Imaam Ibn Qudaamah Al-Maqdisi rahimahullaah said:
Prayer is the pillar of Islam and the peak of obedience. This is because salah is the first thing that a Believer will be asked after on the day of Qiyamah.
The virtues of salah cannot be over emphasized and there are Ahaadith that show its merits.
It was reported from Uthman Ibn ‘Affan radiyallaahu anhu that The Messenger of Allah – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:
whosoever the time for a prescribed salah reaches him, and he performs ablution properly and also performs the rukuu’ properly with humility, it will be an expiation for his past sins as long as he did not commit a major sin, and this is applicable to all times.
Transmitted and recorded by Imaam Muslim in his Sahih #228.
Also, Uthman Ibn Affan radiyallaahu anhu reported from the Messenger of Allah salallaahu alayhi wasallam that He said:
“Whosoever prays two raka’at without thinking of worldly matters in it, all his past sins will be forgiven.”
Transmitted and recorded by Imaam Bukhaari in his ‘Sahih’ #109 and Imaam Muslim in his ‘Sahih’#226.
Know verily that, one of the best Aadab of salah is for one to be in a state of tranquility and humility and one should shun away from thinking about worldly matters.
It was reported that the predecessors used to be like a stick while observing their salah because of their tranquility, calmness and humility.
In addition, salah has its own pillars, waajibaat, Sunan and its spirit is intention, devotion, humility and the contemplation of the heart.
Salah consists of azkaar and some duties. But without contemplation of the heart, the aim of making the azkaar cannot be achieved.
For if what is being said in the salah is not connected to the heart, it will be of no avail since the result is fruitless.
Likewise, if the act of standing in salah connotes services to Allah and the act of sujud implies humility and glorification, this can never be attained without the contemplation of the heart and devotion. For if an action does not yield its fruit, then is of no benefit.
In this context, Allah says:
“It is not their meat or their blood that reaches Allah, but It is your piety that reaches him.”
Suratu Al-Hajj, verse 37.
From this, we understand that what reaches Allah is the state of the heart which is piety. It compels the heart to submit to the commandment of Allah.
However, Allah in His infinite mercy has pardoned one who is a little distracted with worldly matters or with the whispers of the shaitaan in his salah as far as consciousness dominates his heart from the beginning of the salah.
The conditions that make one’s salah to be sound are many.
In shaAllah we are going to mention some of them in our next post.
Allaahu A’alam
Baarakallaahu feekum
