A. His Ritual Prayer

“…Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil…”

(al-Ankabut 29; 45)

1.        His Ablution

The life of the Messenger of Allah was based on purity. Material cleanliness plays an important part in achieving spiritual purity and doing good deeds to attain the level of ihsan. In this respect, Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an “…Allah loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.” (al-Baqara 2; 222) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) expresses the importance of purity saying:

“Cleanliness is half of faith.” (Muslim, Taharah, 1)

Allah the Most High wants His servants, who would like to come in His presence, to be clean from all kinds of material and spiritual impurity. This is why Allah has made ablution obligatory before some types of acts of worship, such as ritual prayers and circumambulation around Ka’bah. Muslim scholars have considered ablution a separate act of obedience because of its merits and significance. One of the reports about its merits is as follows:

 ‘Uqba b. ‘Amir reported:

“We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) standing and addressing the people. I heard these words of his:

“If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak’ahs, which he/she performs them with whole heart and soul, Paradise would be guaranteed to him.”

I said: What a fine thing is this! And someone who was standing before me said: The first was even better than this. When I cast a glance, I saw that it was ‘Umar. He continued his words: I see that you have just come. Just before you came here the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“If anyone amongst you performs the ablution, and then completes the ablution well and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes.” Muslim, Ṭaharah, 17)

Another incident about the merit is reported by Abu Huraira. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to the graveyard and said:

“Peace be upon you O the residents of the abode of the believing people! If Allah so wills, we are about to join you. I love to see my brothers, and I have missed them so much.”

Companions said: Aren’t we your brothers, O Messenger of Allah? He said:

“You are my companions, and our brothers are those who have, so far, not come into the world.”

They said: O Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize those persons of your Ummah who have not yet been born? He said:

“Suppose a man had horses with white blazes on fore- heads and legs among horses which were all black, tell me, would he not recognize his own horses?”

They said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah. And he said:

“They will come with white faces and arms and legs owing to ablution, and I will arrive at the Cistern before them and will be waiting for them.” (Muslim, Ṭaharah, 39)

Because purity is a distinguishing characteristic of the believers, their limbs that are cleansed for ablution will shine on the Day of Judgment, and thus they will be known that they are the followers of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Believers, who know this, have tried to perform their ablution well and they have the ablution water reach as many places as they can.

Abu Hazm reported:

I was (standing) behind Abu Huraira and he was performing the ablution for prayer. He extended the washing of his hand up to his armpit. I said to him:

“O Abu Huraira, what kind of ablution is this?” He said:

“O my friend Bani Farrukh, I did not know that you were here; if I knew, I would have never performed ablution like this. I have heard my Friend (pbuh) saying:

“On the day of Judgment, a believer’s adornment would reach the places where ablution water reaches.” (Muslim, Ṭaharah, 40)

Ablution is not only performed for worship. Islam encourages believers to perform ablution at other times and to always stay ritually pure; however, this not something that everyone can do. Only those who know the benefits and significance of ablution can succeed in this. This is why to always be pure is considered as a sign of faith and it is stated in the saying of the Prophet (pbuh):

“And only a believer is constant in his/her wuḍu or ablution.” (Ibn Majah, Ṭaharah, 4; Malik, Muwaṭṭa, Ṭaharah, 36)

There are several examples from the life of the Prophet (pbuh) in this respect. According to Abu Juhaim Al-Ansari’s narration, once the Prophet was coming from the direction of Bi’r Jamal, when he met a man. The man greeted him, but he did not return back the greeting till he went to a (mud) wall and smeared his hands and his face with its dust (performed tayammum) and then returned back the greeting. (Bukhari, Tayammum, 3)

Ibn Abbah (r.a.) narrates:

“Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) used to go out to the bathroom and when he was coming back, he would perform tayammum. When I told him:

“O Messenger of Allah! You were close to water, why did you perform tayammum?” He replied:

“I do not know. Maybe I give my soul, before I reach it.” (Ibn Hanbal, I, 288, 303; Haythami, I, 263)

Again when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) needed major ablution, he would perform tayammum until he performed major ablution, not to stay without ablution. (Haythami, I, 264)

As a result of the Prophet’s (pbuh) practice and encouragement, many believers try to perform ablution as soon as they need it, and they also refresh their ablution after a while. As a matter of fact Ottoman Sultan Abdulahmid II’s daughter narrated that her father used to keep a piece of brick under his bed, so when he woke up, he could perform tayammum until he went to the washroom.

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) heralded the believers who refresh their ablution saying:

“Whoever refreshes his/her ablution, even when he/she is in ritual purity, Allah the Almighty writes ten times more reward for him/her.” (Tirmidhi, Taharah, 44)

There are many prophetic sayings about the merits of ablution. Since it is impossible to mention all of them here, we would like to state one last hadith, which is about both the wisdom and merits of ablution.

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:

“None of you who uses water for ablution and rinses his mouth, snuffs up water and blows it, but the sins of his face, and his mouth and his nostrils fall out. When he washes his face, as Allah has commanded him, the sins of his face fall from the end of his beard with water. Then (when) he washes his forearms up to the elbows, the sins of his arms fall out along with water from his finger-tips. And when he wipes his head, the sins of his head fall out from the points of his hair along with water. And (when) he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet falls out from his toes along with water. And if he stands to pray and praises Allah, lauds Him and glorifies Him with what becomes Him and shows wholehearted devotion to Allah, his sins would depart leaving him (as innocent) as he was on the day his mother bore him.” (Muslim, Musafirun, 294)

In this saying, ears and neck were not mentioned, but it is stated in the books of Islamic law that after rinsing the head, it is Sunnah to rinse the inner and outer parts of the ears and then the neck.

People cannot achieve the true purity, if they do not completely turn to Allah, and if they do not make every effort to purify their hearts and souls. This is why some special supplications and remembrances are suggested to be recited during the performance of ablution. The achievement of inner purity is also connected with these special prayers. Therefore, reciting these special prayers and intending to get spiritually purified are as important as washing the limbs thoroughly. A peaceful ablution can be performed only by reciting these prayers.

Another point which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) momentously stated is to brush the teeth with a small stick from the miswaq tree. Even though our beloved Prophet (pbuh) frequently brushed his teeth, he strongly suggested and emphasized brushing one’s teeth during ablution. He said that “If I had not found it hard for my followers, I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with Siwak for every prayer.” (Bukhari, Jum’a, 8) In another hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said that “Miswaq is a means of cleaning one’s mouth and a reason for earning the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.” (Nasai, Taharah, 5) Thus, he pointed out the wisdom behind attaching so much significance to brushing the teeth.

2.        His Ritual Prayer

Muslims’ prayer is the best and most perfect manifestation of servitude. It is the most significant act of worship and the most beneficial to humanity. This is why Allah the Almighty repeatedly pointed out its merits and announced it as the greatest sign of religion. And Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) set its times, conditions, elements, concessions, manners, and its supererogatory acts in every detail.

Prayer consists of the following three essentials of servitude:

–          Heart gets filled with reverence through contemplation of Allah’s Might and Majesty

–          Tongue clearly states His Might and this reverence

–          Limbs act in accordance with the reverence in the heart; they stand respectfully before the Divine presence, bend down from the waist, and then prostrate. In this act of worship, all limbs, beginning from the heart and tongue, present their submission and respect to Allah in unison. How wonderfully a poet expresses this in the following lines:

أَفَادَتْكُمُ النَعْمَاءَ مِنِّي ثَلاَثَةٌ يَدِي وَلِسَانِي وَالضَّمِيرُ الْمُحَجَّبَا

There exist three things enumerating the blessings given to me:

My hands, my tongue, and my heart hidden (from eyes) …

The most perfect prayer, which is the peak of respect and servitude to Allah the Almighty, was performed by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He told his ummah “Pray as you have seen me praying” (Bukhari, Adhan, 18) and commanded them to follow him. This is why we should first know how the Prophet (pbuh) performed his prayers and how much attention he paid to his prayers.

Below is a two-rak’ah^[1] prayer of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):

When he wanted to pray, he would first turn to Qiblah or to the direction of Ka’bah. He would raise his hands up to his earlobes and say “Allahu Akbar – Allah is the Greatest.” He would put his right hand over his left hand and tie them below his navel. Then he would commence his ritual prayer with the supplication of “subhanaka.” After that he would recite the chapter “Fatiha” from the Qur’an and say “amin” quietly at the end of his recitation. He also advised the believers to do the same and say “amin” at the end of “Fatihah.”

After reciting some additional verses from the Qur’an, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) would bend down from the waist saying “Allahu Akbar,” and put his palms on his knees. He would say silently “subhana rabbiyal azim” three times, and then straighten back up saying “samiallahu liman hamidah”, and then would say “rabbana laka’l hamd”. While going down to sajdah or prostration, he would say “Allahu Akbar.” During prostration, he neither would spread his arms to the ground nor stick them to his body. He would hold his feet standing and his toes would face towards the Qiblah. He would silently say “subhana rabbiyal ‘ala’” three times in the position of prostration.

He would raise his head from sajda saying “Allahu Akbar,” sit down on his knees and pause briefly in this position, and then prostrate down for the second sajda saying “Allahu Akbar.” After sajda, he would stand up for the second rak’ah of the prayer saying “Allahu Akbar.” He would perform the second rak’ah just like the first one. After performing two sajdas, he would sit down and put his palms on his thighs and recite the supplications of “Tahiyyat, Allahumma Salli and Allahumma Barik.” Following these prescribed supplications, he allows believers to make whichever supplication they wish. He would conclude his ritual prayer by turning his face first to his right then to his left and say “as-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah.” After the completion of the canonical prayer, he would say some other prayers and remembrances.

