From the Mimbar: Salaah As A Pillar of Islam

Monday 07-Jan-2019, 5:32PM / 1143

ISEYIN 
Translation: Abu Ubayy Hamzah Sharif

Khutbah Delivered by: Al-Ustaadh Abdulwaasi Eleyinke in Iseyin Oyo State Nigeria 

As-Salat is the most powerful obligation among the obligations (of islaam on a Muslim) after the two testifications (that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Messenger).

As-Salat is one of the pillars of Islaam as it was reported in the hadeeth of Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with both of them) collected by Imam Muslim;

The Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - made us realize that Islaam is built upon five pillars: The first (pillar) is bearing witness that there is no one that deserves to be truly worshipped except Allaah - the Creator- he is the only One that deserves to be truly worshipped and Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.
 
From the pillars of Islaam is observing (the five daily prayers); from the pillars of Islaam is paying of Zakat; from the pillars of Islaam is going to hajj for pilgrimage and observing the fasts of Ramadan.

This Salaah is what the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - compared whosoever abandons it to a Kaafir; as it was reported in an Hadeeth collected by Imam Muslim: What is between one and shirk (associating partner with Allaah) and Kufr (disbelieve in Allaah) is abandoning Solaat.

One of the students of the companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) of the prophet known as Abdullah ibn Shaqeeq said: "You see; the companions of the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - didn't see what someone is occupied with and he left it for something else except As-solaat. 

It shows that the person the companions of the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - would call an unbeliever is the one who abandons Salawaat (the five daily prayers). 

This Salaah is the pillar of Islaam in which the religion can't stand without it just as the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - said in an hadeeth collected by Imam Tirmidhi; 'the head of the matter is islaam and its pillar is As-Salat.'

It shows that if someone calls himself a Muslim and he doesn't pray, he is deceiving himself; he is not a Muslim.

Also, another great acts of ibadah in Islaam is fighting in the course of Allaah. 
 
Oh slaves of Allah! As-Salat is the first thing that a slave would be brought to account for on the day of judgment. The Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - said; “The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded, but if it is bad then he will be doomed and have lost... " may Allaah not make us among the doomed. Aameen.
 
As-Salaah is what brings coolness to the eyes of the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - during his lifetime just as Salaah should also be the coolness of the eyes of this Ummah (I.e the Muslims). 

The Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - said: "The coolness of my eyes has been placed in Salaah." 

From the ways of attaching great importance to Salaah is what the Prophet  - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - said when he was about to leave this world, he said: "As-Salaah is enjoined upon you, and it is upon you to relate well with those under you".

This Salaah is so important that no matter one's age, one must perform it.

Oh slaves of Allaah! From what makes Salaah different from other acts of worship is that Allaah himself made the prayer compulsory on the Prophet  - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - by saying it to him and he invited him (the Prophet) during the night of Israa' Wal mi'raj; when the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - traveled from Makkah to Qudus, from Qudus to the heavens and other high places. From the greatness of this prayer is that it is the first among what Allaah says in some Ayah; look at the verse we began our sermon with. 

When looking at the Qur'an, Allaah commands us to perform the prayers and pay Zakaat in 82 places in the Qur'an. Isn't it important? It is.

This prayer is the first act of worship that Allaah made compulsory on His slaves and there's no obligation that preceeded it except At-Tawheed. Prayer is made compulsory on us to perform during the day and night making it five daily prayers as we know.

It is different from other pillars of Islaam. Take a look at Ramadan; it is once in a year, Hajj is also once in a lifetime, Zakaat is also once in a year.

Prayer is compulsory on all Muslims who (have faith in Allaah and) are mature, sensible be it male or female.

Oh slaves of Allaah! That's the reason why Allaah won't accept this  prayer from a non Muslim; if a non Muslim said that he likes the way the Muslims do perform their prayers and as a result of that he came to pray; if he said he would pray, we will tell him to first utter the statement of Tawheed because it has been revealed that those who will enter the fire of Saqqaar, on that day, after they have entered the fire of Saqqaar, they would be asked; what brought you here? They will reply; we are among those who did not perform the prayers.

This shows that As-Salaah is not compulsory on a non Muslim but we will keep calling him to perform  it, when he finally agrees to perform it then we will tell him to utter the statement of tawheed. Allaah will not accept the prayer of a non Muslim, Allaah will not accept the prayer of a person who was once a Muslim but left the religion of Islaam like those who worship trees and other deities once in a year. If such people perform the prayers, Allaah won't accept their prayers just as the one who's mentally deranged.

