Performing Prayer Prevents Violent and Unlawful Acts
By : Ali Farkhan Tsani, Senior Editor of MINA News Agency
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala says:
ا تْلُ مَآ اُوْحِيَ اِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتٰبِ وَاَقِمِ الصَّلٰوةَۗ اِنَّ الصَّلٰوةَ تَنْهٰى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاۤءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ۗوَلَذِكْرُ اللّٰهِ اَكْبَرُ ۗوَاللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُوْنَ
Meaning: “Read the Book (Al-Quran) which has been revealed to you (Muhammad) and perform the prayer. Verily, prayer prevents from (deeds) vile and evil. And (know) the remembrance of Allah (prayer) is greater (its virtue than other worship). Allah knows what you do.” (Surat al-Ankabut / 29: 45).
This verse commands the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam, and then to all Muslims, to always read and understand the Al-Quran that Allah has sent down to draw closer to Him.
After ordering to read, study, and practice the teachings of the Qur’an, Allah ordered the Muslims to perform the obligatory prayers, namely praying five times a day and night.
Prayer should be done according to the pillars and conditions, and full of humility. Prayers and even then recommended to be done complete with the sunnahs.
In this verse it is also said that remembering Allah through prayer is more important than any other worship. (وَلَذِكْرُ اللّٰهِ اَكْبَرُ).
This is because in prayer there is a devotion of all members of the body that is not found in other worship. In it there are readings of the holy verses of the Koran, there are thayyibah sentences such as takbir, tasbih, tahmid, syahadah, there are also blessings and prayers.
Ibn Aun Al-Ansari said that the dhikrullah that is being done in the prayer has a very large reward.
In the Tafsir Al-Quran, the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia adds an explanation of this verse, that if the prayer is done perfectly, then the prayer can prevent and prevent the person who does it from committing heinous and evil deeds.
The person who is doing the prayer himself, on one side he is carrying out Allah’s commands, on the other hand he is leaving the evil and evil deeds. The longer and more often a person prays, not only the fard prayer, but also the sunnah prayer, including the dhuha and tahajjud prayers. Then, he will do more and more of God’s commands and more often leave heinous and evil deeds.
If then there is a question, why are there still people who are seen praying, but still do evil and evil deeds? The answer is not because of the prayer, but because the person himself has not interpreted the nature of prayer.
As mentioned in a hadith:
ل مَنْ صَلَّى صَلَاةً لَمْ تَنْهَهُ صَلَاتُهُ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ لَمْ يَزْدَدْ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا بُعْدًا
It means; “Whoever performs a prayer that does not prevent him from doing heinous and evil deeds, he does not increase from Allah except that he is further away (from Allah)”. (Narrated by Ath-Tabarani, from Ibn Abbas Radhoyallahu ‘Anhu in marfu’, and the sanad is dha’if).
Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taimiyah said about this hadith in his fatwa: This hadith is indeed da’if or not valid from the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam. But prayer can indeed prevent evil and evil deeds, as explained by Allah in the Qur’an. (Surah Al-Ankabut verse 45).
Of course it is not interpreted, rather than praying but still doing vile and evil deeds, it is better for us not to pray. That’s clearly an incorrect conclusion too. The more appropriate step is to keep praying, keep trying to improve the prayer, keep increasing the humility, keep exploring its meaning and essence. God willing, hopefully this will open up the guidance that enters our souls, so that we gain the strength of the soul to be able to stay away from heinous and evil deeds.
Even if then we as ordinary people are inseparable from forgetting and making mistakes, when we do vile and evil deeds, we immediately pray to Allah, accompany us with good deeds, and continue to pray. Because prayer can also erase sins. Wallahu a’lam. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