After the recitation of Fatihah, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) usually recited the eighty first (surat al-Takwir), fiftieth (surat Qaf), thirty sixth (surat Yasin), and fifty sixth (surat al-Waqi’ah) chapters of the Qur’an at dawn prayer. However, on Fridays he usually recited the thirty second (surat al-Sajda) and seventy sixth (surat al-Insan) chapters of the Qur’an at dawn prayer. At dawn prayer, he used to recite more verses in the first rak’ah than the second. At noon and afternoon prayers, he usually recited short chapters of the Qur’an, such as the ninety eight (surat al-Layl), eighty fifth (surat al-Buruj), eighty sixth (surat al-Tariq), and etc. For the evening prayers, he sometimes recited the fifty second (surat Tur) and seventy seventh (surat al-Mursalat) chapters of the Qur’an. According to reports, he even recited surat al-Mursalat at his last evening prayer which he led the congregation.

Once when Abdullah b. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) recited the surat al-Mursalat in the evening prayer, his mother Ummu’l Fadl said: “My dear son! By reciting this chapter, you stirred up my longing for the Prophet (pbuh); because I heard the Prophet reciting Surat al-Mursalat (77) in the Maghrib prayer, and after that prayer he did not lead us in any prayer till he died.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 98)

There were times when the Prophet (pbuh) recited surat al-Kafirun (109) in the first rak’ah of the evening prayer and surat al-Ikhlas (112) in its second rak’ah. In the night prayer, he would recite chapters like surat al-Duha (93), al-Tin (95), al-Munafiqun (63), al-A’la (87), al-Layl (92), and al-Alaq (96) among others. Once he recited the surat al-Inshiqaq (84) in his night prayer and when he recited the prostration verse, he went down to prostrate.

In his Witr prayer, he used to recite surat al-A’la (87) in the first rak’ah, surat al-Kafirun (109) in the second and surat al-Ikhlaṣ (112) in the last rak’ah. As soon as he finished his prayer by greeting to his right and left, he used to say “Subhana’l Maliki’l Quddus” three times and increase his voice and prolong for the third one. (M. Asım Köksal, VIII, 93-97)

a.        His Attention to Prayer

Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) made ritual prayer, which he called “the light of his eyes,” the essence of his life. He performed supererogatory prayers, whenever he had the chance. For instance he performed prayers, when he was happy; or when he wanted to show his gratitude to Allah; or when something made him sad, he would go to prayer to find consolation. (Abu Dawud, Tatawwu, 22; Jihad, 162) He never made concessions about prayer. He also did not allow the new converts to be negligent about their prayers and told them that there was no Islam without prayer. In this respect, the following report attracts our attention:

“When the deputation of Thaqif came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), he made them stay in the mosque, so that it might soften their hearts. They stipulated to him that they would not be called to participate in Jihad, to pay zakat and to offer prayer. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said: You may have the concession that you will not be called to participate in jihad and pay zakat, but there is no good in a religion which has no bowing (i.e. prayer).” (Abu Dawud, Haraj, 25-26)

In other words, whatever the circumstances are, believers should not postpone their prayers; they should even perform it in congregation. Believers should also be attentive to their prayers when they have the power. This is stated in the following verse:

“(They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, keep up prayer and pay the poor-due, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong: With Allah rests the end (And decision) of (all) affairs.” (al-Hajj 22; 41)

In this way Allah the Almighty reminds us that struggle in the way of Allah and having power to rule are just means, but prayer is the believers’ main object in this world. In order to achieve this divine object, a believer must face all kinds of troubles. Abu’d Darda (r.a.) narrates:

My friend (pbuh) gave me the following advices:

“Even if you were torn into pieces or burn in fires, never attribute partners to Allah. Do not leave any of your prayers. Whoever intentionally ceases to perform his/her prayer, he/she will be away from Allah’s protection …” (Ibn Majah, Fitan, 23)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was not content with only performing obligatory prayers during a battle; he would stay up all night praying in the divine presence. In fact, Ali (r.a.) said in describing the battle of Badr that:

“On the day of Badr, there was no cavalry among us except Miqdad. I know it well that all of us slept that night except the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He stayed awake all night and shed tears and prayed under a tree.” (Ibn Ḥuzaymah, II, 52)

Allah’s Apostle’s love and loyalty to Allah the Almighty reached such a level that he was finding peace and tranquility only through worshipping Him. When he was distressed by the matters of this world, he asked Bilal to recite the adhan and found comfort in the adhan and prayer. When the prayer time came, he would leave everything and go to perform prayer.^[2] All his life, he always performed his prayers at their earliest time. As a matter of fact, the Prophet loved to pray wherever the time for the prayer was due even at sheepfolds (Bukhari, Salat, 48), because Allah the Almighty counts the quality of postponing prayers among the attributes of hypocrites and states that:

“The hypocrites they think they are over reaching Allah, but He will over reach them: when they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance.” (al-Nisa 4; 142)

“So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their prayers.” (al-Maun 107; 4-5)

Turkish exegete Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır makes the following commentary about these verses:

“They are unaware of the significance of the prayer, so they do not perform it like a serious duty.

They do not care if the prayer was performed or not.

They do not pay attention to its time; they postpone it and do not check if its time has already passed.

They do not become sad for not performing it.

When they perform their prayers, they do not perform it for the sake of Allah but they do it for worldly objects.

They perform their prayers openly but do not perform it secretly; they do not perform it reverently like they are in the presence of their Lord, but they perform it to show-off to other people.” (Hak Dîni Kur’ân Dili, IX, 6168) If our Lord says “woe” to those who recklessly perform their prayers, think about what He would say to those who do not perform it!

This is why Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) did not like to postpone the prayers to later times and said that:

“There exists contentment of Allah in the early times of the prayer and His forgiveness in its later times.” (Tirmidhi, Salat, 13) In other words, Allah the Almighty is content with His servants who perform their prayers as soon as possible, and will forgive those who make the mistake of postponing it to its later times.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not let his prayers pass even at the worst stages of his sickness. Even though his sickness was very severe and he did not have any strength left in his body, he went to the mosque to perform noon and afternoon prayers in congregation with the help of two of his companions. After the prayer, he did not refrain from reminding his companions the matters that were beneficial to them. His last words were “Prayer, prayer; fear Allah about those whom your right hands possess.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 123-124/5156)

Anas (r.a.) narrates:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) when he was dying. He told us three times:

“Fear Allah about your prayers.” And he continued:

“Fear Allah about the people who work for you; Fear Allah about two weak people, i.e. widow and orphan child. Fear Allah about your prayers…”

Then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) began saying repeatedly “prayer, prayer …” until his blessed soul ascended to the Almighty Friend.” (Bayhaqi, Shuab, VII, 477. See also Ahmad, VI, 290, 315; Ibn Majah, Waṣaya, 1)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also wanted that every believer should perform their prayers in the best way. Once Abdullah b. Rawaha was getting ready for the expedition to Mu’tah and he went to the Prophet (pbuh) to say his farewell. He said:

“O Messenger of Allah! Advise me something that I can memorize and never forget.” Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) told him:

“You will go to a country where people prostrate very little to Allah the Almighty. Increase their prayer and prostration …” (Waqidi, II, 758)

The Prophet (pbuh) was also very sensitive about getting children accustomed to prayer starting at a very young age. He asked his followers to advice their seven year old children to pray; and to be very serious about prayers when they reach ten; because Allah the Almighty enjoined that:

“Enjoin prayer on your people, and be constant therein. We ask you not to provide Sustenance: we provide it for you. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is for Righteousness.” (Taha 20; 132)

Throughout Islamic history, the believers who comprehended the Prophet’s sensitivity about prayers have given a special importance to prayer. Ottoman Sultan Mehmet Resad VI’s first order to Lady Safiyah, the teacher of children in the palace was that:

“I want the lady teacher to tell the young prince and princesses that I do not forgive those who do not pay appropriate attention to their prayers and fasting.” (Safiye Ünüvar, Saray Hatıralarım, p. 21)

b.        Reverence and Tranquility in His Prayer

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in deep reverence, rapture, and contemplation when performing his prayers. He would perform his prayers in consciousness that he was in the presence of his Lord and with reverence and awe resulting from this consciousness. Just like when a person becomes happy when he/she sees someone whom he/she loves, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) would become very happy when he was going to the presence of Allah the Almighty, i.e. performing prayers.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would reach the peak of modesty and pious reverence towards his Lord during his prayers. He would get a completely different joy from appealing and praying to Him.

One of the most significant issues of ritual prayer is undoubtedly the state of pious reverence, which means that the heart is filled with fear of Allah and all limbs in the body are in a state of satisfaction and tranquility. It means to concentrate and keep the eyes on the place of prayer, and to turn away everything other than Allah and to not give any attention to unnecessary matters.

Abdullah b. Shihhir (r.a.) depicts the reverence of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as follows:

“Once I went to the Prophet (pbuh). He was praying and crying; and voices, like a boiling pot, were coming out of his chest.” (Abu Dawud, Salat, 158)

A prayer performed in complete reverence with body, heart, and tongue and in contemplation of being in the presence of Allah is an important means to attain Allah’s mercy and love. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) expressed the necessity of reverence and contemplation in performing prayer in his following saying:

“Prayer is performed in twos. In every two rak’ahs, there is a sitting (tashahhud). Prayer is the manifestation of reverence, modesty, and submission. (After finishing it) You raise your hands and ask forgiveness from your Lord saying Dear Lord! Dear Lord Dear Lord! Whoever cannot do this, his/her prayer is incomplete.” (Tirmidhi, Salat, 166) In other words, prayer is a servant’s realization of his weakness, the presentation of his destitute to his Creator, and the humble begging and asking for needs from the Lord.

