THE POSITION OF SALAH (PRAYER) IN ISLAM

Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds, we praise and thank Allah, the exalted. We seek help and guidance from Him, we believe in Him and trust Him. And we seek refuge in Him from the evil of our souls and deeds. He that Allah guides is the guided, and the one He misleads will have no one to be his guide. I testify there is no god except Allah, and that our master- Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah send peace and blessing on Muhammmad (SAW), his household, companions and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. O servants of Allaah! I admonish you and myself to fear Allaah the exalted both in secret and public since it is (the means to) success, victory and salvation. Allaah says: " يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (102 O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]. (3:102) ” Brothers in faith, today’s sermon is on the POSITION OF SALAH (PRAYER) IN ISLAM as it was made obligatory in the course of the Miraculous Night Journey of the Prophet in Rajab. SALAH, ITS MEANING Salah linguistically means prayer, Allah says: {خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ} [التوبة:9\ 103] “Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” The Prophet (pbuh) said: “If any one of you is invited, he should accept (the invitation). In case he is fasting, he should pray (in order to bless the inmates of the house), and if he is not fasting he should eat.” The reality of blessing emanating from Allah is eulogies and praises, while it means supplication when it emanates from the Angels. Allah says: {إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا} [الأحزاب: 56] “Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.” (33:56) Ibn Abbas says it means seeking blessings. It is also said that blessing from Allah is sending mercy upon him (pbuh), and blessing from the Angels is seeking forgiveness for him (pbuh) Technically: It refers to a form of worship consisting of specific statements and actions, starting with takbeer (pronouncing the greatness of Allah) and ending with tasleem (salutations of peace). It is called salah because it contains supplications. (Al-Mughniy) The Judgement of Solat: It is obligatory on every sane, Muslim, who is of age of puberty, except the menstruating woman or with post birth blood. The obligation of prayer is based on evidences from the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the consensus of the Ummah. Allah says: {وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ} [البينة: 5] “And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion.” (98:5) {إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا} [النساء: 103] “Verily the prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.” (4:103) The Prophet said to Mu’adh bn Jabal: “teach them that Allah made five solat mandatory on them daily” (Bukhari) “Islam has been built upon five things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on fasting during Ramadhan; and performing pilgrammage to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), for who can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." The Prophet says: “Allah made five solat mandatory on the servant of Allah, whoever observe them not being negligent of any, as belittling their rights, he has a promise before Allah to admit him to the paradise.” (Abu dawud) The Islamic Ummah is unanimous over the obligation of the five daily prayers. It is not obligatory on the one menstruating or the one in post birth blood.” STATUS OF PRAYER 1- Prayer is the pillar of the religion: The Prophet (pbuh) says: "The peak of the matter is Islam (submission to Allah), the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is jihad.” 2- Salah is the first act that the person will be held accountable for. The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said "The first act that the slave will be accountable for on the Day of Judgement will be prayer. If it is good, then the rest of his acts will be good. And if it is evil, then the rest of his acts will be evil." (Related by at-Tabarani.) 3- Salah will be the last part of Islam to be lost, when it perishes, Islam will perish.: The messenger of Allah says: "If Islam were stripped away, piece by piece, people would hold tight to the next one. The first thing taken would be ruling and governance, and the last thing would be prayer." (Related by Ibn Hibban from the hadith of Abu Umamah.) Also: “The first thing to be lost will be the trust and the last will be Salah (prayer), many a times that the prayer of he who prays has no good in it” (At-tabraaniy) 4- Salah was the last thing that the Prophet (pbuh) recommended to his nation before he died, saying, "Prayer, prayer and what your right hand possesses, such that the Prophet (continued) to reverberate this in his heart and the tongue was no more uttering it." 5- Allah praises those who establish it and command it: {وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَبِيًّا - وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا} [مريم: 54 - 55] . “Also mention in the Book (the story of) Isma'il: He was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet. He used to enjoin on his people Prayer and Charity, and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord. (19: 54-55) 6- Allah dispraises those who are heedless of their prayers: Allah says: {فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا} [مريم: 59] "Now there has succeeded them a later generation who have ruined their prayers and have followed lusts. But they will meet deception" (Maryam 59); "Ah, woe unto worshippers who are heedless of their prayers" (al-Ma'un 4-5). {إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا} [النساء: 142] “ Indeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little,” (4: 142) 7- It is the greatest of the pillars of Islam after the statement of witness: “Islam has been built upon five things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on fasting during Ramadhan; and performing pilgrimage to the House. 