Importance of Wudu and Prayers

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your comment:  ALMOST EVERY MUSLIM KNOWS THAT PRAYING 5 TIMES A DAY IS MUST & IT`S THE FIRST OF 5 BASIC CONCEPT OF ISLAM,  BUT WHEN A MUSLIM WHO DOES NOT HARM ANY ONE BY HIS WORDS OR ACTS, WHO DOES NOT COMMIT ANY OF THE MAJOR SINS, RESPECTS HIS ELDERS AND PERFORM ALL MORAL, SOCIAL AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES CAN GO TO HELL IF HE IS NOT PRAYING 5 TIMES A DAY.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Muminoon verses 1-11: Most certainly those believers have attained True Success: WHO PERFORM THEIR PRAYERS WITH HUMILITY; who refrain from vain things; who spend their zakat dues in appropriate ways; who guard their private parts scrupulously, except with regard to their wives and those women who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blame-worthy; but those, who go beyond this shall be the transgressors; who are true to their promises;  and WHO STRICTLY GUARD THEIR PRAYERS. These are the heirs who will inherit Paradise, and will dwell therein forever.

Allah has commanded and made it absolutely obligatory on every believer, who believes in Allah and the Last Day, to pray the five prescribed ‘fard’ (obligatory) prayers every day!   This is absolutely obligatory and thus termed ‘fard ain’ in Islam.    This is the right of Allah on the believers.

Just read the above aayahs quoted from Surah Muminoon.   Allah Himself states that those believers are indeed successful and will inherit Paradise, who do the following things:

Perform prayers with humility.

Refrain from vain things.

Spend their zakat dues appropriately.

Scrupulously guard their private parts.

Are true to their promises they make.

And again, those who strictly guard their prayers.

The importance of prayers in the sight of Allah can be determined by, when He lists the above qualities and characteristics of a believer who will inherit Paradise, He starts the list with prayers and ends it with prayers.  

By saying that one is a good person, and does not harm his fellow beings, and does not commit major sins, and performs all his moral, social and family responsibilities; we only confirm that this person is giving all his rights and obligations due upon him to his fellow beings, which is termed ‘hukook-ul-ibaad’ in Islam.  But what about Allah’s Rights and Obligations, Who created him and everything else for him in this Universe?  And the biggest right of Allah is that we have to worship Him Alone in the way and manner He and His Messenger (saws) have taught us, and associate absolutely no partner with Him.   And the prescribed ‘fard’ prayers are one of the fundamental rights of worship of our Creator.

And the ‘salaat’ is only a form of our submission and supplication to our Lord, and a training prescribed for us by Allah and His Messenger (saws), which will only help us in fulfilling all our other rights.. be it social, moral or family.   For example, one who does not pray as prescribed, can be understood like a soldier in an army who says that he will not come for training and exercises, but will turn up directly for the wars!   Likewise, Allah has prescribed the prayers as a link between the Creator and the created, and a sort of training for the believers which will help him fulfill all his other rights and obligations.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said in an authentic narration: “The difference between Islam and “kufr” is salaat.”   

That is how important the act of salaat is in Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 74 Surah Muddaththir verses 41-48: (The people of Paradise) will ask the culprits, “What has brought you into Hell?”  The culprits will reply, “We were not of those who offered the salaat, and we did not feed the poor, and we used to join with those who indulged in idle talk against the Truth, and we used to belie the Day of Judgment.   Till the inevitable overtook us!”   

Among the first things the people of hell fire will reply as their reason for ending up in Hell will be that they were those who did not offer their prayers!  

Another worldly example about prayers would be that in the school examinations, there are some important and compulsory subjects like maths, language, etc.  which are obligatory and absolutely important.  Then there are others like arts, sports, etc.  which are optional.   If one gets full marks in his optional subjects like arts, sports, etc.  but fails in maths, language, etc., he will be termed failed and will have to repeat the class.  Similarly, in Islam,  ‘salaat’ is a obligatory and compulsory duty, without which the person will fail in this test of life! 

Your comment: OR AS EVERYONE BELIEVES THAT PRAYING WITH JAMAT GIVES YOUR MORE SAWAB THAN A SINGLE PRAYER OR PRAYERS OF RAMADAN HAVE SAWAB OF SEVERAL PRAYERS, CAN IT RECOVER THE PRAYERS MISSED BY A MUSLIM?
It is a fact that the ‘ajr’ of the prayers offered in congregation, and the prayers of Ramadan, and the prayers performed at the Holy Mosques in Makkah, Medina and Jerusalem are multiplied manifold by Allah.   This is to exemplify and illustrate the importance and sacredness of those places and times, and indeed it is the promise of Allah’s Messenger that Allah multiplies manifold the ‘ajr’ of those prayers.  But this does not in any way, compensate for the ‘fard’ prayers one has missed intentionally all his life!  If a person misses any ‘fard’ prayer intentionally, he will be severely accountable to Allah on the Day of Judgment!   The ‘fard’ prayers are obligatory on every muslim five times a day, and there is absolutely no reasons or excuses for one to neglect these prayers; so much so that if one is sick and lying down, he is commanded to pray lying down; if one is paralyzed, he is commanded to pray using his eyes as movement tools… there is absolutely nothing that should stop a believer from praying his obligatory prayers.   The only exception is for the woman who is in her menses period.  

Your comment: WAZU IS OBLIGATORY BEFORE EVERY PRAYER?  WHAT IF I THINK I AM TAHER AND I DONT NEED WAZU, IS IT BETTER TO DO WAZU?  IS PRAYER ACCEPTED WITHOUT WAZU OR WITHOUT PROPERLY PERFORMED WAZU?

The act of purifying oneself by doing ablution or ‘wudu’ is a pre-condition for performing prayers.   But if one is certain that he is taher and in wudu, then he has the option of not doing the wudu again for the prayer.   And even if he does a wudu again, there is no harm at all; in fact it will be an act of ‘ajr’ for him.

Your comment: IS PRAYER ACCEPTED WITHOUT WAZU OR WITHOUT PROPERLY PERFORMED WAZU?

If the wudu is not done, or not properly done, then the prayer will not be accepted, as wudu is a pre-condition for prayers.

There are five things which are compulsory in the act of wudu, without which the wudu will become invalid.

washing of the hands

washing of the faces

washing of the arms up to the elbows

wiping the head with wet hands

washing the feet up to the ankles.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 6: O believers, when you rise to offer the salaat, you must wash your faces and hands and arms up to the elbows, and wipe your heads with wet hands, and wash your feet up to the ankles.  And if you have become unclean (because of sexual intercourse), then cleanse yourselves with a full bath.  If, however, you are sick or are on a journey, or if any of you have relieved yourself, or if you have ‘touched’ women and you cannot find water, then cleanse yourself with pure dust; strike your palms on it and wipe your hands and faces with it.   Allah does not will to make life hard for you, but He wills to purify you and complete His blessings upon you so that you may show gratitude.

And Allah Alone Knows Best, and He is the Only Source of Strength.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam.   

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

 Burhan