When the Messenger of Allah led a prayer, he would not prolong it by thinking of the old and sick as well as members of the congregation who might have some urgent work to do. When he heard a baby crying in the congregation, he would even hasten his prayer thinking that his/her mother might be in the congregation; but when he performed solitary midnight (tahajjud) prayer, he prolonged it as much as he wanted, for there was no congregation to consider. He advised his followers that prayers with longer duration of standing (qiyam) were more virtuous. (Muslim, Musarifun, 165) This is why Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) prolonged his solitary prayers and enjoyed being in the presence of our Lord as much as he wished. Hudhaifa (r.a.) reported:

“I prayed with the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) one night and he started reciting al-Baqara. I thought that he would bow at the end of one hundred verses, but he proceeded on; I then thought that he would perhaps recite the whole (surah) in a rak’ah, but he proceeded and I thought he would perhaps bow on completing (this surah). He then started al-Nisa’, and recited it; he then started Al-i-’Imran and recited leisurely. And when he recited the verses which referred to the Glory of Allah, he glorified (by saying Subhan Allah-Glory to my Lord the Great), and when he recited the verses which tell (how the Lord) is to be begged, he (the Holy Prophet) would then beg (from Him), and when he recited the verses dealing with protection from the Lord, he sought (His) protection and would then bow and say: Glory be to my Mighty Lord; his bowing lasted about the same length of time as his standing (and then on returning to the standing posture after ruku’) he would say: Allah listened to him who praised Him, and he would then stand about the same length of time as he had spent in bowing. He would then prostrate himself and say: Glory be to my Lord most High, and his prostration lasted nearly the same length of time as his standing.” (Muslim, Musafirun, 203)

Prayer is to move away from worldly matters and in a way it means to be like the angels. This state can be achieved only by performing prayers regularly and greatly. In order to achieve this goal, one must pray and soften his/her heart in every chance he/she gets. With such practices, a believer gets rid of the spiritual burdens over him/her and begins to perform prayers easily. In this way, it would be possible to sustain the state of reverence and tranquility even after the prayer.

Being able to spread the prayer to the entire time and to sustain a spiritual state of a prayer after finishing it is one of the most rewarding acts of worship. Allah the Most High praises the believers with the following attributes:

“Those who remain steadfast to their prayer” (al-Maarij 70; 23)

Jalal al-Din Rumi (q.s.) describes the prayer which can take the servant to Allah and the state of those who protect such spiritual state in other times of the day as follows:

“The (ritual) prayer is five times (daily), but the guide for lovers is (the Verse), (they who are) in prayer continually. The wine-headache that is in those heads is not relieved by five (times) nor by five hundred thousand. “Visit once a week” is not the ration for lovers; the soul of the sincere (lovers) has an intense craving to drink. “Visit once a week” is not the ration for (those) fishes, since they feel no spiritual joy without the Sea. Notwithstanding the crop-sickness of the fishes, the water of this Sea, which is a tremendous place, is but a single draught (too little to satisfy them). To the lover one moment of separation is as a year; to him a (whole) year’s uninterrupted union is a (fleeting) fancy.” (Mathnawi, VI, verses: 2669-74)

Muhammad Parsa (q.s.) describes the attention that the friends of Allah give to prayer as follows: “For a Sufi, who is adorned with the light of remembrance and has reached the final stations of spiritual path, prayer is the most virtuous daily duty and the most perfect act of obedience, for prayer is the most perfect act of worship which consists of all the other acts of worship.”

c.         Rewards for Performing Prayers

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) regarded canonical prayer very significant and defined it as the best act of worship. In one of his sayings, he (pbuh) stated the significance of the prayer as follows:

“Try to go straight, although you will not be able to do so. Act, and the best of your actions is the prayer…” (Malik, Muwaṭṭa, Ṭaharah, 6)

Allah the Almighty has also stated that He will give many more rewards to those who complete prayer. Anas (r.a.) narrates that Allah the Almighty had commanded the Messenger of Allah to pray fifty times a day on the ascension night. Then He reduced it to five. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was told that night that:

“O Muhammad! This is the ruling and (it has become definite) it will not be changed. There are five prayers every day and night. O Muhammad, each being credited as ten, so that makes fifty prayers.” (Muslim, Iman, 259)

Allah the Almighty’s emphasis on prayer requires that we should pay more attention to our prayers. This is why every single rak’ah that is performed is really valuable. How nicely our Prophet (pbuh) explains this fact in the coming incident. Abu Hurairah (r.a.) narrates:

“Two people from Kudaa tribe’s Baliyy clan converted to Islam together during Prophet’s time. Later one of them was martyred and the other one died a year later. Talha b. Ubaydullah said that “I saw in my dream that the one who died a year later entered Paradise before the one who got martyred and I was astonished.” In the morning Talha’s dream was told to the Prophet (pbuh). After he listened to the dream, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) gave them the following answer that shows the reward of acts of worship, especially prayers:

“Did not he have the chance to fast and perform about six thousand rak’ahs of prayer after the death of his martyr brother? (It is normal to be a difference between them)” (Ibn Hanbal, II, 333)

Prayer, the most significant act of worship, will be the reason to obtain many spiritual rewards and protect a believer from evil. Allah the Almighty expresses in the Qur’an that:

“Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.” (al-Ankabut 29; 45)

Prayer assembles qualities in it, like spiritual purity and pious reverence, which are required for eternal happiness; and it advances the servant up the stations of spirituality. When a human being attains a good attribute, he/she develops an attitude towards opposite qualities of evil attributes. Whoever performs his/her prayers properly; makes the ablution required for prayer; observes its obligatory times; bends, prostrates, and completes it in reverence and remembrances and observes all of its rules; he/she certainly opposes the evil, dives into mercy and attains the forgiveness of Allah the Almighty.

One day when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was waiting for the prayer time, a man stood up and said:

“O Messenger of Allah! I have sinned.” Allah’s Apostle did not respond. After the prayer, the same man stood up and repeated his words. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked him:

“Have not you just prayed with us? And have not you nicely made your ablution?” The man replied:

“Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” Upon this answer, The Prophet (pbuh) told him:

“Your prayer will be an atonement for your sin.” (Haythami, I, 301)

How nicely Rumi (q.s.) explains:

“Allah the Most Gracious is hidden in the prayer. He bestows His bounty and blessings to the one who is pious and performs his/her prayers; (but) the (Divine) Forgiveness bestows a robe of honor (even) in (the case of) sin so that sin becomes a reason for forgiveness, bounty, and blessings.” (Mathnawi, VI, verse: 4345)

In Rumi’s above-mentioned lines, there is a reference to the following Qur’anic verses:

“… For surely good deeds take away evil deeds…” (Hud 11; 114)

فَاُولئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللهُ سَيِّئاَتِهِمْ حَسَناَتِ

“Save him who repents and believes and does righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (al-Furqan 25; 70)

In order to obtain the expected results from our prayers, we need to perform it like the Prophet (pbuh) did. There are many good inspirations in the prayers which are performed according to its prescribed rules and in the Fatihas recited in our prayers. Thus, spiritual light occurs in the eyes and bliss in the heart. Such a prayer is the shortest path to ascend to the state of ihsan or to be a servant who is always aware that he/she was in the presence of Allah. As a result of this, he/she thinks about his/her Creator in all of his/her actions, words, and thoughts and becomes a perfect believer. Otherwise, if prayer is not performed like the Prophet (pbuh) did, it cannot make any changes in a believer’s life and he/ she may slip into swamps of sins and evil. Jalal al-Din Rumi (q.s.) depicts this situation as follows:

“O soul, in the first place look for solution to avert the mischief of the mouse, and then show fervor (zeal) in garnering the grain. Remember one of the sayings related from the Prophet (pbuh) who is the Chief of the Chiefs and soul of the souls: “No prayer is complete without ‘presence’ (concentration of the mind on Allah)”and begin to perform your prayers with a serenity of heart in order to be saved from self and Satan. If there is no thievish mouse in our barn, where is the corn of forty years’ works (of devotion)? Why is the daily sincerity (of our devotions) not being stored, bit by bit, in this barn of ours? Many a star (spark) of fire shot forth from the iron (of good works), and that burning heart received (it) and drew (it) in. But the thief extinguished the fire so as there will be no light in the heart of the believer.” (Mathnawi, I, verses: 380-85)

Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) knew how attentive the Prophet (pbuh) was about the prayer. For this reason, when they would begin to perform their prayers, they would feel closer to Allah. The following instance is an example that shows us how their prayers were:

“We proceeded in the company of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for the battle of Dhat ar-Riqa. One of the Muslims killed the wife of one of the unbelievers. He (the husband of the woman killed) took an oath saying: I shall not rest until I kill one of the companions of Muhammad.

He went out following the footsteps of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) encamped at a certain place. He said: Who will keep a watch on us? Ammar b. Yasir and Abbad b. Bishr (may Allah be pleased with them) responded. He said: Go to the entrance of the mountain-pass. When they went there, Ammar preferred to lie down while Abbad stood to perform prayer.

The man (enemy) came to them. When he saw Abbad (r.a.) he realized that he was the watchman of the Muslims. He shot him with an arrow and hit the target. But Abbad took the arrow out and threw it away. He (the enemy) then shot three more arrows. Abbad (r.a.) awoke his companion, after he bowed down and prostrated. When he (the enemy) perceived that the believers had become aware of his presence, he ran away.

When Ammar (r.a.) saw Abbad (r.a.) bleeding, he asked him: Glory be to Allah! Why did you not wake me up the first time when he shot at you?

He replied: I was busy reciting a chapter of the Qur’an. I did not like to leave it. But because enemy’s arrows were coming continuously, I was forced to finish my prayer rapidly. By Allah, if I was not afraid to lose this place, which Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) ordered us to protect, I would prefer to die than to finish my prayer. (Abu Dawud, Ṭaharah, 78; Ibn Ḥanbal, III, 343-44)

The main motivation to present such wonderful meritorious deeds was the companions’ love for Allah and His Messenger (pbuh).

Miswar b. Mahramah (r.a.) tells the following incident stating the companions attention to ritual prayer:

“I went to Umar b. al-Khattab, when he got stabbed. He was covered with a blanket and was lying unconsciously. I asked the people with him:

“How is he?” They replied:

“Just like you see, he is not very good.”

