Submitted to

Sir Zain Ul Abideen

Submitted by
Arslan Maqbool

Reg# No,
FA18-BCS-021
Contents
Namaz (Salah) .................................................................... 3
Importance of Salah in the light of
Quran and Hadith ............................................................. 4
Spiritual Effects of Salah ................................................. 5
1. Remembrance of Allah...................................................................................................................... 5
2. Seeking Forgiveness .......................................................................................................................... 6
3. Control and Discipline ....................................................................................................................... 6
4. God-consciousness............................................................................................................................ 7

Types of Salah .................................................................... 8

 FARD PRAYERS .................................................................................................................................. 8
 WAJIB PRAYERS ................................................................................................................................. 8
 WITR .................................................................................................................................................. 8
 EID ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
 SUNNAH PRAYERS ............................................................................................................................. 8
 BEFORE AND AFTER THE 5 DAILY PRAYERS....................................................................................... 9
 ISTIKHAARAH..................................................................................................................................... 9
 TAHAJJUD .......................................................................................................................................... 9
 TARAWIH ........................................................................................................................................... 9
 NAFL PRAYERS ................................................................................................................................... 9
 ISHRAQ PRAYER............................................................................................................................... 10
 KHAWF ............................................................................................................................................ 10
 DUHA PRAYER ................................................................................................................................. 10
“Namaz and its Spiritual Effect”

Namaz (Salah)
“Salah is one of the five pillars in the faith of Islam and an obligatory
religious duty of every Muslim “.
It is a physical, mental, and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day
at prescribed times. When they do this, they must face Mecca. In this ritual, the worshiper
starts standing, bows, prostrates them self, and concludes while sitting on the ground. During
each posture, the worshiper recites or reads certain verses, phrases and prayers. The word
salah is commonly translated as "prayer" but this definition might be confusing. Muslims use
the words "Dua" or "supplication" when referring to the common definition of prayers which
is "reverent petitions made to God". Salah is an Arabic word whose basic meaning is
"communication". In its English usage, the reference of the word is almost always confined
to the Muslim formal, obligatory described in this article. Translating salah as
"communication" is not usually considered precise enough, as "communication" can indicate
several different ways of relating to God; personal communication or supplication is
called “Dua” in Islamic usage. Muslims themselves use several terms to refer
to salah depending on their language or culture. In many parts of the world, including many
non-Arab countries, the Arabic term salator salah is used.
Prayer or Salah was made obligatory for all Muslims, whether they be rich or poor, strong or
weak, black or white, male or female. Prayer allows the believer to enrich their spirituality
and cultivate the soul’s right to love and worship the Creator, Allah.
“Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer
prayer perfectly for My remembrance.”
The performance of prayer five times a day is considered vital to attain success in this life
and the hereafter. Following the testimony of faith, performance of the prayers at their
correct times and complete in bowings, prostrations and humility, will guarantee forgiveness
from God and everlasting paradise. Muslims believe that the first matter that they will be
brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of
their deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad.Prayer
provides a constant reminder of the essence of our creation and provides a direct connection
to Allah, who linked success and felicity to humility in prayer. It emphasizes the proximity
between religion and daily life. Life, from an Islamic standpoint, is to be directed to Allah.
Life is an opportunity for worship and the remembrance of Allah. Praying repeatedly
throughout the day and interrupting the daily activities brings about the realization of this
concept. The believer, through prayer, acquires a spiritual awareness that he takes with him
throughout all of life’s endeavors. Prayer purifies the heart and truly, through Prayer, a
believer attains spiritual devotion and moral elevation. Prayer not only gives a deep
connection with God, but in prayer one establishes patience, humility and sincerity. Prayer
provides a means of repentance and is a restrainer from shameful and unjust deeds. Praying
five times a day engages the believer in constant remembrance of God and keeps him away
from any unjust deeds and leads him only to deeds that will earn the pleasure of God. It is
through prayer that one really finds inner peace and fulfillment. It is also a source of patience,
courage, hope, confidence, inner peace, stability, equality, unity and an expression of
thankfulness to God.

“The difference between Muslim and Non-Muslim is Namaz (Salah)”.

Importance of Salah in the light of

Quran and Hadith
Salah is the second pillar of Islam after Shahadah (Faith). Muslims are required to pray five
times a day. Being a Muslim, it is obligatory on us to offer Salah five times daily. The prayers
spread throughout the day at dawn, around noon, afternoon, sunset and in the evening. Salah
has to be offered at the specific times mentioned above.

