A believer who is concerned about the prayer has sincerity in his heart 

Privilege

We need to think of the prayer as a privilege not an obligation. All of humanity is invited to it daily. Very few privileged ones accept the honor of attending 

Connection with Allah صلاة

The prayer is the regular connection with Allah. The Arabic word ṣalāh (صلاة) itself comes from the root ص-ل-و, which implies connection, link, or relationship

Performance of Obligatory deeds despite motivation

Obligatory deeds should be done despite our motivation. Their fulfilment must be preserved to protect ourselves. A believer’s Iman is further beautified with voluntary deeds which are done out of desire to please Allah

Allah says in Hadith Qudsi

My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafil (supererogatory) deeds until I Love him

bukhari 6502 hadith 38, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi

Best deed to pray on time

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) “What deeds are the best?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“(1) To perform the (daily compulsory) prayers at their (early) stated fixed times

bukhari 7534 al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr lil-Ṭabarānī 9802

In a similarly Hadith

The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked: ‘Which deed is the best?’ So he said:

‘Salat in the beginning of its time.‘

tirmidhi 170

Small & consistent deeds are compounded

It creates a sense of grounding and humility which cannot be quantified. The outcome and reward will be seen compounded in the akhira 

Most beloved good deeds are the ones which are small but consistent (bukhari 6464) – they accumulate over time. Human beings need regular reminders with daily 5 prayers, weekly Jumma, yearly Ramadan, etc. 

Purification of deeds

Prayers purify our deeds just as taking a bath 5 times in a day would purify our bodies – as described in the hadith (bukhari 528) (muslim 667)

Brotherhood with Congregation

Prayer in the mosque creates a strong community, unity and brotherhood amongst the Ummah – even when we travel to foreign lands, the mosque always unites us

Reminder of Day of Judgement

Standing in prayer is a powerful reminder of how humanity will one day stand humbled before Allah on the Day of Judgment—stripped of all distractions, possessions, and worldly status, with nothing remaining but our deeds – things we should strive to let go of during the prayer

Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said 

“The slave of Allah stands in front of his Lord on two occasions:

• The first is when he stands in his ṣalāh (prayer),
• The second is when he will meet Him on the Day of Judgment

Whoever fulfills the rights of the first standing, the second standing will be made easy for him. And whoever belittles, neglects, and does not fulfill the rights of the first standing, the second standing will be made very difficult for him.”

Ibn al-Qayyim Al-Fawaa’id (p.329), Article

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The Messenger (ﷺ) said,

Verily, between a man and idolatry and unbelief is abandoning the prayer.

muslim 82

These are only my reflections—yet the wisdoms and benefits of prayer are countless, far beyond what this article could ever capture

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A special thanks to my dear niece, whose words and sincerity inspired me to write this article. May Allah reward her abundantly, and may every good deed sparked by these reflections add to her scale 🤲

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