The most important element in achieving success in this world as well as the hereafter is Salah. The call to prayer says, “hayya ‘alas-salah, hayya ‘alal-falah” which means – “Come to prayer, come to success!” This is the simplest formula of success anyone would ever give you. Five times a day, Allah ﷻ calls you to Him because He ﷻ is willing to grant you success. All you have to do is pray your Salah on time. How much simpler can it get? Sit back and reflect: Are you looking for success? It could be in any field of this world like career, academics, relationships, and most importantly, success in the Hereafter. The answer is definitely a YES. Are you willing to work hard to achieve your goals? Yes? But do you regularly pray your Salah on time? If your answer is negative, then this article is for you. And if your answer is a yes, you should still read it because unfortunately, we all know at least one person who needs a reminder to get back on track and start praying their Salah. So, this might be helpful to you in helping them In sha Allah.
We all need to understand that Salah is the most important thing in our religion after Tawheed, as it is the second pillar of Islam. On being asked by a man thrice about the most virtuous deed, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “the prayer” three times. Salah is the first thing a person will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgement. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that if a person’s Salah is sound, the rest of his deeds will be sound too, and if his Salah is not sound, the rest of his deeds will not be sound either.
Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
“And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance.”
[Surah Taha: 13-14]
Being well aware of the importance of Salah, how can we neglect to pray on time? So deeply engulfed in the world and its affairs we are that we neglect our Salah, which should be our topmost priority. Five times a day, we all get a chance to be in front of The Lord of the Worlds, Allah ﷻ. Yet, we let these chances go to waste because of futile excuses – because of things that will not matter on the Day of Judgement. If you ask someone the reason for not praying, you will never get a valid reason. Simply because there is no valid reason for not praying. You will be given a long list of reasons that would never make sense.
“I will pray when Allah ﷻ gives me hidayah.”
We are Muslims, the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Our sole purpose of creation is the worship of Al-Khaaliq, The Creator. If the one reason that you were created for isn’t being fulfilled, then what exactly is the purpose of your life? Five times a day, the Adhan is called out to remind the believers to do the one task they were created for – worshipping Allah ﷻ by praying Salah. Is this not enough hidayah? Passing by a masjid and seeing people going in there to pray is your chance to get back on the right track. Your friend telling you to join her/him for Salah, your mother waking you up for Fajr, the man you saw praying all alone on the roadside on the highway- these are all signs that Allah ﷻ is giving you the hidayah, but you are deliberately ignoring it.
We have endless dreams and aspirations, and we work day and night to achieve our goals. Blinded by the desire to achieve our goals and be successful in this world, we tend to forget to pray our Salah on time. We forget that it is Allah ﷻ who gives us what we want and need, and also that which we never knew we needed. So, praying our Salah should be our main concern if we want the real success of both the worlds.
“Oh, I pray every Friday!”
Salah is not a Sunday Mass that you attend once a week and are done for the rest of the days. It is an act of submission to Allah ﷻ, an act of obedience to the Lord of the Worlds. He is Allah, The Majestic, The Supreme – you have to pray your Salah and submit your will to Him five times a day EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. Failing to do so will have damaging and irreparable ramifications on your aakhirah, as well as worldly life. Force yourself to pray, even if you don’t feel like doing so. It is just a matter of time. Eventually, you will get into the habit of praying and start enjoying it. Your soul will yearn for it, because the peace that you get while praying is not achievable elsewhere.
“I have an erratic work schedule, so I don’t get time to pray.”
It is a well-known fact that we live in a society where time is extremely important. People literally live by the clock. Busy schedules and deadlines are an integral part of every individual’s life. Somewhere in the race with time and achieving goals and deadlines, we forget the most important thing – the worship of The Master of time, Allah ﷻ. Our Salah gets neglected because of erratic work schedules. If you can manage to take out three or four hours to go watch a movie, because that’s what pleases you, then you can surely manage to take out ten minutes of your busy life to pray your Salah, because that’s what pleases your Creator. The trick is simple: plan your day around your Salah. Take a ten-minute break from whatever you’re doing, and pray. Make a to-do list and integrate Salah in it as the most important task of the day. Set alarms to remind you to pray. Not only will this have a positive influence in your life In sha Allah, but it will also bring a much-required discipline and routine.
There are innumerable lame excuses for not praying, but none of them make sense. Introspect a little and answer yourself, when you will be questioned by Allah ﷻ for not praying, will these excuses be enough? The answer is a definite NO.
Next time you choose to neglect your Salah, consider the following points:
- No excuse is a good enough excuse for not praying.
- The purpose of your creation is to worship Allah ﷻ. If you fail to do this, you will fail in this life and the hereafter.
- The success that you are groping for, in the darkness of this materialistic world is only through Salah.
- Your days are numbered. Any minute could be your last minute in this world, so pray your Salah before death comes to you.
- There are a number of Muslims who wish to be in your place and pray their Salah freely, but cannot. So thank Allah ﷻ that He chose you for this blessing to pray your Salah freely and without fear.
- There are people who are paralyzed, old and bedridden; yet, pray their Salah on time through signs. You have been bestowed with the blessing of good health and youth by Allah ﷻ, so pray.
- Pray your Salah just to thank Allah ﷻ for the countless blessings He has given you.
- You have unfulfilled desires, so pray your Salah and beg Allah ﷻ to grant you your wishes.
- Procrastination is just a concept in your mind planted by Shaytaan. Will you still procrastinate if you knew that someone left you a key to a palace of gold with all the good things that you can only dream of and all you have to do is get up and take that key? That key is your Salah and the reward is a lot more than a palace of gold. So, stop procrastinating and pray.
- PRAY – because Allah ﷻ commands you to do so.
Do yourself a favor and hold on to your Salah by making it your top priority, before it gets too late and leaves you with no time to even regret it. May Allah ﷻ guide us all to the path of righteousness, keep us all firm upon His deen, and make us His humble slaves who prostrate to Him out of sincere love and submission.
“Ya Muqallib al quloob thabbit qalbi ‘alaa deenik.”
O Turner of hearts! Make my heart firm upon your religion.
Aameen.
Written by: Iram Atiqulla
Edited by: The Editorial Team
© The Islamic Reflections Blog
Bibliography
(n.d.) www.islamqa.info
Quran