I told them:

“Call him to prayer. You cannot wake him up with anything but calling him to prayer.” They told Umar (r.a.):

“O leader of the believers! Prayer!” Umar (r.a.) immediately stood up and said:

“By Allah, those who quit praying have no share from faith.” Then he performed his prayer with blood pouring from his wound.” (Haythami, I, 295. See also Ibn Sa’d, III, 35; Muwatta, Taharah, 51)

For the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), Allah’s commands were above everything else. Property and lives were nothing for them compared to Divine orders. All the members of the community were in realization of the fact that prayer constituted the center of the life of worship.

There have been believers among the generations after them, who share a similar consciousness of the companions. One of them was Sheikh Shamil, the famous Caucasian warrior. He was stabbed and wounded about a dozen times during the Gimri defense in 1829. One of his wounds was caused by a bayonet, which went through his chest, pierced his liver, and got out of his back. He also had several broken ribs and bones in his body. With the help of his surgeon uncle, it took six months for him to get well. After he got wounded, he stayed in a coma for twenty five days. When he woke up from his twenty-five-day coma, he found his mother next to his bed. His first words to his mother were:

“Dear Mother! Have I missed the prayer time?” (İbrahim Refik, Efsâne Soluklar, p. 78)

Companions tried to live Islam just like the way they saw from the Prophet (pbuh). This was how the Prophet (pbuh) performed his prayers and this was how those who follow his blessed footsteps…

3.        The Significance of Congregational Prayer

“There is no prayer for the neighbor of the mosque (It will not be a complete prayer) except in the mosque”

(Saying of the Prophet (pbuh) reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah)

Performing some acts of worship in congregation and having people from all levels of society participate in their performance consists of several social and individual benefits. Just like the existence of righteous people who deserve to be followed, there are also weak people in our society who need guidance and encouragement to ascend the steps of spirituality. The latter type of people may show negligence if they do not feel the pressure to perform some of their obligations in front of other people. This is why performing an act of worship in congregation, such as prayer which is obligatory to every believer, is one of the most beneficial acts of obedience. And this is why it should be performed in congregation and popularized in society. Thus, those who perform it and those who do not can be distinguished; those who have the knowledge can be followed and those do not have the enough knowledge can learn. Worshipping Allah in congregation is kind of a measurement to find out the good and bad servants of Allah.

On the other hand, Allah’s request is to keep Islam as the greatest religion in this world. This goal can only be achieved by gathering people frequently from all levels of society, such as scholars and the ignorant, city dwellers and peasants, young and old for congregational prayer, since this is the greatest sign and the most common act of worship of Islam. In addition, to encourage people to achieve this goal, Allah the Almighty gives more rewards for prayers performed in congregation. This is stated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as follows:

“Allah’s Apostle said, “The prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer offered by person alone.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 30)

Praying and repenting together also have a great effect on the acceptability of the supplications. Therefore, supplications done during the performance of a ritual prayer will be accepted faster.

“No believer does his ablution, does it well, then heads towards one of the mosques without Allah recording a blessing for him for every step he takes raising him a degree for it, and effacing a sin from him for it; this way Allah’s mercy and presence surrounds him.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 30; Muslim, Masajid, 272)

Again the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Allah will prepare for him who goes to the mosque (every) morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer) an honorable place in Paradise with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon goings.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 37) These prophetic sayings describe the beauty and abundance of the blessings waiting for the believers who continue the congregational prayer five times a day. Sheikh Uftadah (q.s.) points out the lofty and honorable place of the congregation in the presence of Allah in his following lines in which he addresses to Ulu Mosque:^[3]

يَاجَامِعَ الْكَبِيرِ وَيَا مَجْمَعَ الْكِبَارِ طُوبَى لِمَنْ يَزُورُكَ فِى اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

“O grand Mosque! O sacred place in which great people come together! How happy those who visit you five times day and night are!”

 As their leader, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) would check the attendees of the congregation and ask about those who were not present. During those days, only the hypocrites and very sick would not attend the dawn and night prayers. Ubay b. Ka’b narrates:

“The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) led us in the dawn prayer one day. And he said: Is so and so present? They said: No. He (again) asked: Is so and so present? They replied: No. He then said:

“These two prayers are the ones which are most burdensome to hypocrites. If you knew what they contain (i.e. blessings), you would come to them, even if you had to crawl on your knees. The first row is like that of the angels, and if you knew the nature of its excellence, you would race to join it. A man’s prayer said along with another is purer than his prayer said alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one, but if there are more it is more pleasing to Allah, the Almighty, the Majestic.” (Abu Dawud, Salat, 47)

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) presented the best example to his ummah about continuing the congregation. He attended the congregation with the help of his two friends until the day he passed away. Aswad (r.a.) narrates that:

“We were with Aisha (r.a.) and we talked about continuing and showing respect to the prayer. Then she told us:

“When Allah’s Apostle fell sick with the fatal illness and when the time of prayer became due and Adhaan was recited, he said, ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ He was told that Abu Bakr was a soft-hearted man and would not be able to lead the prayer in his place. The Prophet gave the same order again but he was given the same reply. He gave the order for the third time and said, ‘You (women) are the companions of Joseph. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.’ So Abu Bakr came out to lead the prayer. In the meantime the condition of the Prophet improved a bit and he came out with the help of two men, one on each side. As if I was observing his legs dragging on the ground owing to the disease. Abu Bakr wanted to retreat but the Prophet beckoned him to remain at his place and the Prophet was brought till he sat beside Abu Bakr.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 39) Given that, he (pbuh) said:

لاَ صَلاَةَ لِجاَرِ الْمَسْجِدِ اِلاَّ فِى الْمَسْجِدِ

“There is no prayer for the neighbor of the mosque (it will not be a complete prayer) except in the mosque” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, I, 303)

When Ali (r.a.) was asked about who the neighbor of the mosque was, he said:

“They are those who hear the muadhdhin.” (Bayhaqi, Al-Sunan al-Kubra, III, 57)

Those who hear the voice of muadhdhin should go to the congregation; it does not matter whether they live far or near it. Only those who have disabilities are excluded from this rule. Allah the Almighty has promised rewards for every step of those who go to the mosque. Therefore, it means the further the distance the more the reward. The master of the universe, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “The people who get tremendous reward for the prayer are those who are farthest away (from the mosque) and then those who are next farthest and so on. Similarly one who waits to pray with the Imam has greater reward than one who prays and goes to bed.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 31)

On the other hand, regularly going to the mosque and making it a habit is regarded as a sign of real believers (Tirmidhi, Iman, 8) and such a good habit is also considered to be like the reconstruction of the mosques. Only those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, who perform prayers, give alms, and do not fear anything other than Allah can perform this deed. Being on the straight path and not moving away from this blessing can be realized only through such good deeds. (al-Tawbah 9; 18)

Those who push all those rewards away by choosing not to join the congregation not only harm Islam, but also commit the greatest oppression. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) says in regards to the grievous fate of those who do not join the congregation that:

“If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation, for the wolf eats only the straggling animal.” (Abu Dawud, Salat, 46)

In this prophetic saying there is also implication that quitting congregation may lead to quitting prayer completely. This is why excuses presented for not attending congregation are not accepted. Abdullah b. Ummu Maktum, who was a blind man, came to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) and said:

“O Messenger of Allah, I have no one to guide me to the mosque.” He, therefore, asked the permission of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) to perform his prayers in his house. The Prophet (pbuh) first granted him permission. Then, when the man turned away he called him and said:

“Do you hear the call to prayer?”

He said: Yes.

The Holy Prophet then told him:

“Then you should respond to adhaan and come to the mosque.” (Muslim, Masajid, 255)

The Prophet (pbuh) paid so much attention to the congregation that he did not like that his followers pray alone. Abu Sa’id al-Huḍri (r.a.) narrates:

“A man came to the mosque, but the Prophet (pbuh) had already finished his prayer. Then Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:

“Who would like to give this man charity and get its reward?” immediately someone stood up and prayed with him.” (Tirmidhi, Salat, 50)

A companion who had already performed his obligatory prayer with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stood up and re-performed his prayer just to help his brother to get the reward of congregation.

Narrated by Yazid ibn Amir (r.a.):

I came while the Prophet (pbuh) was performing the prayer. I sat down and did not pray along with them. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) turned towards us and saw that Yazid was sitting there. He said:

“Did you not embrace Islam, Yazid?”

He replied:

“I have, O Apostle of Allah; I have embraced Islam.”

Then the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“What prevented you from performing prayer along with the people?”

He replied:

“I have already prayed in my house, and I thought that you had prayed (in congregation).”

He said:

“When you come to pray (in the mosque) and find the people praying, then you should pray along with them, even though you have already prayed. This will be a supererogatory prayer for you and that will be counted as obligatory.” (Abu Dawud, Salat, 56)

Abdullah b. Mas’ud (r.a.) reported:

“He who likes to meet Allah tomorrow as Muslim, he should persevere in observing these prayers, when a call is announced for them, for Allah has laid down for your Prophet the paths of right guidance, and these (prayers) are among the paths of right guidance. If you were to pray in your houses as this man who stays away (from the mosque) prays in his house, you would abandon the practice of your Prophet, and if you were to abandon the practice of your Prophet, you would go astray. No man purifies himself, doing it well, and then makes for one of those mosques without Allah recording a blessing for him for every step he takes, raising him a degree for it, and effacing a sin from him for it. I have seen the time when no one stayed away from it, except a hypocrite, who was well known for his hypocrisy, whereas a man would be brought swaying (due to sickness) between two men till he was set up in a row.” (Muslim, Masajid, 256-57)

Because those who do not attend the congregation are warned by Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) as follows: “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, I was about to order for collecting fire wood and then order someone to pronounce the Adhan for the prayer and then order someone to lead the people in prayer and then I would go from behind and burn the houses of men who did not present themselves for the (compulsory congregational) prayer.^[4] By Him in Whose Hands my life is, some of those who do not attend the congregational prayer had known that they would receive a bone covered with meat or two (small) pieces of meat present in between two ribs, he would come for ‘Isha’ prayer.” (Bukhari, Ahkam, 52; Adhan, 29; Muslim, Masajid, 251-254)

4.        His worship at Night and Dawn-times

The end of night, or the time of dawn is the time when the human mind is clear, the heart is pure, everywhere is silent, and people are asleep; these are the moments when spiritual diseases, like hypocrisy and vanity, have the least effect on people. These are the moments when Divine mercy descends on the world and the Lord of the universe is closest to His servants. This is why these are the best moments of the day for worship, when people are away from daily activities and hearts can turn to and concentrate on Allah.

