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 Assalam 'alaikum,

                   You and Islam : Ritual Prayers
                   ******************************
                   
                           (Part 1)
                    
                             
  This platform would afford fellow netters  opportunities to speak
  about (or against) what they see to be wrong in their vicinity,
  especially as they affect muslims. I am motivated to initiate this
  forum because of the sayings of the Prophet that go thus:
  
 1) "whoever sees anything disaproves by Allah and His Prophet,
     he should correct it with his hand, if this is not possible, 
     he should do so  with the tongue and if this is not possible
     then with the heart and this is the weakest of it all".
     
 2)  "No zamani (period, time or era) will come upon you, the
      zamani that will follow it will be worse" 
       (Sahih Bukhari, vol 9, p. 152).
       
       Therefore, if we don't want the  generation that will follow
       us to be ignorant of the basic things which we should know and pass
       them on to our brethrens, children and new comers (to Islam),
       it is time to join hands to bring to light practices that are
       oddity to Islam.

    
    I am starting with salat because it is the delienator between
    a muslim and a kafir.  I will assume everyone is familiar with
    salat. 
    
    The impetus for this article arises from  what I observed in  
    all mosques I visited in this locality. There is a very serious and
    bad trend  among muslims which I noticed and I presume it is 
    general across the world. I entered a mosque to say Zuhr prayer,
    four brothers came in at different intervals  during the course of 
    my prayer and Wallahi they all finished their prayers b/4 me. One
    thing  I noticed was that a four-rakah prayer was done in less             
than two minutes (you can imagine the speed!).  I drew the 
    attention of these brothers to what they have done, some were 
    appreciative other say they have no time to do it better.
    What made me sad was that they hanged on to drink tea and spent
    more than an hour chatting to others on frivolous matters. 
    I am pretty sure you may be in the  same shoe and so the need 
    for this article.
    
    Let's take an hadeeth in Sahih Al-Bukahri:
    
       Narrated by Abu Huraira: A man entered the mosque while 
       Allah's Apostle(S.A.W) was sitting in one side of the mosque. 
       The man prayed (in a hurry), came, and greeted the Prophet
       (S.A.W). Allah's Apostle(SAW) said to him,  Wa 'alaika-s-salam. 
       Go back and pray as you have not prayed (properly). The man
       returned, repeated his prayer, came back and greeted the 
       Prophet (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) said:  Wa 'alaika-s-salam.
       Go back and pray  again as you have not prayed (properly). 
       The man said at the second or third time, `O Allah's Apostle!
       kindly teach me how to pray'. The Prophet said,  when you 
       stand for prayer, perform ablution properly and then face the
       qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite what you 
       know from the Qur'an, and then bow with CALMNESS till you feel
       at EASE then rise from bowing, till you stand STRAIGHT, and then 
       prostrate CALMLY (and remain in prostration) till you feel at EASE,     
   and then raise (your head) and sit with CALMNESS till you feel
       at EASE and then prostrate with CALMNESS ( and remain in 
       prostration) till you feel at EASE, and then raise (your head)
       and sit with CALMNESS till you feel at EASE in the sitting
       position, and do likewise in the whole of your prayer.
       (Sahih Al-Bukhari vol 8, p. 176-177, Hadith No 268)
     
   Even though You and I did not see the Prophet praying, this very
   hadeeth is sufficient to summarise the way the Prophet used to
   pray. The capital letters are mine, just for emphasis. The key
   words are Calmness and Ease in every genuflexion.
   
    In another saying of the Prophet he said: 
    "Pray as you see me praying". If we are ignorant of the way
    the Prophet prayed lets kindly go over the hadeeth (above) carefully.
    No rushing, no hurry and every genuflexion is properly observed.
    
    In another Hadeeth (often called hadeeth Jibril). The Prophet
    said: "worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, if you can not
    see Him, know that He sees you". We may ask ourselves, a muslim
    who rushes prayer how can he think of Allah properly? it
    is important therefore that  we understand what we utter from the
    mouth in our prayers. This way we may attain piety!
     
    The Prophet said:
    "La yasi'ada ilallah ila taeb" (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
    meaning "Nothing ascends to Allah except that which is good". If
    our prayers are not good ones, obviously they will be rejected.
    
    In another saying of The Prophet: 
    "Allah is good, He will not accept anything except that 
    which is good". 
    
