8( وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (97

Pilgrimage thereto is a duty, men owe to Allah, on those who can afford the journey, but if anyone denies faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures. [آل عمران:97]

In this verse, while the Hajj has been declared obligatory it has been made clear that it is applicable only to those who possess the means and material resources to undertake it. But care has been taken, in the last part of it, to warn that if Muslims whom Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) has blessed with the necessary material means to perform the pilgrimage still fail to carry out the duty through sheer ingratitude (as is common among the wealthy classes these days) then Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) does not stand in need of their pilgrimage. The Almighty, definitely, is not going to lose anything by their not performing the Hajj, the loss will entirely to them. They will forfeit His good graces, they will deprive themselves of His benevolence, and Allah-forbid, a most lamentable fate will be waiting for them in the Hereafter. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasillam) is reported to have gone as far as to say:

“A person whom Allah (SUbhaanahu Wata’aalaa) has given enough to perform the Hajj, if he still fails to do so then it does not matter at all whether he dies as a Jew or a Christian.”

Brothers! If there is any regard in our hearts for Islam if we can boast of the least attachment to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) none of us who can afford to make the journey should remain without performing the Hajj after we have known this Tradition.

Spiritual Merit

The importance of the Hajj and the spiritual meritoriousness of those who perform it has been emphasized in a number of Traditions. We will reproduce a few of them here.

“Those who make the pilgrimage for the Hajj or the Umrah they are the guests of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa): their petitions, if they make any to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), will be granted, and if they seek deliverance from sins, their sins will be forgiven.”

“He who performs the Hajj and commits no wicked or sinful deed during it and does not disobey Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), he will return from it as pure and guiltless as he was at the time of his birth.”

“The reward for a pure and untainted Hajj is paradise itself and nothing short of it.”

Immediate Gains

The remission of sins and the enjoyment of the supreme blissfulness of paradise as a result of the spiritual auspiciousness of the Hajj will, Inshaa Allah, surely be granted to the faithful in full measure in life to come, but the exquisite thrill and the sublime joy one experiences, the soul-stirring sensation of delight and wonderment one feels, on seeing that choicest seat of Divine splendor – the House of Kaaba and on visiting those special places in Makkah where the memories of Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) are still alive, are also things of the celestial world on the earth. Then the pilgrimage to the Prophet’s (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) mausoleum at Madinah, the offering up of Salaah in his own mosque, the addressing of the salutation and the benediction to him directly, the aimless wanderings in the streets and the wilderness of the blessed city, the breathing in of its air and the fragrance which always seems to be filling its atmosphere, the ethereal joy of his remembrance bursting upon one sometimes in laughter and sometimes in tears – all these things – provided, of course, that one is blessed enough to feel them – are the immediate rewards a pilgrim gets when he betakes himself to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Zakaah means that a Muslim who is in possession of a certain amount of wealth, or more, is required by his religion to spend one-fortieth of it at the end of every twelve months on the poor, the needy and the wayfarer, and on such other items of charity and other heads of expenses as are prescribed1 for it by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam).

IMPORTANCE

At several places in the Holy Quraan, Zakaah has been enjoined on Muslims side by side with Salaah. While reading the Holy Quraan you would have come across a number of times the command: “Be steadfast in prayer: practice regular Zakaah.” On several occasions, it has been spoken of by the Holy Quraan as a characteristic feature of Muslims that, “They establish prayer and give regular Zakaah.” These two verses go to show emphatically that those who do not offer Salaah and fail to pay the Zakaah are, in fact, not Muslims, for the two basic attributes and distinguishing features of a genuine Muslim are not present in them.

