IMPORTANCE OF PRAYING NAMAZ ON TIME

IN HIS NAME AND BY THE HELP OF HIS LAST HUJJAT (ATFS)

NAMAZ

The Holy religion of Islam has attached such an importance to Salat that it has made it obligatory (wajib) for every Muslim under all circumstances. If one cannot recite Salat in standing posture, he should recite Salat in sitting position. If he is unable to recite Salat even in sitting position, he should do so in lying down. In any case under no circumstances a man is exempted from reciting Salat.

We read in the Holy Quran that one of the attributes of H. Ibrahim (a.s) was that he invited his wife and children to prayers. And we also read in the Holy Quran that he (a.s) requested Allah the Almighty that he himself and his progeny establish prayer till the Day of judgement.

"O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular prayer and also (raise such) among my offsprings. (Surah Ibrahim 14:40)              

  

Hence, we learn that it is not obligatory for the head of the household to only say his prayers. But also, he is responsible to gently direct the members of the family by advicing and encouraging them too.

       

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) says: "Prayer is the pillar of faith. If it is accepted by Allah(swt), the other worships will also be accepted and if it is not accepted, the other worships will not be accepted either."

 In many traditions the Holy Prophet(s.a.w.a) has called prayer, the apple of his eye. Negligence of prayers, or quitting to perform this great worship will cause us to lose the possibility of the mediation (shafa'at) of the Holy Household(pbut) on our behalf, losing the possibility of benefiting from God's Mercy, and never being allowed to enter Heaven. When the people of Heaven will ask the people in hell as to what brought them there, they will say: "We were not of those who prayed." (Surah Muddaththir 74:43).

Let us summarise a few traditions which show the importance of prayers :

1. Pray the prayer in its appointed time, and rush it not so as to be at leisure, delay it not beyond its time due to preoccupation and know that each and every one of your deeds depends upon the prayer.

2. One who delays his prayer after its time will not attain our intercession.

3. He who forsakes his prayer to the extent that he misses them without excuse- all his deeds are for nothing.

4. He who abondans the prayer is cursed in Torah, cursed in the Gospel(zaboor), cursed in Psalms (injeel), cursed in the HOLY QURAN, cursed on the tongue of Jibra'eel, mika'eel, Israfeel and on the tongue of the Holy Prophet(s.a.w.a).

5.Safeguard the times of the prayer, for the servant is not safe from occurances.          

6. Waste not your prayer, for he who wastes his prayer- Allah(swt) will raise him with Qaroon, Pharoah and Haman (may Allah curse them and humiliate them). It is proper for Allah(swt) to enter them into the fire with the hypocrites. So woe to him who safeguards not his prayer

 7. He who abondans the prayer deliberately- his name is recorded on the door of the fire, in the list who enter.                                                            

8. The vilest of the vile and of disbeleif is the man who hears the exalted Allah's summoning him to the prayer and calling him to the prosperity , yet does not respond.                                                

9. The best deeds before Allah(swt) are the prayers in its time, kindness to parents and jihad in the path of Allah(swt).                

10. A believer who safeguards, the obligatory prayers and prays them in their time, is not among the heedless.

Also it is mentioned in the book Greater Sins by Shaheed Allama Dastghayb Shirazi that, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a) says that, A person who neglects prayer and is lazy in its fulfillment is punished with fifteen calamities by Allah(swt). One of these six are related to his life, three are with regard to the time of death, three occur in the grave and three calamities strike in Qiyamat  i.e when he will emerge from his grave (for final accounting).

THE SIX CALAMITIES WITH REGARD TO HIS LIFE ARE:

1. The Almighty Allah (swt) reduces his life span.
2. He terminates his sustenance.
3. He makes the signs of righteous people to disappear from his face.
4. None of his good deeds will be accepted and he will not be rewarded for them.
5. His invocations will not be accepted.
6. The supplications of righteous people will not benefit him.

THE THREE CALAMITIES TO BEFALL HIM AT THE TIME OF DEATH ARE:

1. He will die a death of degradation and disgrace.
2. He will die in hunger.
3. He will die in a state of such a terrible thirst that even if he were to drink all the streams of the earth his thirst will not be quenched.

THE THREE PUNISHMENT THAT SHALL REACH HIM IN THE GRAVE ARE:

1. An angel will be appointed over him to give him squeeze and chastise him.
2. His grave will be dark and horrifying.
3. His grave will be made narrow.

THE THREE CALAMITIES WITH REGARD TO QIYAMAT ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. The angel will be pulling him for accounting in such a way that other people be a witness of it.
2. His accounting will be very strict.
3. The Almighty Allah(swt) will not look at him with mercy, will not purify him and there is a terrible punishment for him.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) said: " When the worshipper stands for the prayer, mercy descends upon him from the stores of the heavens to the stores of the earth. It encompasses the angels, and angel says. 'If this worshipper knew what is in the prayer, he would not stop praying.'

When we have realised the importance of Namaz, we should know that emphasis have been laid on praying the namaz on time. We find a tradition from Hazrat Ali (as) wherein instructs

ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ مِن كتابِهِ لمحمّدِ بنِ أبي بكرٍ ـ: اِرتَقِبْ وَقتَ الصَّلاةِ فَصَلِّها لِوَقتِها، ولا تَعَجَّلْ بها قَبلَهُ لِفَرَاغٍ، ولا تُؤخِّرْها عَنهُ لِشُغلٍ.

Imam Ali (AS) wrote in a letter to Muhammad b. Abu Bakr, ‘Observe the timing of the prayer and perform it at its prescribed time, neither hastening to pray it earlier in order to be free of it, nor delaying it because of some work.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 83, p. 14, no. 25]  

So also, we find that Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Know that the earliest time is always the best, so hasten to perform good whenever you can. The most beloved acts in the eyes of Allah, Mighty and Exalted, are those that the servant performs regularly, even though they be few in number.’[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 274, no. 8]  

Lastly, let us know that a our worth is also related to our namaz timings. We find a tradition of the Prophet (SAWA) who said, ‘The worth of a man with respect to his religion is measured by his diligence to keeping up his daily prayers [at their specific times].’[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 2, p. 122]  

Lastly, May Allah(swt) keep us and our family members always on the right path, give guidance to all of us to perform our wajibats and keep all of us among the people who establish prayers at all times and on time as ordrained by the Allah(swt).