Before five-daily prayers were prescribed upon believers, reciting long chapters from the Qur’an and performing tahajjud prayer in the late parts of the night had been obligatory. (See the Holy Qur’an, al-Muzzammil 73; 1-4) This had been the rule for about a year, and believers’ feet had been swelling because of long periods of standing up and praying. Finally, when five-daily prayers were made obligatory upon believers, the ruling about tahajjud prayer was relieved and it became, and continues to be a supererogatory prayer. (al-Muzzammil 73; 20, Abu Dawud, Tatawwu’, 17)

Allah the Almighty made the tahajjud prayer obligatory specifically for His beloved Prophet (pbuh), so He might bestow His blessings upon His Messenger abundantly and His Messenger might be able to benefit from such blessed times. It is stated in the Qur’an:

“And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.” (al-Isra, 17; 79)

After this command, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never in his life ceased performing tahajjud prayer, reciting Qur’an, and saying supplications in the middle of the night. He even performed tahajjud prayer sitting when he did not have the strength to stand at the end of his life. (Abu Dawud, Tatawwu’, 18) Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) used to perform tahajjud and witr prayer together as thirteen rak’ahs. He later reduced them to eleven and then to nine rak’ahs close to the end of his life. (Abu dawud, Tatawwu’, 26)

The Prophet (pbuh) performed his prayer, which he called the light of his eyes, more eagerly at night. He explained his eagerness to tahajjud prayer as follows:

“Allah the Almighty created an ardent desire towards a different thing in each prophet. What I like most is to worship at night…” (Haythami, II, 271)

Prayers and saying remembrances at night, when everyone is asleep, are very important to getting closer to Allah the Almighty. In this respect, the more the strength of love for Allah the more the desire for tahajjud prayer will be. Night prayers and saying remembrances are like meeting and chatting with the beloved. Being awake when everyone else is asleep means getting into the Lord’s world of mercy and joining His assembly of love and clemency.

Since tahajjud prayer is one of the most important means to get a servant closer to his Lord, the Prophet (pbuh) wanted his ummah to benefit from such a great blessing; and he advised night prayers to every believer starting with his close relatives. One night he (pbuh) knocked on the door of Ali and Fatimah’s house (may Allah be pleased with them), and asked them: “Aren’t you going to pray?” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 5) Here is how he (pbuh) advised his other companions to stay awake at dawns:

“Try to get up at night, because it was the habit of righteous people before you and the means of getting closer to Allah. (This act of worship) keeps away from sins, becomes atonement for mistakes, and relieves the problems.”^[5] (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 101)

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to Medina, Jewish scholar Abdullah b. Salam went to him. As soon as he saw the Prophet’s beautiful face, he said: “The owner of this face cannot be a liar.” He then said that the first advices that he heard from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) were: “Salute each other! Give each other presents! Watch your relatives’ rights! Pray at night when everyone is asleep! Do all these and enter peacefully into Paradise.” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 42) Turning to Allah at a time when most people are asleep is certainly one of the most effective means of the acceptance of supplications and an easy entrance into Paradise. Hajah Ali Ramitani (q.s.) says that:

“A believing servant’s wish comes true at the place where three hearts come together; a believer’s sincere heart, Qur’an’s heart that is the Chapter Yasin (36), and the heart of the nights that is the time of dawn.”

Believers should help each other to popularize and perform such difficult acts of worship like tahajjud regularly. The best way of helping each other can be realized in peaceful families. Husbands and wives should support each other in worshipping Allah and doing good deeds. In fact, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) prayed for such families and said:

“May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, and awakens his wife; if she refuses, he should sprinkle water on her face. May Allah have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, and awakens her husband; if he refuses, she would sprinkle water on his face.” (Abu Dawud, Ṭaṭawwu’, 18) Spouses should love each other in order to establish such a supporting connection between them.

The most appropriate thing to do, for those who begin an act of worship to attain Allah’s mercy and start to get its blessings, is to maintain this good manner. A good habit or manner should be maintained and improved. This is what Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (pbuh) advise to the believers. According to the narration of Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave him the following advices:

“Allah’s Apostle said to me, “O ‘Abdullah! Do not be like so and so who used to pray at night and then stopped the night prayer.” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 19)

Such behavior not only means neglecting the most important object of human beings in this world, i.e. getting ready for the afterlife, but also leads to going to the presence of the Lord with nothing. Rumi (may Allah have mercy upon his soul) elegantly expresses to not go to Divine presence empty-handed and to use the nights wisely and make preparations for tomorrow instead of wasting it by sleeping:

“To come empty-handed to the door of friends is like going without wheat to the mill. Allah, Exalted is He, will say to the people at the gathering (for Judgment), “Where is your present for the Day of Resurrection? You have come to Us and alone without provision, just in the same guise as We created you. Listen, what have you brought as an offering—a gift on homecoming for the Day when you rise from the dead? Or had you no hope of returning? Did the promise of (meeting Me) today seem vain to you?” Dost you (O reader) disbelieve in the promise of being His guest? Then from the kitchen (of His bounty) you will get (only) dust and ashes. And if you are not disbelieving, how with such empty hands are you setting foot in the Court of that Friend? Refrain yourself a little from sleep and food: bring the gift for your meeting with Him. Become scant of sleep (like them that) were slumbering (but a small part of the night); in the hours of dawn be of (those who) were asking forgiveness of Allah.” (Mathnawi, I, verses: 3171-3179)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says that “…the most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night.” (Muslim, Siyam, 203) and expresses the value of tahajjud prayer. This is why he did not want anybody from his ummah to spend the whole night sleeping. In fact, a person was mentioned before the Prophet (pbuh) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet (pbuh) did not like what he heard and said, “Satan urinated in his ears.”“ (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 13)

Spending the nights awake, in other words keeping the heart with its Lord, is very important for spiritual revival. Just like our body’s need for material nourishment, our soul also needs spiritual nourishment in order to know and worship its Creator. Just like material nutrition spreads all over the body through veins and sustains the vitality of the body, spiritual nourishment or remembrance of Allah must settle in spiritual centers in the believers’ soul and awake them.

Tahajjud is said to be a shield against the hell-fire. Ali (r.a.) expresses that it is an amazing situation that on the one hand one wants to go Paradise and be saved from Hell-fire, on the other hand they spend the nights heedlessly sleeping:

أَلاَ وَإِنِّي لَمْ أَرَ كَالْجَنَّةِ نَامَ طَالِبُهَا وَلاَ كَالنَّارِ نَامَ هَارِبُهَا^[6]

The following narration of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) attracts our attention in this respect:

“If a man saw a dream during the lifetime of the Prophet he would narrate it to the Prophet. Once I wished to see a dream and narrate it to the Prophet. I was young, unmarried, and used to sleep in the Mosque during the lifetime of the Prophet. I dreamt that two angels took me and went away with me towards the Hell-fire which looked like a well with the inside walls built up, and had two side-walls like those of a well. There I saw some people in it whom I knew. I started saying, “I seek Refuge with Allah from the Hell-fire, I seek Refuge with Allah from the Hell-fire.” Then another angel met the other two and said to me, “Do not be afraid.” I narrated my dream to Hafsa who, in her turn, narrated it to the Prophet. He said, “What an excellent man Abdullah is if he only observes the night prayer.” (Salem, a sub-narrator said, “From then on Abdullah did not to sleep at night but very little hence forward.” (Bukhari, Aṣhab al-Nabi, 13)

Encouragement of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had an effect on not just Ibn Umar, but also other companions (may Allah be pleased with them), too. Their lives were enlightened by supplications, remembrance of Allah, and worship in the quietness of the night. Qadi Baidawi (may Allah bless his soul) explains this as follows:

“When five-daily prayers were prescribed upon the believers and night prayer became a supererogatory act of worship, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) went out of his home to see the state of his companions at night. He found out that his companions houses were buzzing like a bee-hive because of the voices of Qur’an recitation and saying remembrances.” (Anwar al-Tanzil, IV, III)

Upon this Allah the Almighty revealed the following verses:

“And put your trust in the Mighty, the Merciful. Who sees you when you stand up (to pray) and your movements among those who prostrate themselves.” (al-Shuara 26; 217-19)

Even though the Prophet (pbuh) strongly advised tahajjud prayer, he warned those who overdo it and thus neglect their families, risk their health and jobs. He showed them the moderate way which can prevent tiredness and provide continuity. (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 7)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) comforted his companions who performed tahajjud prayer regularly but who were sad because of oversleeping and missing some of them saying:

“If a man prays in the night and sleep overcomes him during it, Allah writes for him the reward of his prayer, and his sleep is sadaqa for him.” (Malik, Muwaṭṭa, Salat al-Layl, 1)

Night prayer is the requirement of having a blessed and bountiful morning. The results of works and services performed in the morning will be in the extent of nourishing the heart during the night. Allah the Almighty ordered the Prophet (pbuh) the night prayer in the following verses:

“O you wrapped up in your garments! Rise to pray in the night except a little, half of it, or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon shall We send down to you a weighty Message. Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the Word (of Prayer and Praise). True, there is for you by day prolonged occupation with ordinary duties.” (al-Muzzammil 73; 1-7)

The time of dawn is a peaceful and quiet time of the day, which is much more effective than other times for contemplation. Morning times, on the other hand, are the noisy moments of the day during which one loses his/her attention. Night is an exceptional time spared for worship and mornings, and is a great blessing to serve and earn the livelihood.

