The Revival of the Ummah #03 How Does Prayer Strengthen the Society

We began with this series two weeks ago, introducing it as a series about the revival of the OMA. And part of it, we break it down into three different areas. Amongst them is the individual self. What are the traits that you need as an individual to succeed from the Islamic perspective? And how does this relate to the overall societal success, the impact that you have as an individual with these characteristics, on society, on family, on organizations and on the Ummah in general? May Allah subhanaw taala grant us success and victory at the individual family and societal level along with me. We began with the topic of sincerity last two weeks ago. Last week, we covered which topic

Eman you guys were ready for the question. This time we covered the topic of iman. What is Iman, the components, the pillars, how to revive it, the blessings of iman as well. Today we are covering the logical sequence when a person has no the foundation of sincerity. And there's belief in Allah subhanaw taala we defined Iman as something that is internal and external. So the internal is the belief and the external affirms or confirms rather, what you believe. So there has to be some action.

And what action will we begin with other than a Salah that prayer, something that the Sahaba would hear about their entire lives and never get bored of it. Something that the scholars would say we are always in need of being reminded about the quality of Salah, the blessings of Salah the virtues of Salah it is the topic that if you look at the concept of success from the Quranic lens, ALLAH SubhanA, Allah gave us the answers to all the questions. It's an open book exam. And with that, one of the defining characteristics of Islam, one of the main traits, in fact, the main physical pillar of Islam once you believe once their shahada is Salah, and sometimes we overlook it because we've

heard about it or know how to pray or we have studied maybe the rulings a fifth of prayer. So we move on and sometimes it becomes robotic. For many Muslims, it becomes just a physical thing. For other Muslims, they may admit and say listen, I know Salah is important, but sometimes I feel like it's a burden. Many Muslims will admit this is how they actually feel they will do it. They know it's important. It is correct. You can't abandon it no matter what. But they'll say I don't I want to enjoy the salah more. And I feel like I used to enjoy it. Or maybe sometimes I enjoy it. What can I do? What is it that we can talk about? Let's set the scene. By going to the end of the life of the

prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salaam every time we hear his blessing name sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, a few days before he died Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam give advice about many different topics. And you and I know that when someone is at the end of their lives, the advice that they're giving, you don't have much time. So the advice that they're giving is very important advice to pay attention to. And also it's very important from their perspective. So there's only so much that could be given as advice at the end of his life, some Allahu Allahu wa sallam. 23 years of being a prophet of spreading the message of reminding the companions of being kind to the old and

the young men and women and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. One of the final pieces of advice he gives a Salah are Salah, the prayer, the prayer, meaning, take care of your prayer, take care of your prayer. Why is it so important in Islam? Why is it that we hear about it our entire lives and we we sense from the many narrations that it is extremely important in Islam. The Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam describes the effects of Salah in this life, on your situation in the next life. So on the Day of Judgment, there's a very vivid description of what happens and this is actually unique to Islam, how much detail we have about the day of judgment, and one of the stations

we will all have to go through doesn't matter all the young one station that everyone has to go through. So you have to pass through, you have to be able to walk through with a record. Now, those who died before for example, the age of accountability. They're not held accountable. But the scholars say the direction that everyone has to walk through is the same Muslims and non Muslims good and bad what it means Illawarra do everyone have to cross over the Hellfire as well? The Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam mentions all the stations and amongst them is the station in which the believers who are given a very light questioning, not the actual accountability where every deed

is judged, the lights skimming of deeds, hey Serbian, yes, zero in the Quran. And I shall be alone. Anna, she asked about this, I said then yes, you know, isn't a deep, detailed question. For those believers who have a very light skimming of their deeds like very fast, very quick, and of course, quick. We don't know exactly what this means, but this is we leave this with Allah subhanaw taala. And one of the things that we do know is that the believers will be asked first about their Salah, the prayer, of all the acts of war.

Should the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam at the end of his life is reminding about it. Now if someone had gapps shortcoming, sometimes you pray and you're not fully focused sometimes you feel like your Salah wasn't the best Salah so don't know if in the voluntary optional prayers that you pray during the day and throughout the week and throughout the year, these are prayers that are like extra credit that you are in need of this is not like a class where you can get like, you know, sometimes in school, if you have so much extra credit given out you have like 140% in the class, you're like, wow, like this is such an easy class. This is the type of extra credit that we are in

need of because of how many shortcomings we have in Salah because I only times we've slacked off with Salam. So when we talk about Salah there are many people who hear the Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam saying, behavior began, give us comfort by calling to the prayer OB that be that was the moment then. So give us tranquillity through the Salah, obey that start the event. In other words, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam therefore saw the prayer as a form of tranquility, as a source of peace. So if we find that we are praying, and there's zero peace, there's zero tranquility. That means we might be missing something really important in how we are praying. And I

don't mean in the how in the sense of fit, like, how do I raise my hands? How do I stand? How do I bow down? These are things we have to learn? There's a minimum level of knowledge for all of us to learn. But it's more of like the why. Why is this so amazing? This act of worship this Sleater with Allah subhanaw taala many Muslims complain a feeling a lack of motivation. They see it as something difficult to feel motivated about salah. And other people say I feel like I'm doing all my prayers. So I'm in a good place, but they're flying through the summer. And when you ask, they'll say I don't actually feel like I'm taking anything from salah, like I'm doing it rabada check it off your list.

