DEVOTION TO SOLAH
Salah is the most important forms of
all worship. In fact, it is the first and foremost item to be
reckoned for on the Day of Qiyaamah.Nabi SAW is reported to have
said: "Salah is the only way of differentiation between Kufr and
Islam." There are many Ahaadith about Salah, which I have
collected in a separate book. Blessings of Nafl
(non-obligatory) Salah Nabi SAW reported that Allah told him: "My
anger descends upon a person who bears ill-will towards My friends,
and only those are blessed with My love who punctually carry out
Fardh (obligatory) injunctions.
A person keeps on advancing in my esteem through nafl, till I
choose him as 'My beloved'. I then become his ear by which he
listens, his eye by which he looks, his hands by which he holds, and
his feet by which he walks (i.e. his listening, looking, holding and
walking are according to My wishes and commands, and he would never
even dream of using any part of his body in any action against My
commands). If such a person asks for anything, I grant it to him and
if he seeks My protection, I do protect him."
Those people are really blessed who,
after performing their Fardh, are in the habit of observing Nafl
abundantly. MayAllahgive me and all my friends the strength to earn
this blessing. Nabi SAW spends the whole night in Salaah A certain
person asked A'ishah: "Tell me something noteworthy concerning
Nabi SAW." She answered: "There was nothing which was not
unusual about him. Everything he did was noteworthy. One night he
came and lay down beside me. After sometime, he got up saying,
'Now
let me pray to my Lord, the Sustainer'."
With this, he stood up in Salah,
humbling himself before his Creator with such sincerity that tears
rolled down his cheeks to his beard and on to his chest. He then
bowed for Ruku' and Sajdah, and his tears flowed down as fast as
before and after raising his head from his Sajdah, he continued
weeping in this manner till Hadhrat Bilalannounced the approach of
Fajr Salah. I pleaded with him: "O, Nabi of Allah! you are
sinless, as Allah has in His kindness, forgiven your each and every
sin (even if committed) in the past and which may happen in the life
to come (XLVIII: 2) and still you grieve so much."
Nabi SAW replied:
"Why should I
then not be a grateful slave of Allah ?" He then added,
"Why
should I not be praying like this when Allah has today revealed to me
these verses?"
Verily in the creation of the Heavens
and the Earth, and in the alternating of night and day, are signs (of
His Sovereignty) for men of understanding. They who remember Allah,
standing, sitting and reclining . . . (S3:V190-191)
It has been reported in many Ahaadith
that Nabi's SAW feet would get swollen because of his very long
ra-kaats in Salaah. People tried to reason with him: "O, Nabi of
Allah! You are sinless and you still labour so hard!" He would
reply: "Should I not be a grateful slave of my Allah, then ?"
