Return & Pray, For You Have Not Prayed

In a very well known, well established Hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam one time notice the man entered the masjid and pray in haste to quickly and then he came to him and greeted him to which he responded while Aika Salem it'll Jennifer suddenly for inoculum Tucson. Go back and pray for you have not prayed. So the man went and repeated the prayer a second time and but he gave him the same answer. Are they gonna sit down, go back and do it again? A third time and then he ultimately said to him, Well, levy but Africa will help I swear or prophet of Allah. I swear by the one who sent you with the truth. Let me know how your Raha Alemany I can't do better than this. So

educate me. And so he taught him essentially the bare minimum of what a valid, acceptable prayer looks like.

And this hadith among you know, its lessons is the fact that not offering the bare minimums of the Salah in your Salah

sets you on equal footing or close to equal footing to someone who does not perform Salah to begin with. And that is very dangerous territory. Because salah is the first pillar of Islam once you're Muslim, it is the greatest act of our religion. And if our purpose in life is to worship Allah, the greatest manifestation of that is to perform the salah with excellence. And that is why it is the only act of worship that the Sahaba the companions of the prophet, and the scholars after them differed, whether you're even Muslim, if you're not performing it, they're not the only one they disagreed on really.

And so if your Islam is disputed when you're not performing salah, and then if you're not performing a bare minimum Salah it's pretty much like not performing salah, and this requires an honest pause, because what have I really done with life? What have I really achieved or gained, if this is not in its right place? If salah is the most beloved act to Allah, and it is clear Hadith, and our purpose in life is to earn Allah's love and His pleasure. If he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the very first thing you will be asked about on the Day of Judgment is your prayer. And if that goes well, everything goes well. And if that does not go, well, everything else will be even worse. If all of

this is true, and it is, then we have to figure out what's the Pass Fail line. It, it must be clear, by the way, because if Allah is a man, the Most Compassionate, the most merciful, he's not going to leave us in the dark about something that's essential. If he is Al Aziz will Hakeem the most Mighty, the most wise, the most annealing. He's not just going to accept anything, he doesn't need it to begin with, it's for you. So you're either going to do it right or else he doesn't need it. subhanho wa taala. And so I want to just spend these next few minutes sharing with you some very common oversights mistakes, violations that happen in the Salah that could tank a person beneath that pass

fail line. These are not, you know, minority opinions and interpretations some scholar head that could be right and so out of an abundance of caution, I'm telling you, no, no, no. Everything I will mention to you right now in these next few minutes will be something that the scholars agree on, or the majority of them agree on that it impacts the validity, the bare validity of your prayer so that in sha Allah, this hotbar will be the very last hour you ever fall into it and also you're equipped to extend that concern to others and advise them about it. The first of them is that the salah must be offered at a specific time. Allah from his mercy and generosity gave us a wide window, but beyond

that window, the Salah is unacceptable. He said to us Subhana wa Taala in a salata cannot Allah meaning Kitab no mal buta Salah has been prescribed written as a duty upon the believers at specified times. That means before this time you have not discharged your duty oh I misread the clock and but I already did it anyway you will be rewarded as an additional voluntary prayer but your duty still has to be fulfilled oh I prayed with after it's time unacceptable. This doesn't work. You cannot perform Ramadan, you know in the Hajj season or vice versa. You can't fast in December perform Hajj in Ramadan. You cannot pray outside of this very generous gracious window in

which you must pray neither before nor after. That's number one.

Number two, the purity of our surroundings when we pray is required.

The Prophet

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said lie about Allah Who Salat and be ready to hood, while sada cattlemen volute Buhari said Allah does not accept a prayer without this act of purification, just as He does not accept charity from wealth that was earned through unlawful means unexpected. And so part of that is this surrounding meaning your body, your clothes, the place, the immediate area that you're praying, you have to make sure it is not soiled with feces with urine with menstrual blood, you have to be careful. A person may wonder like, is it that big of a deal that you only see us 20 minutes a week and you're talking to us about this from this pulpit? It's interesting that he

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam actually said that so many people think it's not a big deal. He said when he passed by two graves in Houma, you as the Bernie white man, you ask the band, if he can hear these two people are being punished being tormented in their grave, and they're not being tormented about something big, meaning not big in their eyes. Or maybe it could also mean and not very big for them to stay away from, it's not a big deal, meaning Then cover your bases. It's not the end of the world to stop gossiping, that was one of them, and to guard yourself against the splashing of your own urine. That was the other one. And in a separate Hadith, he makes it very clear. And he says in

that meta, I there been a very minimal bowl for tennis zoom in elbowed

the majority of the torment of the grave is due to urine, spoilage of urine. So guard yourself, clear yourself against that.

