The second pillar of Islam is the compulsory five daily prayers. But there is more. It’s very important to do it properly which is all about remembering Allah Subhanatallah
With the name of Allah, most Beneficient ever Merciful
The greatest object, reason or purpose of prayer is to remember Allah Subhanatallah.
“…and keep up prayer (salaah) for My Remembrance.” Al Quran Sura 20:14
because “…the remembrance (zikir) of Allah is the greatest.” Al Quran 29:45.
Although external actions such as wuzu, reading a sura, correct pronunciation etc. are important to performing prayer, the most important part of prayer, the essence or the spirit of our prayer according to the above verses, is to actually remember Allah Subhanatallah.
In other words, salaah is the means to remembering Allah Subhanatallah. The Prophet ﷺ said: If two men of my followers stand in prayer, it seems that their prostrations are the same but the spirit of their prayers is like the distance of the heaven and earth. Ihya Uloom ud deen.
If all our external actions are perfect but there are no thoughts of Allah Subhanatallah then our prayers are totally worthless. The Prophet ﷺ said: There are many praying men who do not gain anything from their prayer except fatigue and efforts. Ihya Uloom ud deen.
If we pray for half an hour but only remember Allah Subhanatallah for one second then, according to our Prophet ﷺ, our prayer is worth just that one second.
So far, we have seen that this great act of prayer can amount to nothing. It gets worse than this. Our prayer, if not done properly, can actually be a cause of harm to us.
Ask anyone that prays regularly and they would tell you that focusing on remembering Allah Subhanatallah is the most difficult task. This is so because shaitaan in the form of our carnal nafs or our low desires would always bring distractions into our minds and the greatest harm he can cause to us is to make us proud.
Shaitaan is such a formidable enemy that he can even turn our prayers into a weapon against us. Instead of our prayers being a source of attaining closeness to Allah Subhanatallah, it can become something that could distance us from Allah Subhanatallah.
Shaitaan can make us feel proud of our prayers and instead of our prayers being for Allah Subhanatallah, it would amount to actually worshipping ourselves.
“Shaddad b Masud (RA) reports that he once saw the Prophet ﷺ weeping. On him enquiring, the Prophet ﷺ said: I fear shirk most for my followers. Beware, they will not worship idols, sun, moon and stones, but they will do divine service for show.” Ihya Uloom id Deen.
“Then sees thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire? Allah has knowingly left him astray…” At Quran 45:23 & 25:43
We need to ask ourselves: Are we praying for show? Take the answer to be yes because this would make us ponder over our intentions and to be more careful.
Take the answer to be yes because the Prophet ﷺ has said that “rhia” or the show of piety is more secretive than the movement of black ants on a dark night. We would not even realise that we are making a show of our piety.
This is the malady of our time. We are stressing the external actions and have forgotten the internal. Our prayers make us feel that we are great and before long we begin to preach to others.
Couple our prayers with other external actions such as a beard, a turban or a veil and we think we are pious and we think that we are better than people that do not pray or do not dress up Islamically.
Instead of praying to remember Allah Subhanatallah and getting close to Him, we have used our Salaah as a means to make ourselves look good in the eyes of others.
There are some things we can do to improve on the quality of our prayers. Our Dada Pir Hazrath Khwaja Faquir Muhammad Ali Shah (RA) has said: “In matters of procedure in the worship of Allah, it is laid down in the “Fika” (Islamic law of Jurisprudence), First learn to know Allah, then worship Him.” Mureed Nama.
This is also logical, common sense. When the Prophet ﷺ was asked what is ihsaan, he replied that “you serve Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him then He certainly sees you. “The Prophet ﷺ has said that “prayer is the Meeraj (Ascension to Allah Subhanatallah) of the believer”. There is only one way to know Allah Subhanatallah and that is to become a believer and this can be achieved through becoming a disciple of a true Pir O Murshid and following him sincerely. A few lines from Imaam Ghazalie (RA) from his book Ihya Ulum in deen: Abu Abdullah Khalif (RA) spent three days in hunger and thirst so that he could get some advice from two men that were in meditation. After the third day one of them gave him the following advice: “O son of Khalif, keep company with the man who can remind you of your remembrance of Allah, who can enkindle in you fear of Allah, who can give you admonition by his actions and who will not give you admonition by his tongue.”
