PART III: SALAH

PART III
Salah

Meaning and Blessings of the Prayer
Brothers in Islam! The basic and most important act of worship among those which Allah has taught us to perform is Salah, or the Prayer. It prepares us to worship Him in our entire lives the purpose for which He has created us.

Consider carefully why it is so important, what is its true meaning and significance.

Remembering God
The Prayer is an act of worship. We should, therefore, first recollect what worship means.

Worship means revering, serving and obeying God in our whole lives. Being born as God's servants, we cannot give up serving Him at any time or under any circumstances and still remain His servant as God wanted us to be when He created us. Just as you cannot say that you are creatures of God for a particular time only, so you cannot say that you will spend only a certain amount of time in worshipping Him and be free to spend the rest as you please.

You are born to worship Him. Your whole lives should therefore be spent in 'Ibadah, you should not neglect it for a single moment.

It is precisely for this reason that worship does not require giving up the day-to-day world and sitting in a corner chanting God's name. Worship means that whatever you do in the world should be in accordance with God's guidance.

Whether you sleep, are awake, eat, drink or work - in fact, whatever activity you do - you worship Allah if these are done in obedience to Him.

When you are at home with your wives and children, brothers and sisters and relatives, behave t:)wards them exactly as God has laid down. When you talk to your friends and amuse yourselves, remain conscious that you are servants of God. When you go out to work and have dealings with other people, keep in view God's commandments about what behaviour is proper and legitimate and what is not.

When in the dark of night you feel you can commit a sin which nobody in the world can see, then is the time to remember that God is seeing you and it is He, and not your fellow humans, who deserves to be feared. When you find yourselves in a place where you can commit a crime without fear of the police or any witnesses, then again it is time to remember that God sees everything and refrain from doing anything for transient gain which would displease Him. And when following the path of truth and honesty causes you material loss or otherwise puts you at a disadvantage, accept this ungrudgingly in the knowledge that you are pleasing Allah by obeying Him and that your gain from Him will far outweigh any temporary, earthly loss.

Abandoning the world and sitting in secluded places counting rosary beads is, therefore, not real worship at all. Worship is to be engaged in everyday affairs and yet follow the way of God. What does remembering God (dhikr) mean? It does not mean merely the continual chanting of 'Allah, Allah!'. The real remembrance of God consists in recalling to mind the name and will of Allah when you are caught up in day-to-day worldly activities. Being engaged in pursuits which could tend to make you forget God and yet not forgetting Him is in fact remembering Him. In this life, where opportunities abound for disobeying God and where temptations of huge profits lurk, you must unfailingly remember God and remain steadfast in following His law. This is the true remembrance of God. This is the kind of remembrance the Qur'an refers to thus: Then, when the Prayer is finished, disperse on earth and seek God's bounty; but remember God often, so that you may attain success (ai-Jumu'ah 62: IO).

Blessings of the Prayer
Keep in mind this comprehensive meaning of 'Ibadah and see how the Prayer helps us realize the qualities which are necessary to live in such 'Ibadah, what blessings it confers upon us.

Constant Reminder
It is necessary, first, for us to be constantly aware that we are servants of God, that every moment of our lives must be dedicated to adoring and obeying Him.

To cultivate and keep alive this awareness is not an easy task, because there is a Satan within you whose voice constantly tells you: 'Follow me and great benefits await you.' Similarly, there are multitudes of Satans outside you who, in various guises, keep on telling you: 'Follow us, otherwise you will be in trouble.' The spell cast by these Satans and their urgings cannot be overcome unless you are reminded continually that you are slaves to none but God.

This is what the Prayer does. When you get up in the morning, the Prayer reminds you of this even before you start your day. When you are busy in your work during the day, it again reminds you of this fact three times. And when you are about to go to bed, you are reminded once again. This is the first blessing of the Prayer. And this is why the Prayer is described as 'Remembrance' in the Qur'an [al-'Ankabut 29: 45]. Its true meaning and purpose lie in remembering God.

Sense of Duty
Second. since at every step in your lives you should obey God, it is imperative that you know what is your duty and you cultivate the habit of performing it promptly. If you do not even know what your duty is, how can you ever please God and obey His orders? And, one who understands his duty but, despite his knowledge, due to indiscipline, does not care to perform it, can never be expected to remain prepared and willing to come forward and obey God, every hour of every day, as he must.

Those who have served in the army or police know how they were made to understand and carry out their duties. A bugle is blown several times during the day and night and parades are held at short notice. The purpose of this is to train people to respond and carry out orders. This routine also quickly distinguishes those who are incapable or too lazy to do so. In like manner, the Prayer summons you five times a day. On hearing it, Allah's soldiers must quickly gather from all sides and prove that they are prepared to obey His call. Any Muslims who do not respond when they hear the Adhan show that either they do not understand the importance and meaning of their duty to God or, if they do understand it, they are so useless that they are unfit to remain in the army of Allah.

It was for this very reason that the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, said that he felt like going and setting fire to the houses of those who did not stir after hearing the Adhan (Bukhiirl, Muslim).

And this is why, in one Hadith, performance of the Prayer is described as a mark distinguishing Islam from Kufr (Muslim).

During the times of the Prophet and his Companions nobody was considered a Muslim unless he joined the congregational Prayer -so much so that even the hypocrites felt compelled to come. They were rebuked not for abandoning the Prayer, but for the half-hearted way in which they used to perform it: 'And when they stand up to pray, they stand up reluctantly, only to be seen and praised by men, and not remembering God but a little' (al-Nisa' 4: 42).

