Summary of Sunni concepts | 19- Concepts about prayer | Concepts (317-322)

0:04 Summary of the Concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah

0:13 The Grand Status of Prayer

0:15 Prayer is of immense and exalted status.

0:20 It is the second pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith.

0:24 It suffices as proof of its honor and grand status

0:27 that it was ordained above the seventh heaven,

0:30 when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken up on the Night Journey,

0:34 and that it is the very first thing for which a servant will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection,

0:38 just as he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

0:41 "The first thing for which a servant will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection

0:45 is prayer. If it is sound, the rest of his deeds will be sound,

0:49 and if it is corrupt, the rest of his deeds will be corrupt."

0:53 Related by al-Tabarani and authenticated by al-Albani.

0:57 Venerating the status of prayer

0:59 is part of venerating Allah Almighty, Who legislated it.

1:03 All of its pillars are an expression of venerating Allah, Glorified be He,

1:07 beginning with the opening takbir,

1:09 passing through the remembrances of bowing and prostration,

1:12 and ending with the tashahhud.

1:15 Expressions of a Servant's Veneration for Prayer

1:20 For the status of prayer to be venerated in the heart of the believing servant,

1:25 there are manifestations that are evident, firstly:

1:29 loving the prayer, longing for it,

1:32 and finding joy and relief in performing it,

1:35 as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

1:38 "And the delight of my eyes has been made in prayer."

1:41 Related by Ahmad and al-Nasa'i.

1:44 And among the seven whom Allah will shade

1:47 under the shade of His Throne on the Day of Resurrection

1:50 is a man whose heart is attached to the mosques.

1:53 Muttafaq 'alayh (Agreed upon).

1:56 Meaning, he longs for the prayer and for staying long inside the mosques.

1:59 Secondly:

2:02 preparing for its performance by fulfilling its prerequisites,

2:05 such as bodily purification through ablution,

2:08 cleaning the mouth with the siwak,

2:11 ensuring the purity of one's clothing and place of prayer from impurities,

2:14 covering the private parts, and adorning oneself properly.

2:17 Allah the Exalted said:

2:20 “O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals.” (7:31)

2:23 In human custom,

2:26 a person adorns himself before entering upon the great figures

2:29 of this worldly life;

2:32 therefore, he is even more deserving and duty-bound to adorn and prepare himself before prayer.

2:35 For prayer is a direct connection between the servant and his Lord.

2:38 Thirdly:

2:41 arriving early for it,

2:44 performing it in congregation at the mosque,

2:47 and regularly maintaining its confirmed Sunnah prayers.

2:50 Fourthly:

2:53 establishing it properly with its essential pillars, obligatory acts, and Sunnahs.

2:56 It is notable that the command in the Qur'an did not come merely as "pray",

2:59 but rather as "establish the prayer":

3:02 "And establish prayer,"

3:05 alongside many other verses to this effect.

3:08 Fifthly: maintaining humility

3:11 and tranquility during it,

3:14 Allah the Exalted said: ﴿ Successful indeed are the believers ﴾

3:17 “Who are humble in their prayers,” (23:2)

3:20 ﴿ who are humble in their prayers ﴾ and reflect upon its remembrances

3:23 and what is recited during it from the Qur'an.

3:27 Prayer is a connection between the servant and his Lord.

3:30 A servant's prayer should be

3:34 a genuine connection between him and his Lord, Glorified be He,

3:37 felt deeply by his soul,

3:40 from which the heart derives strength and tranquility,

3:43 and in which the soul finds nourishing provision

3:46 on the journey toward Allah.

3:49 For this reason, whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

3:52 was distressed by a matter, he would hasten to prayer,

3:55 saying to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him):

3:58 "Relieve us with it, O Bilal."

4:01 Related by Abu Dawud and authenticated by al-Albani.

4:04 Prayer is the Companion of Patience

4:08 Prayer is the companion of patience

4:12 in enduring painful decrees,

4:15 in remaining steadfast upon the command of Allah,

4:18 and in exercising restraint against sins.

4:21 Allah the Exalted said:

4:24 “Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded,” (2:45)

4:27 However, this is not attained

4:30 except by those who are humble in it,

4:33 as stated in the verse.

4:36 And Allah the Exalted also said:

4:39 “Lo! man was created anxious,” (70:19)

4:42 “Fretful when evil befalleth him” (70:20)

4:45 “And, when good befalleth him, grudging;” (70:21)

4:48 ﴿ Except the worshippers who are constant in their prayer ﴾

4:52 And the Exalted said:

4:55 "And establish prayer;

4:58 “Recite that which hath been inspired in thee of the Scripture, and establish worship. Lo! worship preserveth from lewdness and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is more important. And Allah knoweth what ye do.” (29:45)

5:01 indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing."

5:05 Humility in Prayer

5:09 In order to achieve humility in prayer,

5:12 a person, when embarking upon it, should

5:15 sever every distraction

5:18 that might occupy his mind away from it;

5:21 he should not pray while craving food,

5:24 nor while overcome by drowsiness.

5:27 Indeed, Allah the Exalted said:

5:30 “O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter, nor when ye are polluted, save when journeying upon the road, till ye have bathed. And if ye be ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have touched women, and ye find not water, then go to high clean soil and rub your faces and your hands (therewith). Lo! Allah is Benign, Forgiving.” (4:43)

5:33 ﴿ Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying. ﴾

5:36 Thus, He made the wisdom behind prohibiting prayer

5:39 during intoxication that an intoxicated person

5:42 does not know what he is saying or doing.

5:45 This also applies in the case of severe drowsiness,

5:48 which prevents a person from praying while sleepy.

5:51 He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

5:54 "If one of you becomes drowsy while praying,

5:57 let him leave off praying, for he might think

6:00 he is asking for forgiveness while praying, but instead curse himself

6:03 without realizing it."

6:06 Narrated by Ibn Hibban, and it is authentic

6:09 according to the criteria of Muslim.

6:13 Evidence for the Obligation of Congregational Prayer

6:17 The evidences for the obligation of congregational prayer

6:21 are numerous and well-known,

6:24 but among the strongest proofs for it—

6:27 despite being overlooked by many people—

6:30 is the prescribed manner of the Fear Prayer (Salat al-Khawf).

6:33 The Fear Prayer has been legislated to be performed in congregation,

6:36 despite taking forms and postures that involve

6:39 concessions in acts that are normally obligatory in standard prayer,

6:42 such as reducing the number of rak'ahs, excessive movement,

6:45 and the like.

6:48 The established jurisprudential rule dictates that when an obligation conflicts

6:51 with a recommended act, the obligation takes precedence over the recommended act.

6:54 Thus, if congregational prayer were merely

6:57 recommended, individual prayer would have been prioritized over it

7:00 in order to preserve the mandatory elements of the prayer.

7:03 Therefore, when these mandatory elements were set aside

7:06 for the sake of performing the Fear Prayer in congregation,

7:09 it clearly proved that congregational prayer

7:12 is so mandatory that it overrides the preservation of certain other obligations of prayer.

Summary of Sunni concepts | 19- Concepts about prayer | Concepts (317-322)

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