The Second Tenet of Islam SALAH - by Mariya Naimat Khatoon

No doubt all the praise is for Allah ^{subhana wa taala}. May the blessings of Allah ^{subhana wa taala} be showered on Prophet Muhammad (^{peace be upon him}) and the Promised Mehdi (^{peace be upon him}).  To the one who is guided by Allah ^{subhana wa taala} nobody can make him go astray. To the one whom he abases nobody can guide him.

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah ^{subhana wa taala}, He is alone and He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad (^{peace be upon him}) is the slave and messenger of Allah ^{subhana wa taala}. And I bear witness that Syed Muhammad Jaunpoori is the Promised Mehdi Alaihissalaam.

I have chosen the second tenet of Islam i.e. Salah as my topic for essay writing competition organized by Mehdavia Times, Idara e Gulshan e Mehdi (AHS), Noor e Vilayath. I thank the organizers who have given me a chance to make use of my time fruitfully in this lockdown period. Salah is stated two hundred times in the Holy Quran.

I seek refuge in Allah^SWT from Satan, the outcast. In the name of Allah ^SWT, the Beneficent, the Merciful.   Allah ^SWT says in Qur’an al Kareem: “No doubt Salah stops you from immodesty and ill deeds.”⁽¹⁾ Prophet Muhammad^PBUH said: “Salah is the only difference between a believer and a disbeliever.”⁽²⁾ Neglecting Salah puts one in the line of disbelievers. It is the link between Allah ^SWT and His servants. Sahih hadith states that one who offers Salah whispers with Allah ^{SWT (3).}  Salah shows the love of a servant with Allah ^SWT. Another true tradition of Prophet Muhammad^PBUH states that whoever neglects Salah commits infidelity ^(4).

Salah is the first mandatory act gifted to Prophet Muhammad^PBUH in the heavens on his journey of Me’raaj and Isra.

Allah ^SWT has made Salah a means of cleansing of sins. Ibn e Umr reported: The messenger^PBUH of Allah ^SWT said, “Verily when a servant stands to pray, his sins are placed on top of his head and shoulders. Every time he bows or prostrates, they fall away from him” ⁽⁵⁾.  

Allah ^SWT says in Quran, “Guard your Salah especially the middle one and stand in front of Allah with utmost respect” ⁽⁶⁾. Prophet ^PBUH said: “Whoever offers two cool prayers will enter paradise” ⁽⁷⁾.

Salah is mandatory on the believer which has been in all the heavenly religions. Allah ^SWT says: “Indeed the prayer on the believers is prescribed at fixed times” ⁽⁸⁾. When Prophet Muhammad^PBUH was asked, “Which act is the best?”, the reply was, “Salah, at its earliest time” ^(9).   It is necessary that every Muslim performs Salah at its scheduled time so that he is saved from sins. When one is saved from sins he will be saved from the wrath of Allah ^SWT in the hereafter. Prophet Muhammad^PBUH on his death bed ordered the believers to be aware about the importance of Salah and said: “Fear your Lord about Salah”.

After stating the importance of Salah, I would like to stress on concentration during Salah. Allah ^SWT says in the Qur’an: “And those who are attentive at their worship, these will dwell in gardens honored.” ⁽¹⁰⁾

Without going into the details of number of prayers per day, the way of worship and other such details, I would like to concentrate on the context of verse 34 and 35 of chapter 70 mentioned above.

What is Salah? It is the second pillar of Islam. It brings the worshiper closer to Allah ^SWT. The soul of the worshiper is elevated during the prayer. The worshiper must cut off his relationship with the rest of the world and have his full attention focused on Allah ^SWT during the prayer. By praying in such a way the worshiper's heart and soul become pleasant and peaceful. Thus he attains a place of Nafs-ul-Mut-ma-innah. When a person prays, he becomes obedient to Allah ^SWT as a result people become obedient to him.  In congregational prayers, men become kind to each other and develop a sense of international brotherhood.  

All the modern, scientific, technological and materialistic advancements are not the objectives of the birth of a human being but obedience and submission of self to Allah ^SWT. As Allah ^SWT says in Quran: “And the Jinns and the humans were created for the worship of Allah only”. ⁽¹¹⁾

An English author whose name I do not remember had written that prayer is the yoga of Islam. He further states that prayer is Allah’s ^SWT prescription for good health. The poses and postures of prayer exert a very good impression on the body of the worshiper. The body of the worshiper becomes more flexible. Thus the prayer affects physical fitness, mental peace, spiritual bliss and a panacea for all evils. The worshiper also renews his bio-energy because he stretches his body, makes physical movements, and simultaneously meditates and concentrates on only one point that is the pleasure of Allah ^SWT. This can be achieved if one prays with all his concentration towards Allah ^SWT, to please Allah ^SWT and get closer to Allah ^SWT.

In the modern days, people are neglecting prayers and those who do pray are not getting all the benefits of the prayer because of innumerable distractions and lack of concentration.

To conclude my essay, I invoke my lord, Allah ^SWT to make me and all Mehdavis and our descendants to follow all the tenets of Islamic Shariah and Tareeqah with full concentration. Aameen!

References:

• (1) Al-Quran- 29:45
• (2) Tirmizi-     2620
• (3) Bukhari-  405,413
• (4) Musnad Ahmed, Abu Dawood, Tirmizi, Nasaai, Ibn e Maajah muttafiqun alaih
• (5) Sahih Ibn e Hibban 1769, Al-Albani
• (6) Al-Quran-2:238
• (7) Hammam Ibne Yahya Through Abu Jamra Ad Dhabai through Abu Bakr Ibne Abu Musa from his fatherAbdullah Ibn Qais al Ashari
• (8) Al-Quran- 4:103
• (9) Tirmizi-170                 
• (10) Al-Quran- 70:34,35
• (11)  Al-Quran- 51:56               

About the writer and write-up/Essay: Ms. Mariya Naimat Khatoon d/o Janab Mansoor Ahmed Khan Saheb and Mureed of Hazrat Peer o Murshid Syed Alam Mehdavi Sahab Khundmiri. She is a resident of Hyderabad, Telengana and currently pursuing her MBBS in third year from Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. It is informed to us that she is an hafiza too. This Essay is a part of the International Essay Writing Competition conducted by MehdaviaTimes-IGM during the last year Ramazan i.e; Ramazan of 1441 hijri / 2020 taking the opportunity of the Pandemic Lock-down. Ms. Mariya Naimat Khatoon had secured the First Price in this Competition in the in Senior English Category. We Wish All the Best for her future endeavors, May Allah Bless her with success in both the worlds. Aameen.

The results of the competition can be seen here; : https://mehdaviatimes.blogspot.com/2020/05/announcement-of-results-of.html

Note: We will be publishing daily one selected essay in this Ramazan for you to read. We take this opportunity to thank and congratulate all the participants, winners and evaluators and those who were directly or indirectly involved to make this initiative a grand success. Fresh Write-ups/Articles/Essays are always solicited you may send them to MehdaviaTimes@gmail.com.

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