Whosoever prays before the actual time of that prayer, what is certain is Allaah won't accept such prayer. Allaah says: "Verily, the prayer has been enjoined upon the believers at its fixed time." 

It is compulsory for us to pray and pray at its specified time except majority of people in our society who have fixed the prayers at a fixed time; They have fixed Subh to quarter to 6 even if Fajr eventually appears at past 6;  Solaatul Asr to 4pm even if the time of Asr appears  at 4.30pm; Zuhr to 2pm and it is certain that time of Zuhr has entered before 1pm; they would say that the time they enter doesn't concern them, they will offer 'Asr by 4pm even if it enters at 4.30pm.

Look at these hypocrites (those who 
pray at fixed time ẹ.g Asr at 4pm); they are the one who usually knows the time of maghrib during Ramadan; they would say: "you should have called the adhan, its sunset already" in order to break their fast but outside Ramadan, they would say that it is 7pm because that's how they met their fathers praying it. Is it their fathers that will accept their prayers?

Allaah says in Surah An-Nisa, Verse 103 ّ:  
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
Verily, the prayers is fixed upon the believers at fixed hours.

It is obligatory on us to pray and pray at its specified time. It is certain that Allah won't accept a prayer that is performed before its time or after its time. 
 
Oh slaves of Allaah! As we have explained that there is much importance in Solaat, from the reasons that Allaah won't accept ones prayers is when one is not in a state of purification. The prophet said "Allaah won't accept one's prayer unless one is in a state of purity". 

It shows that a woman who is menstruating or the one who's still experiencing blood after birth must not pray; the one who's ablution is not valid must not play. Even, it (praying without being in a state of purity) could cause punishment in the grave. 

Oh slaves of Allaah! From the reasons that Allaah won't accept your prayer is not being in a state of purity; being pure referred to herein refers to purity of the body; clothes and purity of the place (you want to perform your salaat). There are some  places that we can't pray like: where a donkey is tied, cemeteries... Nowadays, (it's unfortunate) that our mosques are being decorated with graves; they may say: this is the grave of the first imaam (in this mosque's) bathroom, toilets. One must not pray in the aforementioned places. 

One must not steal a clothe and use it to pray. It (the stolen clothes) can be part of the reasons Allaah won't accept such prayer. 

From the reasons that Allaah won't accept our prayer is exposing the naked parts of our body which is common among our women folk. The prophet said in an hadeeth; there are two clans of people I haven't seen but they are inmates of fire, when the prophet would mentioned one of the two types of people (who are inmates of the Fire) he said; "they are dressed but naked", one would still see how Allaah created them (their shape) whether she is slim or fat, fair or dark. Whosoever performs prayer (in shape revealing clothes); what is certain is that Allaah won't accept such prayer. 

Oh slaves of Allaah! From the reasons that ones prayer won't be accepted by Allaah is not facing the qiblah; (in deviance of facing the qiblah), some people would say, Allaah says: "Wherever you face, you shall see the face of your lord", "there's no place once can't face". That applies to a traveler on a journey riding an animal, because that verse has its cause of revelation. (The only place the verse can be applied) is when one doesn't know the direction of the qiblah, when the qiblah is not clear or when one is afraid of the enemy. One can also pray voluntary Solaat without facing the qiblah; that is if we want to perform voluntary Solaat on a riding animal, wherever the animal faces is where we would face. 

Oh slaves of Allaah! From the reasons that Allaah won't accept one's prayer is if one does not have a sincere intention. Some people are performing their prayers for jinns, some are praying for shaytan, deities, Some are praying naked; look at the one who is praying naked; such person may want to use it to attain devilish power; Allaah won't accept such Solaat even if it called Solaat. 

One must pray for Allaah's sake alone. Allaah won't accept the prayer of one who prayed for showoff (in order to be seen by people) because Allaah says "And they have not been commanded except to worship Allaah alone, having ikhlaas (purity of intention) in their Religion... [Soorah al-Bayyinah 38:5].

And the Prophet - sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam - also said: All actions will be judged according to intentions. 

Oh slaves of Allaah! Under this intention of prayer; one must be specific with the (intention of the) prayer one wants to perform just as we sat here, one will  have the intention of praying Jumu'ah and the intention is not to be uttered; it will be in the mind but one must be specific about it (the intention) even if it is voluntary prayer one wants to perform, it will stay in one's heart that this prayer that I want to perform is voluntary prayer or Jumuah prayer, 'Asr prayer or others, as the case may be.

To be continued Inshaa Allaah. 

Twitter page