Importance of the Prayer - Sheikh Abdul-Hadi

Khutbah Opening

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help and we ask His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He sends astray, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, no partner for Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. He has sent him with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

As for the rest, the best hadith is the book of Allah. And the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. And the worst of things are their innovations. And every innovation is a deviation. And every deviation is a misguidance. And every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Quran as a Mirror for the Nations

Dear brothers and sisters, alhamdulillah, we have the Quran. The Quran is a book of guidance — guidance for everyone, for all of us. In the Quran, Allah mentions many nations and prophets — those who came before our Prophet, the final Nabi, Muhammad Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. This is not merely for information, but should be used to learn lessons and for us to understand what was good and bad in their lives — the nations before the final Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and how they went astray.

If you read Surah Al-'Ankabut, verse 40, Allah says:

So We punished each of them for his sin. The Quran-e-Majid is like a mirror. So we have to check our situation in the light of what happened previously.

On the basis of this Quran-e-Karim and the prophets who came before our Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, it has been noted that the previous nations were attached to their practice culturally more than Iman and Aqeedah. In other words, they had no Iman or true belief in the religion, but used to label themselves to show that they were attached to the pious people or to the messengers.

Today we can see a similar situation. In this month, the celebration of Christmas — which for many people has become a cultural festival or event rather than a matter of religion. Because Hazrat Isa, peace be upon him, has not been confirmed by any authentic sources to have been born in this month, the month of December. And the signs around his birth do not match with the winter season. So many Christians, especially scholars, are saying the same thing: we don't have any authentic sources to confirm that Isa, peace be upon him, was born in this month. But they want to celebrate, and they simply started doing this regardless of whether he was born in this month or not. The point is that a large number of those who claim to be Christian are only so by name and culture — not by deen, not by Iman. This was one of the weaknesses of previous nations.

Negligence in Salat — A Cause of Destruction

If we read Surah Maryam, we can read about the prophets and their nations sent before Nabi Kareem, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and their nations' downfall. And one of the reasons was how they were careless with their Salat. They used to follow their desires. The nations that came before — those who gave up Salat, who were careless about Salat — made their Salat to be lost, either by not offering it, or by not offering it perfectly, or by not offering it at the fixed times.

If we read the last portion of Surah Al-Muddaththir, those who enter the hellfire will be asked why they are there, and the first reason they will themselves give is that they were careless — they were not careful about Salat. Laziness in Salat. This is the first reason mentioned for entering hellfire. This should be a lesson for us.

We have to check our position with our deen and Iman. We have to understand the importance of Iman and the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah and implement them upon ourselves. We have to understand the teaching as well as practice accordingly.

Salat — The Pillar That Distinguishes the Believer

The first and most important thing after the declaration of Iman is Salat. The difference in practical life between believers and non-believers, between Muslim and Mushrik, is Salat — prayer. It is a compulsory requirement upon every believer, male and female, five times daily, regardless of health, social status, or financial background. Salat is compulsory upon everyone.

Take fasting for example — although it is also one of the pillars of Islam, it is only in the month of Ramadan, and only for those who are healthy. Zakat — no doubt it is also a pillar of Islam, but only for those who have savings. And Hajj — once in a lifetime, and only for those who are capable of travelling, meaning those who are physically and financially fit. But Salat is not like that. Five times daily, wherever we are, whatever situation we are in, we have to pray.

And this was the final wasiyyat — the will of Rasulullah ﷺ — before he passed away. He repeatedly said: As-salah, as-salah — take extra care with your Salat. Why was this the last and final will of Rasulullah ﷺ? Because Salat is the strong link between Allah and the believer.

Four Key Points Regarding Salat

1. Salat Must Be Performed According to the Sunnah

The first thing is that Salat is ibadah. And my brothers and sisters, in ibadah we have to remember one point — that ibadah should be according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. We cannot perform ibadah according to our own desires. So we have to understand and we have to learn according to the Sunnah how we are going to pray.

Unfortunately, even our senior brothers and sisters do not pray as they should. They don't know what to read and how to read it. Many duas, many supplications, we don't remember. Like for example — just as a rough example — Salatul Janazah. How many of us attend Salatul Janazah every week? But how many actually know how to pray Salatul Janazah?

Maybe you have realized and noted this point — that in some masajid, before and after Salatul Janazah there will be a list of announcements, and people are waiting for family members, relatives, or friends. Hours are spent for this. But when they start Salatul Janazah, they don't take more than three minutes to offer it. What type of Salatul Janazah is this? Salatul Janazah is a strong source of dua of maghfirah for the person who has passed away. But you are taking only three minutes for Salatul Janazah, while before and after you are waiting for hours. What is the point of this if you don't pray Salatul Janazah as it should be?

And similarly with other prayers — seeking refuge from four things before the end of Salat: from the hellfire, from the punishment of the grave, from the fitna of life and death, and from the fitna of the Dajjal. Very few people understand and read this before the conclusion of Salat. Many brothers and sisters don't even know how to read this.

2. Khushu — Sincerity and Presence of Heart in Salat

The second point, my brothers, is khushu — sincerity in Salat. When we start Salat, we must think about what we are going to do. In front of whom are we going to stand. What we are going to ask. This is the meaning of niyyah — intention — when we are praying. It is a preparation of our own mind. We don't have to pronounce or say something as a niyyah. But we have to think about what we are going to do. And this is the meaning of ihsan.