Anyway, habitual neglect of Salaah and failure to pay the Zakaah are, according to the Holy Quraan, not the qualities of a Muslim but of an atheist or a polytheist. About the Salaah we have a verse in Surah-Room of the Holy Quraan which reads:[AR ROOM: 31]

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Establish regular Salaah and be not ye among polytheists those who join gods with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) [Ar AROOM:31]

And about the evasion of Zakaah being the attribute of polytheists and infidels we have it in Surah-Fussilat:

الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُم بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ  (7)

And woe to polytheists those who join god with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) those who practice not regular Zakaah, and who even deny the Hereafter. [FUSSILAT:7]

DREADFUL CHASTISEMENT

The fate that awaits those who do not pay the Zakaah and the punishment that is going to be handed out to them in the Hereafter is so dreadful that the mere thought of it is enough to make one’s hairs stand on end. For instance, it is stated in Surah-Tauba:

 وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ  يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ (35)

And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa); announce unto them a most grievous penalty-On the Day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the Fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs. “This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves. Taste ye the (treasures) ye buried.” [Sura-h-Tauba:34-35]

In one of his Traditions, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has explained in a little more detail the purport of this Surah. The Tradition when translated into English reads:

“He who possesses gold or silver (i.e., wealth) but does not fulfill the obligations that are attached to the possessions of wealth (i.e., dues not paid, e.g., Zakaah, etc.) plates of fire will be prepared for him on the Day of Judgment. These plates will be heated further in the fire of hell and then his forehead and sides and back will be branded with them. The plates will be heated up again and again to brand him and this will continue throughout the Day of Judgment which will be equal to fifty thousand years in this world.”

Besides this, other horrible kinds of punishment are also mentioned in the Traditions. May Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) save us all from them!

UNJUST AND UNGRATEFUL

People who have been blessed by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) with wealth and prosperity are, indeed, a most unjust and ungrateful lot if they do not pay the Zakaah and shirk from spending their riches in His way as desired by Him. They richly deserve the punishment that is going to be meted out to them on the Day of Recompense.

Again, what is generally not realized is that it is our own poor and indigent brothers we serve when we pay the Zakaah or spend our money on other acts of charity. By evading the Zakaah we, as such, do a great wrong to our needy and helpless brethren and play foul with their rights.

To think over it from another angle, whatever we have by way of property or wealth has, after all, been granted to us by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and we are His creatures and slaves. He commands full control and authority over our lives. Were He to demand from us every bit of our property or our life itself, our duty, even then, would lie in placing everything before Him quietly and without demur. It is merely His Kindness and Benevolence that He has called on us to give away in Zakaah only one-fortieth of the wealth He has bestowed on us.

Reward

Another extra-ordinary favour of the Lord is that He has placed an enormous reward on Zakaah and other deeds of charity though whatever we give away is only out of the possessions and the wealth He has been pleased to bestow on us. It would have been perfectly reasonable and justified if there had been no promise of a reward from Him on these things. If He is pleased with our conduct when we spend, from the resources He has favoured us with, in Zakaah and in other charitable activities, as ordained by Him, and has given the assurance of a rich premium on such deeds of ours, it is solely due to His Infinite Kindness and Mercy. States the Holy Quraan:

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ (261) الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ لَا يُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُوا مَنًّا وَلَا أَذًى ۙ لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (262) ۞ قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَا أَذًى ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَلِيمٌ (263

The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is that of a grain of corn; it groweth seven ears and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) careth for all and He knoweth all things. Those who spend their substance in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and follow not up to their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury-their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve. [AL-BAQARA:261-263]

In the above verse, three promises have been made on behalf of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) to those who practice Zakaah and spend their money in His way through other means:

One, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) will repay them hundred-fold in this world for what they spend;

Two, they will be rewarded bounteously in the Hereafter;

Three, there will be for them neither fear nor grief on the Day of Judgment.

The holy Companions had the fullest faith in these promises. When verses extolling the spiritual merit of expending in the path of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and denoting what stupendous Divine reward was on it were revealed to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) and the Companions came to know of them from him they were so deeply stirred that such of them as were poor and did not have the means to give away somethings in charity left their homes and went out in search of work and carried heavy loads on their backs so that they could earn some money to spend for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa).

We will reproduce here just one Tradition of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) revealing the significance and the outstanding worth and merit of Zakaah.

States the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam). “There are three things whoever acquires them acquires the real joy of faith; Firstly, to worship Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and no one besides Him; secondly, to believe sincerely in and, lastly, to pay the Zakaah cheerfully on one’s possessions every year.”

