Shia Strength: [shia_strength] Let us go back and repeat our Salah

Awareness

Let us go back and Repeat our Salah

The importance of prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of Islam mentioned by the Prophet (saww) after the testimony of faith, by which one becomes a Muslim.

Salah was made obligatory upon all the Prophets and for all people. Allah declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when Allah spoke directly to Musa (as), He said:

“And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance”. (Taha 20/13-14).

Similarly, the prayers were made obligatory upon Prophet Muhammad (saww) during his ascension to heaven. Furthermore, when Allah praises the believers, like at the beginning of Surah Al-Muminoon, one of the first attributes He mentions in relation to them is their adherence to prayer:

“Successful are the believers, Those that offer their salah with all earnestness and full obedience”. (Al-Mu’minoon 23/1-2).

The importance of prayer is further demonstrated in many other statements of the Prophet (saww). For example, the Prophet (saww) said:

“The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad".

In reality, when the prayer is performed properly – with true remembrance of Allah and turning to Him for forgiveness – it will have a lasting effect on the person. After he finishes the prayer, his heart will be filled with the remembrance of Allah. He will be fearful as well as hopeful of Allah. After that experience, he will not want to move from that lofty position to one wherein he disobeys Allah. Allah mentions this aspect of the prayer in the Qur'an:

“Verily, the prayer keeps one from the great sins and evil deeds”. (Al-Ankaboot 29/45).

However amongst those who perform salah we find some lazy actions that need to be brought back into focus. For example:

• Some do not concentrate on what they are saying.
• Some rush through prayer.
• Some let their gaze wander during salah.
• Some constantly forget the number of rakaat performed.
• The dunya hugs the hearts of some during salah and clouds their minds.
• And some members of the congregation begin prostrating even before the imam says, “Allahu Akbar.”

Compare this to the prayer of those that came before us: people used to think that Ar-Rabee' bin Khaitham, due to his constant lowering of his gaze and lowering of his head during salah, was blind. He used to live behind the house of Abdullah ibn Mas'ood for twenty years and when his servant girl used to see him she would say, "Your blind friend is coming," and Abdullah used to laugh at her comment.

It is narrated that a man entered the masjid, wherein the messenger of Allah (saww) was sitting. He prayed two rakaat and then came to the Prophet (saww) and said salaam. The Prophet (saww) answered his salaam and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

So the man went back, prayed (two rakaat) like he did the first time and then came back and repeated the salaam. The Prophet (saww) answered the salaam and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

So the man went back, prayed (two rakaat) like he did the first time and then came back and repeated the salaam. The Prophet (saww) answered his salaam once again and once again said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”

He said this three times until, after this third time the man said, “By He who sent you with the truth O Messenger of Allah, I do not know any better than this. Teach me.”

The Prophet (saww) then said: “If you stand up for salah say ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Then read what comes easy for you from the Qur'an. Then, bow until you are comfortable in your ruku’. Then, stand up until you are standing up straight. Then, prostrate until you are comfortable in your sujood. Then, sit until you are comfortable in your juloos. Then, prostrate until you are comfortable in your sujood. And do this in your entire salah.”

So let us go back and repeat our salah.

Why do we come to the masjid? Why do we perform salah? We do so in application of the command of our Creator (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala). Why should we then lose the blessing and reward because of a wandering heart and an itchy hand? Concentration is the soul of our salah. Concentration is the fruit of our eman. Yet, in spite of knowing this, people do not strive to perfect their salah and hence only a small portion of it is written for them.

The Prophet (saww) said: “Verily, a man will leave from (his salah) and only a tenth of his salah is written for him, a ninth, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a forth, a third, half”.

Someone who short-changes his salah is a thief. The Prophet (saww) said in an authentic hadeeth, “The most evil thief is he who steals from his salah.”

The Sahaabaa asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how does he steal from his salah?”

He said, “He does not perfect its ruku’ and sujood.”

Because of the speed with which some people pray, they appear as if they are birds, pecking up and down. The Prophet (saww) forbade that someone should peck (in salah) like a crow.

An Imam once stood on the pulpit and addressed the community with a loud powerful voice saying, “A man may grow old in Islam and never have completed for Allah a single salah!”

They later asked, “How is this?”

He said, “He does not perfect his concentration, nor his humbleness, nor his focus on Allah ('Azza wa Jall).”

Once, Ma’roof Al-Karkhee, a teacher of Madrassa, stood amongst some of his students and one said to the other, “Please lead the Isha Salah.”

The first student accepted but said, “I shall lead the Isha Salah on the condition that you will lead the Fajr Salah and not me.”

Ma’roof Al-Karkhee was shocked at what he said and commented, “By Allah, if you think that you’ll be alive at Fajr, then by Allah, you have not yet perfected your salah. Pray as if it your last salah.”

Shall we be alive until the next Salah? So let us pray as if it is our Salah. As it is truly said: Pray before people pray on you.

DAR-UL-MUSLIMEEN NEWSBITS

MILADUN NABI (SAWW) AT T.I.C. MADRASSAH

In collaboration with T.I.C. (Tanzania Ithna Ashariyyah Community), Dar-ul-Muslimeen arranged a Miladun Nabi Program at T.I.C. Madrassah, Chang’ombe (at the outskirts of Dodoma city), on Sunday 10^th May 2009.

Approximately 400 participants including ladies and children participated in the Milad Program which started from 9:00 a.m. up to 4:00 p.m. The program which witnessed recitation of Qasidas by various Madrassah children included three main speeches as below:

1. Seerah of the Prophet as per the teaching of Ahlulbayt (as) – By Sheikh Yassin Abdalla.

2. Seerah of the Prophet in our daily life – By Sheikh Seif Karombo.

3. Following Ahlulbayt (as) after the demise of the Prophet (as) – By Sheikh Mussa Kalasa.

The program which was attended by many Sunni brothers also witnessed Salatul Jama’ah prayed in unity by both the Shia and Sunni believers.

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