The First Thing You Will Be Asked By Allah SWT
In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
“May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You”
Praise be to Allah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds.
Whomsoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam ‘ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
The Order To Establish the Salah in the Quran
“Verily, I am Allah. There is no god but I: So serve thou Me (only), and establish regular prayer for My remembrance.” {Sura Ta-ha, ayah 14}
“Establish regular prayers – at the suns decline till the darkness of the night, and the recital of the Quran in the morning prayer: for the recital of the dawn is witnessed.” (Sura Al-Isra, ayah # 78)
Note: How many of us sleep through this blessed time of Fajr Salah and lose this great reward!
“And be steadfast in prayer; give Zakat; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship).” (Sura Al-Baqarah, ayah 43)
“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah. For Allah sees well all that you do.” (Sura Al-Baqarah, ayah 110)
“Guard strictly your prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).” (Sura Al-Baqarah, ayah 238)
“Those that turn (to Allah) in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that wander in devotion to the Cause of Allah, : that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limit set by Allah.- (these do rejoice). So proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers.” (Sura Al-Tauba, ayah 112)
“(They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayerand give Zakat, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.” (Sura Al-Hajj, ayah 41)
The Importance of Salah in Hadiths.
Narrated Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: Five prayers and from one Friday prayer to (the next) Friday prayer is an expiation (of the sins committed in between their intervals) if major sins are not committed. (Sahih Muslim Book 2, Number 0448)
Narrated Abu Huraira (radi Allahu anhu): I heard Allah’s Apostle (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) saying, “If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day, would you notice any dirt on him?” They said, “Not a trace of dirt would be left.” The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) added, “That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds.” (Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 1, Book 10, Hadith # 506)
Narrated Uthman ibn Affan (radi Allahu anhu) Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) at the time of our returning from our prayer told us (certain things pertaining to purification). He said: I do not know whether I should tell you a thing or keep quiet. We said: Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), tell us if it is good and if it is otherwise, Allah and Messenger (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) know better. Upon thi,s he (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: A Muslim who purifies (himself) and completes purification as enjoined upon him by Allah and then offers the prayers, which will be expiation (of his sins he committed) between these (prayers). (Sahih Muslim Book 2, Hadith # 0444)
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu) Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: The similitude of five prayers is like an overflowing river passing by the gate of one of you in which he washes five times daily. Hasan said: No filthiness can remain on him. (Sahih Muslim Book 4, Hadith # 1411)
Narrated Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) Rasualullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Martyrs are those who die because of drowning, plague, an abdominal disease, or of being buried alive by a falling building.” And then he added, “If the people knew the Reward for the Zuhr prayer in its early time, they would race for it. If they knew the reward for the ‘Isha’ and the Fajr prayers in congregation, they would join them even if they had to crawl. If they knew the reward for the first row, they would draw lots for it.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 688)
Narrated Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu): Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Allah will prepare for him who goes to the mosque in the morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer) an honorable place in Paradise with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon going. (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 631)
Narrated Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) Rasualullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the Isha prayers and if they knew the reward for these prayers at their respective times, they would certainly present themselves (in the mosques) even if they had to crawl.”
The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) added, “Certainly I wish to order the Muadh-dhin (call-maker) to pronounce Iqama and order a man to lead the prayer and then take a fire flame to burn all those who had not left their houses so far for the prayer along with their houses.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 626)
Note: We should see the importance of Fajr and Isha salah in the Masjid.
Narrated Abu Huraira (radi Allahu anhu): “Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “The angels keep on asking Allah’s forgiveness for any of you, as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and he does not pass wind (Hadath). They say, ‘O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! Be Merciful to him.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Hadith #436)
Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) 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.” [Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503.]
Note: for those who say ‘I don’t pray, but my heart is clean should take this warning from Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and establish the prayer before they are brought to account in front of Allah (SWT)!
Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Allah has obligated five prayers. Whoever excellently performs their ablutions, prays them in their proper times, completes their bows, prostrations, and khushu [Khushu in the prayer is where the person’s heart is attuned to the prayer.] has a promise from Allah that He will forgive him. And whoever does not do that has no promise from Allah. He may either forgive him or punish him.” [Recorded by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa and others. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol. 1, p. 616.]
Warning Against Abandoning Salah
Allah (SWT) says, “Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e., made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad SAW), and work righteousness. Such will enter Paradise, and they will not be wronged in aught.” (Sura Maryam, ayat 59-60)
Note: Here we see what is the place for those who have abandoned the prayer, but Allah (SWT) is the most merciful and gives us chances to repent and be saved.
Allah SWT says in Sura Al-Maun “So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites), Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times, Those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men),” (Sura Al-Maun , ayat 4 – 6)
Note: This ayah shows us that we have to pray our Salah on its fixed timings and not delay them without a valid reason (i.e. traveling, jihad, etc,) and how much we need to have sincerity in our prayer and do it only for Allah (swt).
Allah (SWT) further warns us in the Quran, “O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers.” (Sura Al-Munaafiqoon, ayah 9)
Informing us about the inhabitants of Hell, Allah (SWT) says,”(The people in Hell will be asked:) What has caused you to enter Hell? They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer their Salat (prayers). Nor did we feed the poor. And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain-talkers. And we used to believe in the Day of Recompense. Until there came to us that which is certain (i.e., death). So no Intercession of intercessors will benefit them. (Sura Al-Muddaththir, ayah 42-48)
Rasulullah(Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “The covenant between us and them is prayer, so if anyone abandons it, he has become a disbeliever.” (Agreed upon by Ahmad, Tirmidhee, and Nasaa’ee to be authentic)