Prayer: The Foundation and First Priority of Faith ( Abdullah Cheng)
Dear brothers and sisters,
When we look at the 5 pillars of Islam, we have the Shahadah, the testimonial of faith; we have As-Salah, the 5 daily prayers; we have Az-Zakat, the charity; we have As-Siyam, the fasting in Ramadan; we have Al-Hajj, the pilgrimage, all of these are the essentials and bare minimum for each and every one of us. However of course, each one of them have their own set of conditions before it becomes a must for us. In terms of Hajj, you would be exempt if you are not capable financially or physically; in terms of fasting, you would be exempt due to health conditions and would provide meals to the poor and needy instead; in terms of Zakat, you are only accountable if your savings are above the Nisab level; in terms of the Shahadah, it would be a requirement for a non-Muslim to declare it in order to become a Muslim. But the prayer, it doesn’t matter if you have no money, it doesn’t matter if you are physically challenged, if you cannot stand you could sit, if you cannot sit you could lie, you still have to pray. And this is what makes prayer so different than the other pillars of Islam.
The prayer is like the yardstick or the real benchmark that one should focus on. If a person is able to hold onto his 5 daily prayers, then the rest of the 5 pillars would be easily achievable. In terms of Hajj, for some people, they treat it as just a once-in-a-lifetime vacation; in terms of fasting, some people treat it as a weight loss program; in terms of Zakat, some people just treat it as an act of empathy; in terms of the Shahadah, some people treat it just as a cultural badge to enter the Muslim community. But the prayer is different. If a person is willing to pray, to bow down, to prostrate on his own, not just once but 5 times a day, even when nobody sees them, then this same spirit of Ikhlas should easily open the doors to the other pillars of Islam.
This is also why the prayer is emphasized so many times in the Qur’an when Allah talks about the qualities and traits of the believers. In fact in the very beginning of the Qur’an, in the first few verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah started the Surah with these verses:
الٓمٓ
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
This is the Book! There is no doubt about it —a guide for those mindful of Allah
ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ
A who believe in the unseen,
Now it starts mentioning the descriptions of Al-Muttaqeen, those who have Taqwa in Allah. It first mentions their belief in the unseen, that they believe from the bottom of their heart even without being able to witness everything with their own eyes. And then right after talking about the belief, the verse goes:
وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
and they establish the prayer. Among all types of good deeds that a believer can do and should do, the first and most important action that defines a believer who fears Allah is none other than the prayer. Only after this is:
وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
and they spend out of what Allah has provided for them,
Many of those who struggle with prayers treat it as a hassle and something that takes away their time. But in reality, it is a source of relief and comfort for those who truly fear Allah, our Prophet ﷺ would treat the prayer as a way to seek help from Allah whenever he is in any hardship or difficulty. As Allah told us in the Qur’an:
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
And seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, it is a burden except for the humble— [2:45]
Especially in the modern busy world, it becomes more difficult for people to leave off whatever they are doing at the moment to go and pray. What many people don’t realize is that nobody loses their Rizq, their provision from Allah just because they have prayed. All of us are here in the Masjid to pray today. But did you realize how you are still able to keep up with your colleagues and your classmates in the same level? You are studying in the same class, you are working in the same office.
Each day only has 24 hours, everybody only has 24 hours to spend in a day, nobody has more than that. And you are using some of those times to worship Allah, while other people use those times for entertainment or to work harder, hoping that they can gain more provision. And guess what? They are still not earning more than you or me. We are still in the same level in the society. Allah actually saved you and me from working more tirelessly while still allowing us to enjoy from our Rizq. That is the Barakah that the prayer brings, but only a few of us notice it.
That is why my dear brothers and sisters, it is not worth ever to sacrifice our prayer just for some worldly benefits. It’s not worth it either in this world or in the Hereafter. Rather we should learn to appreciate Salah, to be thankful that Allah gives us the chance to reconnect with Him every single day through our Salah. So when the time of prayer starts, when you hear the Adhan, leave off whatever you’re doing. Don’t worry if you’ll miss out on anything. Allah will not deprive you from the Rizq that you are meant to receive just because you are praying on time. Rather, He makes your time even more meaningful and more fruitful without you having to spend extra time working.
May Allah make us among those who establish the prayer with sincerity and humility, may Allah make the prayer our greatest source of comfort, and refuge in times of hardship, may Allah put Barakah into our provisions.