8- It was made obligatory on the night of miraculous journey of the prophet (pbuh). 9- It was made obligatory as fifty salah daily but reduced to five with reward equivalent to fifty. 10- It begins and end the attributes of the belivers in suratul-mu’minun: Not praying and denying its obligation is seen as disbelief and places the person outside the religion of Islam. All scholars agree on this piont. Judgement of he who neglects Salah: Neglecting the obligatory prayers is an act of disbelief. He who neglects it out of denial of its obligation has committed great disbelief even if he observes it, this is agreed upon by scholars’ consensus. However, he who left it entirely, but believes in its obligation and never denies it is a kafir. The sound statement of Islamic scholars is that this disbelief is great kufr as well and it takes him out of Islam as shown in the following evidences: 1- Allah says: (يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ - خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ}) “The Day the shin will be uncovered and they are invited to prostration but the disbelievers will not be able, Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. And they used to be invited to prostration while they were sound.” (68: 42- 43. This shows he who neglects prayer despite being a Muslim will be gathered with the disbelievers and hypocrites who failed to prostrate when Muslims prostrate 2- He will be among the sinners doom for hell: Allah says: Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained, Except the companions of the right, [Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other about the criminals. [And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?" They will say, "We were not of those who prayed, Nor did we used to feed the poor. And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it], And we used to deny the Day of Recompense.” (74: 38- 46) 3- He is not of brothers to the believers: Allah says: (فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ) “ But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion; and We detail the verses for a people who know.” (9: 11) 4- Jabir reports that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, "Between a person and disbelief and shirk is discarding prayer." (Muslim.) Buraidah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, "The pact between us and them is prayer. Whoever abandons it is a disbeliever." (Related by At-Tirmizhi, anNasa'i and Ibn Majah.) SECOND KHUTBAH All praises are due to Allah the lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad (pbuh) his household, companions and all believers till the day of accountability. Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ"{التَّحْرِيم :66\6} “O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (66: 6) Ali bn Abi Talib says on the tafsir of the verse thus: “Teach yourselves and your families and educate them on good manners.” The Prophet says: “Allah shall ask every shepherd about what was kept under his care; did he attended to it or neglected it? He shall also ask the man about his household” (Ibn Hibaan) Brothers in Islam, as we commemorate the INTERNATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY on 25 May as well as the CHILDREN’S DAY on May 27, it is important to discuss childrens’ rights. What are children's rights in Islam? Virtuous and integrated education for children in accordance with Islamic guidelines: 1. It is obligatory on the parents to take charge of the responsibility to give sound and balanced education, including mental and physical growth to the child. This responsibility will be bear by whoever takes the place of the parents for the child’s welfare and interests. 2. Of the priorities of basic education is to teach the child the principles of the faith, worship, obedience, discipline, etiquette, manners, and training the child to avoid forbidden matters, including bad habits and bad companions. As well as redirect him to focus beneficial practices such as, good reading culture. The parents or guardian should also be exemplary model for the child. 3. It is obligatory on parents to take into account the gradual process approach in according the child a margin of freedom, in accordance with his age, deepening his sense of responsibility, in order to bear the full responsibility upon reaching the legal age. 4. It is necessary to protect the child especially the adolescents from influence of sexual instincts, excitability and passion during instilling sexual education. In addition, as Nigeria marks May 29 as democratic day, we implore the Nigerian government that leadership is a trust and responsibility which God order should be given to the rightful persons. Allah says: "إن الله يأمركم بأن تردوا الأمانات إلي أهلها وإذا حكمتم بين الناس أن تحكموا بالعدل إن الله عنما يعظكم به إن الله كان سميعا بصيرا" (النساء 58) “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.” (4: 58) Oh Allah send peace; flowing with continuous tranquility and security upon Nigeria and all other Muslim nations.