You can hardly be considered true Muslims, this shows, if you do not perform the Prayer. For Islam is not a mere matter of doctrinal faith; it is a way of life to be lived in practice.

Islam means surrendering to God and fighting against Kufr and evil every minute of your lives. Its essential message is: always remain prepared to obey God at a moment's notice.

The Prayer, five times a day, tests again and again whether you are so prepared. Those who claim to be Muslims are tested to see whether they can put their claim into practice. If they cannot, their faith is of little value to Islam.  For only they find the Prayer hard and unwelcome whose hearts are devoid of reverence to God and who are not ready to live in submission to Him. 'And it [the Prayer], indeed, is hard save for the humble who know they shall meet their Lord' (alBaqarah 2: 45).

That they find the Prayer too difficult to perform is itself proof enough that they have no faith in God, no certainty about meeting Him, and are unwilling or unprepared to serve and obey Him.

The sense of duty to God and being ever-prepared to obey Him is the second blessing that the Prayer confers upon you.

God-consciousness
Third, consciousness of God - being in His presence, His love and His fear, strength to avoid whatever may displease Him - needs to be kept alive constantly in our hearts. You cannot practise Islam unless you believe that God is seeing you all the time and everywhere, that God is aware of all your actions, that God sees you even in darkness, and that God is with you even when you are alone. It is possible to hide from the world but not from God, to escape from the punishments of the world, but not from His punishments. It is this awareness, this feeling, this belief, which restrains man from disobeying God and which motivates him to observe all the limits Allah has laid down for his life. Without this awareness you cannot live like a true Muslim lives. Allah has enjoined upon you praying five times a day precisely to help strengthen this awareness in the hearts of the faithful. He has Himself thus described this blessing: 'Surely the Prayer restrains from all that is shameful and wrong' (al-'Ankabiit 29: 45).

This awareness becomes deeply embedded in you through the Prayer. For instance, you may perform the Prayer only when you are clean and have done the ablution (wucjuj. But who is to know if you have not washed, or if your clothes are unclean, or if you are just pretending to have done wucju '?

No one. But you never do such a thing because you are sure that your actions will not be hidden from God. Similarly, no one will know if you do not in fact recite at all those parts of the Prayer which are supposed to be said in a low voice. But you do not 'cheat' in this way. Why? Because you believe that God hears everything; He is closer to you than your jugular vein. And, you perform the Prayer even when you are alone although there would be nobody to know that you had not performed it because you fully realize that it is impossible to hide any crime from Him.

That is how the Prayer evokes and sustains in the heart of man fear of God and the belief that he lives in His presence.

How can you worship and serve God and remain loyal to Him throughout the twenty-four hours of the day and night unless this fear and this awareness are revived continuously in your hearts?

Devoid of this feeling, how can you embrace goodness and avoid evil in your daily lives for the sake of God alone?

Making you ever-conscious of God is the third blessing of the Prayer.

Knowledge of God's Law
Fourth, to worship God you must know what His law is; without knowing it you clearly cannot follow it. Prayer is the instrument through which this knowledge is fostered. The parts of the Qur'an that are recited in the Prayer are intended to teach you the law of God. The Friday congregation and the sermon (khu(ubah) are also designed to provide you with opportunities to learn Islamic teachings.

It is your own fault if you do not take the trouble to find out the meaning of what you are reading in the Prayer. It is no use complaining that you do not understand if you have not bothered to try. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that Friday sermons are delivered in a manner which does little to impart the knowledge of Islam.

Collective Life
It is necessary, fifth, that no Muslim should be left alone and on his own in the tumult of life, while worshipping God. Muslims should come together to form strong communities to help each other in their life mission: serving God, obeying Him, observing His law and promulgating it in the world.

Those who are faithful to God and those who reject Him are always arrayed against each other; the struggle between surrender' and 'rebellion' is never-ending. The rebels break the laws of God and enforce in their place satanic laws. Individually, Muslims cannot effectively resist this process, and it is therefore necessary for the true servants of God to join forces. The Prayer is central to the establishment of this collective strength. Congregational Prayer five times a day, the Friday congregation, the congregation of two Id festivals - all these together make you like a strong wall and create in you that singleness of purpose, cohesiveness and real unity, which are necessary to make you helpers of each other in the cause of Allah in your day-to-day lives.That the Prayer generates and consolidates the social cohesiveness in the Ummah is its fifth blessing.

What We Say in the Prayer
Brothers in Islam! The Prayer prepares us for 'Ibadah, for serving and obeying God. Even if you do not understand the full purport of the words you recite, it helps keep alive in your hearts the fear of God and the awareness that He is with you everywhere and He is watching over you; it helps remind you, too, that one day you, along with all mankind, will have to appear before God to give an account of your lives. The Prayer keeps ever-fresh the consciousness that you are the slaves of God, and of God only, and that it is only to God that obedience and worship are due.

It goes without saying that this faith is all the deeper when you fully appreciate the meaning of the words you are reciting in the Prayer. Then, the power of Prayer is capable of reshaping your entire lives - in thoughts, in words and in deeds. It is therefore important to know the meaning of what you say in your Prayers.

Adhan and its Effects
First take the Adhan, by which you are summoned five times a day in the following words:
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

Ashhadu an la ilaha illa 'llah
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.