Worldly Advantages:

Apart from the reward and recompense in the Hereafter, numerous worldly advantages also accrue from practicing the Zakaah regularly and spending in other Divinely prescribed branches of charity. For example, a Muslim who discharges these obligations properly experiences a rare feeling of satisfaction and tranquility in his heart, the poor do not feel jealous of his wealth. On the other hand, they wish him well to pray for his welfare and look towards him with love and admiration. The world holds him in high esteem everyone likes him and feels drawn towards him sympathetically, and, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) bestows prosperity on him and multiplies his wealth.

A Tradition of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) reads:

“The mandate of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is: “O Son of Adam! Go on spending the wealth I have given thee (on the poor, the needy and the destitute); I shall give thee more.”

And, another:

“I can swear no one will become poor because of expending in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa).”

May Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) endow us all with the stanchest faith in the sayings of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallarn) and grant us the great good fortune to act on them!

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُون (183)

Oh, Ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint.  [AL-BAQARA:183]

Fasting is obligatory for Muslims in the month of Ramadhaan. Failure to observe the fast on any day, without a valid reason, during this month is a great sin. We have it on the authority of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) that, “Anyone who does not, without illness or any other valid excuse, keep fast on a single day during Ramadhaan will not succeed in making amends for it even if he were to keep fast daily throughout his life in the atonement.”

Recompense

During the fast, a Muslim abstains from eating and drinking and denies himself the pleasures of legitimate carnal satisfaction solely as a measure of worship, and sacrifices his legitimate biological needs and urges exclusively for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa).

Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), too, therefore, has placed a most unique reward on it. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) is reported to have said:

“There is a fixed principle for rewarding all the good deeds of men, and every good deed will be rewarded in accordance with it. But the fast is an exception to this general principle. The standing will and pleasure of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is that since a man forgoes food and drink and crushes down his passions utterly for His sake, He will recompense him directly for it.”

“All the previous sins of a person are forgiven who undertakes the fasts of the month of Ramadhaan with full faith and with the object of propitiating Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and earning His reward.”

“There are two moments of special joy for a person who fasts: one is when he breaks the fast and this he experiences here in his earthly existence, the other will come in the Hereafter when he will be presented before the Lord.”

“Saum is a shield against the fire of hell and a strong fortress (which will protect the believer from infernal chastisement).”

“The fast itself will plead with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) for him who does fasting that he had gone without the day’s meals and shunned the cravings of the flesh for its sake (so he may be forgiven and rewarded to the full). Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aaiaa) will accept the intercession.”

“The odor emanating from the mouth of a person who is fasting (which is sometimes produced because of the empty stomach) is more, pleasant in the judgment of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) than the sweet smell of musk.”

Another outstanding feature of Saum, besides those given in the Traditions quoted above, is that it lifts man above the level of beasts. To eat and to drink at will and to copulate whenever the urge comes, this is the way of the animals. On the other extreme, to be immune from hunger and thirst and the impulsions of sex, to stay away permanently from food and drink and cohabitation is the quality of angles. When a person fasts he rises above the animal existence and forges an affinity with angels.

Special Benefit

Moreover, Saturn promotes piety and righteousness in man. It produces in him the ability to control his physical desires. It teaches him how to subordinate his carnal appetites and longings of the heart to the will of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa). It is, thus, most effective in the discipline and evolution of the soul.

But these benefits can be derived only when a person conscientiously strives for them and pays due respect, while he is fasting, to the instructions laid down by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) in this connection. It is most necessary to leave strictly alone not only food and drink but also all the major and minor sins. He must neither quarrel nor utter a lie nor engage himself in slander and backbiting. In brief, he should scrupulously avoid all sinful deeds, apparent as well as hidden, as is demanded of him in the Traditions. Some of the relevant Traditions are:

“When any of you keeps a fast he should not speak an indecent or filthy word or engage in a noisy scene and were anyone to quarrel with him and call him names he should simply say I am keeping fast (therefore, I can not pay you back in the same coin).”

“Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) has no need for him to go without food and drink who cannot shun evil and falsehood even during a fast.”

“Many are there among you who fast and yet gain nothing from it except hunger and thirst.”

In sum, fasts can lead to the promotion of the virtues of piety and righteousness and impart the moral strength needed to control and discipline the sensual appetites when, together with abstention from food and drink, all the major and minor transgressions of the law of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aa! aa) are also zealously avoided while fasting, more especially the use of foul and filthy language, falsehood, slander, and backbiting. If fasts are observed in the right spirit and with proper care and solicitude, the benefits indicated above can undoubtedly, be obtained from them.

Salaah, if it is offered with a sincere heart and proper devotion and mental concentration, is particularly vested with the property of cleansing the heart reforming one’s life, and ridding it of sins and impurities. It generates love for piety and truth and promotes fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) in man. Thus it is that Islam has laid greater emphasis on it than on all other religious obligations. When anyone came to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) to embrace Islam, the first promise the sacred Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) took from him, after instructing him in Divine Oneness, was that he will offer the Salaah regularly. In fine, after the Kalimah, Salaah is the bedrock of Islam.

Traditions

We know from the Traditions that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) used to equate neglect of the Salaah with infidelity. He denounced it as the way of the nonbelievers. He would say that those who did not offer the Salaah had no share in the faith.

A Tradition of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) reads, “What separates a believer from infidelity is simply the Salaah.”

This Tradition clearly warns that if a Muslim will give up the Salaah, he will get associated with infidelity; his conduct will become the conduct of an infidel. In another Tradition, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has said, “He has no share in Islam who does not offer the Salaah.”

And here is another Tradition from which we can imagine what a great act of virtue and felicity is it to offer the Salaah regularly and how utterly fatal and ruinous is it to neglect it. Once while urging upon the Muslims to be most particular about the Salaah, the sacred Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) is reported to have observed:

“Whoever will offer the Salaah properly and regularly, it will be for him on the Last Day a source of light, a proof of his faith and a means to salvation. (On the other hand) whoever will not offer it carefully and regularly, it will be for him neither a source of light, nor a proof of faith, nor a means to salvation, and the end of such a person will be with Qaaroon, Fir’aun, Haamaan, and Ubai-bin-Khalf.”

Brothers! Let us now imagine what our end is going to be if we failed to cultivate the habit of offering the Salaah correctly and regularly.

The Ignominy and Disgrace of the Defaulters on the Last Day

The ignominy and disgrace the defaulters of Salaah will have to suffer at the very outset on the Day of Judgment has been spoken of in these words in the Holy Quraan: (Qalam:42-43)

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ  (42)

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ( (43

The day that the shin shall be laid bare, and the)’ shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but the)’ shall not be able, their eyes will be cast down, ignominy will cover them, seeing that they had been summoned aforetime to bow in adoration while they were whole (and had refused). [: 42]

The verse tells that on the Last Day when the hour of judgment will arrive (when all mystery will vanish and reality will be fully manifested) and every man and woman born into the world from the first day to the last will be raised up again and gathered together, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) will reveal Himself to them in full glory and splendor. Everyone will then be called upon to bow in adoration before Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa). The fortunate and the faithful among them who had been regular in their Salaah in the world and were, thus, accustomed to kneeling down before Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) will, at once, bow down in adoration, but those who in spite of being healthy and strong had not observed the Salaah in their lifetime will find that their backs had suddenly grown stiff like a board and they will remain standing with the infidels, unable to bend down and carry out the prostration. They will be covered with ignominy, their eyes will be downcast, they will not be able even to look up. Before the chastisement of hell, they will have to bear this chastisement of humiliation and disgrace. May Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), by His Grace, save us all from it!

In truth, a habitual defaulter of the Salaah is a sort of a rebel against Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and deserves all the humiliation and punishment that may be meted out to him. According to some Jurisprudents of Islam, a Muslim who rejects the Salaah is liable to be punished with death like an apostate.

Brothers! We must consider it thoroughly and well that without the Salaah the claim to Islam is altogether meaningless. Salaah alone is the Islamic act that joins us with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and makes us deserving of His grace.

