The importance of obligatory prayer and the night prayer

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The importance of obligatory prayer and the night prayer
حسام بن عبدالعزيز الجبرين









The importance of obligatory prayer and the night prayer



























إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَابْتَغُواْ إِلَيهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ [المائدة: 35] أما بعد:




Praise belongs to Allah, we praise Him, and we ask Him for help and forgiveness. We seek protection in Allah from the malice of our souls, and the evil of our actions. Whom Allah guides, no one can lead him astray, and whom He makes astray, no one can lead him back to the right path. I bear witness that there is no other deity but Allah alone who has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.










“O you who believe, fear Allah and seek means of nearness to Him, and carry out Jihad in His way, so that you may succeed”. [Al-Maida:35].










Afterwards,




It is not hidden, dear people, that the flowing of ravines and rivers seem pleasant to heart due to its beauty and great benefits, and among the Arabs, the flowing of ravines used to be occasions of joy in which they would take liberty. There was a valley in the city named an Al-Aqeeq. When it would flow, people, including veiled women, would come out to rejoice in it and enjoy watching. After this introduction, let us move to a prophetic hadith, to get the feelings of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, which they had upon hearing this hadith.










One day, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked his companions and said: “Do you think that is there was a river by the door of any one of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?" They said: "No trace of dirt would be left on him." (Yes, there will be nothing left of dirt if he washes himself with this sweet, flowing water five times, for surely it will be very clean) He said: "That is the likeness of the five daily prayers. By means of them Allah erases sins." Narrated by Muslim and Bukhari.










Allahu Akbar, it is the salah, the first thing that the servant will be held accountable for on the Day of Resurrection. It is the salah that the Prophet made the most beloved of deeds to Allah to perform it on its own time. It is the pillar of Islam. It is the salah that the Prophet PBUH used to take the pledge of allegiance upon its establishment. It is such a pious act for which, due to its great value, purity is obligatory near all Islamic scholars, it is the worship that is not forgiven from the obligated as long as he is in mental health, it is the worship that is performed by the heart with all the limbs, it is the worship for what we are commanded to turn to it and seek help through it , and it is the consort of patience, it is the obligation that is repeated every day and night, it is the prayer which will prevent hellfire from eating the places of prostration of worshipers, if they, unfortunately, will enter the hellfire because of their sins, it is the relationship and communication between the servant and his Lord, it is the last commandment of the Messenger of Allah to his ummah, peace be upon him, it is the worship that was laid down in an honorable place (in the sky) and in an honorable time (the night of Isra and Mi’raj), it is the worship that Allah laid down upon His Messenger without an intermediary. It is the worship which laid down to perform with congregation even in battle, it is the comfort of the Prophet’s eye, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. It is the prayer that Allah commanded Moses, peace be upon him, when he spoke to Him, and Jesus, peace be upon him, uttered it in his cradle. And Ibrahim Al-Khalil supplicated his Lord for himself and for his offspring to establish it, and the people of Shuaib were astonished by the extension of its impact on their worship and trades.










Brothers in faith,




Multiple texts occurred regarding salah prayer for the sake of encouragement and intimidation, and numerous hadiths have reported regarding it. Here is a series of them that increase our faith and remind us of Allah’s grace upon us in these obligatory duties. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who observed the morning prayer (in congregation), he is in fact under the protection of Allah and it never happens that Allah should make a demand in connection with the protection (that He guarantees and should not get it) for when he asks for anything in relation to His protection, he definitely secures it. He then throws him flatly in the Hell-fire. Narrated by Muslim.










About fajr and Isha, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who observed the 'Isha' prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed up to midnight, and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night. Narrated by Muslim.










About Fajr and Asr, The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:” Whoever prays the two cool prayers (`Asr and Fajr) will go to Paradise”. Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.










And he, peace be upon him, also said: “Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn and afternoon prayers. Those (of the angels) who spend the night among you, then, ascend, and their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about them: How did you leave My servants? -they say: We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying”.










And he, peace be upon him, also said: “Certainly, you will see your Lord as you see this moon and you will have no trouble in seeing Him. So, if you can avoid missing (through sleep or business, etc.) a prayer before the sunrise (Fajr) and a prayer before sunset (`Asr), you must do so.' He then recited Allah's Statement: And celebrate the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting." (50.39). The two sheikhs reported it in as marfoo.










And in the missing the Asr prayer, sever threaten is reported as it is mentioned in two authentic books: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever misses the Asr prayer (intentionally) then it is as if he lost his family and property”.










This is for the one who neglects Asr salah and perform it at a different time.










﴿رِجَالٌ لَا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ يَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْأَبْصَارُ * لِيَجْزِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَيَزِيدَهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ﴾ [النور: 36، 38].




