237 - الصلاة (1)

237. THE PRAYER (1)

1126 - فَضلُ الصَّلاةِ

1126. THE VIRTUE OF PRAYER

(حافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَواتِ وَالصَّلاةِ الوُسْطَى‏ وَقُومُوا لِلّهِ قانِتِينَ).¹

“Be mindful of your prayers, and [especially] the middle prayer, and stand in obedience to Allah.”²

(فَإذا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِياماً وَقُعُوداً وَعَلَى‏ جُنُوْبِكُمْ فَإذا اطْمَأنَنْتُمْ فَأقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ إنَّ الصَّلاةَ كانَتْ عَلَى المُؤْمِنِينَ كِتاباً مَوْقُوْتاً).³

“When you have finished the prayers, remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying down, and when you feel secure, perform the [complete] prayers, for the prayer is indeed a timed prescription for the faithful.”⁴

(رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعاءِ).⁵

“My Lord! Make me a maintainer of the prayer, and my descendants [too]. Our Lord, accept my supplication.”⁶

3586.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لِكُلِّ شَي‏ءٍ وَجهٌ، ووَجهُ دِينِكُمُ الصَّلاةُ .⁷

3586.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Everything has a face, and the face of your religion is the prayer.’⁸

3587.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : جَعَلَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ ثناؤهُ قُرَّةَ عَينِي في الصَّلاةِ، وحَبَّبَ إلَيَّ الصَّلاةَ كما حَبَّبَ إلى الجائعِ الطَّعامَ، وإلى الظَّمآنِ الماءَ، وإنَّ الجائعَ إذا أكَلَ شَبِعَ، وإنَّ الظَمآنَ إذا شَرِبَ رَوِيَ، وأنا لا أشبَعُ مِن الصَّلاةِ .⁹

3587.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah, Exalted be His praise, has made prayer the light of my eyes, and has made prayer as beloved to me as food is to a hungry man, and water to a thirsty man. The hungry man, however, is satiated when he eats, and the thirsty man is quenched when he drinks, but I can never be sated by my prayer.’¹⁰

3588.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام: الصَّلاةُ تَستَنزِلُ الرَّحمَةَ .¹¹

3588.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Prayer elicits the descent of divine mercy.’¹²

3589.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : كانَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله لا يُؤثِرُ على الصَّلاةِ عَشاءً ولا غَيرَهُ، وكانَ إذا دَخَلَ وَقتُها كأنّهُ لا يَعرِفُ أهلاً ولا حَمِيماً .¹³

3589. Imam Ali (AS) narrated, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) never put anything before his prayer, neither his dinner nor anything else. When the time for prayer would set in, it was as if he knew neither family nor close friend.’¹⁴

3590.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : الصَّلاةُ قُربانُ كُلِّ تَقِيٍّ .¹⁵

3590.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Prayer is the pious person’s means of proximity [to his Lord].’¹⁶

3591.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : الصَّلاةُ عَمودُ الدِّينِ، مَثَلُها كَمَثَلِ عَمودِ الفُسطاطِ؛ إذا ثَبَتَ العَمودُ يَثبُتُ الأوتادُ والأطنابُ، وإذا مالَ العَمودُ وانكَسَرَ لَم يَثبُتْ وَتِدٌ ولا طُنُبٌ .¹⁷

3591.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Prayer is the pillar of religion and its likeness is as the likeness of the pillar of a tent. If the pillar is stably fixed, the pegs and the ropes remain stable, but if the pillar inclines and breaks, neither peg nor rope remains fixed.’¹⁸

3592.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : أحَبُّ الأعمالِ إلى اللَّهِ عَزَّوجلَّ الصَّلاةُ، وهي آخِرُ وَصايا الأنبياءِ .¹⁹

3592.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The most beloved of all acts to Allah, Mighty and Exalted, is the prayer, and it is the last legacy of the prophets.’²⁰

3593.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام - لَمّا سُئلَ عن أفضَلِ الأعمالِ وأحَبِّها إلى اللَّهِ - : ما أعلَمُ شَيئاً بعدَ المَعرِفَةِ أفضَلَ مِن هذِهِ الصَّلاةِ، ألا تَرى‏ أنّ العَبدَ الصالِحَ عيسَى بنَ مريمَ قالَ : (وَأوْصانِي بِالصَّلاةِ)²¹؟!²²

3593. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) when asked about the best and most beloved deed to Allah, replied, ‘I do not know anything after true knowledge [of Allah] to be better than this prayer. Do you not see that the righteous servant Jesus son of Mary even said, “…and he has enjoined me to [establish] the prayer…”²³ , ²⁴