Ashhadu anna Muhammadu 'r-rasulu 'llah
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

hayya 'ala  's-salah
Come to the Prayer.

hayya 'ala 'l-falah
Come to the well-being.

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

la ilaha illa 'llah
There is no god but Allah.

How powerful the Call and how beautiful the words! And how they constantly and powerfully remind us of how bogus are the claims to greatness made by other beings. On earth and in the heavens there is only one Being who is worthy of worship. In His worship alone lies our well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. Who can fail to be moved on hearing this voice? How can anyone who has faith in his heart hear so powerful a call without wanting to rush and bow his head before his Master?

Wudu': Ablution
On hearing the call of Adhan you get up, go and wash yourselves. What does this show? It makes you realize that having an audience with the Lord of all the worlds is very different from everything else you do. Unless you are clean, your clothes are clean, you have performed wugu', you are not worthy of entering His presence. Then, in the course of wugu', while washing your limbs, you constantly remember Allah. After finishing it you recite the prayer taught by the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be on him. Thus not only your limbs but your hearts are washed clean.

Look at the words of this prayer:
Ashhadu an la ilaha illa 'llah walhdahu la sharika lah,
wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah; He alone is God, none is His partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is God's slave and Messenger.

Allahumma 'jalni mina 't-tawwabina wa 'jalni mina 'I-mutahhirin
O God! Make me among those who repent and keep themselves pure.

Niyyah: Intention
After this, you stand up for Salah. Your faces are directed towards the Qiblah.

The first words you utter are:
Allahu akbar
Allah is the Greatest.

Proclaiming His sovereignty over everything, you raise your hands to your ears as if you have renounced the world and whatever is in it. You, then, fold your hands; now ouare standing reverently before your Lord. Next you make the following submissions.

Tasbih: Glorification
You glorify and praise Allah thus:
Subhanaka 'll'ahumma wa bihamdika wa tabaraka 'smuka wa ta'ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghayruk.

Glory be to Thee, O God, and all the praise that is Thine. Blessed is Thy name and exalted is Thy majesty.
There is no god but Thee.

Ta'awwudh: Seeking Refuge
You now seek His protection:
A 'udhu bi 'Ilahi mina 'sh-shaytani 'r-rajim
I seek refuge in God from Satan, the rejected.

Bismillah: In His Name
You then seek His blessings and help by invoking His name:
Bismi 'lahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Rahim
I begin in the name of God who is Most-merciful, the Mercy-giving.

Hamd: Praise and Thanks
You praise Him, thank Him, and seek from Him the guidance for your lives. This is what we do in Surah al-Fatihah, the opening Surah in the Qur'an: 156

Alhamdu Ii 'llahi Rabbi 'l-alamin
Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.

Ar-Rahmani 'r-Rahim
The Most-merciful, the Mercy-giving.

Maliki yawmi 'd-din
Master of the Day of Judgement.

Iyyka na'budu wa iyyka nastain
Thee alone do we worship and from Thee alone we seek help.

Ihdina' sirata 'l-mustaqim
Direct us on the straight path.

Sirata 'a-ladhina an amta alayhim
The path of those whom Thou hast favoured.

Ghayri 'l-maghdobi 'alayhim wa la 'd-dallin
Not those who earn Thy anger nor those who go astray.

Amin!
O God! Let it be so. 0 Lord! Grant this our prayer.

The Qur'an Reading
Then you recite some parts of the Qur'an, each of which is full of wisdom and beauty. There are instructions, admonitions and lessons as well as directions to guide you on the same straight path for which you have just prayed in Surah al-Fatihah. Let us look at the meanings of some of those which you often recite in your Prayers.

Surah al- 'Asr (103).
Wa 'l'asr, inna 'l-insana la fi khusr
By the fleeing time! Surely man is in [a state of] loss.

Illa 'I-Iadhina amanu wa 'amilu s'salihat
Except those who believe and do good works.

Wa tawasaw bi '1-lhaqqi wa tawasaw bi 's-sabrAnd enjoin upon one another to keep to Truth and enjoin upon one another to be steadfast.
This Surah teachos us that the only way for man to be saved from loss, failure and destruction is to attain to faith and do good works. Additionally, the faithful must form a group wherein they strive together and help each other in remaining steadfast in the cause of Truth.

Surah al-Ma'un (107).
Ara'ayta 'I-Iadhi yukadhibu bi 'd-din
Have you seen him who gives the lie to judgement.

Fa dhalika 'I-Iadhi yadu"u 'I-yatim
That is he who pushes away the orphan.

Wa la yahudu 'ala ta'ami 'I-miskin
And urges not to feed the needy.

Fa waylul Ii 'I-musallina 'a-Iadhina hum 'an salatihim sahun, aladhina hum yura'una wa yamna'una 'l-ma'un
Woe, then, unto those praying ones who are unmindful of their Prayer, those who want to be seen, and refuse [even] small kindnesses.

This Surah teaches us that without faith in the Hereafter, which is the basis of Islam, we can never walk on the path of God and fulfil our duties towards our fellow human beings.

Also, a faith which does not lead to responsible and kindly sharing with others is no real faith.

Surah al-Humazah (104).
Waylulli kulli humuzati-ni l-Iumazah
Woe unto every slanderer, fault-finder!

A 'l-ladhi jama'a malan wa 'addadah
to him who amasses wealth and counts it over

Yahsabu anna malahu akhladah
thinking that his wealth will make him live forever!

