The
Virtue and Significance of Solāh
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-`ālamīn.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad,
Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.
Solāh occupies an immense status in Islam that
is not shared by any other act of worship. It is not only the pillar of the
religion erases sins, but it is the first thing for which a person will be
brought to account on the Day of Resurrection.
The significance is as follows:
1 - It is the pillar of the religion, which
cannot stand without it.
According to a hadīth
narrated by Abu
Abdul Rahman whose real name is Mu’adz Ibn Jabal (radiyallāhu’anhu), the Messenger of Allāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Shall I not tell you of the head of the whole matter and
its pillar and top?” I [Mu'adz] said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allāh." He
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is Solāh and its top is
jihad” [Narrated by al-Tirmidzi, 2616; classified as sahīh by al-Albāni
in Sahīh al-Tirmidzi, 2110].
2 - It is second in status to the Shahādatayn
(twin testimony of faith) as further proof of the soundness of a person's
belief and as visible evidence of the beliefs that reside in the heart.
The Messenger of Allāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Islam is built
on five [pillars]: the testimony that there is no god but Allāh and that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger, establishing
Solāh, paying zakāh, performing pilgrimage to the House, and fasting
Ramadhān” [Narrated by al-Bukhāri, 8; Muslim, 16].
Establishing Solāh means
performing Solāh in full with all its words and actions, at the appointed
times, as it says in the Qur'an (interpretation of the meaning):
Transliteration: 'Inna Aş-Şalāta
Kānat ‘Alá Al-Mu’uminīna Kitābān Mawqūtān
"Verily, As-Solāh (the Solāh) is enjoined
on the believers at fixed hours" [Al-Nisā' 4:103]. i.e., Solat is performed at
defined times.
3 - Solāh occupies a special position among
other acts of worship because of the way in which it was enjoined.
It was not brought down
to earth by an angel, rather Allāh wanted to bless His Messenger Muhammad
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) by taking him up to heaven and addressing him
directly concerning the obligation of Solāh. This is something that is unique
to Solāh among all the rituals of Islam.
Solāh was enjoined on
the night of the Mi'rāj (Prophet's ascension to heaven), approximately three
years before the Hijrah.
Fifty Solāhs (per day)
were enjoined at first, and then the number was reduced to five, but the reward
of fifty remains. This is indicative of Allāh's love of Solāh and its great
status.
4 - Allāh erases sins by means of Solāh
Abu Hurayrah narrated
that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “What do you think if there was a river by the door of
any one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, would there be any trace
of dirt left on him?” They said, "No trace of dirt would be left on him''
He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “That
is like the five daily Solāh, by means of which Allāh erases sin”.
[Al-Bukhari (528) and Muslim (667)]
5 - Solāh is the last part of religion to be
lost, and if it is lost the whole religion is lost.
It was narrated that
Jabir ibn 'Abdallāh (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: The
Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Between a man and shirik [associating others with Allāh] and kufur
[disbelief] there stands his giving up Solāh” [Narrated by Muslim,
82].
Hence the Muslim should
be keen to perform the Solāh on time, and not be lazy or take the matter
lightly. Allāh says (interpretation of the meaning):
Transliteration: Fawaylun
Lilmuşallīna, Al-Ladhīna Hum ‘an Şolātihim Sāhūna
"So woe unto those performers of Solāh
(hypocrites); Those who delay their Solah (Solāh from their stated fixed
times)"
[Al-Mā'ūn 107:4-5].
And Allāh warns those
who cause their Solāh to be lost by saying (interpretation of the meaning):
Transliteration: Fakhalafa Min
Ba’dihim Khalfun ‘adā‘ū Aş-Şalāta Wa Attaba`ū Ash-Shahawāti Fasawfa Yalqawna
Ghayyān
"Then,
there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Solāh [i.e. made
their Solāh to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them
perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have
followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell" [Maryam 19:59].
6 - Solāh is the first thing for which a
person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection.
It was narrated that Abu
Hurayrah (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: I heard the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) say: “The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day
of Resurrection will be his Solāh. If
it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded, but if it is bad then he
will be doomed and have lost. If
anything is lacking from his obligatory Solāh, the Lord will say, 'Look and see
whether My slave did any voluntary Solāhs, and make up the shortfall in his
obligatory Solāh from that.' Then all his deeds will be dealt with
likewise” [Narrated by Al-Nasa'ie, 465; Al-Tirmidzi, 413: sahīh].
We ask Allāh to help us
to remember Him, give thanks to Him and to worship Him properly.
Solāh is consisting of pillars, duties, and Sunnan. The Spirit of Solāh is intention, devotion, and contemplation of heart. Without the contemplation, invocation is of no avail since this will be futile utterance. By the same token, all other acts of Solāh will not bring forth its avowed fruits of the act of Qiyam (standing) that connotes the observation and Sujud (prostration) that implies humility and glorification, which will never be attained without attention (khusyuk).