Our pride stems from our achievements. Apart from wealth and knowledge, our regular prayers can instill pride in us. Instead of pride we must have humility while we pray and we can do this by remembering that we are standing in front of the Supreme.
We must think of ourselves as being insignificant and incapable and therefore relying on Him to guide us. It is these kinds of thoughts that inculcate humility instead of pride. “successful indeed are the believers, those who humble themselves in their prayer…” Al Quran 23:8.
When we pray regularly, we must not tell others about it or make a show of it. Apart from our five compulsory prayers in congregation we should strive to pray privately late at night when we are most at ease especially if we are off from work the next day. “Verily, getting up at night (for Prayer) is the most effective means of subduing (one’s self), and the most upright way to acquire firm control over one’s actions and speech.” Al Quran 73:6.
and “Call on your Lord with Humility and in Private…” Al Quran 7:55
The Prophet ﷺ spent many long hours at night praying. Because the night prayer is a private prayer and the chances of one doing it for show are slim.
Understanding what we are reading in our prayers would make us think and ponder about what we are reciting. “…approach not prayers in a state of intoxication; until you can understand all that you say… Al Quran 4:43.
Although this verse is about alcohol, the bottom line is that we must understand what we say. By pondering over the words we are reciting, we would be pondering over what Allah Subhanatallah is telling us, and this falls under remembering Him.
Thus, understanding what we are reading, especially Sura Al Fathia would also help us to focus.
Being at ease would also help us to concentrate. When worldly affairs distract us, then we must sort them out first so that the mind is at ease. Abu Zaham once gave the Prophet ﷺ a colorful cloak with patterns on it. It distracted him, so he returned it to him saying it distracted him in prayer. Ihya. Before gold was prohibited, the Prophet ﷺ had a golden ring. He threw it away while he was on the pulpit and said: “my eyes had fallen on it.” Ihya Uloom ud deen.
Once a man was praying in his garden in which dates were hanging. It pleased him so much that he forgot how many rakaats he read. When he told Hazrath Osmaan (RA) about it, he advised him to spend the garden in the way of Allah. Ihya Uloom id Deen.
Hazrath Abu Darda (RA) said it is the rule of religion that when a man goes to pray, he should perform all his necessary needs so that his mind is free. He should eat before he prays if he is hungry.
Apart from this, if we strive for matters of this world, then this would become our constant preoccupation and thoughts of this would distract us in prayer.
If we make Allah Subhanatallah our main focus in life, then it would be easier to remember Him. In life we can turn everything we do into an act of prayer or remembering Allah Subhanatallah.
In everything around us, there are the signs of Allah Subhanatallah. Apart from formal prayer, we must remember, ponder about and be conscious of Allah Subhanatallah at all times. “Men who remember Allah standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation…” AL Quran 3:191
There are certain prerequisites to prayer, and loving the Prophet ﷺ is one of them. The Prophet ﷺ has said: “You will not believe until you love me more than your parents, your children and the whole of humanity.” Apart from the Prophet ﷺ, we have to inculcate love and caring for others, and this is stressed in Sura Maun.
The Prophet ﷺ has said that the worth of a deed depends on its intention. The object of prayer should not be to get heaven, or to be saved from hell, or to pass an exam, or to make money or because someone tells you to pray.
Neither should it be a ritual just to ease our conscience. The sole purpose of prayer is to remember Allah Subhanatallah. May Allah Subhanatallah always grant us the privilege of remembering Him. Ameen.
Peace and Salutations be upon Muhammad Salallahu Alayhe Wasallam.
Published by Anjuman e Waris e Mohammedi in 2012 – Author: Mohammed Hassan Gaffoor (WhatsApp +27849101486)