Blessings of Salaah

When a person stands before the Almighty with his arms folded, five times a day, and celebrates His praises and kneels down before Him and touches the ground with his forehead and makes earnest supplications to Him, he becomes worthy of His love and beneficence, his sins are forgiven with every Salaah he offers, his heart attains enlightenment and his life becomes pure. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once gave an excellent example to illustrate this truth. He asked his Companions, ” Tell me if a stream flows at the door of anyone of you and he takes a dip in it five times a day. Will there be left any grime on his body?” The Companions replied, ” No, Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam). No grime will be left on his body”. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) said, ” It is exactly the same with the five daily prayers. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) removes all impurities and sins because of their auspiciousness.”

Superiority of Congregation

It appears from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam)’s Traditions that Salaah should be offered in the congregation if one wants to derive full benefit from it. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) was so very particular about it that once while condemning the conduct of those who avoided coming to the mosque to offer their prayers in congregation due to laziness or indifference, he observed with anger that he felt like burning down their homes.

This one Tradition is enough to show how repugnant it is to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) if anyone does not offer his prayers in congregation.

Another Tradition says:

“The reward on offering the Salaah in congregation is twenty-seven times as much as on offering it alone.”

Apart from the reward in the Hereafter, there are many other advantages in offering up the Salaah in the congregation. For instance, one acquires the habit of punctuality by attending the mosque regularly to offer his prayers in congregation. It enables Muslim brethren of the locality to assemble at one place five times every day and this can be turned to great benefit. The practice of offering the Salaah regularly in the mosque congregationally makes a man thoroughly regular in his prayers for it has been seen that those who offer their prayers individually at home are often inclined to be neglectful. Yet another notable advantage in offering the prayers in congregation is that the Salaah of each participant becomes a part of the Salaah of the whole congregation in which, along with others, there are also generally present some venerable and virtuous servants of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) whose Salaah are of a very high order. Their Salaah finds acceptance with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and the expectation from His Benevolent Grace is that when He will grant acceptance to the prayers of some members of the congregation. He will, along with them, accept the prayers of the rest of the congregation, too.

Now, imagine what rich rewards and blessing do we deprive ourselves of when do not go to the mosque to offer our prayers in the congregation without a valid excuse.

Meekness and Humility

The offering up of the Salaah with meekness and humility means that believing Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) to be Omnipresent and All-seeing, the Salaah should be offered in such a way that the heart is filled with His love and stricken with awe by the thought of His Greatness and Magnificence as if a criminal was standing front of a great judge or a mighty ruler. As a devotee stands up for Salaah, he should visualize that he is standing in the presence of the Almighty that he is standing out of reverence to Him. When he bows his head in Ruku or kneels down to perform the Sajdah he should imagine that it was all being carried out in front of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and in the expression of his own utter worthlessness and humility. Better still, whatever is recited during Salaah, whether while standing or in Ruku or Sajdah, should be done with a proper understanding of its meaning. The real joy and beauty of Salaah are experienced only when it is offered with an intelligent appreciation of its contents. It is not, at all, difficult to learn the meaning of the Surahs that are generally recited in Salaah.

The devotion of the heart and the sentiments of awe and humility, indeed, are the very soul of the Salaah. The ultimate success and deliverance of believers who offer up such a kind of Salaah is assured. Declares the Holy Quraan: [Momen:1-2]

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (1) الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ

(2 (

The believers must (eventually) succeed, those who humble themselves in their prayers.[Momen:1-2]

Says the Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam), “Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) has made the five daily prayers obligatory. Whoever did the Wudhu properly and offered them up at the right time and carried out the Ruku and Sajdah as they ought to be, humbly and reverentially, for him the promise of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is that he will be pardoned; and whoever did not do so (i.e., did not offer his prayers in this manner), for him there is no such promise. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) will pardon or punish him as He will please.”

A well-known Tradition of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Ataihe Wasallam) tells us that, “The foundation of Islam rests on these five things; (1) the affirmation of (2) the establishment of Salaah (3) the payment of Zakaah (4) the observance of Saum in the month of Ramadhaan and (5) the performance of Hajj by those who can afford to make the pilgrimage.”