When we look at the 5 pillars of Islam, we have the Shahadah, the testimonial of faith; we have As-Salah, the 5 daily prayers; we have Az-Zakat, the charity; we have As-Siyam, the fasting in Ramadan; we have Al-Hajj, the pilgrimage, all of these are the essentials and bare minimum for each and every one of us. However of course, each one of them have their own set of conditions before it becomes a must for us. In terms of Hajj, you would be exempt if you are not capable financially or physically; in terms of fasting, you would be exempt due to health conditions and would provide meals to the poor and needy instead; in terms of Zakat, you are only accountable if your savings are above the Nisab level; in terms of the Shahadah, it would be a requirement for a non-Muslim to declare it in order to become a Muslim. But the prayer, it doesn’t matter if you have no money, it doesn’t matter if you are physically challenged, if you cannot stand you could sit, if you cannot sit you could lie, you still have to pray. And this is what makes prayer so different than the other pillars of Islam.
The prayer is like the yardstick or the real benchmark that one should focus on. If a person is able to hold onto his 5 daily prayers, then the rest of the 5 pillars would be easily achievable. In terms of Hajj, for some people, they treat it as just a once-in-a-lifetime vacation; in terms of fasting, some people treat it as a weight loss program; in terms of Zakat, some people just treat it as an act of empathy; in terms of the Shahadah, some people treat it just as a cultural badge to enter the Muslim community. But the prayer is different. If a person is willing to pray, to bow down, to prostrate on his own, not just once but 5 times a day, even when nobody sees them, then this same spirit of Ikhlas should easily open the doors to the other pillars of Islam.
This is also why the prayer is emphasized so many times in the Qur’an when Allah talks about the qualities and traits of the believers. In fact in the very beginning of the Qur’an, in the first few verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah started the Surah with these verses:
الٓمٓ
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
This is the Book! There is no doubt about it —a guide for those mindful of Allah
ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ
A who believe in the unseen,
Now it starts mentioning the descriptions of Al-Muttaqeen, those who have Taqwa in Allah. It first mentions their belief in the unseen, that they believe from the bottom of their heart even without being able to witness everything with their own eyes. And then right after talking about the belief, the verse goes:
وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
and they establish the prayer. Among all types of good deeds that a believer can do and should do, the first and most important action that defines a believer who fears Allah is none other than the prayer. Only after this is:
وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
and they spend out of what Allah has provided for them,
Many of those who struggle with prayers treat it as a hassle and something that takes away their time. But in reality, it is a source of relief and comfort for those who truly fear Allah, our Prophet ﷺ would treat the prayer as a way to seek help from Allah whenever he is in any hardship or difficulty. As Allah told us in the Qur’an:
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
And seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, it is a burden except for the humble— [2:45]
Especially in the modern busy world, it becomes more difficult for people to leave off whatever they are doing at the moment to go and pray. What many people don’t realize is that nobody loses their Rizq, their provision from Allah just because they have prayed. All of us are here in the Masjid to pray today. But did you realize how you are still able to keep up with your colleagues and your classmates in the same level? You are studying in the same class, you are working in the same office.
Each day only has 24 hours, everybody only has 24 hours to spend in a day, nobody has more than that. And you are using some of those times to worship Allah, while other people use those times for entertainment or to work harder, hoping that they can gain more provision. And guess what? They are still not earning more than you or me. We are still in the same level in the society. Allah actually saved you and me from working more tirelessly while still allowing us to enjoy from our Rizq. That is the Barakah that the prayer brings, but only a few of us notice it.
That is why my dear brothers and sisters, it is not worth ever to sacrifice our prayer just for some worldly benefits. It’s not worth it either in this world or in the Hereafter. Rather we should learn to appreciate Salah, to be thankful that Allah gives us the chance to reconnect with Him every single day through our Salah. So when the time of prayer starts, when you hear the Adhan, leave off whatever you’re doing. Don’t worry if you’ll miss out on anything. Allah will not deprive you from the Rizq that you are meant to receive just because you are praying on time. Rather, He makes your time even more meaningful and more fruitful without you having to spend extra time working.
May Allah make us among those who establish the prayer with sincerity and humility, may Allah make the prayer our greatest source of comfort, and refuge in times of hardship, may Allah put Barakah into our provisions.