To Do list, it's done. Obligations I did them. internal state was not affected at all, something is missing. Something very crucial is missing. So the Salah, we know has its fixed times the beginning of the end times for every single prayer. And oftentimes, when we receive advice, or somebody sends you a video or you listen to a lecture, or you read a book about salah, sometimes one of the tricks of shaitan the devil will come to us and make us think what at least I pray I know someone who doesn't pray at least I'm praying my five prayers, so and so doesn't even pray. Why compare ourselves to someone who is not as practicing externally as far as we know externally. Why why

compare yourself to someone who's not praying, compare yourself to someone who's praying more like maybe I can be better. So we should always be looking ahead as the Prophet sallallahu Sallam taught us. Let's start from the beginning of the month. We have the first rule of the Quran as you're reading in terms of the order the first Surah is Surah Fatiha and then you have Surah Al Baqarah in the very beginning of Surah Al Baqarah. You have the opening verses and in these opening verses and if lamb me daddy Kalki tabula rasa fi This is the book there is no doubt regarding it, how bold it is, who doesn't limit 13 it is a guidance for those who are conscious of Allah, mindful of the

rights of Allah. And the very first characteristic mentioned in the next area of any verse of the Quran. This is what Allah decided would be at the beginning. This is what Allah subhanho wanted us to read as soon as we started Surah Baqarah what is the next area?

Allah you know, you're gonna be behind the believers and multiplane who doesn't mean what's happening? Who are they, they are those who believe in a light. We had an entire photo here about the topic of unwavering belief in the unseen, it's justified rationally, but it's unseen in terms of the physical in terms of the empirical but you know, it's there. Allah subhana informs you about it and you have reason therefore, justification to believe in the believers they believe in the unseen things. This includes them Allah okay, this includes life after death. This includes podar as it comes down your fate your decree, this includes many things, and right after this, Allah subhanaw

taala tells us what's so letting you know you're renewing our beloved. And then what what you claim on our salah. The Scholars say this is not unintentional, everything in the Quran is very intentional and precise. So Allah subhanaw taala affirms that the very first physical manifestation of your iman, the very first sign of your tuck what that is external, now you believe internal beloved, that very first external lead is that you pray your salon, this is a proof of what there is internally. And this is a reminder for us of how crucial it is that to your iman you will find a link with your Salah with your Salah, you will find a link to your iman, strengthen your iman you

will find that you will strengthen your prayer, strengthen the quality of your Salah, you will notice your Eman also increasing they are intertwined in many different ways. And this is one very practical way for us to improve the state of our prayers. We know the story of how the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam migrated Ali salatu salam. And when he gets to Medina, one of the first things he says when the people gather imagine all these people are gathering many of them are meeting him for the first time some Allahu Allah usnm And there are some non Muslims in attendance.

The very first thing he advises amongst the pieces of advice of course there are many statements. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Yeah you were nervous if should Salam o people, or mankind or humanity or people epsilon this is the message of Islam summarize in a few components spread the greeting of peace app should center while turning upon feed those who are in need of food, feed others, while seated or hang a pole the ties of family do not be amongst those who break up families do not be amongst those who justify not reaching out not fixing, not correcting a very difficult relationship. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam said it was so low, the lady one

nurse Unia pray at night while people are asleep, tend to hold on Jana Toby Sana, you will enter paradise in peace. Look at the different components of this primary advice. He enters Medina sallallahu alayhi, wa sallam, and he only gives four pieces of advice. This is no complicated data here. It's not a complex philosophy. There's nothing intricate that even a child a Bedouin, or Jew or a Christian could understand what the message of Islam was, in short, spread the greeting of peace of Jerusalem, feed those who are in need. So Islam has a huge component of helping other people in society. Islam has the component of upholding the ties of family and relatives. And this

is extremely important, especially today when families are broken up. And I don't mean a family I mean, generally as a societal trend, that it's so easy, and so common to find the estranged family members cutting each other off, and we're very petty things and I'm not talking about severe situations, but rather the default. And then there's prayer, prayer between you and Allah when no one is watching. Why, why this Salah in particular is mentioned here. Well, the salah that you're praying in GEMA, the salah during the daytime, it's important, it's an act of worship. But there's some element of it that sometimes people can witness can see in you. So the sign of sincerity is

that if you're pushing yourself with sincerity, pray at night when no one is watching. It's you and Allah subhanaw taala. And while people are asleep, meaning what it's not an easy act of worship, you're standing you're sacrificing sleep for the sake of your Lord. All of these components have obviously these are umbrellas, they all have their their subtopics, if you will. This is the formula to Paradise, the rights of Allah, the rights of the creation of Paul the ties of family tentacular Jana Becerra, we look at the definition of Salah there are many things to say about it, but just so we understand the word itself, the roots of it comes from multiple connotations amongst them Salia

which means to burn something. This is one of the meanings The Scholars say the scholars of language means to burn something meaning what's like a furnace, so Salah as you go through it, you are burning away your sins, you're purifying your heart, you're getting closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala you're being sincere as well. So you come out more pure Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam gave the example with the Companions when he said, think of a person take the example of a person who takes a bath in the running river five times a day will you find dirt on this person? So if you have soil dirt, your feet are very dirty from walking, and so on so forth. If somebody is taking

basically a bath or a shower five times a day, do you think you're going to find a lot of dirt on this person? They said no, the Prophet sallallahu sallam said this is the example of your five daily prayers but it's not purifying here the external the Moodle is for solace purifying your internal Salah is purifying your heart even if you don't feel it in the moment there is a purification process. The other word that's related as sleeter the entirety of Salah is what many times non Muslims ask us what is prayer in Islam tell us about your prayer. So the word prayer in English can mean many different things. Usually when When