The obligatory component of islam

PRAYERS : THE OBLIGATORY COMPONENT OF ISLAM
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Next to Iman, Salaah or offering prayers five times daily is a fundamental obligatory component of Islam. It must be regularly offered and to ignore it deliberately is a major sin. The Qur’an categorically states “Surely salahs are made obligatory for the believers at their prescribed times.” (4:103).
Salaah was also made obligatory for all the prophets(as) preceding Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
v Prophet Ibrahim(AS) prayed “O my Rabb! Make me and my descendants establish salaah.” ▶ (14:40).

v Prophet Ishaq (Isaac) and Yaqoob (Jacob) [AS] were also prophets. They were commanded by Allah (swt) to “establish salaah (prayers) and pay Zakah (poor due)”. ▶ (21:73).

v Prophet Ismail(AS), the elder son of Prophet Ibrahim(AS) and brother of Prophet Ishaq(AS) , also asked his people “to establish salah and give zakaah.” ▶ (19:55).

v Prophet Musa(AS) (Moses) was also commanded by Allah “to establish salah for my remembrance.” ▶ (20:14) and (10:87).

v By the command of Allah Prophet Isa (Jesus)[AS] spoke as an infant. Addressing a group of people he said that “Allah has commanded me to establish salah and give zakah so long as I live in this world.” ▶ (19:31).

Even the wise man Luqman, who lived during the period of Aad exhorted his son “to establish salah, enjoin good and forbid evil.” ▶ (31:17)

This establishes the antiquity of Salaah as a way of prayer and submission to Allah (swt).

It also speaks for the continuity and striking similarity in the obligatory nature of prayer divinely prescribed by Allah since the descent of Adam on earth. Salah is the most visible facet of Islamic worship. The obligatory five times daily Salah was gifted to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his ascent to the Heaven (Me’raj) for the benefit of mankind. The benefits of performing five daily obligatory prayers have been raised tenfold as they will be treated by Allah (swt) equal to fifty obligatory salaahs. According to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the whole world has been made a mosque to the Muslim for it can be offered at any neat and clean place, open or covered. “Wherever you may be and the prayer (salaah) becomes due, perform the prayer therefore the whole earth was made a Masjid.” ▶ (Bukhari and Muslim and Tafsir Ibn Kabhir, vol. 2, p: 217).

A priest or a qualified Imam is not essential to lead the Salah. Any adult, sane Muslim, who knows the correct procedure, can lead the prayer with correct devotion & have more knowledge than anybody in the group. Salaah can be offered individually or collectively. It is however more rewarding to offer collectively under the leadership of an Imam, preferably in a mosque or any other neat or clean place, open or covered if a mosque is not accessible. One of the significant benefits of offering Salah regularly is that it “restrains from shameful and evil deeds.” ▶ (Surah Al-Ankabut – 29:45)

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BENEFITS OF regular & sincere offering of the Salah
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Further regular and sincere offering of the Salah are :
· Strengthens belief in the existence, Unity, Eternity Supremacy of Allah and in His love, compassion and generosity toward mankind.

· Salah establishes direct communion between individuals and God without any intermediary.

· Assists a person to attain high morality and act virtuously as ordained in the Qur’an.

· Demonstrates true equality, unity, brotherhood among fellow human beings.

· Provides an excellent lesson in discipline, total devotion and submission to the will of Allah in humility and without ego.