Salah establish a direct relation of the believer to the creator Almighty Allah. When Muslim
prays no matter alone or in the congregation, they are standing in front of Allah Almighty
without any discrimination. When Muslims pray in the congregation, they all stand together
and at that time all are equal no matter how rich or poor is the one. Muslims start their day
by cleaning themselves and then standing before their Lord Allah Almighty in prayer. The
prayers or Salah consists of recitations from the Quran in Arabic and a sequence of
movements like standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting. All recitations and movements
express submission, humility, and loyalty to Allah Almighty. The Salah play a role of reminder
throughout the day to help keep believers mindful of Allah Almighty in the daily stress of
work, family, and distractions of life. Prayer also strengthens faith, dependence on Allah, and
puts daily life within the perspective of life to come after death and the last judgment that
will not be going to end ever. Yet the individual performance of salah is acceptable, but
performing salah in congregation in the mosque has the special value that’s why Muslims are
encouraged to perform certain salah with others in the congregation. There are many verses
in Holy Quran that describe the importance of Salah some of them are given below:

Allah Almighty says in Holy Quran: “Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to
thee, and establish Regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust
deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without the doubt. And
Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.”

In another verse, Allah Almighty says: “And be steadfast in prayer; practice regular
charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship).”
“They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture, there are those who
are righteous. They recite God’s revelations through the night while prostrating.”

Allah Almighty says about real friends and relate them with offering salah in Holy Quran in
these words: “Your (real) friends are (no less than) Allah, His Messenger, and the
(fellowship of) believers, - those who establish regular prayers and regular charity,
and they bow down humbly (in worship).”

In one of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) hadith, the compensating nature of prayer is described
in these words: “The five daily prayers and the Friday Prayer until the Friday prayer is
an expiation for what is between them.” (Sahih Muslim)
Abu Huraira reported that the messenger of Allah said: “The nearest a servant comes to
his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this
state).” (Sahih Bukhari)

In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Between faith and unbelief is
abandoning the prayer.” (Muslim)
The Prophet (SAW) said: “The key to Paradise is prayer; the key to prayer is wudu
(ablution).” (Musnad Ahmad)

These were some Quranic verses and Hadiths about the importance of the Salah, second
pillar of Islam. Muslims should offer salah on time so that Allah Almighty’s countless
blessings can attain. Salah is the one ritual in Islam that is performed on a daily basis.
Moreover, it represents the direct relationship a Muslim has with Allah Almighty. That’s why
Salah is central in a Muslim’s life.

Spiritual Effects of Salah

1. Remembrance of Allah

Almost every person in the modern world is involved in some basic worldly activity
like earning a living, going to school, eating, sleeping, and socializing. Naturally,
we forget Allah and the obligations due to Him. When we forget Allah, this life and
its worries become the central occupation of the human mind. Desires run wild. A
person begins to ‘chase his shadow’, something he can never catch. For many,
money becomes the sole goal of life. The more you make, the more you spend, the
more you want. Allah has set times to break regularly from the daily chores of life
for a few minutes and worship Him. First thing in the morning before we begin
our day, in the middle of the day, in the late afternoon, in the evening, and a t night
before we go to sleep. When done with concentration and properly, it awakens
and stimulates the soul. A Muslim reminds himself that Allah is in charge of
everything, he is Allah’s faithful servant, and Allah’s pleasure is His aim. For a few
minutes, five times a day, a Muslim leaves this world and meets.

“And establish the prayers (salah) in order to remember Me”.

2. Seeking Forgiveness

To err is human, and even the most pious of Muslims sin and need to repent. We
all need to constantly ask for Allah’s forgiveness and try our best not to repeat our
mistakes. Without regular contact with Allah, a person is unlikely to feel guilty for
his sins and repent. Sometimes if a person has not asked Allah to forgive him in a
long time, he might become insensitive to sinning and may even forget that he fell
into it, thus not even seeking forgiveness for it. Certain prayers in the formal
prayers (salah) reminds the Muslim of his sins and makes him seek forgiveness for
them. This in turn causes Muslims to feel guilty for their sins and seek repentance
as soon as they are committed. A Muslim learns to constantly seeks forgiveness for
his sins and never feels too distant from his loving Lord. The prayer places man
directly before Allah seeking pardon for his short-comings.

Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked:

“What do you think if there was a river by the door of any one of you and he
bathed in it five times a day, would there be any trace of dirt left on him?”

They (his companions) said, “No trace of dirt would be left on him.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This is like the five
daily prayers, through which Allah erases sin.”

