When Imam al-Hasan al-Basri stated that:
“The prayer is the ascent of the believer.” – (Suleiman, 2022:29)
he was postulating man’s direct spiritual connection with Allah SWT through salaat (prayer). It is also reminiscent of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s ascension to heaven on al-Isra’ wa al-Mi’raj when this noble duty was ordained to mankind (In Meeting Muhammad, Omar Sulaiman, 2022:29) It is no wonder he, ﷺ deemed salaat the “Mi’raj of the believer”. Salaat is unique because Allah SWT gifted it to us from above the seven heavens saying:
“Guard strictly your prayer, especially your middle prayer, and stand before God with all devotion.” (Surah Al Baqarah:238)
It is the primary link between the slave and his Master, unattainable with any other duty enforced on us. During salat, our Lord and Creator bless us with His noble presence and attention. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“Indeed, when one of you prays, he speaks privately with his Lord.” (Sahih Bukhari)
One can even say salaat is a human need and Allah SWT has ordered us to be mindful of it because, without genuine worship, all our deeds would suffer too. According to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
“The first thing that the servant of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) will be called to account for on the Day of Judgement will be the prayer, and if it was good the person’s deeds will have been good, but if it was bad, the person’s deeds will have been bad” (Sahih Bukhari).
Salaat is an all-encompassing form of supplication to Allah SWT that includes remembrance (dhikr), repentance (istighfar), and request (dua). Done genuinely with humility and submission, it raises man’s moral standards, purifies the soul, increases excellence of character, and strengthens taqwa. It becomes the foundation for all subsequent deeds and divides Islam from non-Islam. Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:
“Prayer refrains from indecency and evil. And remembrance of God is the greatest thing in life. And God knows the (deeds) that ye do.” (Surah Al-‘Ankabut:45)
What Is Salaat?
Salaat is the second pillar of Islam following tawhid. It is incumbent on every Muslim to pray five times a day as part of our obligatory duties. In Meaning and Essence of Prayer, Mansoor Alam notes that the root meaning of the Arabic ‘salat’ means ‘to follow someone closely’. In the context of prayer, salaat means ‘to follow Allah closely’. But Allah SWT does not require us to merely perform the actions of salaat. Qur’an speaks of Aqeemus Salaat or, to Establish Prayer (34 times):
“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and AQEEMUS SALAH (establish prayer) for My remembrance. (Surah Ta-Ha:14)
To establish prayer would be to consider it a system by which an intimate enunciation of words by the slave is exchanged for the love and mercy of his Lord. In the highest form of establishing prayer, one completely places his heart and soul before his Lord and waits in anticipation to see Him. And when this happens consistently over time it becomes a strategy to live life. Alam says:
“the root of Aqeemu comes from ‘qaa-ma,’ which means to stand, to be balanced, to have a just, fair and long-term strategy for dealing with problems, and to be steadfast.”
Perfecting the System of Salaat
In order to perfect the system of salaat, we could broadly view it as the dual process of action and connection. Perfecting the actions associated with salaat and perfecting the connection with Allah SWT during salaat. They share a symbiotic relationship.
“Salaat has a form and a spirit. Its form is worship with the body, its spirit is worship with the heart.”
(In The Muslim Book of Prayer, Shaikh Muhammad Mahmud Al-Sawwaf. 1990:1)
Perfecting Action
- Pray consistently every obligatory payer and on time. Last-minute prayers have done absentmindedly reap little to no benefit and may be considered heedless. Consider performing the Sunnah and Nafawil prayers as they will make up for the shortcomings of the obligatory prayers.
- Conscientious wudu Wudu done correctly will wash the sins away limb by limb even before you enter salaat, while an accepted salaat is dependent on the correct performance of wudu.
- Prepare. It is mentioned in Imam Ghazali’s Ihya ‘Ulumid Din (VOLl. 1:561-562), that prior to commencing salat, Hatim Al Asamm Rahimahulla would stay in the place of Salah until he is ‘composed’. Composure helps to regulate the flow of thoughts and emotions.
- Learn the meanings of the Qur’anic recitations and listen to the words as they are uttered throughout the prayer.
- Focus on the motions of salaat ensuring they are done as specified in the Sunnah. Remember, The Prophet ﷺ asked us to settle into each position before we performed the next position. These measured movements performed with khudoo’ (humility) give time to reflect on every component of the salat and achieve stillness and tranquility in the physical act of worship.
- Allocate time after salaat for dhikr and dua. These make salaat more wholesome.
Perfecting the Connection With Allah (SWT) During Salaat
- Perfecting Tawhid – The more one contemplates the Oneness of Allah SWT and His magnificent attributes, a natural need or want is established within us to perform salaat.
- Ensure sincerity of intention. Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim notes three motives for ibadah– gratitude, hope, and fear all of which are contained in the first part of Surah Al Fatihah. In Alhamdu lillaahi rabbi l-‘aalamiin, we thank Allah SWT for His immeasurable bounties and favors upon us. In Ar-rahmaani r-raheem we plead for the mercy of SWT, with the hope of Jannah. In Maaliki yawmi d –diin, our fear of the day of recompense is deeply sensed. An act of worship performed with sincerity combines these three motives (In Faith In Perspective, Kamaluddin, Natasha –2020: 55).
- When preparing for Salah free the mind of worldly matters, establish peace within, and focus on the presence of Allah SWT. He has turned His noble face towards you. Give Him your attention like He longs to give you His. This will elevate the spiritual bond with Him.
- As you recite in salaat immerse yourself in the recitation and savor the sweetness of it. Focus on the meanings of the words. When extolling Allah Azzawajal with takbeer – feel His Supremacy and Magnificence; when reciting Surah Al Fatihah be fearful of His justice on the day of recompense and yearn for His guidance to righteousness; at sajdah beg for His forgiveness. This mental and emotional effort of concentration is ‘khushoo’. It naturally extends to khudoo’ where the limbs follow with measured grace. Khushoo is key in establishing salaat. Khushoo helps us achieve taqwa. Which in turn enables guidance from the Qur’an, without which man is at a loss.
“This is the Book: In it is guidance, without doubt, for those who fear Allah; (For those) who believe in the Unseen, who establish the prayer, who spend out of what We have given them.” – (Surah Al Baqarah:2-3)
Conclusion
Allah SWT admonishes those who perform salaat with negligence and inattentiveness because the true objective of Salah and its core essence is then absent.
“Ah, woe unto worshippers. Who are heedless of their prayer.” – (Surah Al-Ma`un 108:4-5)
Establishing salaat eventually establishes a way of life. But to establish salaat, the interdependency of action and connection must be fully acknowledged and embraced. Salaat encompasses a wider obligation than merely standing five times a day in the presence of Allah SWT to perform a standard set of movements – irrespective of how precise it is. Salat must also incorporate the spirit, the essence (inclusive of tawhid, sincere intention, and khushoo). The values gained from such a Salah would then penetrate our day-to-day activities and reflect in all our deeds. Subsequently, our lives become a prayer, a constant prayer. Everything we do, all our deeds become acts of ibadah. When our lives transform in this way, then we could truly claim we have established prayer and perfected it.
May Allah SWT guide us all to establish our salaat to perfection. Aameen!
