Spirit of Islam November 2017

29 Spirit of Islam Issue 59 November 2017 THE SPIRIT OF SALATH (PRAYER) Purification A CCORDING to a verse in the Quran, in the Hereafter those who are cast to Hell will be asked: “What has brought you into the Fire of Hell?” and they shall reply, “We were not among those who prayed.” (74: 42-43) In order to understand the Quran, it is important to bear this rule in mind: Some verses of the Quran help clarify other verses. Therefore, to understand the above verse, consider another verse of the Quran, which says: “Paradise is for those who purify themselves.” (25: 76) . This means only those people will be held deserving of Paradise who undertake the purification of their personalities in this world. This process of purification is called tazkiya . Salath (Prayer) Helps in Tazkiya When we reflect on both these verses, we realize that salath which does tazkiya of the believers, and not merely a spiritless salath is what will take one to Paradise. If one performs salath with spirit, only then will one’s salath serve to purify one’s inner being. If salath is performed merely as a set of rituals, it will certainly not have any impact on a person’s character or personality. What actually is the spirit of salath or salat ? To understand this we need to consider what is recited during the five- time daily prayer that Muslims are required to observe. Three phrases are recited often. These are: Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen , Allahu Akbar and As-salam alaikum wa rehmatullah . These three phrases represent the spirit of salath , and they can be rephrased as: Hamd (praise of God), Takbir (glorifying God) and Salamati (peace and security). A believer who incorporates these three in his life, in the true sense, will be able to purify his personality such that he may be held deserving of Paradise. Praise of God When we offer prayer, in every unit of prayer we read Surah Fatiha , which is the first chapter of the Quran. The Surah Fatiha begins with the words: ‘ Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen’ meaning, ‘All praise be to God, the Lord of the universe’. Generally, people have translated hamd as ‘praise’. However, the best meaning is given by the scholar Hamiduddin