Prayer Is Just As Obligenatory For Women as it is For Men

PRAYER: A DUTY ON EVERYONE
Islam for Muslims is not only a religion but a complete way of life that advocates peace, mercy and forgiveness. A Muslim can be defined as a person who accepts the Islamic way of life and complies with the will of Allah (God) without question.

"The Great and Glorious Allah does not insist upon the performance
Of any other devotion as He does on the performance of Salat."
---Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz

A child born into a Muslim family begins his life hearing the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear. From his childhood, he should be taught the importance and method of prayer.

Fit rah: What is fit rah?

Our Creator has granted each one of us a guiding light -- a pure, undefiled innate nature called the fit rah. Unlike Christians who believe in the doctrine of Original Sin and assert that each baby is born tainted with the sin of Adam’s disobedience to God, Muslims believe that every child is born into a state of purity where it recognizes its Creator and is naturally subservient to His laws.

Just as a child’s body submits to the physical laws which Allah has put in nature, its soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is its Lord and Creator. But its parents try to make it follow their own way and the child is not strong enough in the early stages of its life to resist or oppose its parents. The religion which the child follows at this stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allah does not hold it to account for this religion.

When the child matures in youth and clear proofs of the falsehood of its religion are brought to it, the adult must now follow the religion of knowledge and reason. At this point the devils try their best to encourage him to stay as he is or to go further astray. Evils are made pleasing to him and he must now live in the midst of a struggle between his innate pure nature and his desires in order to find the right road.

If he chooses to follow his innate nature, his fit rah, Allah will help him overcome his desires even though it may take most of his life to escape, for many people enter Islam In old age.

The Qur'an also points to this phenomenon, where every soul that has been created is asked who their Lord is, and they testify that it is none other than Allah before they are born into the world.

When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and made them testify concerning them. Saying: Am I not your Lord? They said: “Yes, we testify to it.” (This) in case you say on the Day of Judgment, “We were unaware of this.” Or in case you say: It was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants… [Surah Al-Araf 7:172-173]

Explaining this verse, the Prophet [SAW] said: When Allah created Adam [AS] , He took a covenant from him …then He extracted from him all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world, generation after generation and spread them out in front of Him in order to take a covenant from them.

[26:83-87] "My Lord, grant me wisdom, and include me with the righteous. Let the example I set for the future generations be a good one. Make me one of the inheritors of the blissful Paradise... And do not forsake me on the Day of Resurrection."

Prayer is just as obligenatory for women as it is for men. It is recommended that women should pray at home, but if they wish to attend the mosque for any obligatory prayer, they should not be prevented from doing so.

Abdullah bin Umar R.A. once quoted this saying of the Prophet (pbuh) to his son: "If your wife asks permission to go to the mosque you should not stop her." His son Bilal replied: "By Allah, we will stop them." Abdullah was so displeased at this that he criticized his son in strong terms, adding: "I quote to you what Allah's Messenger (pbuh) has said and you say 'we will stop them'.

PRAYER: AN EVERLASTING PRESCRIPTION FOR PURITY, CLEANSING OF SINS AND ENTERING PARADISE

(Some Hadith on prayer)

1. Abu Huraira R.A. narrated that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said:

"Just see, can anything of his filthiness remain on the body of anyone of you if there were a river at his door in which he washed himself five times daily?" They said, "Nothing of his filthiness will remain (on his body)." He said, "That is like the five prayers by which Allah obliterates sins." (Bukhari, Muslim)

2. Abu Huraira R.A. narrated that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said:

"Five (daily) prayers and from one Friday prayer to the (next) Friday prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals) provided one shuns the major sins."
(Muslim)

3. Rabia bin Ka`b narrated:

I was with Allah's Messenger (pbuh) one night, and I brought him water and what he required. He said to me: "Ask (anything you like)." I said, "I ask your company in Paradise." He said, "Or anything else besides it?" I said, "That is all what I require." He said, "Then helps me to achieve this for you by devoting yourself often to prostration." (Muslim)

4. Abu Dharr narrated that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) came out in winter when the leaves were falling. He took hold of a branch (and shook it) and its leaves started falling. Then he said:

"O Abu Dharr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Messenger of Allah!" He said, "Whenever a Muslim prays seeking the Pleasure of Allah, his sins start falling like the leaves of this tree." (Ahmad)

5. 'Uqbah bin Amir narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Your Lord is amazed by that shepherd who is at the top of a mountain (with his sheep) and who calls for prayer and then offer his prayers. Allah Almighty says: Look at this slave of mine who calls for prayer, then says Iqamah for the prayer, and then prays as he is fearful of me. I have forgiven my slave and admitted him to Paradise.”

PRAYER: A DUTY ON EVERYONE

A child born into a Muslim family begins his life hearing the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear. From his childhood, he should be taught the importance and method of prayer.

'Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas narrated that Allah's Messenger said: "Command your children to pray when they reach the age of seven and admonish them by beating (if they don't pray) at the age of ten. And keep them (i.e. boys and girls) apart in their beds."

The first thing the Prophet used to teach a new Muslim was the prayer.

Praying involves physical movements of standing, bowing and prostration. During illness, prayers can be performed sitting up or lying down, providing that the chair or bed is facing Mecca. A person is exempt from prayer if seriously ill;

[2:286] "Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, and protect us from blaspheming against You, like those before us have done. Our Lord, protect us from sinning until it becomes too late for us to repent. Pardon us and forgive us. You are our Lord and Master. Grant us victory over the disbelieving people."

May Allah make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

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