“ By the men whom no trade or sale makes neglectful of the remembrance of Allah, nor from establishing Salah and paying Zakah; they are fearful of a day in which the hearts and the eyes will be over-turned. The fate (of such people) is that Allah will reward them for the best deeds they did, and will give them more out of His grace. Allah gives whom He wills without counting”.










May Allah benefit me and you with the holy Quran and the Sunnah, and the wisdom and verses which are in them, and ask Allah’s forgiveness, for, He is the most Forgiving.









second sermon




Praise be to Allah alone, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His Prophet, His servant, and his family and companions.










Afterwards,




Brothers in Islam,




The five daily prayers are great blessings for Muslims, and the Messenger of Allah PBUH commanded us and exported a number of supererogatory prayers, and he informed that the best of them is the night prayer:




Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that he (the Messenger of Allah) was asked as to which prayer was most excellent after the prescribed prayer, he said: “The most excellent after the prescribed prayer is the prayer which is offered in the middle of the night”. Narrated by Muslim.










And it reported in the Sunan of Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah that that Masruq said: “I asked ‘Aishah about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: ‘He prayed Witr at every part of the night, at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, when he died (he would perform it) just before dawn.”










And in two authentic book it is reported by Aisha: she said: The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe the Witr prayer every night, maybe in the early part of night, at midnight and in the latter part, finishing his Witr at dawn.










The Prophet PBUM recommended a number of his companions to pray Witr before sleeping.










Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone is afraid that he may not get up in the latter part of the night, he should observe Witr in the first part of it; and if anyone is eager to get up in the last part of it, he should observe Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is preferable. Narrated by Muslim.










And whoever performs the wtir before he sleeps and wakes up at the end of the night, perform without witr, and what shows the importance of the night prayer in the life of a Muslim is that Allah’s saying came regarding it in surah Al-Zariyaat which is a Makki surah:




﴿ كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ ﴾




“They used to sleep little in the night”.










And what indicates the importance of the night prayer in the life of a Muslim is that it is the first thing upon which the Prophet PBUH urged Muslims to do when he emigrated: Abdullah bin Salam said: “When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) arrived- meaning in Al-Madinah – the people came out to meet him. It was said that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) had arrived, so I went among the people to get a look at him. When I gazed upon the face of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), I knew that this face was not the face of a liar. The first thing that he spoke about was that he said: 'O you people! Spread the Salam, feed(others), and perform Salat while the people are sleeping; you will enter Paradise with (the greeting of) Salam”. Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani.










And Allah the Almighty said in praise of men of wisdom:




﴿ أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ سَاجِداً وَقَائِماً يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ ﴾ [الزمر: 9]




“Can (such people be equal to) the one who worships during the hours of night, prostrating himself and standing, fearing the Hereafter and having hopes in his Lord’s mercy? Say, “Can those who know and those who do not know become equal?” It is only the people of understanding who are receptive of the advice”.










It is narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’As: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone prays at night reciting regularly ten verses, he will not be recorded among the negligent; if anyone prays at night and recites a hundred verses, he will be recorded among those who are obedient to Allah; and if anyone prays at night reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded among those who receive huge rewards.










If a Muslim performs salah with Surat Al-Naba and Al-Nazi’at, the sum of their verses with Al-Fatihah would be one hundred.










﴿ تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ * فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴾ [السجدة: 16، 17].




“Their sides remain apart from their beds. They call their Lord with fear and hope, and spend (in charity) out of what We have given to them.So, no one knows the delight of eyes that has been reserved for them in secret, as a reward of what they used to do”.










And He, Glory be to Him, said:




﴿ إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا ﴾ [المزمل: 6].




“Truly, rising by night (for prayer of tahajjud) is the most effective way to subdue (one’s base self) and to make speech more upright”.










Among its benefits is that it has a greater impact on the heart, and among its benefits is the correctness in saying.










Ibn Katheer said: It means: that one can draw more attention in reciting the Quran in salah and can understand the Qur’an better than performing salah in the day, because it is a time when people spread out, voices uproar and people are engaged in earning livelihood.










﴿ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ * الَّذِي يَرَاكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ * وَتَقَلُّبَكَ فِي السَّاجِدِينَ * إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴾ [الشعراء: 217 - 220].




“And place your trust in the Mighty, the Merciful,who sees you when you stand (in prayer,)And (sees) your movement among those who prostrate themselves.Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing”.










Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?" Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.











﴿ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ ﴾ [هود: 114].





“Establish Salah at both ends of the day, and in the early hours of the night. Surely, good deeds erase bad deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful”.









Translated by: Alamgeer Usmani.