“Recite that which has been inspired by the Scripture (the Quran) and establish prayer. Lo! Prayer preserves from lewdness and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is more important. And Allah knows what you do.” [Surah Ankaboot, Verse 45]
In Islam, salah is regarded as the second pillar after the Shahada (testimony of faith). The main aim of salah is the worship of Allah SWT, which, according to the Quran, is what Allah made humans for. Allah says in the Quran,
“I created the jinn and humankind only so that they might worship Me.” [Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Verse 56]
The word salah is derived from the Arabic root word salat, which translates to link or communicate. Therefore, the word salah literally means a link or means communicating with Allah through the act of prayer. But Salah doesn’t only help to form a deeper connection with the Lord; it also helps to receive guidance and peace in difficult circumstances. When one prays five times a day, he isn’t only submitting to his Lord but also receiving numerous blessings and rewards for it.
Origin of Salah
While Muslims around the world observe the practice of praying five times a day, many may not be aware of the origins of this obligation. The significance of these five daily prayers dates back to the time when Muhammad (PBUH) was appointed as a prophet. It was during this pivotal period that Allah (SWT) sent down Jibreel (AS), who taught Muhammad (PBUH) the proper way to pray.
After roughly 11 years of his prophethood, Angel Jibreel took the Prophet PBUH on a miraculous night journey, also known as the event of Isra and Mi’raj. On this night, the Prophet PBUH visited all seven heavens, and that is where Allah SWT commanded the five prayers. Before that journey, Muslims practiced salah, but there was no specific number of times prescribed for their prayers.
The Journey
The full story of the ascent to heaven is quite lengthy, which is why only the last part of the story, where the prayers were commanded, is included below:
After reaching the seventh heaven, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) met Abraham, who welcomed him, saying, ‘You are welcome, O son and a prophet’. Then he was shown al-Bait al-Ma’mur (the house of Allah), where Jibreel A.S. explained that 70,000 angels pray daily. And when one group of angels has performed the prayers, they never get to come a second time.
The Prophet PBUH was shown the Sidrat al-Muntaha tree in the seventh heaven, with Nabk fruits resembling clay jugs from Hajr and leaves like elephant ears. From its roots flowed four rivers, two concealed and two visible. When the Prophet PBUH inquired about them, Jibreel A.S. informed him that the hidden rivers were in paradise, while the visible ones were the Nile and the Euphrates.
After this, fifty prayers were enjoined on the Prophet PBUH. The Prophet PBUH descended till he met Musa AS, who asked him what he had done. And the Prophet PBUH replied that fifty prayers were enjoined on him. Hearing this, Musa AS said that he knew the people better than the Prophet PBUH because he had the most difficult experience bringing the people of Israel to obedience. He further said to the Prophet PBUH that he couldn’t put up with such an obligation; therefore, he should return to his Lord and ask him to reduce the number of prayers.
Hearing this, the Prophet PBUH returned and asked Allah for a reduction, and Allah reduced the prayers to forty. Again, he returned to Musa AS and had the same discussion as before; therefore, he again went to Allah for reduction, and Allah reduced the prayers to thirty. This continued until Allah reduced the prayers to five. When the Prophet PBUH returned, Musa AS again told him to ask for a reduction, but the Prophet PBUH said that he had surrendered to Allah’s final order. Then the Prophet PBUH was addressed by Allah, and the Lord said, ‘I have established My command and lightened the load on My servants, and I will reward a single good action as though it were ten good actions.’
Significance Of Salah
Salah is a significant part of every Muslim’s life. It provides us with a chance to connect with Allah SWT. Apart from this, salah is the first thing that a person will be questioned about on the day of judgment, as highlighted in [Sunan an-Nasa’i 466]. Additionally, one of the key distinctions between a believer and a disbeliever is the practice of performing salah, as highlighted in [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2621].
The Five Prayers
Every Muslim has to pray all five prayers in a day. These prayers are:
- The Fajr prayer (the dawn prayer)
- The Zuhr prayer (the afternoon prayer)
- The Asr prayer (the late afternoon prayer)
- The Maghrib prayer (the sunset prayer)
- The Isha prayer (the night prayer)
All of these prayers must be prayed at their respective times. According to Islamic law, praying them at another time is not permissible unless one has missed a prayer and needs to make up for it.
Rakats In Prayers
The word rakat is derived from the Arabic language and means to bow. In terms of salah, it is described as a single cycle of the required actions and recitations that Muslims perform during salah. In each of the five obligatory prayers, there are a certain number of rakats of different types. Such as:
- Fard: Fard rakats refer to those rakats that are obligatory, and not performing these rakats is sinful unless one has missed it due to a valid reason.
- Wajib: Wajib rakats are also obligatory, and one who doesn’t perform them is sinful. The majority of the scholars state that both wajib and fard rakats are the same, except for the Hanafi scholars and Imam Ahmed. Their opinion is that Fard refers to actions or obligations that are established through clear and definitive evidence. At the same time, Wajib pertains to those that are supported by ambiguous or less certain evidence.
- Sunnah: Sunnah rakats are those rakats that the Prophet PBUH used to offer. There is a difference of opinion among the scholars about leaving these prayers. Some say that it is not sinful, but the one who doesn’t perform these prayers is missing out on a great reward. The other opinion states that missing these prayers is sinful, but the sin is lesser than the sin of missing obligatory prayers.
- Nafl: Nafl rakats are voluntary rakats. If somebody misses them, there is no sin in that, but they offer immense rewards.
Missing the Prayers
Usually, there are two reasons why one misses a prayer.
- The person missed it for a reason, such as they fell asleep or they forgot about the prayer.
- The person missed the prayer without any excuse because he ignored the time of the prayer till it ended out of either carelessness or laziness.
According to Islamic law, if one misses the prayer according to the first reason, there is no sin on him. However, the person has to make up for the prayer as soon as he wakes up or remembers.
The Prophet Muhammad PBUH stated that “if someone forgets to pray or falls asleep and misses a prayer, they should perform it as soon as they remember. There is no other way to make up for that missed prayer.” [Sunan Abi Dawud 442]
As for the second reason, missing prayer out of laziness is a major sin, and there is no making up for it except that the one who misses the prayer should repent to Allah immediately, offer a lot of voluntary prayers, and do good deeds so that on the Day of Judgement.
Making Up For Prayers As A Woman
No matter how many prayers a woman misses during her prayer, she doesn’t have to make up for them. This is a mercy from the Lord, and all scholars agree upon this. Not only periods, but a woman who is having blood loss after childbirth also doesn’t have to make up for their missed prayers.
Mu’adha al-‘Adawiya asked ‘A’isha why menstruating women must compensate for missed fasts but not for prayers. ‘ A’isha explained, “This was the practice during our time; we were instructed to make up our fasts, but we were not commanded to make up our prayers.” [Mishkat al-Masabih 2032]
Punishment for Not Praying
In the Quran, Allah says that the people of hell will be asked, ‘What caused you to enter hell?’ and they will reply, ‘We were the ones who didn’t offer salah.’
[Surah Muddaththir Verse 42-43]
Apart from the punishment of hellfire, other things can happen in a Muslim’s worldly life when they abandon prayer. Therefore, one should make it his top priority to offer all their prayers so they can better their earthly life and akhirah.