According to the hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ said that we have to worship Allah as though we are seeing Him — even though we cannot — but Allah sees and hears everyone. So we have to be mindful when we stand up for Salat.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, for even though you cannot see Him, He surely sees you." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 50; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 8)

If we want to go and see some VIP person — any minister, or a person of high status — what would our preparation be? But when we stand up to offer Salat, we don't bother about our clothes, we don't bother about our situation, and we don't even bother about what we are reading or saying. So before Salat, we have to pause for a while and think about what we are going to do and how we are going to pray.

When the Prophet ﷺ used to pray, he would reflect on the verses he was reciting, and there would be an effect on him — for example, when reciting verses relating to punishment or reward. So we should improve the quality of our Salat and make it the central point of our lives, rather than a mere formality. Because we have to remember that in Salat, quality is very, very important — not quantity. In nawafil, how many raka'at you have offered is not the point. How you pray — that is what is very, very important. We have fixed some raka'at for ourselves and are trying to complete them regardless of quality. So we have to focus on quality, especially in nawafil.

3. Praying in Congregation — Jama'at

The third point relating to this is for brothers — they should attend Jama'at and pray together with the congregation. A blind companion came to the Prophet ﷺ asking to be excused from praying in Jama'at due to his physical condition and the danger he may face coming alone. The Prophet ﷺ asked him: "Do you hear the Azan?" He said yes. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then you have to come to Jama'at." If this was the ruling for a blind person with a genuine reason, then what do we think applies to ourselves — in good health, with all the facilities we are enjoying? Yet we are not ready to attend the congregation.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The prayer in congregation is superior to the prayer offered individually by twenty-seven degrees." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 645; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 650)

And also the Prophet ﷺ said that the true believer on the Day of Judgment will have a special shade over them — this will be for seven types of people. One is for those who attach themselves to the masajid. He will receive this special honour on the Day of Judgment. May Allah make us all among them.

4. Increase in Nawafil — Voluntary Prayers

The fourth point relating to this, my brothers, is to increase our non-obligatory prayers — nawafil. Nawafil is very, very important for us. In this winter season, we can try to offer Tahajjud — Qiyamul Layl. After a long night and a period of rest, if we wish, we can pray Salatul Tahajjud very easily now. And then pray nawafil wherever you are — at home is better — otherwise in the masajid as well. When you come before congregation time, offer Salatul Nafl. And after, if you have time, pray some nawafil. While you are in the masjid, don't waste your valuable time — make it useful. Do dhikr, do dua, do recitation of Quran Majeed, and especially nawafil.

Look at the interests of the companions. A companion, Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him), was once with the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ gave him the chance to ask for anything he wanted. The companion said: "O Prophet of Allah, I want to be with you in Jannah." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Can you not ask for anything else?" He said: "No. I want to be in Jannah with you." Then the Prophet ﷺ, when he saw he was insisting on this, said: "Then pray as much as you can from nawafil. Because of these nawafil, you will be entitled to enter Jannah."

Narrated by Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him): "I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I brought him his water for ablution and his needs. He said to me: 'Ask.' I said: 'I ask to be your companion in Paradise.' He said: 'Anything else?' I said: 'That is it.' He said: 'Then help me to help you by making many prostrations (i.e. praying much).'" (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 489)

We should follow the example of the Prophet ﷺ in Salat. Whenever he faced any difficulties or hard times, he used to pray. We should try to practice this as well and make Salat a source of sukoon — tranquility and real harmony for us. Learn how to pray, and teach your children as well. May Allah give us tawfiq and ability for this.

The Thief of Prayer

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that the worst of thieves is the one who steals from his prayer.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The worst of people in terms of stealing is the one who steals from his prayer." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, how does one steal from his prayer?" He said: "He does not complete his bowing nor his prostration." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 11532; graded Sahih by al-Albani)

So the prayer of some brothers and sisters has become hasty and rushed because they don't care about how they perform the prayer, and in front of them they are standing before Allah. Ihsan is required in everything, especially in prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding ihsan: "Worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you." From this we have to take heed.

Closing — Du'a

This is like a mirror for us. We should try — when we read about any nation or any prophet in the Quran — to stop for a while and ponder what were the reasons for their success or failure, so that we can apply those lessons to ourselves. One of the major reasons for the destruction of the previous nations was weakness in Iman and treating religion as a culture rather than a belief. And one of the reasons for the destruction of those nations — as mentioned in Surah Maryam — was negligence in prayers and following their desires.

May Allah give us the ability to learn the etiquette of prayer and to offer prayer as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said — the pillar of Islam, and the dividing line between disbelief and faith. This was one of the last commandments of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, as his soul separated from his body — he was repeating the word: As-salah, as-salah — prayer, prayer — and what your right hands possess. May Allah make us people of prayer.

Subhana Rabbika Rabb il-'Izzati 'amma yasifun, wa salamun 'alal mursalin, walhamdulillahi Rabb il-'alamin.

Announcements

This year's annual four-day winter conference will begin on Wednesday, 24th of December, entitled The Lasting Legacy, discussing the Sunnah — its history, authority, and compilation. It will be delivered by the likes of Shaykh Saleh Sadlan, Shaykh Sa'ad al-Shetri, Shaykh Abdul Aziz al-Sadhan, Shaykh Ahmed Sahar al-Mubaraki, Shaykh Ali al-Shibl, and Shaykh Waleed al-Ali, insha'Allah. For more information, contact us on 0121-713-0080.

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