Significance of prayers

Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam. There is hardly any Surah in the Holy Quran that does not expound or refers to the Significance of Salat. It has been enjoined and made compulsory on every Muslim adult five times a day. The reason for it is apparent, because from this practice stems all that is righteous. Prayer is a communion between the Creator and the creation - an interaction between Divinity within and Divinity overhead. Salat serves as the launch pad for attaining spiritual perfection. A person who resolves to Salat, his spirit starts shining in its pristine purity and the soul radiates its original brilliance. The significance of prayer lies in the fact that it is one of the most important injunctions of Islam. It gives a unique opportunity for a man to have a direct contact with his Creator and the Sustainer. The Holy Quran states: 'Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers Prayer keeps man away from all evils and lifts him from the mirth of his misdeeds to a heightened position. It cleanses him from all sins just as water removes dirt. The essential principle of Islam is to infuse the conviction that Allah is there and to make His existence a living and driving force in man; and Salat is the means by which this great end is achieved. It is enjoined in the Holy Quran: 'O 'ye who believe Bow down and prostrate yourselves and worship your Lord and do good, that happily ye may prosper Salat imparts loftiness to character and personality; people who practice it abound in such qualities as truthfulness, thankfulness, beneficence, fortitude, endurance, forgiveness and loyalty. A society composed of such men is worth living. Salat infuses in man a great degree of determination and trust in Allah. A person who is regular in his prayer can never feel despondent or broken hearted; when he attains such a stage he is the true and a fit example of the Diving vicergerency as exhorted in the following Ayat: 'Verily shall I place my vicergerent on earth Prayers are a source of daily invitation to the delinquents for shedding evil away and putting on a garb of humility. Salat sanctifies the human personality, it cuts the carnal self to its size; brightens human virtues; reactivates pious resolves; infuses order, obedience, enriches the soul and purifies the body; thereby influencing the personality of a Muslim. Throughout history the Prophets have communicated about the Salat made compulsory by Allah to their respective peoples, and have been role models for all believers by abiding by this observance in the best and most correct manner. From Prophet Abraham: My Lord Make me and my descendents people who establish Salat. My Lord Accept my Prayer (Surah Ibrahim, 40) Allah has said in the Holy Quran: I have not created the jinn and humankind for any other purpose except that they should worship me. Salat strengthens the foundations of our faith. It prepares a person to live the life of goodness and obedience to Allah and it builds courage and determination. Every time we perform Salat, we renew our commitments to Allah and we rid ourselves from worldly pressures 5 times a day. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said The person that observes prayer properly, the prayer itself, blesses him with good wishes. According to a hadith a companion of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) came to him one day and asked him What is the thing that Allah (s.w.t.) loves most? Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) replied The thing that Allah (s.w.t.) loves most is when his people pray salah on time. The Morning Prayer, that is offered before sunrise, has been enjoined so that it may facilitate the understanding of how the negritude of night is outstripped by the light of day, calmness breaks into an uproar and the static turns into motion. It is said that each dawn is the key to the door of understanding of the Divine Being, for the discerning. Islam preaches moderation. A Muslim is supposed to participate in the normal activities of life and amidst these activities he must resort to prostration before Allah. The Holy Quran says: 'Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah, who pay the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned A new chapter of Allahs understanding opens up before man when he goes to his nightly rest after the Isha prayer and he has a glimpse of the worlds end as light turns to darkness. Salat is that pillar of Islam, which is to be complied with under all conditions. There is severe penalty for abandoning prayers, which is hellfire. What is between belief and disbelief is leaving prayer. The sick person who cannot pray standing can sit and pray; who cannot pray sitting prays lying down, one who cant pray lying down may pray with his eyes. Salat has to be performed. Salat is way to provide nourishment to our souls. It must be continued 5 times a day to attain closeness to Allah. The Holy Quran enumerates a number of benefits of enjoining Salat: Salat protects believers from evil and vice Observe the Salat for it prohibits evil and vice. 29:45 The Salat strengthens our belief and make us attain certainty You shall glorify and praise your Lord and be with the prostrators, and worship your Lord until you attain certainty. 15:98-99 Salat (along with charity) is the best investment in the hereafter Surely, those who recite the book of God, observe the Contact Prayers and are charitable both discreetly and openly can hope for an investment that never loses. He will recompense them generously and will multiply His blessings upon them. He is Forgiving, Appreciative. 35:29-30 Above all, the Salat is to commemorate God Surely, the most important objective of the Salat is to commemorate God. You shall recite what is revealed to you of the Scripture, and observe the Salat (Contact Prayers), for the Salat prohibits evil and vice. But the remembrance of God (through the Contact Prayers) is the most important objective. God is aware of all that you do. 29:45 I am God, there is no other God but Me, you shall worship Me and observe the Salat (Contact Prayers) to commemorate Me. 20:14 Prayer has got great political and social value, it is considered as the mightiest force in the unification of Muslim community. Congregational prayers have been made compulsory on Muslims: 'Establish worship, pay the poor their due and bow your heads with those who bow (in worship) 2:43 The very fact that Muslims gather five times a day in one line, to prostrate before Allah is a testimony to the fact that Islamic bondage shuns all sorts of national, colour, creed and racial discrimination. The low and high, the rich and poor are brought on one platform and even the least worthy of who kneels to invoke the blessings of Allah feels no malice from the rest. Moreover it establishes the principle of discipline and leadership. Many historians have remarked that Islam has embodied military discipline in its congregational prayers. Today when the world is being engulfed by corruption, the practicing of this fundamental injunction of Islam is becoming all the more necessary. If all the believers resort to Salat regularly then all festivities and evil amusements that are rampant in the society can be expunged, because a society composed of such men would be sustained by mercy and charity. Salat erases from the believing soul every evil, it perfects and liberates the human spirit and directs it towards common welfare. Prayers help both overtly and covertly in establishing a righteous and stable society.