Allah Almighty says: {Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer} [Surat al-Baqarah: 238] He also says: {But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give alms, then let them go on their way.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 5]
1) They encourage us to regularly perform the obligatory prayers, with special emphasis on the ‘Asr prayer, which is the middle prayer, as interpreted by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) Performance of prayer is a sign of sincere repentance.
1074/1 - Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah: “Which deed is the best?” He said: “Offering prayer on time.” I said: “Then what?” He said: “Kindness to one’s parents.” I said: “Then what?” He said: “Jihād (striving) in the cause of Allah.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It points out the preference of some acts of worship and piety over others. A wise person would perform the superior act of worship at its due time. When any act of worship is done in its proper time, it becomes better than others.
2) It confirms the attribute of love for Allah Almighty, Who loves good deeds and their doers.
3) Performing prayer at its recommended time is the better deed. Some prayers are better to be offered early within their appointed times, like the Fajr, ‘Asr, and Maghrib prayers. The opposite is true with other prayers, like the Zhuhr prayer, which ought to be delayed during severe heat, and the ‘Ishā’ prayer, which may sometimes be delayed, unless this proves difficult for people.
1075/2 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Islam was built on five pillars: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving Zakah, performing Hajj to the (Sacred) House, and fasting in Ramadan.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1076/3 - He also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish prayer, and pay Zakah; if they do so, they have protected their blood and property from me, unless legally justified; and their reckoning lies with Allah.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Islam is a strong well-built structure, and the pillars of Islam are the columns of this structure. How well a person upholds these pillars determines how well he adheres to Islam.
2) The testimony of faith “there is no god but Allah” comprises heartfelt certitude and verbal acknowledgment that there is no god worthy of being worshiped but Allah. Along with that, a person should do what is entailed by this testimony, performing physical acts of worship and following the Prophet’s example.
3) Regular performance of prayer is a great pillar in the structure of the religion of Islam. So, whoever establishes prayer has established the religion, and vice versa.
4) It is legitimate to fight those who abandon prayer until they return to their bond with Allah Almighty.
1077/4 - Mu‘ādh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) dispatched me to Yemen and said: “You will go to a people of the Book. Invite them to the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allah Almighty ordained on them five prayers every day and night. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allah ordained on them Zakah (alms) to be taken from the rich among them and given back to the poor among them. If they obey you in that, do not approach their precious property and beware of the supplication of an oppressed person, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) A caller to Allah Almighty should learn about the conditions of those he calls so that he can do his mission in the proper way.
2) The first thing one should invite people to is the belief in the oneness of Allah, which is the foundation of Islam.
3) Calling people to fulfill the belief in the oneness of Allah and establish the obligatory prayers and warning them of the failure to do so is one of the greatest missions of a caller to Allah.
1078/5 - Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “What stands between a man and polytheism and disbelief is abandonment of prayer.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1079/6 - Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The covenant between us and them is prayer; so whoever abandons it has disbelieved.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
1080/7 - ‘Abdullāh ibn Shaqīq (may Allah have mercy upon him), a Tābi‘i (i.e. the successors of the Companions) whose integrity is well known, said: “The Companions of Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) would not regard the abandonment of any deed as disbelief except prayer.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi in the Book of Faith, with an authentic Isnād]
1) They carry a severe warning against abandoning prayer, for this is an act of disbelief. Some scholars even said that he who abandons prayer out of laziness has committed major disbelief that takes him out of Islam!
2) Prayer is the distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims; it is a characteristic sign of believers as opposed to disbelievers.
3) The Prophet’s Companions regarded the abandonment of prayer as an act of disbelief. Shouldn’t everyone heed that?!
1081/8 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The first of man’s deeds for which he will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. If it is found to be perfect, he will be safe and successful; but if it is defective, he will be unfortunate and a loser. If any shortcoming is found in his obligatory prayer, the Almighty Lord will say (to the angels): ‘See whether My servant has offered any voluntary prayer to make up for the deficiency in the obligatory prayer.’ Then, the rest of his deeds will be treated in the same manner.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) Prayer is among the first deeds about which a person will be questioned on the Day of Judgment.
2) The soundness of a person’s prayer makes his reckoning easy on the Day of Judgment.
3) Supererogatory prayers complement the obligatory ones. So, a wise person would be keen to offer supererogatory prayer so as to make up for any deficiency in his obligatory prayers and to win the love of his Lord.
4) Out of His mercy towards His servants, Allah Almighty has legislated for them supererogatory prayers as a safeguard and in recognition of the great status of the obligations, and to make up for any deficiency in them.