بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Many of us in our time have this question roaming around in our minds causing our curiosity to overwhelm us. It seems that many are given an answer to this which approaches the question from the wrong angle:
- You will go to hell if you do not pray.
This is not how Islam should be portrayed even to the young who are simply looking for answers. We begin by quoting from the book of Allah:
“Certainly will the believers have succeeded: They who are during their prayer humbly submissive” 23:1, 23:2
The introduction to Surah Al-Muminoon gives us the first attribute of a true believer and that is the prayer. Not only those who pray, but those who pray with submission. A lot of us these days perform the actions of prayer yet our minds are floating elsewhere. Allah mentioned this first as a sign to the people that the first step towards becoming a mu’min (believer) is with the Salah.
Unlike any other religion our prayer is unique and performed 5 times a day and there are multiple reasons for this. First off we are sinners. We sin day and night. Allah prescribed the Salah as a way of forgiveness and mercy:
- The Salah itself is a forgiveness of sins as mentioned in the authentic narration: “The five daily prayers and Jumu’ah to Jumu’ah is an expiation of the sins committed between those times so long as one is not guilty of major sins.” [Bukhari]
- Wudu’ is an expiation of sins as the prophet of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned: “When the Muslim or the mu’min (believer) makes wudu’, when he washes his face, every sin that his eyes has committed wash away with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin his hand has committed is washed away. When he washes his feet, every sin that his feet walked towards is washed away with the last drop of water until he comes out of making wudu’ free of sin.” [Muslim]
- If you pray in the mosque, even walking to the house of Allah and sitting waiting for the prayer wipes away sins as mentioned by prophet of Allah (ﷺ): “Whoever makes wudu’ at home and then walks to the House of Allah to perform one of the five prayers, every step he takes wipes away a sin and the next step raises his status with Allah.” [Muslim], “The angels keep on asking Allāh’s forgiveness for anyone of you, as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and he does not pass wind. They say, ‘O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him.” [Bukhari]
- Saying ameen after Surah Al Fatihah forgives sins: “When the imām says ameen (after Surah Fatihah), say ‘ameen’ because if you say ‘ameen’ at the same time the angels say ‘ameen,’ then all of your sins you have committed are wiped away.” [Bukhari, Muslim]
- Every time you make Ruku’ or Sujud (prostration), your sins fall away: “When the worshipper stands up in prayer, all his sins are brought and placed upon his head and shoulders, so whenever he bows and prostrates, they fall from him.” [Bahyaqi, Tabaraani, authenticated by Al-AlBaanee (scholar of Islam)]
- Angels pray for your forgiveness after every prayer: “The angels will pray for you as long as you are in the same position that you just prayed in and don’t break your wudu’. The angels say, ‘O Allāh forgive him. O Allāh have mercy on him.'” [Bukhari]
These are a few narrations on how Salah erases our sins. Prayer is also how we abstain from evil in this world. Allah mentions:
“Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater.” 29:45
In order to stay away from the temptations of this world Allah equipped us with a defence strategy and that is the Salah. If one finds oneself sinning uncontrollably then one needs to look into the quality of their prayer. If our prayers are flawed then our lives will be flawed.
This is an introduction into the Salah that Allah prescribed to us. Many of us see it as a chore when it is more of a gift and mercy. We must treat it as such in order to gain the most benefit from it and also to protect ourselves in this life and the next because the prophet of Allah (ﷺ) also mentioned as a warning to those who do not pray:
“Verily, between a man and idolatry and disbelief is abandoning the prayer.” [Muslim]
Let us all take that into consideration and think about all the above points when it is time to pray.
Allah knows best.