Kalla la yunbadhanna fi '1-lhu tamah
Nay, but he shall surely be thrown into the Crusher;

Wa ma adraka ma 'l-lhutamah
And what could convey to you what the Crusher is?

Naru 'Ilahi 'l-muqadaha 'I-Iati taatli'u 'ala 'I-af'iedah
The kindled fire of God, which roars over the hearts

Innaha 'alayhim mu sadatun, fi 'amadin mumaddadah
Surely, it closes in upon them in endless columns.

This Surah, again, instructs us in important social attitudes. It castigates those who engage in slandering others, spreading false reports. Love of worldly wealth is what leads us to treat others with contempt. But that wealth we will have to leave behind, only to see it again as a fire raging in our hearts.

In short, whichever Surahs or Ayahs of the Qur'an you recite in the Prayer they impart some kind of instruction or guidance and point out to you those commandments of God which you should follow.

Ruku': Bowing Down
After reciting these instructions you say Allahu akbar and perform ruku '.

Bending down before your Master with your hands resting on your knees, you repeat (either three or five or seven times):
Subhana Rabbiya 'a- l'azim
Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent

Then you stand up straight and say:
Sami'a 'llahu Ii man hamidah
Allah listens to him who praises Him.

Sujud: Prostration
Then, again saying Allahu akbar, you prostrate yourselves with forehead on the ground, and repeatedly utter:

Subhana Rabbiya 'l-a'la
Glory to my Lord, the Most High.

At-tahiyyat: Salutation
Then you raise your heads, saying Allahu akbar, sit reverently and say:

At-tahiyyatu Ii 'llahi wa s'salawatu wa t'tayyibat
To God belong all greetings of praise, all prayers, all good deeds.

As-salamu 'alayka ayyuha 'n-nabiyyu wa ra!hmatu 'llahi wa barakatuh
Peace be on you, 0 Prophet, and mercy of God and His blessing.

As-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadi 'llahi 'ssalihin
Peace be on us and on all true servants of God.

Ashhadu an la ilaha illa 'llah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu 'wa rasuluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

While giving this testimony you raise your first finger:
this symbolizes the renewal of your pledge and commitment to the life of witness that you are required to live. While uttering it you must give special attention and emphasis to it. Salat 'ala 'n-nabiy: Blessings Upon the Prophet

After this you call down blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him:
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama sallayta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, innaka !hamidun majld. 

Allahumma barik 'alla Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama barakta ala Ibrahlma wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, innaka !hamidun Majid.

O God! Have mercy on Muhammad and his people just as Thou blessed Ibrahim and his people. Indeed Thou art adorned with the best qualities and art sublime.

O God! Bless Muhammad and his people just as You blessed Ibrahim and his people. Most certainly Thou art adorned with the best qualities and art sublime.

Seeking Protection
The whole Salah is an act of prayer, but towards the end you make a special prayer seeking His protection from all kinds of evils that might afflict you. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min 'adhabi jahannam, wa a'udhu bika min 'adhabi 'I qabr, wa a'udhu bika min fitnati 'l-masikhi 'd-dajjal, wa a'udhu bika min fitnati 'l-malhya wa 'I-mamat, wa a'udhu bika min 'l-ma'thimi wa 'l-maghrim

O God! I seek Your protection from punishment in Hell, and I seek Your protection from punishment in the grave, and I seek Your protection from the mischief of al-maseh 'd-dajjal, and I seek Your protection from the trials of life and death, and I seek Your protection from sins and from indebtedness.

Salam: Greetings
After reciting the above Du 'a', the Prayer is complete.

Now you have to return from the audience with your Master.
How do you do this? The first thing you do on your return is to turn your heads to the right and to the left and pray for the safety and blessings of all those present and everything in the world:

As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatu 'llah
Peace be on you and the mercy of God.

This symbolizes good tidings that you have brought for the world on your return from the presence before God. The above is the Salah which you offer at dawn before you start work. At noon you present yourselves again. In the afternoon you offer the same Salah again and repeat it immediately after sunset. Finally, before going to bed, you present yourselves for the last time before your Master.

Du'a' Qunut
The conduding part of this Salah consists of witr. In the last rak'ah of the day, which turns all the rakcahs you have prayed into an odd number, you make an important and comprehensive covenant with your Master. This is called Du cll 'qunut. The meaning of qunut is affirmation of humility,
subservience and service before God.

Listen carefully to the words with which you make your pledge:
Allahumma inna nasta'inuka wa nastaghfiruka wa nu'minu bika wa natawakkalu alayka wa nuthni' alayka 'l-khayr kullahu wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruka wa nakhla wa natruku man yafjuruk

O God! We seek help from Thee; we ask Thee for guidance; we seek Thine forgiveness; we have faith in Thee; we put our trust in Thee; we give all good praises to Thee; we thank Thee, and do not commit ungratefulness; we abandon and leave everyone who disobeys Thee.

Allahumma iyyaka naabudu wa laka nu alli wa nasjudu wa ilayka nasaa wa nahfid, wa narju rahmataka wa nakhsha adhabaka inna adhabaka bi 'I-kuffari mullhiq

O God! Thee only do we worship. For Thee alone we perform the Prayer and before Thee alone prostrate ourselves. All our endeavours and strivings are directed towards Thee, all our goals are centred on Thee. We hope to receive Thy mercy and fear Thy punishment.