You know, there's a common question that will come up here, which is especially for the brothers. Does that mean I can urinate whilst standing. And in principle, you can on exceptional circumstances, there is a report that the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam out in the wilderness did this.

However, the scholars stipulated that this must be on condition, the condition that no one sees you, right sees your private parts, obviously, and also that none of it splashed back at you. And they even see in their books 1000 years ago, so you cannot do it against hard surfaces, like against maybe grass fine against rock No. And this is relevant because nowadays you have these like standing urinals that are made out of porcelain are made out of this. What are they called powdered powder covered steel or whatnot.

And, you know, they actually performed experiments on this, they turn off the lights and with UV lighting, they see how much it splashes back. Do you know how much it splashes back 36 inches, three whole feet Who is that far from the urinal? Absolutely nobody, which means it is impossible for you to use that without soiling yourself. And so you got to figure out a way and if there's no other way, then you're gonna have to change your garment or wipe it down thoroughly, you're gonna have to figure out the weight because the salah will not be accepted like this. What if there is no water altogether?

What if, for example, it is a situation where you're wiping, you're seated and you need to be wiping he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam permitted wiping permitted not using water, but he stipulated on them that they not use any less than three stones. It was stones a long time ago, it wasn't tissue, right? But essentially wiping three times. That is the minimum. And by the way, three times means some residue will remain. But the only only the type of residue or the amount that only water can remove. That's fine. That's awful. That is forgivable that is overlooked. But there's a balance here. The balance is called due diligence. Once you do your due diligence, then you move forward.

But to rush yourself to not care about, you know what is splashing back or otherwise, this would invalidate your prayer could ruin it all.

The third very common mistake is mistakes that are happening in the ritual purity. So this was like physical purity, your surroundings, but there's actually a state of purity that you need to reclaim once you relieve yourself or you fall asleep or you pass wind it's called the whistle or we'll do right some things you need to make will do from this evolution that you every Muslim knows, some things will do doesn't cut it you have to perform listen, you have to perform a ritual bath and the Muslim is required to know the difference so they don't slip beneath our theme for today. The pass fail line.

And you know what we'll do is a beautiful thing. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was asked how will you know us? Yeah rasool Allah, on the Day of Judgment among the countless creatures humans are going to be there in jinn and the animal kingdoms and the AI How will you recognize us? He said,

I will know my ummah,

by the marks of their will do Allah who will cause those body parts to radiate, their face will glow and their limbs will glow by virtue of the widow that he taught us sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And so how do we protect our will do number one, you need to make sure there's no barriers between you and what you're required to wash. And so if you work in a place with an thick greases on your body, you're gonna have to remove that so the water can reach it, or paint, you're gonna have to remove that before the water can reach it, or nail polish, you're gonna have to remove that for the water to reach it. Or even if you're wearing a watch, that's extra tight, meaning the water if you just

let it flow, it won't naturally flow to the other side, take it off, or else your will do could be invalid.

And then after you remove the barriers, you meet need to make sure that every limb or body part that you're required to wash is covered in water, you don't have to rub.

Unless there's no way to get it there without rubbing. For instance, your toes, some people's toes are tightly packed, if they just fill the water, it won't come out on the other side. That is when because it's a necessity, we're going to tell you just to probe to guide the water through. Otherwise, if it flows across the limb, you're covered. But make sure it flows across the limb, even with the face. Some people you see them, they make well do they sort of like splash water on their face, or they do this like they do when they're tired. They're trying to refresh themselves from you know, the forehead, the entirety of the forehead all the way to the chin, and from ear to ear has to

be washed at least once one to three times at least once but all of it.

You know another very common mistake with although is some people you know, they wash their hands in their mouth and nose and face, then they get to the arm and they wash their arms like this.

