Importance and Benefits of 5 Prayers in Islam
The ritual prayers prescribed by Islam to be observed five times a day.
- Salat al-Fajr: dawn, before sunrise
- Salat al-Zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest
- Salat al-‘Asr: the late part of the afternoon
- Salat al-Maghrib: just after sunset
- Salat al-‘Isha: between sunset and midnight
To understand the importance of Namaz one can see that Namaz(Salat) is one of the 5 most important pillars for its followers. I would like to add here a few of the Sayings of Prophet of Islam, Muhammad SAW.
The following is reported from Abdullah bin Qurt (May Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “On the Day of Judgment, a slave will be questioned about his prayers first. If his prayers are good, his other deeds will be good, too. If his prayers are bad, his other deeds will be bad, too.” (Tabarani, Targhib)
The following is reported from Hz. Nawfal bin Muawiya (R.A.): “A person who does not perform a prayer on time is like someone whose family and the property was removed.” (Ibn Hibban)
The following is reported from Jabir Ibn Abdullah (r.a): The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Between faith and unbelief is abandoning the prayer.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Musnad)
The following is reported from Abdullah Ibn-Amr Ibn As (RA): One day, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) talked about prayers. He said, “The prayer of a person who performs five daily prayers without missing will be brightness, evidence, and salvation for him on the Day of Judgment. A person who does not perform five daily prayers properly will be together with Qarun (Croesus), Haman, Pharaoh, and Ubayy Ibn Khalaf.” (Musnad: 2/169, Darimi: 2/301, Ibn Hibban: 1448)
An offering of namaz 5 times during day and night cleanses us of sins in a similar way as washing multiple times during day and night makes our body clean of all rottenness and soil.
It is befitting that one should offer supplications reliably. An individual who believes salah to be something conventional and irrelevant is much the same as one who doesn’t offer supplications by any stretch of the imagination. The blessed Prophet (SAW) has said that an individual who doesn’t join any significance to supplications and believes it to be something unimportant merits rebuke in the life hereafter.
Once, while the Prophet SAW was in the Mosque (Masjid-un Nabi), a man entered and started offering supplications however didn’t play out the Ruku’ and Sajdah appropriately. The sacred Prophet (SAW) stated: “If this man dies and his prayers continue to be this way, he will not depart on my religion”. Thus, one ought not to offer one’s Namaz quickly. While offering supplications one ought to recollect Allah continually and should offer the namaz modestly and with all gravity. One should remember the Greatness of Almighty Allah with whom one cooperative while offering supplications and ought to believe oneself to be modest before His Grandeur and Glory.
Also, if an individual keeps himself ingested in these contemplations while performing namaz he gets neglectful of himself, similarly as when a bolt was pulled out of the foot of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (harmony be on him) while he was offering Namaz, however, he didn’t get mindful of it.
Moreover, one who performs Namaz ought to cease from all wrongdoings and particularly those which are a hindrance in the method for acknowledgment of one’s Namaz (for example desire, pride, conniving, eating haraam things, drinking inebriating refreshments, non-installment of Khums and Zakat). Indeed, he should cease from all wrongdoings.
- Wudu before namaz prevents the body from germs
- Wudu before namaz is a beneficial therapy for hands face and feet
- Nose cleansing in Wudu removes dust and save from allergy
- Offering Namaz (Sala’at) has many benefits such as
- Spiritual
- Religious
- Physical
- Mental
- Social
- Economical
With all the 4 pillars of Islam, being the fifth most important pillar, it is obligatory for all Muslims. The purpose is not only saying Ruku and sujood but the actual concept of namaz is to prevail brotherhood, unity, and discipline in the whole of the followers of religion Islam. It is also significant to keep the Muslims within the boundaries of deen and mindful of one’s faith.
Let us conclude with the saying of our beloved prophet SAW, The Prophet (SAW) said: “The key to Paradise is prayer; the key to prayer is wudu (ablution).” (Musnad Ahmad)
