یہ ایک سجدہ جسے تو گراں سمجھتا ہے
ہزار سجدوں سے دیتا ہے آدمی کو نجات
Ye Aik Sajda Jise Tu Garan Samajhta Hai
Hazar Sajdon Se Deta Hai Admi Ko Nijat!
This one Sajdah which you presume as tedious;
But mind, this homage sets man free from prostrating a thousand times (before thousands of people of things)!
Allah Almighty states the following in the Holy Quran regarding the importance of Salah:
وَاَقِمِ الصَّلٰوۃَ طَرَفَیِ النَّہَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ الَّیۡلِ ؕ اِنَّ الْحَسَنٰتِ یُذْہِبْنَ السَّیِّاٰتِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ذِکْرٰی لِلذّٰکِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۴﴾ۚ
And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and in parts of the night. No doubt, good deeds obliterate evil deeds. This is admonition for the persons accepting admonition.
(Hood 11, Verse 114)
As it is our real goal of being created and sent in this world to worship Allah Almighty, as He states in the Holy Quran:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَ الْاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُوۡنِ ﴿۵۶﴾
And I have created the Jinn and the men only for this that they may worship Me.
(Al-Dhaariyaat 51, Verse 56)
The most important of it being the Salah in the court of Allah Almighty.
This following Hadeeth is a good way to learn the fundamentals of Islam and strengthen our core practices of Islam.
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ:
شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ
وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ
وَالحَجِّ
وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with them – reported that the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has stated:
Islam is founded upon five:
- Testimony that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and indeed Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger.
- Establishment of Salah
- Payment of Zakah
- Hajj
- Fasts of Ramadan
(Bukhari, Muslim)
The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has in fact presented Islam by the example of a tent. Every tent is based upon five pillars; one in the middle to erect the tent and four on four sides. Shahadah is the main pillar of Islam whereas the other four acts as supporting pillars. If the middle pillar collapses then entire tent will collapse and if one of the four corner pillars were to collapse, then although it may not completely collapse the tent, but it will most definitely make it weaker and out of shape. Salah, Zakah, Hajj and Fasts act as the supporting pillars without which the foundation of one’s Islamic spirit will be weakened.
وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: خُلِقْتُمْ مِنْ سَبْعٍ، وَرُزِقْتُمْ مِنْ سَبْعٍ، فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَى سَبْعٍ .
Hadeeth: You were created from seven, sustained by seven, so make Sajdah to Allah on seven.
(Tafsir Qurtubi)
Establish your Salaah
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Look, if there is a river which is flowing at the doorway of someone and he bathes in this river five times a day, will there remain any dirt on him?” They answered, “No”. He then explained, “In like manner, this is the example of the five daily Salaah, in that through the Divine Barakah of Allah Almighty, the sins of the person are cancelled.” (Jamia Tirmidi, Sahih Bukhari Shareef, Nisaa’i Shareef, Daarimi, etc)
Imam Baghwi – may Allah be pleased with him – mentions, “I once heard Ubaidulllah Al Qawaariri mention that, ‘My ‘Isha Salaah with congregation was never missed. However, one day, I received some visitors and I became busy taking care of them. I then left my house so that I could perform my Salaah with certain tribes in Basrah. When I saw the people, I realized that they had completed the Salaah. I then said to myself, ‘Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Reading Salaah in congregation is twenty- five times more superior than reading Salaah alone.’ And he had also stated that, ‘Reading Salaah with congregation is twenty- seven times greater in reward than reading Salaah alone.’ (Sahih Bukhari Shareef).
“I then returned home, and I performed the ‘Isha Salaah twenty- seven times that evening. In my dream, I noticed that I was in the company of people who were racing their horses. Each one was racing against the other. However, their horses were always before me. I then began to whip my horse so that it could go faster. However, the last person among them turned around and said to me, ‘Do not tire your horse, you will not be able to catch us.’ I asked the person why I would not be able to catch them, he replied, ‘We had performed our ‘Isha Salaah with congregation and you had not done so.’” (As Sayr)
It is mentioned that Nabi Sulayman – peace be upon him – was extremely fond of making Jihad in the Path of Allah Almight and because of this, he used to love horses. He had very powerful and speedy horses and one of the amazing attributes of these horses is that it had wings on their side. This meant that they could also fly. They also numbered about twenty thousand.