This could invalidate your order, because your hand is part of your arm. That first washing of your hand is not actually part of your will loop per se are the core elements of your will do that's like a pre will do sunnah to rinse your hands before you use them for everything else. But when you're required to wash the arm as the ISS, it really means hand like the whole hand, but says you can stop at the elbow, which means you should not forego the actual hand. This is something agreed upon pretty much between the scholars.

And so in all of this just don't be excessive because sometimes shaitan plays these tricks on people when he gets them to just give up like I've said too much and they develop this Westwater they didn't spend the whole hour as it good enough. Is it good enough? No. He taught you not to waste water sal Allahu Allah wa sallam, he cut you off at three times Allah Allahu alayhi wa sallam he used to make wudu with his whole with two handfuls of water. Right? You can imagine half a bottle of water

or ordinary bottles but at the same time when he was listen in battle or enroute to or from battle battle expedition, and they were like, quickly trying to like rotate their canisters like they're sharing water quick. The sun is about to come down. We're about to miss Austin, he noticed that some people even though that situation is difficult, he noticed some people being careless and not fully passing the water over the entirety of their foot. He said to them, this is like an Behati way you don't need a copy Mina now whoa to the heels from the fire, meaning the Hellfire will touch will torment from that direction, those who left that part dry. So the water has to flow on all sides.

And so of course, if someone has like a medical condition where they're constantly involuntarily breaking their will without end, there's a concession for that. And the dean, he gave us a concession. These cases were actually presented to him Salallahu Alaihe Salam, a woman who would bleed all month long, right there was someone else who's analogous to that. Or if a person you know,

is injured temporarily you have a cast or something there's a concession you make will do or you can use to hammer on the dust for the rest of it. But the exceptions can't become the rules. It can't just be any haphazard thing. So that's the third, the fourth of them before I sit down ma this attire is required for the salah to be valid.

And so between the navel and the knee for every man is the cutoff. And so, if your shirt is short, it's going to show your back or your backside and that could invalidate your prayer.

If your shorts are short, and then when you move in Salah some of your thigh appears between the navel and the knee. So like when it moves, it should uncover your knee. But if your knee is already uncovered, once you move, it's going to uncover the thigh. The thigh can show right from the navel to the knee according to all four methods must be covered. And for our sisters, the entire body must be covered according to the majority of our scholars and the exception they make are to the face and the hands because that's what we got from the prop

For Allahu alayhi wa sallam, even if you're at home, so if some of your hair is showing, deliberately or carelessly, this could invalidate your prayer. If you are wearing even pants that are sort of showing the shape of your leg, even your lower leg, this is not going to work. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable but I can't stand here and not speak my conscience. 510 years your Imam and betray you also, right? That would be treason. That would be something Allah would ask me about from the day of judgment. So these things must be covered because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, they are Kabbalah Allah Who Salah Taha Eldon in Lubbock EMR, Allah does not

accept the prayer of any woman who has reached the age of menses menstruating, except with him up a Kumar is a headcovering. And the reason why he said headcovering, he clarified another Hadith that he didn't mean nothing but ad covering, because they used to already cover their bodies, but their scarves used to just sit on their head in that culture. So some of the hair would show and the opening of the neck would show and so he would command them to tuck their hair in and the ISS let them draw their head covering over their bosom meaning close it up because it was already there. It was already there. So please keep this in mind. The matter is very serious. And Holy, Holy hell that

was the early medieval

Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Milena Viva La ilaha illallah wa hola Sharika who are shadow Mohammed and Abdullah who whenever you who are solo.

The fifth very common mistake is being casual regarding the obligation to stand in our prayers. Allah azza wa jal said whoa moolah here carnitine. And stand before God in devotion. And he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam salejaw Iman for inlanta stuff Africa I then you must pray standing meaning the obligatory in the obligatory prayer in particular, you must pray standing if you cannot, if you're injured, or it will prolong the recovery, then if you physically cannot, then pray seated,

if there is a legitimate pressing need, being embarrassed in front of our co workers is not a need. I'm sorry, being embarrassed in front of our bosses, they are more afraid of getting sued by you than you are afraid of praying in front of them. And we don't do enough data we don't share our snap enough many of us imagine on the Day of Judgment when someone comes in grabs ya Allah not only did he not tell me about Islam, he hid from me, he's Islam, she hid from me, their religious practice, never saw it never happened. And so standing is required unless you physically cannot, or there is an imminent clear danger if you do, or if your thoughts would be overwhelmed if you do. In other

