Greatness and the values of prayer

Without any doubt prayer among all other worships has got high and special values. Emphasizing and focusing on prayer is more than all others worship acts in Islam. Prayer has come into one of the important point in Islam and in the will of Prophets, Imams, mystics, Philosopher and great scholars.The holy book Quran has got many verses regarding prayer. One of the important issues in our valuable books including books of mysticism, books of ethics and specially books of traditions is prayer. Devine learning don’t count men as men who don’t offer prayer. Whoever ignores prayer will be in hell forever and will not get permission to enter into heaven. Whoever ignores prayer is counted in divine learning as lowest animal and lowermost men.

All prophets and those who are close to God; always use to pay attention to pray, and all of them use to try to bring others into this valuable space of prayer.Though Prayer is obligatory (Wajib) for those who have full grown (Baligh), but because of its importance and great value; fourteen infallibles used to say: encourage your children to offer prayer when they are six or seven years.

"عن معاویه بن وهب قال: سآلت ابا عبدالله (ع) فی کم یوخذ الصبی بالصلوه؟ فقال: فیما بین سبع سنین و ست سنین"[1]

Moaviyeh son of vahab is the closest companion of 6^th Imam (AS); he asked Hazrate Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS): when we do invite our children to offer prayer? Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) stated: ‘when they are six or seven years old’.

"عن محمد بن مسلم عن احدهما(ع) فی الصبی متی یصلی؟ قال اذا عقل الصلوه قلت: متی یعقل الصلوا و تجب علیه؟ قال: لست سنین."[2]

Muhammad son of Muslim who is unique companion of Imams, he asked Imam Muhammad Baqir or Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS): when a child should offer his prayer? Imam stated: when a child understands and knows prayer. And then Muslim asked: when he understands and knows prayer? Imam stated when he is six years old.

"عن الحلبی، عن ابی عبدالله (ع) عن ابیه قال: انا نآمر صبیاننا بالصلواه اذا کانو بنی خمس سنین، فمروا صبیانکم بالصلواه اذا کانو بنی سبع سنین."[3]

Halabi who is one of the greatest narrator of shiaeh, quotes from Imam sadiq (AS) that Imam Sadiq (AS) quoted from his father Imam Muhammad Baqir (AS) that we order our children to offer prayer when they are five years old, so you take and encourage your children for offering prayer when they are seven years old.  Some important traditions in precious tradition books firmly interdict from ignoring prayer.

"عن ابي جعفر (ع) قال: لا تتهاون بصلواتك فان النبي (ع) قال عند موته: لیس منی من استخف بصلواته، لیس منی من شرب مسکرا، لا یرد علی الحوض لا والله ."[4]

Imam Baqir (AS) states: Don’t take prayer frivolous, then Imam said: when the prophet (PBUH) was leaving this world, stated: whoever ignore prayer is not among me, whoever drink alcohol is not among me, Oath of Allah will not meet me in Houz-e-Kousar.

"قال الصادق (ع) ان شفاعتنا لا تنال مستخفا بالصلوه."[5]

Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) stated: whoever take prayer lightly, (doesn’t pray or pray but without paying attention) will not get our intercession.

"عن آبی عبدالله (ع) قال: قال رسول لله (ص) لیس منی من استخف بالصلوه، لا یرد علی الحوض لا والله."[6]

Imam Sadiq (AS) quotes from the Prophet (PBUH); that the Prophet (PBUH) said: whoever ignores prayer is not among me; Oath of Allah will not meet me in Houz-e-Kousar.

"قال الصادق (ع) في حديث: ان ملك الموت يدفع الشيطان عن المحافظ علي الصلواه يلقنه ان لا اله الا لله و ان محمدا رسول الله في تلك الحاله العظيمه."[7]

It’s quoted from Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) that he said: when the angel of the death takes soul from human body, if the person used to offer his prayers, the angel will protect him from the devil, so that the devil should not drive him astray in his last moment of the life. Not just will help him to be saved from devil but also will help him to remember his beliefs on monotheism and Prophecy.

"قال رسول الله (ص) لا تضيعوا صلاتكم فان من ضيع صلواته حشر مع قارون و هامان، و كان حقا علي لله ان يدخله النار مع المنافقين."[8]

The prophet(PBUH) states: don’t spoil and waste your prayers, because whoever spoil his prayer will be called with Haroon and Haman in the day of judgment, and God will drop them in hell with Haroon and Haman.

"عن آبي جعفر(ع) قال: بينا رسول الله (ص) جالس في المسجد اذ دخل رجل فقام يصلي فلم يتم ركوعه و لاسجوده، فقال (ص) نقر كنقر الغراب! لئن مات هذا و هكذا صلوته ليموتن علي غير ديني."[9]

Imam Baqir (AS) states: Once upon a time the prophet (PBUH) was sitting in the mosque with his companions; meanwhile a man came into the mosque for praying. The man start to pray, but he was offering his prayer very fast and roughly. If anyone would see him could not imagine that he is offering prayer, because of his high speed he couldn’t genuflect (offer his rukoh) and prostrate nicely and completly. The prophet (PBUH) said, if he dies in this condition (not performing prayer completely) will die out of my religion.