It is reported that once while he was busy inspecting these horses which were necessary for battle and Jihad in the path of Allah Almighty, he missed the Asr Salaah. Bear in mind that this was not done deliberately because we all know that the Prophets are sinless. However, he was extremely embarrassed and sad about what had happened. He realised that it was through his attention for his horses that he had missed his Salaah. He then made a promised to himself that from today, these horses would never become an obstacle in his Ibadah. He had their heads and feet cut with a sword.
In Surah Saad, verse 30 to 33, the Qur’an states:
وَ وَہَبْنَا لِدَاوٗدَ سُلَیۡمٰنَ ؕ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ؕ اِنَّہٗۤ اَوَّابٌ ﴿ؕ۳۰﴾ اِذْ عُرِضَ عَلَیۡہِ بِالْعَشِیِّ الصّٰفِنٰتُ الْجِیَادُ ﴿ۙ۳۱﴾ فَقَالَ اِنِّیۡۤ اَحْبَبْتُ حُبَّ الْخَیۡرِ عَنۡ ذِکْرِ رَبِّیۡ ۚ حَتّٰی تَوَارَتْ بِالْحِجَابِ ﴿۳۲﴾۟ رُدُّوۡہَا عَلَیَّ ؕ فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًۢابِالسُّوۡقِ وَالْاَعْنَاقِ ﴿۳۳﴾
And We bestowed Sulaiman to Dawud; what an excellent bondsman! He is indeed most inclined. When eager, fast footed steeds were presented to him at evening. Sulaiman said, “I cherish the love of these horses, out of remembrance of my Lord”; he then ordered them to be raced until they vanished in a curtain out of sight. (To be used in holy war.) He then ordered, “Bring them back to me”; and he began caressing their shins and necks.
When Allah Almighty saw that Nabi Sulayman – peace be upon him – was extremely regretful and sad at what had happened and he was also extremely fearful of the Divine Punishment of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty blessed him with the power of being able to control the wind and air. The Jinns were also placed under his command. Wherever Nabi Sulayman – peace be upon him – wanted to go anywhere, these elements were ever ready to transport him. Such was his power after that, that he could complete a month’s journey in only one day. This was certainly mightier and speedier than the horses he once cherished.
In fact, when we look at the blessed words of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – the meaning of this would become apparent and clear. He has stated that, “If you restrict yourself from anything out of the fear for Allah Almighty, then Allah Almighty would give you something better in return.”
(Musnad Imam Ahmed; Bahiqi Shareef)
It is reported that when Nabi Moosa – peace be upon him – departed from this world, the Bani Israel were then led by Nabi Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him. He took them from the valley of Tayh until they crossed the river of Jordan. He reached a place called Areeha. This city was surrounded by strong walls. There were also large mansions and houses within the city. The population was also very large. Nabi Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him – besieged this city for nearly six months.
One day, Nabi Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him – brought the people together and educated them on the power of Takbeer. When they shouted out the Takbeer, no wall could stand against them no matter how strong that wall was built. When they sounded the Takbeer, they entered this city and untold wealth came into their possession. It is said that nearly twelve thousand people were killed on that day.
Nabi Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him – also established himself in power and brought twelve cities in Syria under one central command. Bear in mind that this siege started on Friday after the Asr Salaah. Obviously, as the sun began to set, it meant that Saturday was approaching and therefore, they were not allowed to perform any activity on this day. He then made Du’a to Allah Almighty to stop the movement of the sun so that they could complete their task. Allah Almighty then stopped the movement of the sun until the city was captured. He also commanded the moon to cease its movement as well.
(Al Bidaayah wan Nihaayah)
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has stated that, “Until this time, the movement of the sun was never stopped for anyone except Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him. This pertains to those times when he had gone to Baitul Muqaddas for Jihad.”
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – also admits that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – once explained, “Once, there was a Prophet who had called people towards a certain war. He also made an announcement that those people who have all the items for marriage and wish to leave their wives, (in other words, if they have just married), that person should not travel with him and not join him. He who is preparing a building and until now the roof has not been placed should not leave with him. Whoever has camels or goats which are about to give birth, he should wait for these animals to give birth.
