Salah is an expression of gratitude
Salah is the most important worship and is an obligation upon Muslims. Salah is an expression of gratitude to God, and every wise and conscientious person realizes the necessity of establishing Salah. Being human it is our duty to express thankfulness for the divine favors by offering Salah, establishing Salah and worshiping the Creator for all the blessings is a conscience demand.
Salah occupies a major status in Islam and it is the second pillar of Islam. Allah ordered the believers to pray five times a day (obligatory prayers). The five prayers should be performed in the five particular times, which are as follow:
1. Salat al-Fajr is offered before sunrise (dawn).
2. Salat al-Zuhr is offered at midday after the sun passes its highest.
3. Salat al-'Asr is offered at the late part of the afternoon.
4. Salat al-Maghrib is offered just after sunset.
5. Salat al-'Isha is offered between sunset and midnight.
There is great importance of offering Salah as it prevents a Muslim from committing a lot of sins. Allah says in Quran in Surah Ankabut, verse 45:
“Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do”.
Muslims cannot see Allah but they can feel Him only if they obey the laws of Almighty Allah. Offering five times Salah provides a situation to Muslims to communicate with the Creator.
Abu Huraira reported that the messenger of Allah said: “The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this state).” (Sahih Bukhari)
There are various Hadiths which emphasize on the importance of Salah and how Salah works in replacing all the bad deeds with good deeds, one of them is:
Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) said,
“The five daily prayers and the Friday Prayer until the Friday prayer is an expiation for what is between them.” (Sahih Muslim)
Prayer is a daily five times reminder to let the Muslims recall all the blessings of Allah and it strengthens the bond between person and his Lord. The few verses regarding the significance of Salah are:
Allah says in Quran in Surah Al-Ankabut, verse 45:
“Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do”.
In verse 43 of Surah Al-Baqarah Allah says,
“And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience]”.
We should be very much conscious about the type of friends we make, as company influences the person and shapes the habits. We try to make such friends who follow the teachings of Holy Quran and the Sunnah. The Holy Book of Allah, Hadiths, and Sunnah tell us the importance of Salah. Allah says in Quran about real friends and relates them with offering salah in Surah Maidah, verse 55:
“Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship]”.
Salah is a very important aspect and it is central in a Muslim’s life because it is the Islamic ritual that is performed on daily basis and is a direct way of contact with Allah. Salah is one of the important means for health, happiness and harmony. We as a Muslim must be punctual when it comes to Salah. There are multiple benefits of offering Salah, not only in this world but also in the next world.
Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) said,
“The key to Paradise is prayer; the key to prayer is wudu (ablution).” (Musnad Ahmad)