Night is the time to leave one’s bed just for the sake of Allah and stand in the Divine presence with love and affection. For mature believers, nights are exceptional treasures because of the silence and blessings they hold. Those who know the real value of these treasures find the environment to turn their Lord for the acceptance of their prayers, worship, and supplications when all creation rests.

Those who cannot use the valuable times of the nights wisely will not be able to find enough time to turn to and worship their Lord during the day because of their daily preoccupations. Even if they can find some time, it will not be as effective and valuable as the dawn times. Blessings of Allah the Almighty should be used appropriately and in accordance with their objects. Satan does everything to disrupt this balance. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says with the intention to show the way to those who spend their nights heedlessly sleeping:

“Satan puts three knots on the back of the head of any of you who is asleep. On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, ‘The night is long, so stay asleep.’ When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart.” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 12)

Getting up during the night and performing prayers do well to the health of the body and soul. It is known that too much sleep harms people’s health, dissipates the abundance of blessings, and decreases the capital of afterlife; while sleeping less weakens the animal side of humans and has a great effect on disciplining the self.

For those who do not appreciate the value of the night, goodness of the mornings cannot be attained. Therefore, those who would like to attain the welfare of the day has to use their nights for the purpose of entering a divine and spiritual atmosphere.

Both material and spiritual benefits of tahajjud prayer and reviving the nights is accepted and admitted by everyone. The examples about the benefits of worshiping at nights are as follows:

In the battle of Yarmuk when two armies came close to each other, the commander of the Byzantium army sent an Arab spy to check the Muslim army. When the spy came back, the commander asked him:

“What are they doing? What is the situation?” The spy responded:

بِاللَّيْلِ رُهْبَانٌ وَبِالنَّهَارِ فُرْسَانٌ

“They are pious worshippers at night and cavalries in the morning.”

Then the commander told him:

“If you are telling the truth, then it is better for us to be under the ground than to meet with them…” (Tabari, Tarikh, III, 418)

Below is another exemplary event from history:

No enemy was able to be victorious over the companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). When Heraclius’ army lost the battle against Muslims, he angrily turned to them and asked:

“Shame on you! What kind of people are your opponents? Aren’t they people like you are?” His soldiers said: “Yes, they are”

Heraclius asked again:

“Which army has more soldiers, yours or theirs?”

They replied:

“We are much more superior to them in every way.”

He said: “Then what is wrong with you? Every time you fight with them, you terribly lose the battle.”

A wise Roman stood up and said:

“Because they spend their nights worshipping and their mornings fasting. They fulfill their promises, command the right and forbid the wrong; and they share everything with each other…” Upon this respond Heraclius told him:

“You have told the truth.” (Ibn Aṣakir, II, 97)

As we can see in the above mentioned incidents, there is spiritual light in the night, which moves the hearts and adds more to the light of the morning by means of the victories gained in it. Pains of contemporary Muslims should be the sad results of their detachment from their origins and their weakness in servitude to Allah the Almighty. If a believer spends his/her night wisely and benefits from the spirituality of remembrances of Allah, his/her nights become brighter than his/her days; whereas wasting nights sleeping aimlessly is an irretrievable loss like the rain drops falling into an ocean.

5.        His Supererogatory Prayers

“…My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him…”

(Bukhari, Riqaq, 38)

The life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is teemed with excellent samples of worship and servitude to Allah the Almighty. There were supererogatory ritual prayers that he performed at various times during the day. He also encouraged his ummah to perform these prayers as much as they can. For servants of Allah the fastest way to get close to Him is by completing the obligatory acts of obedience, however they can continue their spiritual journey by doing supererogatory prayers. Allah the Almighty promises such blessings in Paradise that no eyes have ever seen and no one has ever thought of before. The Prophet (pbuh) says that:

“A house will be built in Paradise, for anyone who prays in a day and a night twelve voluntary rak’ahs” (Muslim, Musafirun, 103)

One of the incidents which show the merits of the nawafils (supererogatory prayers) and its rewards happened on the day of the conquest of Khaibar.

“A man came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said:

“Apostle of Allah, I have gained today so much so that no one gained from this valley.” Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) asked:

“Woe unto you, how much did you gain?”

 The man replied:

“I kept on selling and buying until I gained three hundred uqiyahs.^[7]” The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said:

“I tell you a man who gained better than you.”

The man asked:

“What is that, Apostle of Allah?” He replied:

“Two rak’ahs of supererogatory prayer after the obligatory prayer.” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 168)

The first thing that the servant will be questioned on Judgment Day is the ritual prayers. The first thing which will come to the help of a servant on that fearsome and difficult day is his/her supererogatory prayers. This is expressed in the following prophetic saying:

“On Judgment Day the first thing that a servant is going to be questioned is ritual prayer. If his/her prayer is properly performed, he/she wins; but if it is not, he/she loses. If there are incomplete obligatory prayers of the servant, his Lord says:

“Look if there is any supererogatory prayer of my servant. The missing obligatory prayers get completed by the supererogatory ones. Then the servant gets questioned from his/her other acts in the same manner.” (Tirmidhi, Salat, 188)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) preferred to perform the nawafils in his home just as much as he made every effort to perform the obligatory prayers in congregation. He said, in this respect:

“… O People! Pray in your houses, for the best prayer of a person is that which he prays in his house except the compulsory prayers.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 81)

As it is known that obligatory prayers are acts of worship which all Muslims have to perform. Therefore, they should be performed openly and they should be strongly encouraged. This is why it is more appropriate to perform them openly and in consciousness of the congregation. Whereas, supererogatory prayers are acts of worship which are left to the person’s will, in other words it is optional. In order to easily overcome the diseases of hypocrisy and fame, those who compete on the path of Allah need to perform nawafils secretly at their homes.

Another important point is to honor and bless the homes by performing supererogatory prayers. The great quantity of nawafils performed should fill a believer’s house with a spiritual and divine atmosphere. It is not an appropriate behavior that believers who pay great attention to congregational prayers turn their homes into ruins. In this respect, the Prophet (pbuh) warned the believers saying:

“Offer some of your prayers (Nawafil) at home, and do not take your houses as graves.” (Bukhari, Salat, 52)

a.        Ḍuha Prayer (Prayer before Noon)

It is impossible to count the blessings of the Lord which have been bestowed upon the servants. They should thank and give charity for every one of those blessings. Even though it is impossible for weak and helpless human beings to afford to give enough charity for such abundant and various blessings, at least they should think about the blessings and do everything they can. Only this way, Divine mercy can be attracted. Allah the Almighty accepts His servants little deeds and bestows upon them great rewards in return. In this respect, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says that:

“In the morning charity is due from every bone in the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah’s glorification is an act of charity. Every utterance of praise of Him is an act of charity, every utterance of declaration of His Oneness is an act of charity, every utterance of declaration of His Greatness is an act of charity, enjoining good is an act of charity, forbidding what is wrong is an act of charity, and two rak’ahs which one prays in the forenoon will suffice.” (Muslim, Musafirun, 84)

In other words, two rak’ahs of duha (forenoon) prayer a day will be accepted, in the extent of our sincerity, as a statement of our gratitude for the endless blessings of our Lord. Thus, our Lord provides an easy means, which everyone can do, for us to show our gratitude for His blessings; which is also a blessing. No matter how much we thank Him, it cannot be enough.

Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) put great emphasis on forenoon prayer. According to reports, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) prayed four rak’ahs at the forenoon prayer, but sometimes more as Allah pleased (Muslim, Musafirun, 78-79). There are other reports that he prayed eight and twelve rak’ahs. (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 31)

Abu Huraira narrates that:

“My friend (the Prophet (pbuh)) advised me to do three things and I shall not leave them till I die, these are: To fast three days every month, to offer the Duha prayer, and to offer Witr before sleeping.” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 33)

One time the Prophet (pbuh) sent a military expedition to a place. The Muslim army came back with a lot of booty. Upon this Abu Bakr (r.a.) said:

“O Messenger of Allah! We haven’t seen any other military group which came back faster and brought more booty than them.” Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) asked:

“Would you like me to tell a faster thing which brings more booty?” And then he continued his words:

“If a man does his ablution well and goes to the mosque, performs the dawn (fajr) prayer and then performs the forenoon (duha) prayer, this is a much faster way, which brings more to him.” (Ibn Ḥibban, VI, 276)

The time for forenoon prayer begins about forty five minutes after dawn and continues until half an hour before the midday, when the sun is at its peak point. It is better and more rewarding if it is performed after one fourth of the morning passes. Worshipping the Lord at those hours of the day is considered valuable, because usually not many people pray at those moments of the day. Early hours of the morning are the times of gaining livelihood. Encouragement for praying at forenoon, which is maybe the busiest hours of the day aims to prevent humans from getting too deep into the worldly life, and so is like an antidote for it.

b.        Awwabin Prayer (Prayer after Evening Prayer)

Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah would perform two rak’ahs of supererogatory prayer after the obligatory evening prayer. (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 29) This is called “awwabin” prayer.