Certainly Thy dire punishment will befall only those who are disbelievers.
Character-building Brothers! The call of the Adhan summons you five times a day to the presence of the Lord of the universe; five times a day you put everything aside to rush to Him; before every Prayer you purify your bodies and soU-Is with wudu'; and you are fully aware of the meaning of the things you are saying during the Prayer. In such circumstances is it not inevitable that the fear of God will arise in your hearts, that you will feel
ashamed to break God's commandments, that your sins will weigh heavily on your consciences? How, then, when you return to your work after the Prayer, can you justify telling lies, acting dishonestly, usurping others' rights, taking or giving bribes, paying or levying interest, and committing indecent or illegal acts? And how, after doing any of these thillgs, can you possibly go back to God at the next Prayer and seriously reaffirm your obedience to Him? Seriously say, thirty-six times a day, 'Thee alone we worship, Thee alone we ask for help', and afterwards ask favours of others in worship?

Properly understood and performed, Salah must improve your morals and, where necessary, fundamentally change your lives. This is why Allah emphasizes: 'Surely Prayer restrains that is shameful and wrong'. If it does not, the reason lies in you, not in the Prayer. It is not the
fault of soap and water that coal is black.

Perhaps one great obstacle to Prayer doing its purifying work is that you may not fully understand or give serious attention to the words you recite in Arabic. A little extra effort in learning by heart these recitations in our own language may bring you rich reward.

Blessings of the Congregational Prayer
Brothers in Islam! That the Prayer as such has extraordinary power to make us attain to greater and greater heights of obedience and worship is quite obvious. Consider now how much more enriched it becomes, how greatly its efficacy increases in transforming us, when the Prayer js performed in congregation. Indeed in this one single act of Prayer God has given us His choicest gift.

But, first, recollect what worship is and how the Prayer prepares us for it. Worship means making yourselves slaves of God, living in submission to His will, and remaining always ready to obey Him. The qualities that enable you to attain to this state of worship are all developed by the Prayer.

These are: consciousness of being a slave to God; faith in God, in His Messenger and in His Book; belief in the life to come; fear of God; awareness that God knows everything and is always close to you; strength of will and preparedness to obey Him; and knowledge of His commandments.

Private Worship of God
Further reflection will show you that an individual, however perfect he may be, cannot worship God as is His due unless other servants of God join him.

You cannot obey all the injunctions of God until all those people with whom you have to live day by day, and with whom you have to deal continually, become your partners in this worship. Man is not alone in this world: his whole life is bound in a thousand and one relationships with his family members, business associates, friends, neighbours and acquaintances.

Worship
equally encompasses all these relationships just as it grasps his inner self. If all these people unite in living by the will of God, all of them can succeed in becoming His faithful servants. But if they are, collectively, bent on disobedience or if they do not support each other in following the commands of God, then will it not be virtually impossible for a lone individual to submit his whole life to the law of God?

Careful reading of the Qur'an shows that God does not desire that simply you, as lone individuals, should become loyal and obedient to Him. This is not enough. You should strive to bring the whole world under God, to spread His word, and implement His laws. Wherever the rule of Satan
prevails, you must try to root it out. Let God alone, and no one else, be the Sovereign in man's life.

This enormous duty entrusted by Allah cannot be performed by one Muslim alone; nor can hundreds of thousand, of Muslims, if they remain individuals, be effective against the forces of the servants of Satan. You must, therefore, work together, single-mindedly, but not singly, to fulfii your noble mIssIon.

This entails not merely that you become united, but that you become one, knit together. Your mutual relation.,> should be established on a harmonious basis, without strife and discord. You should obey your leaders and fully under<.;(and the limitation of such obedience: where to obey and where to disobey. See how the congregational Prayer develops all these necessary qualities.

Assembling on One Call First, as the Adhan summons you to the Prayer, you put everything aside and go to the mosque. The mobilization of Muslims from all sides on hearing this call and their gathering at one centre creates in them a sense of discipline as is found in an 'army'. The sound of a 'bugle' tells 'soldiers' that their 'commander' is calling them; their immediate thought is to obey the call and assemble at a previously agreed place. And so they do.

The army adopts such a system to ingrain in every soldier the habit of obedience, both at individual and group levels, and to weld them into a cohesive team. Thus if they ever face armed combat it will be as a unit with identical objectives. If soldiers, however good they may be individually at fighting, however well trained and brave, figh( with each fighting his own battle, a platoon of fifty soldiers of the enemy can defeat one thousand such brave soldiers by picking them off individually.

For exactly the same reason, you are required to assemble for the Prayer five times a day on hearing the call of the Adhan, leaving behind everything. But, the resemblance ends here. Beyond this, you, as Muslims, are the army of God and the duty of this army is much harder and radically different than that of any other army in the world. For other armies, wars are fought on one front at a time, and for selfish ends.

But the army of God has to wage perpetual war, and that too, against the forces of Satan, within their selves and in the world at large. Gathering five times a day at the sound of the Divine 'bugle' is a sign of its constant readiness for this continuing battle. In view of the gigantic task they face, this strict discipline should look easy.

Purposeful Assembly
Gathering in the mosque, then, itself yields many benefits:
here you meet each other, come to recognize each other, and come to know each other. And what makes you come close to
 
one another? You come together as slaves of God, folIowers of one Prophet, believers in-one Book, with a single objective in life, both inside and outside the mosque. Such acquaintance, such unity, and such attachment automatically leaven and quicken in you the feeling that you are all one community, soldiers of the same army, brothers unto each other. Your interests, your aims, your losses and gains, are the same; and your lives are bound in with one another.