“This Prophet then prepared for battle and when he reached the city, the Asr Salaah was performed or the time for Asr was near. This Prophet then turned to the sun and said, ‘O sun! you are obedient (to Him) and I am also obedient. O Allah Almighty, please stop its movement above me’. The sun then stopped until this Prophet had achieved victory. He then collected all the booty so that a fire would appear and destroy of all of this, (as used to happen in previous times). However, the fire refused to burn these items.
“The Prophet then mentioned that there was someone who had been dishonest, (in other words, he had kept some items with him without bringing them forward). He then asked the entire tribe to swear allegiance to him. When they performed Bayat with him, the hand of one person stuck to the hand of this Prophet. The Prophet mentioned, ‘You have been dishonest and certain war booty is still in your possession.’
“He then asked all the tribe members of this tribe to swear allegiance to him. When this happened, the hands of two or three members stuck to the hand of the Prophet. The Prophet then declared, ‘There is still dishonesty and you people have been dishonest.’ They then handed the gold which they had hidden which was equal in size to the head of a cow. After this, the fire appeared from the heavens and consumed all this war booty.
“If the fire had done so at the beginning, some of this captured wealth would have still remained. At the beginning, the war booty was permissible upon us, however after seeing our weakness and poverty, Allah Almighty has made this Halaal upon us.”
(Sahih Bukhari Shareef; Sahih Muslim Shareef)
When they had defeated the forces, which were in the Baitul Muqaddas, they lived for many years in that place under the command of Yusha bin Nun – peace be upon him. He used to rule and give decisions according to the Taurah. He lived for one hundred and twenty-seven years. In fact, the verse which describes the passing of Nabi Moosa – peace be upon him – also equates to twenty- seven.
It is mentioned that when Hadrat Sayyiduna Aamir bin Abdullah bin Zubair – may Allah be pleased with him – used to hear the Adhan, it was like his soul was about to leave his body. In other words, like he was close to death. He mentioned to those around him to hold his hand. But they stated that he was very ill. He replied, “I am able to hear the sound of the Mu’azzin, why should I not reply?” The people then held his hand and led him towards the Masjid. He then joined the Imaam for the Maghrib Salaah and he only completed one rak’ah of the Salaah and passed away.
(As Sayr)
Salaah of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him
Hadrat Sayyiduna Ubaid bin ‘Umair – may Allah be pleased with him – mentions that he once asked the blessed Mother of the Faithful, Sayyidah Ayesha – may Allah be pleased with her, to reveal one unusual event in the life of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
She explained, “One day, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him –came to see me and decided to rest a while. He then decided to awake so that he can perform the Ibadah. He made the intention for Salaah and commenced his Salaah. He began to weep until his beard became soaked with tears. The tears also fell on his blessed chest. He then went into Ruku and continued to weep in Ruku. He then went into Sajdah and continued to weep in Sajdah until the floor became wet. Finally, Hadrat Sayyiduna Bilal – may Allah be pleased with him – came to call him for Fajr Salaah. I then said to him, ‘O Prophet of Allah! You are sinless. Why do you weep so much?’ He replied, ‘Can I not be a grateful servant of my Lord and why should I not weep when the following verse had been revealed today.’” (Ibn Habban)
The blessed Mother of the Faithful also narrates that, “The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to spend the night and when Hadrat Sayyiduna Bilal – may Allah be pleased with him – announced the Adhan, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – awoke and made Ghusal. I used to see the water dripping from his blessed face and hair. After that, he used to go to the Masjid and perform the Salaah and I used to hear him weeping (in Salaah).”
In fact, the father of Hadrat Sayyiduna Mutarraf – may Allah be pleased with him – narrated to him that he used to see the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – recite the Salaah and there used to be sounds coming from his chest. It was also like the sound of a grinding wheel. In one narration, it is mentioned that it was like the sound of pots whose contents were boiling. In fact, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to weep a lot.
(Abu Daud, At Targheeb)
It is reported that once, there was an eclipse in the time of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and obviously the blessed were worried about what is to be done on such an occasion. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then performed two rak’ah of Salaah which is known as Salaatul Kusuf and it was so lengthy that some of the them became to close to fainting.
The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – was weeping a lot in the Salaah and also making Du’a, “O Allah Almighty! You have promised me that as long as I am among them, You will not punish them and You will will also not punish them as long as they are making Istighfaar.” After this Salaah, he informed the blessed Ashaab that whenever there is an eclipse of the sun or moon, they should leave their homes in fear of Allah Almighty and turn their attention towards Salaah.