When these five items are spoken of as the Pillars of Islam, it means that these are the fundamental duties of the faith. If carried out properly these duties are capable of producing in us the ability to fulfill our other religious obligations as well. Here we have dwelt only on their importance and the intrinsic spiritual virtue that underlies them. Detailed rules and principles governing them can be learned from reliable, books on Islamic Jurisprudence or directly from a Muslim theologian.

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

There is none worthy of worship but Allaah, Muhammad

is the messenger of Allaah

Brothers! This confession is the gateway to Islam, the arch-stone of the faith. By affirming it and reciting it with sincerity and conviction even a life-long heathen or a polytheist can become a Muslim, a man of faith, and earn his title to salvation. The condition, however, is that he should have accepted conscientiously and with a full understanding of the declaration of the Oneness of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and the Apostleship of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) contained in it. Thus, anyone who repeats the confession mechanically, without understanding it and without knowing what the concepts of Divine Unity and Apostleship and Prophethood means, will not gain recognition in the sight of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) as a Muslim. It is, therefore, necessary, to study its meaning and implications carefully.

The First Part

The confession consists of two parts. The first part contains لا إله إلا الله the affirmation of the Oneness of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa). It means that no one except Allah Almighty is worthy of worship and obedience. Worship and obedience should be offered to Him alone because He and no one else is our Lord and Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer and the Dispenser of life and death, sickness and health, poverty and riches, in short, all manner of good and evil, gain or loss, lies solely in His control. Apart from Him, whatever living things exist on the earth, or in the heavens, be they men or angels, are all His creatures and slaves. He is partnered by no one, no one has a share in His Divinity nor can anyone amend or alter His Will, or interfere with His affairs. Hence, He and He alone is worthy of devotion and worship. He alone is the Supreme Being, the Almighty, to whom all our prayers and supplications should be addressed. He alone is the real Owner of the heavens and the earth, the Monarch of all monarchs, the Lord Sovereign. It is, therefore, necessary that all His commands and injunctions are strictly obeyed and faithfully carried out. As against His commands, the commands of no one should be heeded to no matter whether they are of our parents or rulers or of the head of the community or a dear friend, or the biddings of our own heart. In a nutshell, when once we have realized and confessed the truth that Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) alone, and no one besides Him, is worthy of worship and obedience our conduct should also be in conformity with it, so much so that anyone who sees us should know by our behavior that we are the devoted servants of the Lord who carry out His commands dutifully and live and die for His sake alone.

Brothers’ This   لا إله إلا الله is the keystone of Islam and the first and foremost item in the teachings of all the Prophets. It occupies the highest and the most important place in the religious scheme of teachings A famous Tradition of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) reads:

“There are more than seventy departments of the faith and among them, the most superior and exalted is the belief in the Kalimah of “. لا إله إلا الله

For this reason among the Zikr (specific phrase for Remembrance of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) also it is the best.

States the Prophet:

“Of all the Zikr the best and most excellent is that of “. لا إله إلا الله

In another Tradition, it is related that once Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) gave this reply to a question put to Him by Prophet Moses (Alaihis Salaam):

“O, Moses! If the seven heavens and the seven earths and all that is contained in them, are placed on one side of the balance and لا إله إلا الله   on the other, the side on which لا إله إلا الله  is placed will turn out to be heavier.”

Brothers! This unique virtue and excellence are due solely to the fact that it contains the solemn affirmation of Divine Unity, the assertion, the pledge and the declaration that we shall worship Him alone and, offer our homage and obeisance to no one apart from Him, and shall make Him the sole pivot of our existence. It, indeed, is the life-breath of Islam.

That is why the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has advised Muslims to refresh and to reinvigorate their faith by repeating the Kalimah frequently.

It is narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said, “O men! Keep on refreshing your faith”. Upon this the Companion enquired, “O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa)! How are we to do so?”  The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallarn) replied, “By reciting the Kalimah frequently.”