    Let me coin a similitude: suppose you come home to eat lunch  one
    afternoon and the food prepared for you by your wife is not 
    properly cooked. How would  you feel? Unhappy of course! 
    Mankind love good food but  not good prayers to Allah. Does it
    not occur to you that  the most delicious food you may eat, 
    will only last, at most, six hours in the stomach; and  its  final 
    place  is toilet?  Qur'an reminds you:
    "A day when mankind will remember what he has strived for"
     (yawma yatazakaru linsanu ma sa'a)(Q. 79:35)
     
    The reward of good prayers is with the Omnipotent Being (Allah)
    and we shall be recompensed for it on the Day when Wealth and 
    Children will be of no use (Qur'an)  (yawma la yenfau maalu wala
    banun).
    
    

                       (PART 2)
                       
        
     Today we shall continue the discussion and examine various
     Quranic verses which remind us of the need to be  God-conscious
     in prayers. It does appear we have turned everything in prayers
     to mere symbols and consequently many of us are marking time
     instead of reaping the benefits and rewards of our prayers.
     
     As if Allah is cursing us:
     
     "Woe to the worshippers who are unmindful of their prayers"
     (Qur'an 107:4-5)
     
     Yusuf Ali has this to say on these verses: "true worship does
     not consist in the mere form of prayer, without the HEART and
     MIND being EARNESTLY applied to seek the realization of the
     presence of Allah, and to understand and do His Holy Will".
     
     To be excempted from the curse of Allah, it is a MUST that
     both our HEARTS and MINDS are atuned to Allah whenever we
     are in His presence in  ritual prayers. That is why
     Qur'an admonishes as follows:
     
       "Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the
        middle prayer; and stand before Allah in devout (frame
        of mind)" (Q. 2:238)
     
     also,
     
       "Successfull indeed are believers. Those who humble
        themselves in their prayers" (Q. 23:1-2)
     
    
       "And who (strictly) guard their prayers.
        These will be the heirs (warithuna).
        Who will inherit paradise: they will dwell
        therein (for ever)" (Q. 23:9-11).
      
    We can see an interplay between  believer's success and prayer.
    In fact, one of the conditions for a believer to tarry in paradise
    is proper observance of prayers in an humble way. Obviously one
    who rushes and unmindful of his prayers will
    (1) not recite the  Quranic verses  and the suplications in 
        bowing and prostration correctly and properly.
    (2) not understand and comprehend what are being recited in bowing
        and prostration.
    (3) not feel the presence of His Creator (Allah) and so
        unconscious of Allah.
        
        
    Let's look at the timing of salat. Qur'an warns:
    
      "...verily, salat is an obligation on the believers
       to be OBSERVED AT ITS APPOINTED TIME" (Q. 4:103)
     
    I have seen muslims who are in the habit of combining
    Zuhr and Asr prayers for no any reasons other than they have
    no time to leave wordly materials to obey Allah. This is a
    popular phenomenon among students, especially those who care to
    pray. Islam, as we all know, is a complete way of life, we cannot
    obey one aspect of it and reject any other ones. That is why
    Qur'an declares that:
    
      "Enter into Islam wholeheartedly, and do not follow the
       footstep of shaitain, for he is to you and avoe enemy" 
       (Surat Baqarah)
     
   Be reminded that the purpose of our creation is to be Allah's
   votaries, failure on our part to fulfil this, carries a severe
   chastisement.
   

   Another aspect I would like to touch upon is the way we recite
   Tasbih after salat. The three things which are generally said are
   (1) Sunuhanallah (2) Alihamdulillah (3) Allahu Akbar, each 33 times.
   I noticed that these things are not pronounced completely and
   correctly. Just experiment it yourself. If you know a brother
   who recites his loudly, try to hear him reciting them after one
   congregational prayer. Wallahi, you will be surprised that
   what he is actually saying is
   
   (1) suba, suba,.... (2) Aliham, Aliham,.... (3) Allabr, Allabr,.....
   
   Truly, NOT that he cannot say it well, but the speed in which they are
   recited reduces the rythm to what I have pointed out. I know, we
   may be the exact person, but for Allah's sake, lets recite
   and pronounce these words  completely and as accurately as possible.
   This can  be achieved  ONLY if we do not rush them.
   
