Prayers are Important | Importance of Prayers

Importance of Prayer

Prayer in Islam, is worship of Allah the Almighty, Praising and Thanking Him, acknowledging His Sovereignty and committing oneself to obey and remember Him at all times. It is the central part of a way of life, which is based on submission to the Owner of all.

The Muslim must seek to remember Allah at all times. He must be mindful that everything he is, everything he does, everything he knows and understands, is due to the Mercy of Allah. In acknowledging this, he remembers the fact that death lies in wait and he does not know when he will depart from this worldly life.

Essential requisites for offering Prayer

The worshipper must be a Muslim
The worshipper’s clothes and body must be free from all impurities
The place where the Prayer is to be offered should be pure and clean
The part of the body between the navel and the knees of a male worshipper must be fully covered, and the whole body excepting the hands and face of a female worshipper.
The worshipper must face the Kaba in the Great Mosque at Mecca and the direction of Ka’ba outside Mecca.
The worshipper must form the Niyyat (i.e., intention) in his or her mind of the particular Prayer, Fard (Obligatory) or Sunnat or Nafl (Optional), he or she is about to offer.
The worshipper must observe the times and rules prescribed for the respective Prayers.
The worshipper must have performed the Wudu (i.e., ablution).
The worshipper must have performed Ghusl (i.e., the washing of the whole body), if he or she was in a state of grave impurity.

Note: In order to keep the body clean from dirt and all minor impurities and to be even ready for prayer, a Muslim must wash the private parts of his or her body with water whenever any impure matter issues from the body.

What is Wudu?

Wudu is the act of washing those parts of the body which are generally exposed.

How do you perform the Wudu?

1. I perform the Wudu in the following manner:
2. I make myself sure that the water with which I am going to perform Wudu is pure, clean and fresh (not used before) and its color, taste and smell are unchanged
3. I form and have the full intention of performing the Wudu for offering prayer
4. I recite “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim” i.e., in the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
5. I then wash my hands upto the wrists three times, passing the in between each other
6. I cleanse my mouth with brush or finger, and gargle with water three times
7. Then I rinse the nostrils thrice with water
8. I wash the face from the forehead to the chin bone and from ear to ear three times
9. I then wash the right hand arm followed by the left upto the elbows three times.
10. I then brush up the whole head with wet hands, pass the wet tips of the index finger inside and the wet tips of the thumb outside the ears, and pass over the other surface of the hands over the nape and the sides of the neck.
11. I then wash the feet upto the ankles, the right foot first and then the left, taking care to wash in between the toes, each three times.

The obligatory Acts in the performance of Wudu

1. Washing the face
2. Washing both the arms upto the elbows.
3. Brushing over a quarter of the head with wet hands
4. Washing both feet up to the ankles

Notes:

If the water to be used for Wudu be stagnant, one should make sure that the cistern measures ten yards by ten yards by one foot and is full of water
If a person wears impermeable foot-gear after the performance of the Wudu, it is not necessary to remove it for a fresh Wudu. One may just pass over it wet fingers as if one were tracing lines on it. Travelers can take advantage of this concession for three days and three nights, others for one day and one night.

Ghusl (Bath)

Ghusl should be made in a place of total privacy and one should not face towards the Kiblah while making Ghusl. Ghusl may be performed standing or seated, preferably seated. Use sufficient water, don’t skimp nor be wasteful. One should abstain from speaking while performing Ghusl. It is better not to read any Kalimah or Aayah while bathing. Be aware of these rules whilst making Ghusl.

Ghusl becomes obligatory after:

1. Sexual intercourse
2. Discharge or effusion of semen
3. Completion of menses and confinement

The obligatory condition that must be fulfilled for a valid performance of an obligatory Ghusl are:

1. To rinse the mouth thoroughly, so that all the parts are cleaned properly.
2. To rinse the nose right upto the nasal bone
3. To wash all parts of the body thoroughly, including the hair.

The best way of performing in obligatory Ghusl is:

The person should have the intention (Niyyat) to cleanse the body from grave impurity at the time of performing the bath
He or she should wash the hands upto the wrists thrice
Then the private parts must be washed thoroughly thrice
Filth must be removed, if there be any, from any of the parts of the body.
One should then perform an ablution
One should lastly wash thrice all the parts of the body, including the hair thoroughly.

Tayammum

When a person is sick or access cannot be had to water, one may perform what is called Tayammum in place of Wudu or Ghusl.

The essential requisites for the performance of a Tayammum are:

1. To have the intention in mind to perform the Tayammum for the removal of impurities
2. To strike pure earth lightly with the palms of both the hands
3. To pass the palms of the hands over the face once
4. To again strike lightly pure earth with the palms of both hands and rub alternately from the tips of the fingers to the elbows, the forearms and the hands.

The acts or circumstances which make the Wudu void are:

Answering the call of nature; discharge of semen or issue of worm or sandy stone or any impure matter from the front or the hind private parts
The passage of wind from the hind private part
The act of vomiting a mouthful of matter
Emission of blood, puss or yellow matter from a wound, boil, pimple, etc., to such an extent that is passes the limits of the mouth of the wound, etc.
Loss of consciousness through sleep, drowsiness, etc.
Temporary insanity, fainting fit, hysteria or intoxication.
Audible laughter during prayer

Same occurrences nullify tayammum also?

Yes; the same occurrences nullify Tayammum also, but in addition Tayammum is nullified as soon as the cause for performing it is removed i.e., if the sick person removers, or, if recourse has been taken to it for lack of water, and access to water becomes possible.

The following three acts are forbidden without the performance of Wudu or Tayammum as the case may be:

Prayer
Walking round the Holy Ka’ba in Mecca
Carrying or touching the Holy Quran

Note: Children who have not attained the age of discretion, i.e., about seven years, can carry the Holy Quran for the purpose of studying.

Does Wudu convey any inner meaning besides the cleanliness of the body?

Yes, the primary object is cleanliness or purity, but spiritual cleanliness and purity, i.e., freedom from sins which is the main object of religion. It is preferable, therefore, to recite the following after Wudu:
Allahummaj’alni minattawwabeena waj’alni minal mutatahahhireen.
‘O Allah! make me from among those who repent for their sins and from among those who keep themselves pure.