Friday Sermon: Keeping Prayer As A Pillar of Religion

By: Ali Farkhan Tsani, Preacher of Al-Fatah Islamic Boarding School

إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونتوب إليه, ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا وسيئات أعمالنا, من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له, وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له, وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله.

اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم, إنك حميد مجيد .
عِبَادَ اللهِ ، أُوْصِيْكُمْ وَنَفْسِيْ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلا تَمُوتُنّ إِلا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمون
ياأيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا * يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما

Worshipers of Friday Prayer

Let us always give thanks to Allah Subhanallahu Wata’ala for all the pleasures from Him.

Grateful with a heart that feels pleasing, oral, who is always devoted to praise Him and members of the body who always do what He pleases.

Give thanks in daily life that is using our limbs to obey Him, by being devoted to Him genuinely devoted to Him.

Taqwa is a form of gratitude in the life of a Muslim. Our glory and honor as believers is determined by the degree of piety.

As He said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسلِمُنُ

It means: “O you who believe, fear Allah with the utmost piety to Him, and do not ever die but in a state of Islam.” (Surah Ali Imran [3]: 102).

Hopefully, after this Friday, there will be an increase in our devotion to Allah, so that God is pleased to erase our sins a week ago. Aamiin

Muslims are blessed by Allah

Furthermore, with a strong faith in the soul, then let us always try to keep worship to Him. Specifically, pray five times a day and night, which is fardhu ‘ain (obligation).

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Allah says in His Word:

حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ

It means, “Keep all the prayers (you), and (keep) the prayer of wustha. Stand because of Allah (in your prayer) with solemnity”. (Surah al-Baqarah [2]: 238).

Through this verse, Allah explains about maintaining prayer is proof of our faith in Allah the Most Great.

Here Allah emphasizes the prayer of Wustha. Wustha prayer is the middle and most important prayer. Some argue that what is meant by the prayer of wustha is Asr prayer. According to most hadith experts, this verse emphasizes that all prayers are done as well as possible, not just Asr prayer.

Regarding the obligation of this prayer, it is mentioned in a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam said:

إِنَّ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكَ الصَّلَاةِ

It means: “Verily the boundary that separates a person from shirk and kufr is leaving prayer.” (Muslim HR).

Thus, Allah commands us Muslims to always keep on continuously praying five times a day and one night. If we keep the prayer sincerely, God willing, we will be able to protect ourselves from doing evil and unjust things.

Apart from that, also by maintaining prayer will be able to calm the soul of all anxiety that befalls us.

Asy-Shaykh Sayyid Qutb described, maintaining prayer becomes so important considering prayer is the way to meet a devoted servant with Allah the Most Great.

With prayer, a servant will feel closeness with Allah, the heart becomes calm, and the soul is washed out with coolness.

Prayer is like a source of cool springs that are never dry by the scorching heat of world travel. Therefore, people of sound mind must be happy to dip themselves into the spring of prayer five times a day and night.

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Besides that, attendees were the wombs of Allah

Prayer is the link between the creature and the Creator. Prayer is as much as a sign of one’s faith and as great as one’s Islamic symbols.

Prayer is a sign of gratitude for the blessings that Allah has given to His servants. Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a pillar of Islam.

Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam said:

اَلصَّلاَةُ عِمَادُ الدّيْنِ فَمَنْ اَقَامَهَا فَقَدْ اَقَامَ الدّيْنِ وَمَنْ تَرَكَهَا فَقَد هَيَ

Meaning: “Prayer is the pillar of religion. Whoever establishes prayer means he upholds religion, and whoever leaves prayer means he overthrows religion. (Reported by Muslim Bukhari).

In another hadith it says:

رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلاَمُ ، وَعَمُوْدُهُ الصَّلاَةُ ، وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ فِيْ سَبِِِِِِِْْ

It means: “The principle of religion is Islam, its pillar is prayer, and its peak is jihad in the way of Allah.” (HR At-Tirmidhi).

Regarding the importance of maintaining this prayer, the Prophet said in his hadith:

مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ رُكُوعِهِنَّ وَسُجُودِهِنَّ وَوُضُوئِهِنَّ وَمَوَاقِيتِهِن وَََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََََّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّّ

It means: “Whoever keeps the five obligatory prayers, whether bowing, prostration, ablution or time, and he knows that all are obligations from the side of Allah, then he will go to heaven.” (HR Ahmad).

Once the pleasure of worship prayers, until the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam made it a pleasure in itself.

So that the prayer can linger. He was silent, dialogue, and felt the delicious prayer. To the extent that he stated:

وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةَ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلاَة ِ

Meaning: “He made my eyes cool in prayer” (HR An-Nasa’i, Ahmad and Al-Hakim).

This is among the benefits of prayer that is very great, closer servants with the essence that we need most in solving life’s problems.

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So, let us not waste this golden opportunity. Do not let us neglect in the seconds of our prayers. Do not also rush in our prayers, as if there was no benefit to him.

With prayer that will be an amazing means to bring help and support of Allah Ta’ala.

In another hadith he states:

من حافظ عليها كانت له نورا وبرهانا ونجاة يوم القيامة, ومن لم يحافظ عليها لم يكن له نور ولا برهان ولا نجاة, وكان يوم القيامة مع قارون, وفرعون, وهامان, وأبي بن خلف.

It means: “Whoever looks after it (prayer) then on the Day of Judgment he will obtain light, tangible evidence (which will defend him), and salvation. And whoever does not look after him, he has no light, has no concrete evidence (who will defend him), and does not get salvation, and on the Day of Judgment he will (be gathered) with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Ubay bin Khalaf. ” (HR Ahmad and Ad-Darimi).

So, let us pay attention to this main worship, do not ever for a lifetime we leave this fard prayer. Because it’s a grave sin, when God has been so kind to us, while we disobeyed Him.

So, let us repent and promise to always pay attention to this fard prayer.

Let us also multiply prayers that we and our descendants of Allah give guidance to become His servants who always keep prayers.

رَبّ اِجْعَلْنِي مُقِيم الصَّلَاة وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ

It means: “O my Lord, make me the one who establishes prayers and my children, O Lord, we grant our prayers”. (Surah Ibrahim [14]: 40). (AT/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)