, nor a proof nor a means of salvation for him.” [Ibn Habban]
“The one who did wudu‟ properly at home and then went to the Masjid is the one who meets Allah and it is necessary for the host to honour the one who comes to meet Him.” [Tabrani]
“Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said Allah says, "By My honour and glory, whoever performs the Salah on time I will admit in to Paradise. And whoever de-lay in performing the Salah then if I will, I shall forgive him by My mercy and if I will I shall punish him.” [Tabrani]
Learn how to pray Salah: www.kids.farhathashmi.com/10-LearnNamaz/Namaz.html
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