Importance of Salah/Namaz

Importance of Salah/Namaz

The most important part of Islam after tawheed (belief in oneness of Allah) and risalat (messengership) is salah (it is regular or ritual prayer). Too much emphasis is placed on salah so that it should be observed dutifully.

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that Allah says, "I have prescribed for your ummah as absolute obligatory duty. And I have bound Myself that everyone who offers these five prayers at their proper time, it is my responsibility to admit him to paradise. As for one who does not observe them, I have no responsibility for them".  (Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud)

Direct communication with Allah

"The closest a person is to His Lord is when he is in prostration."

Through prayer, you are able to connect with your Lord. The Arabic word for prayer (As-Salah) is actually derived from the Arabic word meaning “connection.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When any one of you stands to pray, he is communicating with his Lord, so let him pay attention to how he speaks to Him.” Don’t cut this relationship between you and your Creator.

Success lies in the Prayer

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The first of his deeds for which a man will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. If it is found to be perfect, he will be safe and successful. But if it is defective, he will be unfortunate and a loser.”

Protection From Satan:

Satan is an open enemy of believers and all what he tries is to make people go stray from the path of righteousness and go down in the path of oblivion and darkness. Satan tries to tempt a person in all the possible ways and when a person once listens to him, he gradually lures him or her down further into the pit of darkness. Therefore, seeking protection from Satan is also imperative for a Muslim. In Quran Allah Almighty says:

"Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist? (5:91)"

Leading To Taqwa:

Piety or righteousness is the prime objective which a Muslim has to achieve in this life. All the instructions, constraints, freedom, rights and education provided by Islam are with the objective that a Muslim becomes pious and moves on the righteous path. In this regard, prayer has a great role to play as it promotes Taqwa or piety in the follower. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who have Taqwa: who believe in the unseen, and who establish Salah, and spend out of what we have provided for them.” (2:2-3)

Therefore, in addition to giving charity and believing in the unseen, a Muslim must also establish Salah in order to move towards Taqwa.

Therefore, a Muslim must consider Salah as an effective weapon when it comes to fighting lewdness and evils of all sorts.