Virtues of Salaat (First Chapter from the book “Salaat (Brief rulings of Prayer in Shafi Madh’hab)” by Abdu Shaheed Azhary

Definition of Salaat (صَلاَة/prayer)

Salaat is an Arabic word. It linguistically means ‘the prayer’. In the Fiqh terminology, صَلاَة is “A special act of worship that consists of certain sayings (أقْوَال) and acts (أَفْعَال). It starts with تَكْبِيرة الإحْرَامand ends with تَسْلِيم”.

Zainuddin Makhdoom tin his book فَتْحُ المُعِين defines Salaat as follows:

أقوالٌ وأفعالٌ مخصوصةٌ، مُفْتَتحَةٌ بالتكبيرِ مُخْتَتِمَةٌ بالتسليم.

Certain actions and sayings that start with Takbeer and end with Tasleem.

Salaat (prayer) is either obligatory (وَاجِب) or recommended (مَنْدُوب). There are five obligatory prayers every day. They are ظُهْر, عَصْر, مَغْرِب, عِشَاء and صُبْح. One who denies or doubts the obligation (وُجُوب) of five times prayer is not a Muslim, even if he recites the شَهَادَة because they are established known facts (مَعْلُومٌ مِنَ الدِّينِ بالضرورة) of Islam.  The five times prayer was made obligatory on 27^th of Islamic month Rajab, after three months and 10 years of Prophethood. The first prayer was ظُهْر.

Virtues of Salaat

Salaat is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. It has several benefits and virtues. Quran clearly states that one who regularly performs five times prayer can’t commit shameful and unjust deeds. The Salaat restrains him from immorality and wrongdoings.

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تنهى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ‌ ۗ (العنكبوت 45)

“And sustain the prayer; indeed, the prayer defends from indecency and evil”

Abu Hurairah t narrates that once the Prophet r asked his companions:

أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهْرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَغْتَسِلُ مِنْهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسَ مَرَّاتٍ ،هَلْ يَبْقَى مِن دَرَنِه شيٌء؟

Say, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he takes a bath five times a day, would any dirt remain on him?

قالوا: لَا يَبْقَى مِنْ دَرَنِه شَيٌء

They replied, “No dirt would be left on him”

قَالَ فَذَلكَ مِثْلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الخَمْسِ، يَمْحُو اللهُ بِهِنَّ الخَطَايَا

He said, ”That is the five times صَلاة (obligatory prayers). Allah obliterates all sins as a result of performing them.”

Mukallaf

Mukallaf (مُكَلَّف) means the accountable person. In the Islamic point of view, anybody who has reached the age of puberty (بَالِغ) and has sound sanity (عَاقِل) is accountable to his actions, so he is called Mukallaf (مُكَلَّف/accountable person).

Five Rulings

All the legislative rulings of Islam fall within the five categories. They are Waajib (وَاجِب), Mandoub (مَنْدُوب), Mubaah (مُبَاح), Makrooh (مَكْرُوه) and Haraam (حَرَام). Every single action of a Mukallaf should fall inside any one of these five classes.

1. Waajib (وَاجِب): It is the action that has been firmly commanded to the مُكَلَّف as an obligation. A person is rewarded for doing it and is punished for abandoning Sometimes it is called “Fard” (فَرْض) and translated in English as ‘obligatory’.An example is five times prayer.

2. Mandoub (مَنْدُوب): It is the action that has been commanded to Mukallaf (مُكَلَّف) but not as a firm injunction. A person is rewarded for doing it but not punished for abandoning it. It is also called Mustahab, Sunnah, Nafl (مُسْتَحَبّ, سُنَّة, نَفْل) and translated in English as ‘recommended’. An example is صَلاَة الوِتْر

3. Mubaah (مُبَاح): It is the action in which a Mukallaf (مُكَلَّف) has been granted a choice, to do it or to leave it. A person is neither rewarded nor punished for doing it or abandoning. It is also called Jaaiz (جَائِز) and Halaal (حَلاَل) and is translated in English as ‘permitted’. An example is ‘eating an apple’.

4. Makrooh (مَكْرُوه): It is the action in which the Mukallaf (مُكَلَّف) has been commanded to abandon it but not as a firm injunction. A person is rewarded for abandoning it but not punished for doing it. It is also called Karaaha (كَرَاهَة) and translated in English as ‘discouraged ‘or ‘disliked’. An example is ‘not performing the صَلاة التَّحِيَّة’.

5. Haraam (حَرَام): It is the action of which the abandonment has been commanded firmly and authoritatively as an obligation. A person is punished for doing it and rewarded for abandoning it. It is translated in English as ‘prohibited’ or ‘forbidden’. An example is ‘drinking alcohol’.

Now let us remember what we have studied so far.