Cleanliness (Taharat)
The Holy Prophet has stated, “The key to paradise is Prayer (Salaat), and the key to Prayer is cleanliness.” (Saheeh Muslim). Here cleanliness means that the place of prayer and the person’s clothes should be clean. Furthermore, the person should be clean from the greater and smaller impurities – i.e. he should not be in need of a bath (Ghusl) and should be with ablution (Wuzu).
The Holy Prophet said: “The angels of mercy do not enter a house in which there is an image, a dog or a person in a state of greater impurity (Janabah).” (Abu Dawood).
The water to be used
Water used for bathing or for ablution must be in its natural state – i.e. free from color, smell, and taste. Furthermore, it must be unused. If the body is free from impurities, the water once used for bathing or ablution still remains pure, but cannot be used again for bathing or ablution. Similarly if one is in need of ablution or bath, and he dips or touches the water with any unwashed (un-purified) part of his body (finger, nail, hand, etc), it will render the water as used – and therefore not useful for ablution or bathing. Using such water for drinking or cooking is disliked (Makrooh). However, this water can be used for washing clothes.
In order to make “used” water capable of being used for bathing or ablution, add clean unused water in greater quantity to it – or simply pour more clean unused water into the utensil so that the utensil begins to overflow. This will make the entire water usable for bathing or ablution.
Surah Dukhan Kay Fazail
The Prayers Of The Pious
Every Prayer should be offered like a person who is certain that it is the last Prayer of his life. Hazrat Hatim Balkhi (may Allah have mercy upon him) was once questioned as to how he offered his Prayers. He answered, “When it is time for Prayer, I do a proper ablution and stand calmly on the prayer mat. I imagine that the Holy Kaaba is in front of me, Paradise on my right, hell on my left, and that I am standing on the thin bridge (of the Day of Resurrection) – and that the angel of death is above me and that this is the last Prayer of my life. Then with utmost humility I proclaim “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)” and keeping the meanings in mind, I recite the Holy Quran – and with extreme reverence and humility, I complete the Prayers. I then hope that Allah will accept it by His mercy, and fear that it may be rejected because of the shortcomings of my deeds.”
Such is the Prayer of the Friends of Allah !! May Allah guide us to follow in the footsteps of His friends. Aameen.
Dua Mein Pukhtagi Aur Qabooliyat Par Mukamal Yaqeen
The Importance Of Reverence And Humility
The Holy Prophet states: “Worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot do this, then you must at least be certain that He is looking at you.” (Saheeh Bukhari)
The Holy Prophet states: “Whoever offers all his Prayers on time after a perfect ablution, stands with humility and reverence, prostrates and bows with calm, and offers the entire Prayer in a good manner – so that Prayer becomes a radiating one and prays for him thus: O the offerer of Prayer !! May Allah guard you the way you have guarded me. And as regards the one who offers the Prayer poorly – that is without proper ablution, and not even prostrating and bowing correctly – then the Prayer curses him thus: May Allah ruin you the way you have ruined me. Then the Prayer is folded and thrown back at his face like a used (dirty) cloth.” (Tibrani).
The Holy Prophet once said: “The worst thief is one who steals during the Prayer” The companions, therefore, asked “O the Messenger of Allah !! How does he steal in Prayer”? He answered “He does not prostrate or bow correctly.” (Musnad Imaam Ahmed & Tibrani)
In yet another Hadith, glad tidings of salvation have been given to those who regularly offer their Prayers with humility and reverence. (Abu Dawood).
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him) states: “The reverent ones are those who fear Allah and offer their Prayers with calm.”
It is clear from the above that Prayer must be offered with reverence, humility, and calm, keeping in mind all its requirements.
The Excellence Of Offering Prayer In The Congregation (With Jamaat)
The Holy Prophet has said: “The Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven times superior to the prayer offered by a person alone.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
The Holy Prophet found some people absenting themselves from specific Prayers and he said: “I intend to order someone to lead people in Prayer, and then go to the persons who do not join the (congregational) Prayer and then order their houses to be burnt by the bundles of fuel. If one amongst them were to know that he would find a fat fleshy bone he would attend the Night Prayer.” (Muslim & Abu Dawood)
Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) reported that the Holy Prophet said: “A man’s prayer in congregation is more valuable by twenty degrees and some above them as compared with his Prayer in his house and his market, for when he performs ablution doing it well, then goes out to the mosque, and he is impelled (to do so) only by (the love of congregational) Prayer, he has no other objective before him but Prayer. He does not take a step without being raised a degree for it and having a sin remitted for it, till he enters the mosque. When he is busy in Prayer after having entered the mosque, the angels continue to invoke blessing on him as long as he is in his place of worship saying: O Allah, show him mercy, and pardon him !! Accept his repentance (and the angels continue this supplication for him) so long as he does not do any harm in it, or as long as his ablution is not broken.” (Saheeh Muslim)
Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him) reported that the Holy Prophet said: “If anyone hears him who makes the call to Prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse (he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness) the Prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.” (Abu Dawood)
If the one who misses the congregational Prayer knew what reward lay in it for him, he would come to it slithering. (Tibrani)
Malaika Yani Farishton Ka Bayan
Islah e Muashra Mein Khawateen Ka Kirdar
The Blessings Of Prayer
The Holy Prophet said: “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?” The Companions said: “Not a trace of dirt would be left.” The Prophet added, “That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah annuls evil deeds.” (Saheeh Bukhari & Saheeh Muslim)
Here “evil deeds” mean the lesser sins. The cardinal sins are forgiven only after repentance and giving the people their due rights.
It is recorded in Mishkaat Shareef that once during the winter season, the Holy Prophet caught hold of a tree branch and shook it, causing its leaves to fall. He then said: “When a Muslim offers Prayer, seeking Allah’s pleasure, his sins fall off as these leaves did.”
The Holy Prophet has also said: “For the one who is regular in his Prayer, the Prayer will become a light, a guide and the cause of his salvation on the Day of Resurrection. Whereas the one who is not regular in his Prayers, will not have any light, guide, or salvation – and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be along with Qaroon, Firaun, Hamaan, Ubai bin Khalaf” – i.e. with the major infidels. (Mishkaat)
Another blessing of Prayer is that all hardships are resolved through it, and the offerer gains solace from it. Hazrat Huzaifah (may Allah be well pleased with him) says that whenever the Holy Prophet was faced with any difficulty, he used to turn his attention toward Prayer. (Abu Dawood)