Fellowship
Again, you see and meet each other not like enemies or strangers, but like friends and brothers. A::, such, when you notice that one brother is in ragged clothes, another seems unhappy, another does not have enough to eat, while others are disabled, crippled or blind, then inevitably compassion is aroused in your hearts. Those of you who are well-off will help the poor and needy; the afflicted will find the courage to approach the rich; you will visit those who, for some reason, cannot get to the mosque; and if one of our brothers dies you will also join in his funeral prayer and share the grief of the bereaved family. All these things strengthen the spirit of mutual affection and make you mutual helpers.

The Sacred Purpose
Think further: you have gathered at a sacred place for a sacred purpose. This is not an assembly of thieves, drunkards, gamblers, or exploiters, but a gathering of slaves of Allah for the purpose of worshipping Allah in Allah's house. In such a setting, a sincere person would, automatically, feel ashamed of his sins. But his shame would be overwhelming and he would particularly want to repent if any of those who were affected by his sin or who witnessed it were gathered with him. Indeed, the blessings of congregational Prayer will multiply manifold if you also know how to counsel each other and help each other in correcting yourselves, with sympathy, love and understanding. Individual deficiences will then easily be removed and the whole community will quickly grow together in virtue and piety.

Brotherhood
This is how merely getting together to pray benefits you. But there are many more blessings in the way the congregational Prayers are performed. You stand in a row shoulder to shoulder with each other.

No one is higher or lower in status than his neighbour. In the Divine court, in the presence of God, you all belong to one class, you all have the same status. Nobody feels polluted if a fellow-worshipper's hand or body touches him. We are all equally pure because we are all human beings. We are all
slaves of one God and believers in one Din. All ethnic and linguistic prejudices are also destroyed.

Although there are differences among Muslims of family, tribe and country someone is Sayyid, someone is Pathan, someone is Rajput, someone is Jat, someone belongs to one country and someone to another, some speak one language and some another - yet all stand in one row, worshipping the One God. This signifies that you all are one people, belong to one nation. Divisions on family, tribal or national lines have no basis whatever. What binds you together is that you all serve and worship God. When you are one in the Prayer, why should you be divided about other things?

Uniformity in Movements
Again, when you stand shoulder to shoulder with each other, you look like an army presenting itself for service before its monarch. By standing in a line and by making movements in unison, a remarkable spirit of unity develops in your minds. You are made to do this practice, to become one in the service of God, in such a manner that all of you raise your hands together and move your feet together as if you are not ten, twenty, one hundred or one thousand people, but have become one person. Uniformity in Prayers What do you do after thus standing together in one line?

With one voice you submit to your Master:
Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'ln Thee alone do we worship; Thee alone do we ask for help.

lhdina 'ssirata 'I-mustaqim
Guide us to the straight path.
Also:
Rabbana walka 'I Ihamd
Our God! All praise is for Thee only.
And:
As-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadi 'llahi 'ssalihin
Peace be on us and on all true servants of God. Then, as you finish the Prayer, you pray thus for peace,

mercy and grace upon each other:
As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatu 'allah
Peace be on you all, and the mercy of God.

This means that all of us wish each other well. Everyone unites to pray to one Master for the well-being of all. None of us is alone and by himself.

None of us asks for everything for himself only. Everybody's wish is that God's benevolence be bestowed on all, that all be granted the ability to walk on the one straight path and that all share together the blessings of God. In this way the Prayer unites your hearts, creates harmony in your thoughts and develops among you a relationship of well-wishing towards each other.

Leadership

Now remember that we never offer the congregational Prayer without an Imam who leads the congregation. Even when two men pray together, one of them will be Imam and the other follower. Once the congregation (Jama 'ah) has been formed, it is strictly prohibited to perform the Prayer outside it. If you do, your Prayer will be invalid. Latecomers must join the congregation behind the same Imam.

All these teachings are riot meant for the Prayer only. In fact, they impart a very important lesson: if you want to live as Muslims, live as you pray: united and organized.

You cannot be an organized community at all unless  you have an Imam. Once you are organized, to secede from it means that your lives have ceased to be the lives of Muslims.

Nature and Qualities oj Leadership

A Muslim's entire life is a life of prayer; the entire earth, for him, is a 'mosque' where only one God is to be worshipped.

The relation between the Imam and his followers within the congregational Prayer has therefore been designed to teach us important lessons about leadership: how you should relate to your leaders outside the mosque, what their duties and their rights are; how you should obey them, and in what matters; what you should do if they make mistakes; to what extent you are obliged to follow them when they go wrong; on what occasions you have the right and duty to point out their errors; when you can demand that they correct their mistakes; and, at what juncture you can remove them from leadership.

How to fashion your organized and communal living is something you can learn about five times a day in any small mosque.

Consider only a few obvious and important principles regarding an Imam and the guidance they provide us in our macro-life.

Piety and Virtue

One: An Imam must be the best in character, piety and righteousness. He must have greater knowledge of Islam, especially of the Qur'an, than others.

He should be of mature years. The Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, has also explained which of these qualities is more important than the other.

This tells you, too, which attributes you should keep in view when choosing a leader for a community or state.

Majority Representation

Two: An Imam should be liked and respected by the majority of the congregation; none should lead the Prayer against their wishes. Here again is an important principle for electing a leader.