Allāh, Most Exalted Says: "It is not their meat or their blood that reaches Allāh: it is your piety that reaches Him." (Al-Hajj: 37)
It is now clear that what counts most in the Sight of Allāh, Most Exalted, is the state of the heart, by which one submits to the commands of Allāh. In this way alertness and mindfulness are required in Solāh even if a lapse of negligence is pardoned by the Allāh as long as consciousness dominates it.
And Allāh Almighty Knows
best.
[Reference: Al-Solāh by
Dr. Al-Tayyaar, p. 16; Tawdīh Al-Ahkām by Al-Bassām, 1/371; Tārīkh Mashrū'iyyat
Al-Solāh by Al-Balūshi, p. 31.]
[Via Islam Q&A]
Addendum 1:
the Virtue of Wudhu’ and Nawafil Wudhu’
In
a narration by Humran who related that he observed `Uthman Ibn `Affan (radhiyallāhu`anhu) performing his Wudhu': `Uthman would washed his hands thrice, rinsed his mouth and then
washed his nose, by putting water in it and then blowing it out, and washed his
face thrice, and then washed his right forearm up to the elbow thrice, and then
the left forearm up to the elbow thrice, then wiped his head with water, washed
his right foot thrice, and then his left foot thrice and said, “I saw Allāh's
Messenger (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) performing wudhu’ similar to the one
I’ve just performed, and then Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) said: ‘Whoever performs Wudhu’ (as I’ve just done)
and then offers two raka`at (of Nawafil Wudhu’) in which he does not think of
worldly things, all his previous sins will be forgiven’.” [This is
recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Addendum 11:
The
Measure of an Acceptable Solāh.
1 - Consciousness: It means to show
indifference to all worldly interests and have absolute consciousness of Allāh subhānahu
wa ta`ala. The cause of such consciousness is decisive intention since the man
who has decisive intention to do something, necessarily puts his heart to it.
Consciousness, in fact, differs according to the strength of belief in the
Hereafter and scorn of this world. Therefore, if you miss consciousness in
Solāh, you should know that the root-cause of this is weakness of faith, and so
you should exert yourself to strengthen and bolster it.
2 - Reflection on the
words; this is the second step after consciousness: Consciousness may be
present without grasping the meaning, and so attention should be directed to
grasping the meaning by refraining from thinking of other matters.
3 - Glorification and
fear of Allāh subhānahu wa ta`ala, which emanate from two facts: realizing the
Majesty and Magnificence of Allāh, and looking down upon one's self, which
would result in humility and consciousness. Hope is also an important factor in
Solāh. The one who offers Solāh should hope for the reward of Allāh, and fear
the punishment due to his imperfection.
• The worshiper should
contemplate on every act of Solāh: When he hears the Adzān (Call to Solāh),
he should remember the call on the Day
of Judgment, and prepare himself to the answer, thinking how to reply. When
the worshiper covers his private parts, he should remember his concealed vices
which no one knows except Allāh, Most Exalted, and which require repentance.
• When the worshiper
faces the Qiblah (Direction of Solāh), he turns his face towards the House of
Allāh and turns his back to all other directions. No doubt, directing his heart
towards Allāh is worthwhile.
• When you say: "Allāh
is Greatest", your heart should not belie your tongue. If you believe that
there is something greater than Allāh, you will be a liar. Be cautious.
• When you say: "I
seek refuge in Allāh from the accursed Satan", you should take into
account that you resort to Allāh subhānahu wa ta`ala. In this case, if
your heart is not in tune with your tongue, what you say will be nonsense and
irrational. Try to grasp the meaning of what you say.
• When
you say: "Praise be to Allāh, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the
Worlds," you should ponder over the meaning of these words. Also,
you reflect on Allāh's mercy when you read: "Most Gracious, Most Merciful". Think about Allāh's power
when you read: "Master of the Day
of Judgment".
In this way, one should reflect on what he reads or say in Solāh.
It
is reported that Zararah Ibn Abi Awfa (radiyallāhu`anhu) fell dead when he
recited the Qur`anic verse, "Finally, when the
trumpet is sounded." [Al-Muddathir: 8] which is, no doubt, was due
to his imagination of this horrible scene.
• When ruku’, observe humility
to your Lord.
Likewise, you should be more humble when prostrating since you place yourself
in its proper and original position, namely, the earth from which you have been
created. In this case, try to reflect on what you say.
• Finally, you should
know that performing Solāh in such a manner purifies and enlightens the heart,
which, in turn, could behold the Glory of Allāh. In fact, no one but
the devout scholars can grasp these meanings.
In
contrast, whoever performs Solāh without observing its requirements would in no
way grasp its significance? Such a man, furthermore, may exceed the limit and
deny its existence.
Allāh
Almighty knows best.
[Excerpted with slight modification, from Ibn Qudamah ‘Al-Maqdisi's Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasidin’,
published by Darul-Manarah for Translation, Publishing and Distribution, Egypt,
2001.]
[Via Islam Online]
