OF Salah (Prayer)-II

"O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient." (2:153)

As for the second ingredient of the prescription, it is Salaah (Prayer). Although Sabr, as it was explained in last post, covers the different forms of worship, including prayers, all ofthem being its branches. Salaah, however, has been mentionedd separately, because that is the most perfect model of Sabr. For, in the state of Salaah, one binds oneself to obedience and worship, and restrains oneself not only from all that is sinful or reprehensible but even from what is otherwise permissible -e.g., from eating or drinking or talking. Hence, Salaah is a visible demonstration of Sabr which signifies keeping oneself under control in shunning everything sinful and submitting oneself totally to obedience.

A Remedy To All Problems:

Moreover, Salaah poes possess a special efficacy in releasing man from all kinds of troubleand pain, and in fulfilling all his needs. We may not be able to explain it rationally, but the efficacy is present as a characteristic quality in the very nature of prayers- as happens in the case of certain medicines too. But the efficacy shows itself only when prayers are offered in the proper way and according to the physical and spiritual etiquette laid down by Shari'ah. If our prayers seem to be fruitless, it is because we have been deficient in observing this etiquette and have not turned to Allah in single-minded devotion and total submission. Let us not forget that, according to the Hadis, whenever the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) was faced with a grave problem of any kind, he always hastened to offer nafl prayers and through the barakah (benediction) of the prayers, Allah came to his aid and resolved the problem satisfactorily.

Maariful Quran