Sympathy and Compassion

Three: An Imam should lead the congregation in Prayer in such a way that no trouble is caused even to the old in the congregation. He should not make lengthy recitations nor make long rukif' and slljud, which may suit only the young, strong and healthy and those with plenty of leisure time.

He should take note also of those who are old, sick and weak and those who are busy in their work.

The Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, set an  example of such kindness and compassion and love:

if he heard children crying while he was leading the congregation in Prayer, he used to shorten it so that their mothers, if they were behind him, could leave quickly (Bukharl, Muslim(.

Vacating Office

Four: If an Imam meets with an accident while leading the Prayer, he must immediately hand over his office to one of the men behind. This means that it is obligatory on a nation's leader too to resign when he feels unable to carry out his functions. In this there is no shame, nor should selfishness prevent him from doing so.

Obedience to Leaders

Five: The actions of an Imam should be strictly followed.

To make a move before he moves is strictly prohibited, so much so that, according to one Hadith, a person who bends or prostrates himself before the Imam does will be raised after death as an ass (Bukhari, Muslim). Here citizens of a nation have been given a lesson on how they should obey those who govern them.

Criticizing and Correcting Mistakes

Six: An Imam may make a mistake in Salah. For example, he may rise when he should sit, or sit when he should rise.

Such errors must be pointed out to him with the phrase, 'SubJ}anallah' (Glory be to Allah). To say SubJ}anallah when the Imam commits a mistake means: Allah alone is pure, holy and above error; as you are a human being it is not surprising that you have made a mistake, but correct yourself. Thus warned, it is incumbent on the Imam to correct his mistake without any hesitation or discomfort, without any feeling of loss of prestige.

If, after this notice of correction, the Imam feels confident that what he did was right he can continue as he thinks fit, and in such an eventuality the duty of the congregation is to follow him in spite of knowing that he is wrong. After finishing the Salah the followers have the right to try to convince the Imam of his mistake and to demand from him that he conduct the Salah afresh.

No Obedience in Sin

Seven: This procedure is limited to situations which involve minor mistakes.

But if the Imam, contrary to the Prophet's Sunnah, changes the method of the Salah, or knowingly recites the Qur'an incorrectly in the Salah, or, while conducting it, indulges in acts of Kufr or Shirk, or commits a clear sin, it is incumbent on the members of the Jama 'ah immediately to break away from the congregation and discontinue the Salah.

In all the above seven points concerning the congregational Prayer, striking parallels can be drawn between the relationship of an Imam and his followers and a head of state and the citizens of that state.

Has the Prayer Lost its Power?

Brothers in Islam! Undoubtedly you often ask yourselves:

Why is it that the Prayer, good and beneficial as it is, seems to make no difference to our lives? Why does it neither improve our morals, nor transform us into a force dedicated to Allah? Why do we continue to live disgraced and subjugated?

The usual answer will be that you are not offering the Prayer regularly or in the manner prescribed by Allah and the Messenger. Such an answer may not satisfy you. I shall therefore try to explain the matter in some detail.

Parable of the Clock

Look at the clock fixed to the wall:

there are lots of small parts in it, joined to each other. When you wind it, all the parts start working and, as these parts move, the result appears on the clock face outside it which you observe. Both hands move to denote each second and each minute. The purpose of the clock is to indicate correct time.

All those parts which are necessary for this purpose have been fitted together and the winding system has been made so that each of them moves as required. Only when all the parts have been assembled correctly and the clock wound up properly will it begin fulfilling the purpose for which it is made.

If you do not wind it, it will not show the time. If you wind it but not according to the prescribed method, it will stop or, even if it works, it will not give the correct time. If you remove some of the parts and then wind it, nothing will happen.

If you replace some of the parts with those of a sewing machine and then wind it, it will neither indicate the time nor sew the cloth. If you keep all the parts inside the case but disconnect them, then no part will move even after winding it up. The presence of all the parts will not serve the purpose for which the clock is made because you will have disrupted their arrangement as well as their connection.

In all these situations, both the existence of the clock and the act of winding it become useless, although an observer from a distance cannot say that it is not a clock or that you are not winding it. He will surely consider that it is a clock and will expect it to be useful as a clock. Similarly, when from a distance he observes you winding it, he will take it as a genuine effort on your part to do the job, hoping to notice the result which comes from winding the clock. But how can this expectation be fulfilled when what looks like a clock from a distance has in reality lost its 'existence'?

Aim of Muslim Ummah

Imagine Islam like this clock. Just as the purpose of the clock is to indicate the correct time, so the aim of Islam is that you should live in this world as the vicegerents of God, as witnesses of God unto mankind and as standard-bearers of truth.

You must yourselves follow the commandments of God and bring all other people under Him:

You are indeed the best community brought forth for mankind: you enjoin the doing of right and forbid the doing ofwrong, and you believe in God (AI' Imran 3: I10.)

And thus We have made you a just community, that you might be witnesses unto mankind (al-Baqarah 2: 143.)

God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you to accede to power on earth (aI-NOr 24: 55).

And fight them, until there is no rebellion [against God], and all submission is to God alone (al-Anfal 8: 39).

Wholeness of Islamic Teachings
To fulfil this purpose, various parts as were required, like those of the clock, have been brought together in Islam.