"قال الصادق (ع) اول ما يحاسب به العبد علي الصلواه فان قبلت قبل منه سائر عمله و اذا ردت عليه رد عليه سائر عمله."[10]

 Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) stated: the first thing which will be asked on the Day of Judgment will be the prayer. If the prayer get accepted all other actions will be accepted, and if the prayer get rejected then all other worship actions will be rejected.

"قال آبو عبدالله(ع) صلواه فريضه خير من عشرين حجه، و حجه خير من بيت مملو ذهبا يتصدق منه حتي يفني."[11]

Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) stated: one obligatory prayer is more valuable than twenty Hajjs, and every each hajj is better than a house which would be full of gold and all that gold would be given in the way of Allah.  

"عن يونس بن يعقوب قال: سمعت آبا عبدالله (ع) يقول حجه افضل من الدنيا و ما فيها، و صلوه فريضه افضل من الف حجه."[12]

Yunus son of Yaqoub said that he had heard from Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) that Imam stated: performing a hajj is better than all this world including all things inside it, but one obligatory prayer is better than thousand hajjes.

"عن آبي عبد الله (ع) قال: ان تارك الصلوه كافر."[13]

It’s quoted from Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS) that whoever doesn’t offer prayer is unbeliever.

"عن آبي عبد الله (ع) عن ابيه عن جابر قال: قال رسول الله (ع): ما بين الكفر والايمان الا ترك الصلوه." [14]

Imam Sadiq (AS) quotes from Imam Muhammad Baqir (AS) through Jabir: The prophet (PBUH) stated: prayer differs atheism and faith.  

Muhammad son of Sinan wrote a letter to Imam Reza (AS) to ask him regarding the philosophy of worship. Imam Reza (AS) in his reply talks about prayer and says: prayer is acknowledgment on God’s divinity, rejecting any his partnership, standing in front of God while you don’t have anything except Allah, prostrating shows that you are surrendered in front of God and his greatness, offering pray mean ask God to forgive your all sins, send blessings on you, be most merciful on you, keep and guide you on the right path, on the path of light, prayer mean demand Allah that he always look at you with a very close and kind look, prayer keeps you away from committing sins and will keep you on the divine path.[15]  

It’s quoted from the prophet (PBUH) that he stated: once Gabriel descended to me to give me the message of God, while the message was delivering we heard loud terrified noise, I asked Gabriel what was that? Gabriel said it was sound of black stone which was dropped thirteen thousand years ago by God into a well in hell and now that black stone has reached on the bottom of the well. I asked Gabriel, who will be placed in that well? Gabriel answered those who don’t perform their prayer.

The prophet (PBUH) stated: God gives fifteen punishments to those who don’t perform their prayer, six of them in this world, three of them in death time, three of them in grave and last three on the Day of Judgment.

Six punishments in the life:   

1.       Will be insulted

2.       Blessing will be taken away from his belongings.

3.       Age and wealth will decrease.

4.       His charity and good deeds will not be accepted.

5.       His supplication will not be heard.

6.       Any supplication from any other person regarding him will not be accepted.

Three punishments in death time:

1.       Having hard agony.

2.       Dying in hunger.

3.       Being thirsty.

Three punishments in grave:

1.       Always being in pain and sorrow.

2.       Being in darkness and gloom.

3.       Will be in under torture until the Day of Judgment.

And last three punishments on the Day of Judgment:

1.       Hard inspection.

2.       Will not get any kind of intercession and will be torture extensively.

3.       Will be awake from grave like an animal and with hardship will enter into the hell.[16]

"قال رسول الله (ص) لا ایمان لمن لاصلواه له."[17]

The prophet (PBUH) stated who doesn’t pray doesn’t have any faith belief.

"و قال رسول الله (ص) من احرق سبعین مصحفا و قتل سبعین نبیا وزنی مع امه سبعین مرات وافتض سبعین بکرا بطریق الزنا اقرب الی رحمه الله ممن ترک الصلوه متعمدا."[18]

The prophet (PBUH) stated: someone who burn seventy Holy Qurans, kill seventy Prophets, seventy times rape his own mother, rape seventy virgin girls, this person is closer to the mercy of God than the person who ignore prayer intentionally.

"قال رسول الله(ص) ان تارک الصلوه لا یجد ریح الجنه."[19]

It’s quoted from the prophet (PBUH) that he said: “the person who doesn’t perform his prayer, definitely he will not smell any perfume of heaven.” There are many reliable traditions regarding prayer which talks about importance and greatness of prayer, if someone collects all those traditions and put them together, there will be a thick book. I think if readers come to know about importance and greatness of prayer, that’s enough for them.

Here I want to indicate a point which is really important. Some people think that prayer is kind of worship that its order descended in the period of last Prophet (PBUH) and it became obligatory for us. They think the prayer is just in religious law of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). But this thought and idea is completely rootless and groundless, because prayer is kind of worship which has been among all nations from the time of Hazrate Adam (AS).

 Prayer started from the starting of human life. It’s been obligatory from the time of first human on the earth; Hazrate Adam (AS). All the prophets from Azrate Adam (AS) to last messenger Hazrate Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH) were ordered to convey the message to human being that prayer is wajib. All prophets were ordered to invite their followers to perform pray. In the next chapter we’ll talk about prayer in religious law of prophets according to Holy Quran and traditions, and through we’ll try to understand; what the reality and greatness of prayer.