(Fadaa’il ‘Amaal)
One night, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – spent the entire night weeping and in the Salaah he kept repeating the verse which explains that if Allah Almighty punishes creation this is His Divine Right and everything is His creation and if He pardons, then too, these are His creation.
The Miracle of Salaah
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Bakr bin Fadl – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates:
I once asked a Muslim the reason for his acceptance of Islam bearing in mind that he was a Roman by birth. However, he refused to reveal this to me. I again forced him to explain the reason and he then revealed the following incident. He said, “Our city was once attacked by the Muslims. A few years, they had also besieged our city. Finally, we had no option but to fight against them and in the ensuing battle, some of them were taken as prisoners and some of our soldiers were taken prisoners by the Muslims.
“In my portion, I was given the responsibility of guarding ten Muslim soldiers’ and since my house was quite large, it was easy to house these Muslim soldiers. I entrusted the care of these people to my servants and slaves. They were chained together and ordered to help in loading and offloading of goods.
“One day, I noticed that one of my guards was receiving something from one of these prisoners and he then unchained this prisoner and allowed him to read the Salaah. I then caught hold of this guard and after hitting him a little, I asked him what he had received from the prisoner. The guard revealed to me, ‘At the time of every Salaah, he gives me one Dinaar and I allow him to perform the Salaah.’”
I then asked him whether the prisoner has Dinaars in his pockets and he replied, “No! But when he completes the Salaah, he hits the ground with his hand and then removes one Dinaar from the sand and gives it to me.”
I became extremely curious and I then had the wish to see this for myself. The next day, I disguised myself as a guard and told the guard to have a rest. I wanted to see what was happening with my own eyes.
When it was the time of Zohar, the prisoner then gave me a sign to allow him to read the Zohar Salaah. He also told to me that he will give me one Dinaar. However, I mentioned to him that I will not take less than two Dinaars. He agreed to this. I then released him, and he completed the Zohar Salaah. After the Salaah, I noticed that he hit the ground with his palms and suddenly two Dinaars appeared from the sand. He then handed these two Dinaars to me.
When the time of Asar appeared, he again indicated to me to allow him to read his Salaah. This time I told him that I would not be satisfied with anything less than five Dinaars. He then agreed to this and when he completed the Salaah, he did exactly the same thing, and handed me five Dinaars.
When the time of Magrib arrived, I mentioned that I would not settle for less than ten Dinaars. He agreed to this and after the Salaah, he handed me ten Dinaars.
When the time of ‘Isha arrived, I mentioned that I would not be satisfied with less than twenty Dinaars to which he agreed. When he had completed the ‘Isha Salaah, he handed me the twenty Dinaars. However, at this moment, he also said to me, “Ask whatever you wish to ask. My Creator is Al Ghani and Al Kareem. He will give you whatever you ask, and He certainly is not a miser.”
That night for some reason I wept a lot. I also realised that this was no ordinary person and that indeed he was a special servant of Allah Almighty. I also began to feel extreme awe and respect for him, and I decided to open the chains and leave him free.
In the morning, I called him to my private quarters and displayed immense respect for him. I also handed him some of my expensive clothing as a gift. I gave him the opportunity to either live in this city where a house would be given to him or he was free to return to his country. He chose to return to his city. I handed him a donkey and gave him provisions for the road. I sent ten servants of mine to serve him on the road. When he was about to leave, he said to me, “May Allah Almighty allow you to pass away in the religion which He loves.” When he mentioned these words, I suddenly felt an immense love and attraction towards Islam. I also instructed my servants to take good care of this Saint and they were also instructed to display immense respect and reverence for him.
I gave them strict instruction that when they reach the town of this Saint, they were to send a message to me that they had arrived safely. The distance between both cities normally takes five days to cover. In other words, back and forth, meant that it would take ten days to complete. However, I was very surprised to see my servants arriving on the sixth day.
They also had a letter with them which proved that he had returned safely. I then asked them the reason for them returning so quickly and they mentioned that when they had left this city, they had arrived in the next city within a few moments and did not even feel tired and had experienced no fatigue at all. However, it had taken them nearly five days to return from that place! When I heard of this miracle, I immediately recited the Kalimah.
