IMPORTANCE OF SALAH(PRAYERS);-

Tyba Bashir   IMPORTANCE OF SALAH(PRAYERS);- Among five pillars of Islam, shahadah(testification of oneness of ALLAH), Zakat(charity), Siyam(fasting),Hajj(pilgrimage), Salah(prayers) is the second most important pillar of Islam which one can't leave. Five time's a day and one is obliged to offer it.If one is sick and can't fast on the due time(but latter) there is no penalty. If one is poor and can't give Zakat(charity)or perform Hajj(pilgrimage) there is no penalty. But for leaving Salahorprayer's tere is a very high punishment and that is hellfire. The Messenger of ALLAH (saw) said, "the first faces to turn dark on the judgment day are the faces that neglect prayers. In hell fire there is a valley called Al-Malham that contains serpets. Each serpent is as fat as camels neckand its length is equal to the distance covered in a day.Then it stings the person who neglects prayers the poson boils in the body for 70 years then the flesh is torn out" reported by Al-Hakim. Messenger of ALLAH (saw) said,"Ma bayn al kufr wal iman tark al- salah___what is between belief(in ALLAH) and disbelief(in ALLAH) is leaving prayer(salah)" There is no excusefor skipping prayers(salah) as long as the person can offer it standing, if can't then sitting, if can't then lying or by mere action's. Salah is so very important to ALLAH that he had ordered and obliged it 50 times a day!! If it was still 50 times salah to perform we would have no time to raise our heads . ALLAH says in Qur'an " wa ma khalaqta al jinn wal ins illa liy' abudun___ And I have not created jinn and men except that they should worship me"(chapter 51: verse 56). As Salah is not now 50 times aordered by ALLAH but only five times and too at their prescribed time's, the Fajar prayer(morning prayers),zuhur(noon prayers), asar(afternoon prayers),maghrib (evening prayers), isha( night prayers). Salah is so very important because it contains whole of Ibadaah. Salah includes allthe other 4 pillar's of islam in it. in Salah we declare oneness of ALLAH through shahadah. By spending our time in Salah we complete one act of charity by giving our time in the way of ALLAH. During Salah one is obliged not to eat, talk, touch etc thus completing a part of fasting. likewise Salatul ishraaq( the nahf'l prayer performed right after the sunrise) is declared equal to Hajj and Umraah.  — withFaThima ZaHra. 25 January