The Kalimah of لا إله إلا الله holds the power to restore and revitalize the faith for the simple reason that it embodies the affirmation of Divine Unity and the covenant to worship Him alone, to do allegiance to none beside Him and to hold Him dearer and nearer to the heart than anything or anybody else in the world. As we have said earlier, it is the essence, the sustaining principle of Islam. So, the more we will utter it attentively, concentrating duly on what it stands for, the more will our faith gain in vitality and our covenant in strength and our whole life will, Insha-Allah, get cast in the mould of لا إله إلا الله.

The Second Part

The second part of the Kalimah consists of محمد رسول الله.  In it, the affirmation is made of the Divine Apostleship of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam). Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) is the Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) means that he was raised up by the Almighty for the guidance of the world and whatever he taught, preached, or revealed like the Divinity of the origin of the Holy Quraan, the existence of angels, the certainty of the Last Day the Resurrection, the Judgment, the award of heaven and hell according to one’s deeds on the earth was hundred percent true and authentic. Indeed the Apostleship of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) denotes nothing more and nothing less than this that all the things he taught to the world, all the truths he revealed to mankind, were based on Divine inspiration, that they were based on special and authoritative knowledge vouchsafe to him by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and so they were absolutely correct and beyond doubt. There is not the least excuse or the slightest reason, for doubting or questioning his word. The guidance he gave to men, the laws he laid down, were Divine guidance and Divine laws which had been inspired to him by the Almighty. You would have realized that the acceptance of anyone as a Divine Apostle automatically implies that each and every precept and command of him should be whole-heartedly believed in and obeyed, for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) raised up His Apostles in the world solely to convey through them to mankind the commands and precepts He wants to be followed. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) says in the Holy Quraan.

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ

We sent not an Apostle, but to be obeyed in accordance with the will of Allah (Subhahnahu Wata’aalaa)        [AN-NISA:64]

To believe in anyone as an Apostle and to accept him as such, thus, means simply to hold every word of his as true, to regard his teachings and guidance to be the teachings and guidance of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), and to decide once for all, to lead one’s life according to the precepts he taught. So, if a person recites the Kalimah but does not, as a logical consequence of it, resolve firmly to hold all the teachings of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) to be wholly true and all that may run counter to them to be wholly false, and to abide by his Shariah (holy law) and his commands faithfully, he, of course, is not a man of faith and a Muslim. He, probably, has not even understood what it means to be a Muslim.

It is obvious that once we have recited the Kalimah and accepted the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) as the true Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) it becomes obligatory for us to believe in his guidance, to adhere to his, commands and to observe faithfully the Shariah he brought.

A Covenant

From the meaning and interpretation of the Holy Kalimah given above, you will have realized that it is a covenant. It embodies the pledge and the vow that we believe in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) as the One and Only Lord, Sovereign, Master, and Creator, and regard everything that exists in this world and the Hereafter to be exclusively in His control, and that, since we do so, we will worship Him alone and carry out His commands the way a servant and a slave carries out the commands of his master, and love Him and adore Him above all else, and further, that we accept Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) as the true Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), and will abide by his guidance as a loyal follower, and fashion our lives according to the holy law laid down by him. In fact, faith denotes nothing except this pledge and covenant and this is precisely what the affirmation of Divine Unity and Apostleship means.

A Muslim should, therefore, hold himself bound by this covenant and try his level best to shape his conduct in its light so that he may earn recognition in the eyes of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) as a genuine man of faith and attain his salvation and place in the paradise.

Those who are blessed enough to bear faith honestly in both the parts of the holy Kalimah and to give proof of it by word as well as by deed are the recipients of countless glad tidings like the one reproduced below:

It is related by Hadhrat Anas that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said to Hadhrat Mo’aaz, “Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) has declared as forbidden the fire of the hell for him who affirms the Kalimah of  لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله with a true heart.”

Brothers! Affirm لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله with a true heart and with full knowledge and awareness of its implications and importance and resolve now and forever to lead your lives according to it in order that your attestation may not turn out to be false. This very attestation depends on your faith and your salvation.