I then made Du’a, “O Allah! If You only show Mercy to those who practise on Islamic law, who will look out for us who are sinners? If You only accept the Salaah of the pious, then who will accept the Salaah of those who are not sincere in their Ibadah? I also implore You to please pardon all my sins.”
(Ar Rouad Al Faa’iq)
They Sought Help through Salaah
It is reported that the son of Hadrat Sayyidah Asma binte Umais -may Allah be pleased with her, namely Hadrat Muhammad bin Abu Bakr – may Allah be pleased with him, was martyred in Egypt in the 37th year of Hijrah. After he had been killed, the heretics also tied his body on a donkey and had it burnt. When Hadrat Sayyidah Asma – may Allah be pleased with her – heard about this news, she displayed immense patience and continued to stand on her Musallah. (Usaabah)
Allah Almighty declares in Surah Baqarah (2), verse 45:
وَاسْتَعِیۡنُوۡا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلٰوۃِ ؕ وَ اِنَّہَا لَکَبِیۡرَۃٌ اِلَّا عَلَی الْخٰشِعِیۡنَ﴿ۙ۴۵﴾
“And seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard except for those who prostrate before Me with sincerity.”
The pious Muslims of the past, besides been steadfast in practising on the various laws of Islam, they continued their level best to obey the command of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This also proves that these blessed people continued to remember Allah Almighty even in such difficult times and never allowed themselves to be swayed from the remembrance of Allah Almighty. They never thought of their sadness as something which came in between their Ibadah. If only our thinking and outlook in life can be the same, certainly Muslims would be able to recreate another revolution in this world.
They valued their Salaah
It is reported that the great Saint, Sayyidah Rabia Basariyyah – may Allah be pleased with her – used to perform one thousand Nafil Salaah every day. She used to also say to people that she did not perform these Salaah with the intention of acquiring any Thawaab but only with the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty and His beloved Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. At the same time, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – would also be able to inform the other Prophets on the Day of Judgement that here is a female in his Ummah who had performed so much of Ibadah.
Imagine the status of Sayyidah Rabia Basariyyah – may Allah be pleased with her – and her immense love for Ibadah. She understood the secret of all secrets which was that if she wanted to achieve the Divine Pleasure of Allah Almighty, she had to make sure that she achieved the pleasure of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – has also stated that, “Salaah has also been made a coolness for my eyes.”
It is reported that the famous Muhaddith and scholar, Hadrat Muslim bin Bashaar – may Allah be pleased with him, used to perform immense Ibadah in his house. One of the amazing qualities of his Ibadah was that his family could speak as loud as they wanted while he was in Salaah and this did not disturb him in the least. It is reported that when Hadrat Muslim bin Bashaar – may Allah be pleased with him – used to enter the house, his family remained silent. However, when he began his Salaah his family spoke as much as they wanted, and he was not in the least bit disturbed. Once, while Hadrat Muslim bin Bashaar – may Allah be pleased with him – was in Salaah, the house caught on fire and he was completely unaware of what was happening around him even though people ran all around him. Eventually, the fire was extinguished while he remained in his Salaah.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Zubair – may Allah be pleased with him – was also someone who when performing Salaah in the Haram Shareef, was so still that pigeons used to sit on his head thinking he was another pillar in the Haram Shareef.
Likewise, another famous Muhaddith, Ebrahim bin Shuraik – may Allah be pleased with him, used to perform such long Sajdahs that birds used to sit on his back like they sat on a wall or some other structure.
From these examples, we can deduce the immense intent which was shown by the eminent Saints when they were in Ibadah. Yet, when we perform Ibadah, all types of thoughts and ideas play around our head. In fact, people plan their programs and other events while they are in Salaah. Least do we realise that we are in the Divine Presence of Allah Almighty.
The famous saint, Hadrat Haatim Asam – may Allah be pleased with him, once said that, “When I had missed my Salaah with congregation on one occasion, only one person, Abu Ishaq Bukhari came to sympathise with me. Yet, if my son had died, over ten thousand people would have come to sympathise with me.” This proves that the concern people have for wordily losses far exceeds the concern they have for religious loss. It was the habit of the eminent Saints that if some among them missed even the first Takbeer in Salaah, they used to visit that person for three days sympathising with him.
MUSJIDUL HAQ 
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