The word awwabin is the plural form of awwab which means “the one who turns to Allah and repents.” Anyone who realizes his/her mistake, turns to and obeys Allah, and then repents for his/her sins and does good deeds can be called awwab. Those who pray six, four, or two rak’ahs – or according to some reports without any specified rak’ahs – after evening prayer are, too, called “awwabin.”

c.         Hajah Prayer (Prayer at the Times of Need)

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh), who remembered Allah the Almighty and presented all his needs to Him, advised his followers to perform two rak’ahs of ritual prayer and then ask their needs from Allah. The Prophet’s saying, in this regard, is as follows:

“He who needs Allah’s or a human being’s help should first perform ablution, and do this well; then perform two rak’as of prayer; after that say praises for Allah the Almighty and call for blessings for the Messenger of Allah; then say the following prayer:

لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ. سُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ. اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. اَللّهُمَّ اِنِّى اَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ وَالسَّلاَمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ اِثْمٍ. أَسْأَلُكَ أَلاَّ تَدَعَ لِى ذَنْبًا اِلاَّ غَفَرْتَهُ وَلاَ هَمًّا اِلاَّ فَرَّجْتَهُ وَلاَ حَاجَةً هِىَ لَكَ رِضًا اِلاَّ قَضَيْتَهَا لِى يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

There is no god but Allah the Clement and Wise. There is no god but Allah the High and Mighty. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Tremendous Throne. All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds. I ask you (O Allah) everything that leads to your mercy, and your tremendous forgiveness, enrichment in all good, and freedom from all sin. Do not leave a sin of mine (O Allah), except that you forgive it, nor any concern except that you create for it an opening, nor any need in which there is your good pleasure except that you fulfill it, O Most Merciful!”

Then he/she should pray for whatever his/her worldly or spiritual need is, because it will be given to him/her.” (Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 189; Tirmidhi, Witr, 17)

Such a habit of turning to and asking for needs from Allah the Almighty instead of mortal human beings will result in the belief in the unity of Allah to settle in the hearts. It will also help believers to reach the state of ihsan or to live in this world knowing that Allah the Almighty is always with them.

Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who followed the above prophetic advice about hajah prayer, took refuge in Allah whenever they needed something, and in the end they got their needs. On a summer day, the gardener of Anas (r.a.) came to him and complained to him about the lack of rain and aridity. Anas (r.a.) asked for some water, performed ablution and prayed. After finishing his prayer, he turned to his gardener and asked:

“Can you see anything in the sky?” The man replied:

“No, I cannot.” Anas (r.a.) went back inside and continued to perform prayer. After three or four times, he asked again:

““Can you see anything in the sky?” His gardener replied:

“I see a cloud looking like a bird wing.” Upon this Anas (r.a.) kept on his supplications and prayer. A little later the gardener came in and said:

“The sky is filled with clouds and it is raining now.” Anas (r.a.) told him:

“Now get on the horse, which was given by Bishr b. Shagaf and check up to where it is raining.”

The gardener got on to the horse and saw there was no rain beyond the palaces of Musayyarin and Gadban. Anas’ (r.a.) garden was within this limit” (Ibn Sa’d, VII, 21-22).

There was a companion of the Prophet (pbuh) named Abu Mi’laq. He was a trustworthy and pious tradesman. Once he was on a journey. A robber stopped him and said:

“Give me everything you have and I will kill you.” Abu Mi’laq told him:

“If it is just property you want, here they are, take them.” The thief replied:

“No, I just want your life.” Abu Milaq:

“Then let me pray.” The thief let him and Abu Mi’laq performed his prayer and then said the following supplication:

يَا وَدُودُ، يَا ذَاالْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدِ، يَا فَعَّالاً لِمَا يُرِيدُ! اَسْاَلُكَ بِعِزَّتِكَ الَّتِى لاَ تُرَامُ وَمُلْكِكَ الَّذِى لاَ يُضَامُ وَبِنُورِكَ الَّذِى مَلأَ اَرْكَانَ عَرْشِكَ اَنْ تَكْفِيَنِى شَرَّ هذَا (اللِّصِّ). يَا مُغِيثُ اَغِثْنِى

The one who is full of loving kindness! Lord of the Throne of Glory! O Allah, The great doer of what He wills! For the sake of Your unreachable greatness, and for the sake of Your Throne to which no damage can be inflicted upon, and for the sake of Your Light, which covers Your Throne! I ask You to save me from the harm of this thief. O Reliever (of the needs), help me!

Abu Mi’laq repeated this supplication thrice. As soon as he finished it, there appeared a cavalry holding his spear and killed the robber. Then he turned to Abu Mi’laq. Abu Mi’laq asked the cavalry:

“Who are you? Allah saved me by means of you.”

“I am from the fourth level of heaven. When you said your first supplication, I heard the gates of heaven crackle. With your second prayer, I heard the voices of the people of the heavens. When you made your third supplication, I heard that “someone in need is praying.” I asked Allah to send me to kill the robber. Allah the Almighty accepted my request and I came down. Know this well, the supplications of those who perform ritual ablution and four rak’ahs of prayer are accepted whether they are in need or not.” (Ibn Hajar, Al-Isabah, 182)

d.        Istikharah Prayer

People of the age of ignorance used to draw arrows to help in making decisions in important matters like marriage, trade, etc. Thus, they hoped to find whether it would be good or bad for them. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prohibited this custom, because it had no basis and it just depended on chance. Additionally, it consisted of slander to Allah the Almighty, because the phrases “my Lord ordered me to do this” and “my Lord prohibited me to do this” were written on the arrows. Instead the Prophet (pbuh) taught his companions the method of istikharah.

The most significant benefit of istikharah is that it removes the selfish desires of human beings and helps the servants turn to Allah. This is why the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put emphasis on istikharah and considered abandoning it as misery:

“One of the reasons of happiness for human beings is to be content with His Will. One of the reasons of their misery is to abandon istikharah…” (Tirmidhi, Qadar, 15)

Jabir (r.a.) narrates about istikharah:

“Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) taught us to perform istikharah for all our actions like he was teaching us a chapter from the Qur’an. He (pbuh) said:

“If anyone of you intends to do something, he should perform a two-Rak’at prayer other than the obligatory prayer, and then say:

اَللّهُمَّ اِنِّى اَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَاَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَاَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَاِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ اَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ اَعْلَمُ وَاَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ. اَللّهُمَّ اِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هذَا الاَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِى فِى دِينِى وَمَعَاشِى وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِى – فِى عَاجِلِ اَمْرِى وَآجِلِهِ- فَاقْدُرْهُ لِى. وَاِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هذَا الاَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِى فِى دِينِى وَمَعَاشِى وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِى – فِى عَاجِلِ اَمْرِى وَآجِلِهِ- فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّى وَاصْرِفْنِى عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِىَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ رَضِّنِى بِهِ

O Allah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability to do good by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of the unknown. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.”

Then he should mention his need while he was saying “this matter” his prayer. (Bukhari, Daawat, 48)

Peace and tranquility appears in the heart of a servant, who turns to Allah and sincerely asks for help from Allah. Especially, for a solution of a problem, and an inclination that emerges about a matter with the permission of Allah. And the servant who acts in accordance with the inclination in his/her heart will be protected from doing wrong.

e.         The Prayer of “Greeting the Mosque”

Abu Qatada, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), said: I entered the mosque, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had been sitting among people, and I also sat down among them. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“What prevented you from offering two rak’ahs (of Nafl prayer) before sitting down?”

I said: Messenger of Allah, I saw you sitting and people sitting (around you and I, therefore, sat in your company). He (the Holy Prophet) then said:

“When anyone among you enters the mosque, he should not sit till he has observed two rak’ahs.” (Muslim, Musafirun, 70)

There are other prophetic sayings which advise to offer tahiyyat al-masjid prayer when visiting a mosque. The term tahiyyat al-masjid means to salute the mosque. Mosques are the houses of Allah. There is nothing more natural than saluting the owner of the house when entering it. In a way by performing tahiyyat al-masjid prayer, believers salute Allah the Almighty, offer Him his submission, respect, and servitude. However, this prayer should not be performed during prohibited times of the day.

f.         The Prayer Performed after a Ritual Ablution

At the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet asked Bilal,

“Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise.”

Bilal replied:

“I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as I can perform.” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 17)

Being ritually pure all the time and performing prayers after having a ritual ablution are very important steps on the way to reach the state of ihsan. Only those who strive and endeavor can be successful in achieving this goal. This state becomes a reason for the forgiveness of the sins. After Uthman (r.a.) performed the ritual ablution to teach the people, he said that:

“I saw the Prophet (pbuh) perform his ritual ablution like this. After finishing his ritual ablution, he (pbuh) said,

“If anyone performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-rak’at prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Wudu, 24)

g.        The Prayer of Repentance

An atonement for sins committed as result of heedlessness and obeying one’s desires is to turn to Allah with penitence; because immediately after committing a sin and before letting the sin stain the heart, turning to Allah and repenting for it will be redemption for it. Allah the Almighty states in the Qur’an:

“And if a whisper from the devil reaches you (O Muhammad) then seek refuge in Allah. Lo! He is the Hearer, the Knower.” (Fussilat, 41; 36)

“And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: for those things that are good remove those that are evil: be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord)” (Hud 11; 114)

When David (pbuh) ruled hastily without listening to the two parties and made a mistake, he asked his Lord’s forgiveness, turned to Allah by bowing down and prostrating. (Sad 38; 24)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that:

“Where ever you are, fear Allah and be a pious servant of Allah. When you commit a sin, do a good deed immediately after it, because goodness clears off the sin. And treat people with good manners.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 55)

In similar verses and prophetic sayings, a person who does a mistake is asked to do something good immediately after the mistake. Ali (r.a.) says that:

“I was a man; when I heard a tradition from the Apostle of Allah (pbuh), Allah benefited me with it as much as He willed. But when someone of his companions narrated a tradition to me I adjured him. When he took an oath, I testified him.

Abu Bakr narrated a tradition to me, and Abu Bakr narrated truthfully. He said: I heard the apostle of Allah (pbuh) saying:

“When a servant (of Allah) commits a sin, and he performs ablution well, and then stands and prays two rak’ahs, and asks pardon of Allah, Allah pardons him.”