words, like how much pain is too much pain and must I sit down? No, the interior in that case is more important than the exterior. And so if you can't even hear the Imam, you're just you're consumed with the thoughts of how much this hurts. No, sit down and focus on your prayer. That would be the cutoff basically. So standing in your prayers and not being lazy, not sort of being shy, standing in your obligatory prayers. And if you cannot then sit as needed if you can't stand all the records that have forgotten if you can't stand at all, but you can make a record or So dude, do that if you can't make a record, or sujood but you can stand and stand as needed. Number six quickly, and

his final two minutes is becoming tranquil settling in every posture of the Salah. You heard about the man who was told go back and pray for you have not prayed because he was too fast. Also in Solihull Buhari, who they familiar man, the companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he saw a man praying like that, like being hasty and his bowing and his frustration. And he said to him, Hey, man, I want to come. How long have you been praying like this? He said to him in the Senate for two years. I mean, like forever, it's an expression. I've been praying like this forever. He said to him Lomita

limit the Allah rady Suniti Mohamed Salah Allahu Allah says if you die praying like this, you're going to be die on other than the way as Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, meaning you're going to have to explain to Allah who's your Prophet because our prophets Allah, Allah has and did not teach us to pray like that. He's the one that taught us Salallahu Alaihe Salam, that the worst thief This is his statement, as well. Nursey sadaqa the worst thief is the one who steals from himself his own prayer by not completing coming to a full stop, full stop full stop by not completing their record and they're subdued and they're sure he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, you know there's

even a hadith. So many Hadith actually, one of them that prohibits us from packing like a rooster

In our prayer, another Hadith says throwing our forearms on the ground like in a sloppy, lazy way when we make sujood a third Hadith says don't go down the way a camel goes down. What are you catching there? What is the common theme there? Like a mindless unintelligent being animal, right? Just heatless you are human. That means Allah chose you to engage with him in a very exclusive way called salah, treat it that way, just like mindless motions are not salah.

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said this In another Hadith when he said that one of you is praying let them recall that they are doing nothing less than you Nigera having an intimate conversation with their Lord, the seventh and last for there is no time for it. Reciting at the very least al Fatiha properly. Those who will be excused for not reciting al Fatiha properly are those who tried their best to learn how to recite al Fatiha properly, and the mechanics of their jaws and their tongue just couldn't do it. But to simply recite it without articulating the letters correctly. Nobody has to memorize Quran, but you must recite Quran properly and the amount of Quran

that is the absolute threshold for Salah is Al Fatiha. He said for inner who loves Salah and human lamea crap if it hasn't keytab there is no prayer the prayer is disqualified for the one that does not recite al Fatiha in it and if you haven't recited it the way he taught, in a way to the degree that it could change your meaning then you haven't recited it.

Finally,

we will meet Allah azza wa jal and either through the salah being invested in it will be a great reunion with our Lord forever, or it will be an introduction. And that would be a horrible day to be introduced to Allah subhanho wa taala. Through engaging in our Salah, we are reclaiming what it means to be human reclaiming the purpose of our existence. And he said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and when did I close, there are just five prayers. If nothing else, there are just five prayers. Whomever guards them, doesn't just breed them how their desires or their comfort or their culture inherited dictates whoever guards them the way Allah prescribed them these five prayers, they will

have three things, they will have a light and a proof, a proof of your faith and salvation Naja survival on the day of judgment and whomever does not guard them. They will not have any lights, nor any proof on the day of judgment. And they will be on that day with frown and hanged man and our own and obey even the Caliph the people who were consumed with their power or their status or their job or their riches or their temptations, from engaging with Allah in the most basic manifestations of Islam, the salah May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us improve the quality of our Salah and activate through it, what it what its potential entails for us and for the world may be a deterrent for us

from evil and transgression and wrongdoing. And may Allah azza wa jal guide us and guide with us and forgive us in every believer Allahumma Alameen wa sallahu wa salam Baraka, Vienna, Muhammad Ali, he was