3. Control and Discipline

The prayer has the capacity to catalyze change for the better in people’s life. The
fact that we give up whatever we are doing and line up behind a prayer leader
(called imam) five times a day in the mosque, or find room to pray in at work or

school by ourselves, instills discipline in life. People join the army to learn
discipline and everyone admires it. Similarly, the prayer trains us to go through
specific motions and utter special words at specific times. All the body parts are
under control, obeying and worshipping Allah, and if this discipline is broken, the
prayer may have to be repeated. Islam recognizes that we are all different, so it
allows flexibility in many cases. The prayer leader (imam) should keep the prayer
short. Women are not required to attend the prayers in the mosque. A sick person
may pray sitting, and if unable, he may even pray laying down. The discipline
learned in the prayer is to be acquired in other aspects of one’s religious and
mundane life as well. Just as we should not look around when praying, we should
control our eyes outside of the prayer not to fall on forbidden objects. Just like we
use our tongue to praise Allah, outside of the formal prayers we should not let it
backbite or lie. Just as our hands and feet perform controlled motions, outside of
the prayers we should not use them to steal, buy or eat what is forbidden. We
should not walk towards the forbidden, but away from it. This is the essence of
which Allah tells us:
“…Surely, the prayer (salah) prevents evil speech and bad deeds...”

4. God-consciousness

The prayers (salah) also makes a person God-conscious. When a person prays five
times a day, he becomes accustomed to feeling the presence of God and develops
the sense that Allah is watching Him at all times. He is never hidden from Allah,
even when alone. A sense of God-consciousness keeps the heart suspended
between fear and hope. Fear of Allah keeps a Muslim away from the prohibited
and encourages him to do the obligatory; a mix of divine love and devout reverence
that keeps him religiously observant. Regular performance of the prayers
increases one’s awareness of Allah.
Types of Salah

 FARD PRAYERS
These are compulsory prayers that every Muslim must perform. One may be rendered as a

non-Muslim or as a sinner if one fails to observe these prayers, and this has been agreed

upon by all the Sunni schools.

 WAJIB PRAYERS
these are optional prayers.

 WITR
Witr is prayer is performed after the salah of isha’a (dusk). Witr is considered to be wajib by

some Muslims and considered to be optional by others. Witr is most commonly offered with

three raka’ah.

 EID

Eid Salah is a prayer performed on the morning of the Muslim festivals i.e. Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-
Adha. It comprises of two raka’at, with seven takbirs offered before the start of the first raka’ah
and five before the second. The sermon (kutbah) is offered after the Salah is completed. It must
be offered between the time period of sunrise and true noon i.e. Fajr and Dhuhr.

 SUNNAH PRAYERS
These were additional voluntary prayers performed by the Prophet Muhammad SAW and

they’re optional.
  BEFORE AND AFTER THE 5 DAILY PRAYERS
The Prophet Muhammad SAW performed voluntary rakahs added to the prescribed

numbers of rakahs for each of the 5 daily prayers, and these 12 in total and are called Sunnah.

It is highly recommended because the Prophet SAW used to perform it regularly.

 ISTIKHAARAH
Salah al-Istikhaarah is a 2 rakah prayer performed to ask Allah SWT for guidance on a

particular matter. A dua should be said after the prayer which is called Istikhaarah.

 TAHAJJUD
Tahajjud prayer is a night prayer which is recommended to be performed after going to sleep

performed at night time, and it is recommended for one to wake up in the night to perform

it as the reward is much greater.

 TARAWIH
This prayer can be done only during the fasting month of Ramadan. This prayer can be done

alone, in a group, at home, or in a mosque or other public meeting area. The total number of

raka’ah varies, but with a minimum of eight.

 NAFL PRAYERS
Nafl salah are optional prayers. They are performed to earned more reward from Allah SWT.
  ISHRAQ PRAYER
this prayer is performed after sunrise and consists of two Raka’ahs. Abu Hurairah (R.A)

relates that the Prophet (S.A.W) has said that “He who says Ishraq prayers without fail shall

have his lesser sins forgiven even though they may be as numerous as foam specks on the

surface of the sea.”

 KHAWF
Khawf is a type of prayer that is prayed during time of fear. it was performed by the Prophet

SAW in the Battle of Uhud.

 DUHA PRAYER
It is performed after the sun has risen high in the morning, after about one-third of the day

has passed. The Prophet (S.A.W) was reported as saying, “Whoever prays 12 rakat for the

Duha prayer, Allah will build a golden castle for him in Paradise.”

The End