THE IMPORTANCE OF SALAH

Salah (Prayer) is the second pillar of Islam. It is one of the most important pillars of
Islam. Salah is the key to Islam. Salah is Ibadah or worship.
In our lives we have many duties that we do like school, jobs and other sort of activities. And
when we are doing these things we forget Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). Allah (Subhanahu wa
Taala) doesnt want us to forget that we are His servants and also why we are here in this
universe. Thats the purpose of Salah and why Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala)
made Salah. Salah not only helps us to remember Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), but it also keeps
us on the right path, it helps us from not doing bad, from disobedience of Allah (Subhanahu wa
Taala), makes us clean and healthy and also it gets us closer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). If
you stopped offering Salah you would no longer be a proper Muslim.
Salah has to be prayed right. Wudu (ablution) is the key to Salah. If you do not
do wudu properly and you pray Salah, your Salah will not count. And when you are
praying Salah, you must be facing in the direction of the Kaba which is our Qiblah. Children at
the age of ten must start praying Salahand when they reach puberty Salah is obligatory on
them.
There are five fard (obligatory) Salah in a day. Fajr is the first Salah of the day, which helps us
to start our day with remembering Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). Fajr is prayed early in the
morning before sunrise. Zuhr is the next Salah. It is prayed after mid day in the afternoon, so
that after you have eaten your lunch you can remember Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). Then
comes Asr which is prayed when most parents and children come back from school or work. This
is another time to remember our Great Lord, Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). After the Asr
Salah is Maghrib which is prayed immediately after sunset. We remember Allah (Subhanahu wa
Taala) before sunrise and now we remember our Mighty Lord again after sunset.
AfterMaghrib comes Isha at night. It is the last Salah of the day, when we pray to Allah
(Subhanahu wa Taala) to thank Him for all He has given us that we asked for! We pray for the
forgiveness of our sins. We also pray for a peaceful night and also another happy and successful
day tomorrow.
The Jumua Prayer is the most important Salah in the week. The Jumua Salah is at the time of
the Zuhr prayer, prayed on Friday, with a khutbahand in a jamaah, but the fard Salah of

the Jumua Prayer is only 2 rakah. If you miss the Jumua Salah you can pray it as Zuhr, but
the Jumua Salah is highly recommended to pray.
When we pray Salah, we stand in straight rows shoulder to shoulder, the rich and the poor, the
black and the white, Arab and non-Arab. This shows the unity of Muslims.
We should also pray the Salat ul-witr which is next in importance to Salat ul-fard. We should
also pray Salat us-sunnah which are the additional prayers of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam). We should also pray Salat un-nawafil which are the additional optional prayers. These
prayers bring us closer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala).
In each rakah of Salah, we recite Surah al-Fatiha which is the greatest Chapter in the Holy
Quran. In each rakah we also recite Allahu Akbar (Allah is Supremely Great) five times. In
each Salah we also recite As-Salat-Ibrahimiyya to send blessing on the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
When we finish praying Salah, we make dua (supplication to Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala).
Salah is so important that you must perform it in any circumstance. Even if you are on a journey,
and also if you are very ill and are confined to bed you still must pray Salah. You may ask how
are you supposed to pray Salah when you are truly ill and are confined to bed? In that case, we
can pray Salahwhile lying down in bed, using postures and signs.