He then recited this verse:

“And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah? And are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done.” (Al-i Imran 3; 135)” (Abu dawud, Witr, 26/1521; Tirmidhi, Salat, 181/406; Tafsir, 3/3006; Ahmad, I, 2)

h.        The Prayer for Thanking a Divine Blessing

Thanking the endless blessings of Allah the Almighty is a duty that all people must do. Showing gratitude increases the blessings; while ingratitude brings about the decline of the blessing and the unthankful receiver of the blessing will be subjected to a severe punishment. Jalal al-Din Rumi quoted:

“Gratitude is like sucking the breasts (divine blessings). No matter how full the breasts are, the milk only comes out after sucking (giving thanks).” (Fihi Ma Fihi, p. 165)

When the Messenger of Allah became happy or received some good news, he would prostrate^[8] and perform prayer to thank for it. (Ibn Majah, Salat, 192)

Anas (r.a.) narrates that:

Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) was informed that one of his needs was solved. He immediately went down to prostrate. (Ibn Majah, Salat, 192)

Similarly, companions of the Prophet (pbuh) performed gratitude prayer when they became happy. Ka’b b. Malik (r.a.) had not attended the expedition of Tabuk, and he had very distressed days because of this mistake. When he learned that his repentance had been accepted, he immediately prostrated. (Ibn Majah, Salat, 192) After that he gave all his possessions to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and asked him to donate them; however, the Prophet (pbuh) told him to donate half of his possessions and to keep the other half for his family. (Bukhari, Maghazi, 79)

Actually gratitude is an act of the heart; however, in order to strengthen the feelings in the heart, they need to have some kind of external manifestation. For example, aggressiveness and extravagance resulting from the divine blessings should be prevented. Obedience to the real Owner of the blessings and prostrating before Him will eliminate such spiritual diseases.

i.         Tarawih Prayer (Night Prayer in the Month of Ramadan)

To perform tarawih prayer in the nights of Ramadan is a tradition of the Messenger of Allah. He said that, “Allah the Almighty made the fasting in the month of Ramadan obligatory; and I made the tarawih prayer my tradition.” (Ibn Majah, Salat, 173) In order to get the most benefit from the month of Ramadan, believers should revive the Ramadan nights with tarawih prayers in addition to fasting throughout the day. They should also be careful about what they say and retreat to a mosque for a number of days. Reviving the nights of Ramadan is a means of forgiveness. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated that:

“Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Tarawih, 46)

According to the narration of Aisha (r.a.) the Prophet (pbuh) used to perform acts of worship during the month of Ramadan more than the rest of the year. In the last ten days of Ramadan he would increase his worship even more. He would revive the nights of the last ten days with prayer and also wake his family up for it. (Bukhari, Faḍlu Laylat al-Qadr, 5)

Even though Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) performed tarawih prayer at night in the month of Ramadan, he did not perform it in congregation. He deemed more appropriate to let everybody do as much as he/she can. Tarawih prayer continued to be performed individually during the days of Caliph Abu Bakr (r.a.). Then, during Umar’s caliphate it began to be performed in congregation. Aisha (r.a.) narrates the following incident, which explains why the Prophet (pbuh) performed it alone and not in congregation:

“One night in the month of Ramadan Allah’s Apostle went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the mosque and some men prayed behind him. In the morning, the people spoke about it and then a large number of them gathered and prayed behind him (on the second night). In the next morning the people again talked about it and on the third night the mosque was full with a large number of people. Allah’s Apostle came out and the people prayed behind him. On the fourth night the Mosque was overwhelmed with people and could not accommodate them, but the Prophet came out (only) for the morning prayer. When the morning prayer was finished he said, “your presence was not hidden from me but I was afraid lest the night prayer (Qiyam) should be enjoined on you and you might not be able to carry it on.” So, Allah’s Apostle died and the situation remained like that (i.e. people prayed individually).” (Bukhari, Tarawih, 1; Muslim, Musafirun, 177)

k.        Tasbih Prayer (Prayer of Grace)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once said to his uncle ‘Abbas (r.a.):

“O my uncle! Shall I not give you a gift? Shall I not show you something by means of which Allah the Almighty will forgive your sins, the first and the last of them, the past and recent, the unintentional and the intentional, the small and huge, the secret and open?”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) then taught him the tasbih prayer.

“You perform four-rak’ahs of prayer. In each rak’ah you need to recite surat al-Fatiha and another chapter from the Qur’an. After completing your recitation, say fifteen times “Subhaanallaahi walhamdu lillaahi walaa ilaaha illallaahu wallaahu akbar” while you are standing. Then bend down and say the same words ten times while bending. Then stand up and say them again ten times. After that go down to prostrate and say them ten more times; say them ten more times when you raise your head from prostration and ten more during the second prostration and another ten after the second prostration. Do the same in the second rak’ah. If you would like, you can perform this prayer daily. If you cannot offer it daily, then perform it every Friday or once a month or once a year. If you cannot, perform it at least once in your life time.” (Abu Dawud, Ṭaṭawwu, 14; Tirmidhi, Witr, 19)

l.         Istisqa Prayer (Prayer for Rain)

Once people complained to the Messenger of Allah about the lack of rain, so he gave orders for a pulpit, and when it was set up for him in the musalla,^[9] he appointed a day for the people to gather. He came out on that day when the sun had just appeared and sat down on the pulpit. He extolled Allah’s greatness and praised Him. Then he said:

“You have complained of drought in your areas and of delay in receiving rain at the beginning of its season, but you have been ordered by Allah to supplicate Him and He has promised that He would answer your prayers.”

 Then he said:

“All praise is for Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the King of the Day of Judgment. There is no god but Allah Who does what He wishes. Dear Lord! There is no god except You. You are the Self-sufficient and we are the poor. Send down rain upon us and make it a source of strength for us and satisfaction for us.”

He then raised his hands and kept raising them till the whiteness of his armpits could be seen. After this, he turned his back to the people and inverted his cloak, keeping his hands raised. Finally, he faced the people, descended from the pulpit, and prayed two-rak’ahs. At that time Allah produced a cloud, thunder, and lightning. And, by Allah’s permission, it rained and before he reached the mosque there was flooding. Then he saw how quickly the people were running for shelter, he laughed until his molar teeth could be seen. He said:

“I bear witness that Allah has power over all things and I am Allah’s slave and Messenger.” (Abu Dawud, Istisqa, 2)

m.       Kusuf and Husuf Prayers (Prayers during Lunar and Solar Eclipses)

Another supererogatory prayer is the prayers offered during lunar and solar eclipses, or some kind of cosmic sign like getting covered by extreme darkness. When cosmic signs appear, people realize their servitude and take refuge in Allah. In a way, they seclude themselves from the world. Such an atmosphere is an opportunity for a believer to offer prayers, say supplications, and do good deeds.

On the other hand, there are some unbelievers who worship the moon and sun. When a believer sees an incident that shows that the moon and sun are creations of Allah, then he/she should take refuge in Allah and offer Him prayers. Such an act is a sign that glorifies the religion and confutes the unbelievers.

According to a narration by Abdullah b. ‘Amr (r.a.), one day a solar eclipse happened. He (pbuh) stood up and led the believers in a prayer. He stood in the prayer so long that people thought that he would not bend down. Then he bent down and stayed bending for a long time. Then he stood back up and again he stayed standing for such a long time that people thought that he was not going to prostrate. Finally, he went down to prostrate. He prolonged his prostration so much that people began to think he would not sit up. Then, he sat up and stayed sitting for a long time before prostrating for a second time. His second prostration was also very long. When he finished performing two-rak’ahs of prayer, the sun appeared with all its brightness. Then the Prophet (pbuh) went up on the pulpit, and addressed his followers. After saying his thanks and praises to Allah, he continued:

“The Sun and the Moon are two of the Signs (Ayat) of Allah: they do not darken for the death or birth of any person, but Allah strikes fear into His servants by means of them. So when you see them darken, remember and mention Allah, declare His Greatness, offer prayer, give in charity, and supplicate to Him and seek His forgiveness.” (Bukhari, Kusuf, 2-4)

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) told his companions that the sun and moon were just signs of Allah and eclipses did not show someone’s death or birth. Since only Allah knows the unknown and fate, every moment can be the end of the world. Or a believer should think that any moment can be his/her time to leave this world. Therefore, he/she should be in constant state of worship. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had a feeling when the sky darkened, thundered, or a solar or lunar eclipses occurred, and so he would always pray to Allah for the protection of his followers.

What concerned the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was the fear of Allah. According to the narration of Aisha, whenever he saw clouds or winds, signs of deep concern would appear on his face. Sometimes he would stay and look at the clouds; sometimes he would go in and out of his home. He could not relax until he saw it raining. When Aisha (r.a.) wanted to learn what the reason for his acts was, he replied:

“O ‘Aisha! What is the guarantee for me that there will be no punishment in it, since some people were punished with a wind? Verily, some people saw (received) the punishment, but (while seeing the cloud) they said, ‘This cloud will give us rain.’” (Bukhari, Tafsir, 46/2; Muslim, Istisqa, 14-16)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed during solar and lunar eclipses until it was over and ordered the believers to do the same. (Ibn Ḥibban, VII, 68, 100)

Kusuf or Husuf prayer (or prayers during Lunar and Solar Eclipses) is a tradition of the Prophet (pbuh). It is a two-rak’ah prayer. Believers keep performing the prayer until the eclipse clears. There is no problem in performing the prayer during a solar eclipse in congregation, but prayer during a lunar eclipse should be performed individually. Performing these prayers in a mosque is also a prophetic tradition. No calls for the prayer are recited. Only during the solar eclipse someone calls: “Gather for the prayer.” (Bukhari, Kusuf, 3; M. A. Köksal, XI, 221)

Just like solar and lunar eclipses, earthquakes are also signs of the Greatness of Allah. In the fifth year of Hijrah, an earthquake occurred in Medina. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:

“Your Lord wants to turn you to a state, from which He is content with. Then try to earn His contentment.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, II, 220; Ibn Athir, Usdu’l Ghabah, I, 29) There are reports that Ibn Abbas led believers in prayer during earthquakes comparing them to eclipses. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, II, 220)