Beliefs and principles of morality; rules for day-to-day conduct; the rights of God, of His slaves, of one's own self, of everything in the world which you encounter; rules for earning and spending money; laws of war and peace; principles of government and limits of obedience to it all these are parts of Islam. As in a clock, they are linked to each other in such a way that as soon as the winding is done, every part starts moving and, with the movement of all these parts, the desired result is obtained. Rule of God's law in the world, domination of Islam, start manifesting just as, with the movement of the parts of the clock in front of you, the time appears on its face.

In order to fasten together different parts of the clock, screws and small pieces of metal have been used. Similarly, to join all the parts of Islam together, there is an arrangement called the lama 'ah or organization.

Muslims should organize themselves, and have leaders equipped with proper knowledge and endowed with taqwa; the brains should help them and the limbs should obey them, as they all strive to live under God.

When all the parts have been brought together and properly assembled, regular winding is necessary to set them in motion and to continue their movement: Salah which is offered five times a day provides that winding, creating the energy which sets an Islamic life in motion. Cleaning this clock is also necessary: fasting observed for thirty days a year cleanses hearts and morals. Lubrication, too, is required: Zakah is like the oil which is applied to its parts once a year. Then it is also necessary to overhaul it periodically: Hajj is that overhauling which should be performed at least once in a lifetime. And the more often it is done, the better.

A busing the Clock
The processes of winding, cleaning, lubricating and overhauling are of use only when all the parts are present in the frame, when they are linked in the order designed by the clock-maker, and when all are so trained that immediately on winding they start moving and begin showing results.

Alas, today the situation has become very different. For a start, the very lama 'ah, the organizational structure, which was supposed to link the parts of the clock together has ceased to exist. The result is that all the fittings have come apart, each has gone its own way. Everybody does whatever takes his fancy.

There is nobody to question anything. Everyone is autonomous. If someone wants to follow the Islamic code, he can; if he does not want to, he need not.

Since even this so-called freedom has not satisfied you, you have pulled out many parts of the clock and in their place put anything and everything: a spare part from a sewing machine, perhaps, or from a factory or from the engine of a car. You call yourselves Muslims, yet you render loyal service to Kufr, yet yOu take interest, you insure your lives, you file false law suits, your daughters, sisters and wives are forsaking Islamic manners and your children are being given secular materialistic educations. Some have become disciples of Gandhi; others are following Lenin. Which un-Islamic gadget is there that you have not fixed into the frame of the clock of Islam?

Despite this, you expect the clock to work when you wind it! And you suppose that cleaning, lu~ricating and overhauling it will also be of use.

With a little reflection, however, you should see that in the condition to which you have reduced the clock you can wind it,  lubricate it, and overhaul it, for the whole of your lives without any effect.

Nothing will happen until you remove the parts brought in from other appliances, replace them with the original parts, and restore the original priorities.

Then, and  only then, will the winding and so forth produce any results.

Why Worship Rites Are Ineffective?
This state of affairs is the real reason why your Salah, Sawm, Zakah and Hajj make no impact upon your lives.

First, there are so few among you who perform these acts of worship. Due to the dissolution of Islamic lama 'ah everybody has become autonomous.

Whether you fulfil your obligations or not, there is nobody to care. Nor do those who do apparently carry out their obligations do so in a proper manner.

They are not constant in attending the congregational Prayer.

People are selected to lead the Prayers in the mosques simply because they are fit for no other work: people who exist on the free bread doled out to mosques, who are uneducated, who lack moral calibre. How can congregations led by them turn you into the leaders of mankind? Similar is the situation regarding your Fasting, Almsgiving and Pilgrimages.

Despite all these facts, you may argue, there are nonetheless many Muslims who do discharge their religious duties conscientiously. Why does that make no difference?

But, as I have said, when the parts of the clock have become unhinged and numerous foreign bodies have been inserted in it, it makes no difference if you wind it or not, clean it or not, lubricate it or not. From a distance it does look like a clock.

An outside observer may say:
This is Islam and you are Muslims. But what he cannot see is how badly its inside machinery has been tampered with.

Our Deplorable Condition
Brothers! You understand why it is so that you pray and fast and yet remain trampled under the heel of cruel tyrants.

But, should I tell you something even more distressing?
Although most of you no doubt regret this situation but, I would say, 999 people out of 1000 are not prepared to change their situation. They have no urge in their hearts to assemble the clock of Islam again properly. They are afraid that any such reconstruction would mean that their own favourite imported parts would be thrown out, and this they are not prepared to accept.

They are afraid that any tightening of various parts would mean that they will have to discipline themselves, and this they are not willing to undertake.

Instead, they prefer that the clock remains a piece of decoration on the wall for people to be shown and told how wonderful Islam is, what miracles it can perform. Those who are supposed to love this clock more than others would like to wind it repeatedly and zealously and to clean it most laboriously; but they want to do nothing to reset its parts properly or tighten them, nor will they seek to get rid of the extraneous parts.

I wish I could endorse your attitudes and behaviour, but I cannot say anything which I believe is wrong. I assure you that if, in addition to praying five times a day, you were to offer Tahajjud (pre-dawn), Ishraq (post-sunset) and Chashr (mid-morning) Prayers, read the Qur'an for hours every day, and observe, over and above Ramadan, extra fasts for five and a half months in the remaining eleven months, you would still achieve nothing. What is needed is to restore the original parts to the clock and fix them firmly. Then even the little necessary winding will make it work smoothly; and the minimal amount of required cleaning and lubrication will be needed.

Wa ma 'alayna illa 'I-balagh
There is no responsibility on us except conveying the truth.