   To sum up, it is time to place the fear of Allah above all things.
   Our prayers, if we want them to be accepted, must be said the way
   the Prophet taught his saabah (see Part 1). We should be mindful
   of prayers and always stand before Allah in complete devotion and the
   prayers must be said at their correct time. Again Qur'an says:
   
   "Enjoin prayer on your family and be CONSTANT therein.
   We ask you not to provide substenance:WE provide it
   for you. But the hereafter is for righteousness" (Q. 20:132)
   

  
                       (PART 3)
               
   One cannot do two things at a time.  In the familiar phrase,
   one cannot use a stone to kill two birds.  When a muslim stands
   for prayer, any worldly things must not be allowed to distract
   his/her concentration. But the reverse is the case---a praying
   muslim would want to know/see everyone that enters the mosque. 
   This is where we invite shaitan.
   
      Narrated 'Aisha (R.A): I asked the Prophet (S.A.W) about
      one looking here and there during the prayer. He replied
      "it is what shaitan steals from the prayer of any one of you".
      (source: Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol 4., p.326).
   
   Remember that the Qur'an says: 
      "We have not created any man with two hearts"
   and so, we cannot stand before Allah and tune the heart to
   another  place or things. If it is the "here and there" looking
   that our hearts desire,  we should satisfy it first before the
   prayer. Even if it is hunger that we want to quench,  lets do so first
   before sallat.
   
     Narrated Anas bn Malik(R.A): The Prophet (S.A.W) said,
     "If super is served and the iqama for (Ishai) prayer
      is proclaimed, start with your super first"
      (source: Sahih Al-Bukahri, vol. 7, p.269)
     
   Sometimes we deliberately invite shaitan. Imagine
   a muslim who decorates his room with series of pictures, how do 
   we expect him,seeing these pictures, to fully concentrate in his 
   prayer? Also, one who puts on his radio to listen to news and then
   assume prayer, how can he be attentive in prayer? In short, all these
   lukeworm attitudes are  signs of unseriousness and lack of fear of
   Allah. We seem to me immersed in the love of material things of
   this world.
   
     "Yet you prefer this present life, while the life to come 
      is better and longer lasting" (Qur'an 87:16-17)
    
     "What is the life of this world but amusement and play?
      But verily the home in the Hereafter---that is life indeed,
      if they but knew." (Q. 29:64)
   
     "Those who desire the life of the present and its glitter---
      to them WE shall pay (the price of) their deeds THEREIN
      without diminution" (Q. 11:15)
   
   
     "The material  (worldly) things which ye are given are but
      the CONVENIENCES of this life and the glitters thereof, but
      that which is with Allah is better and more enduring: 
      WILL YE NOT THEN BE WISE?" (Q 28:60).
   
   Tens of these verses appear repeatedly in several places in the 
   Qur'an reminding us of what the struggle in this world is
   all about. Or
   
     "Do they not ponder over the Qur'an or are their hearts block
      from within" (Qur'an)
    
   What is  then left in our deeds? We rush prayers, look here and there 
   in prayers, thereby allowing shaitan  to reduce the weight of the
   prayers. We struggle for worldly materials than  righteousness.
   Above all,
     "you love wealth passionately" (Q. 89:20)
   
   And Qur'an says:
   
     "By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you
      give (freely) of that which you love and whatever you
      give, of a truth Allah knows it well" (Qur'an).
   
   How does shaitan interfere in our prayers? 
   
      Narrated Abu Huraira (R.A): The Prophet said, "When the
      call for the prayer is pronounced, shaitan takes to his
      heels, passing wind with noise. When the call for the
      prayer is finished, he comes back. And when the iqama is
      pronounced, he again takes to his heels, and after its completion,
      he returns again to interfere between (the praying) person
      and his heart, saying to him "Remember this or that thing" till
      the person forgets whether he has offered three or four raka'ah:
      so if one forgets whether he has prayed 3 or 4 raka'ah, he should
      perform 2 prostrations od sahw(forgetfulness)"
      (source: Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 4, p.324).
   
   Finally, we should know how to pass before the praying person
   as well as preventing it.
   
      Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "if while
      you are praying somebody intends to pass in front of you,
      prevent him; and should he insist, prevent him again; and if
      he insists again, fight with him (i.e prevent him violently)
      because such a person is (like) a devil (shaitan)".
      (source: Sahih Al-Bukahri, vol 4, p. 319)
   
   Practically one could afford being disturbed by staying clear
   off the door in which those who finished their prayer will pass.
   
   I pray Allah to guide us to His right path. If we pray the
   way we are supposed to pray, certainly, there will be no fear
   and apprehension whenever we are faced with difficulties.
   
   
     "Verily, this is an admonition: therefore, whoso will,
      let him take a (straight) path to his Lord!" (Q. 73:19) 
    
    Wasalam 'alaikum,
    
    Abdul lateef Bello.

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