Title of Sermon: "And Establish Prayer"
Elements of Sermon:
1- Prayer is the pillar of Islam and the best of deeds.
2- Why prayer is the best of deeds.
3- How we establish prayer as commanded by Allah.
4- Prayer is a scale of the righteousness of deeds.
All praise is due to Allah who ordained prayer as a submission to His Majesty, in awe of His Greatness, in humility to His Glory, and in delight of communing with Him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, to whom none should bow but Him, and to none should prostrate but to Him alone. I also testify that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His messenger, the striving worshipper, the devout who stands and prostrates. May Allah exalt him and send peace to him, his family, and his companions, abundantly.
O servants of Allah:
Fear Allah as He should be feared and remain mindful of Him in private and public. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims" [Alu 'Imran: 102].
O servants of Allah:
Do you hope to be in the company of the Prophet ﷺ in Paradise?
Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, a young believer among the Companions, was honored by Allah to serve the Prophetﷺ , and one day, the Prophet ﷺ said to him, "Ask me." Rabi'ah replied, "I ask to be your companion in Paradise." The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Or something else?" Rabi'ah said, "That is it." The Prophet ﷺ then said, "Help me in achieving this for you by prostrating much." Reported by Muslim.
Indeed, it is the prayer, O servants of Allah.
The prayer that is the pillar of this great religion, the best of deeds and the most beloved to Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The core of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and the pinnacle of its hump is Jihad." Reported by Tirmidhi.
And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Know that the best of your deeds is the prayer." Reported by Ibn Majah.
But why is the prayer the best of righteous deeds?
Establishing prayer is a declaration of obedience and response to the command of Allah, who decreed it upon His servants during the Night Journey, making it five daily prayers in practice but fifty in reward. Then Allah, exalted is He, said in a hadith qudsi: "I have enacted My obligation and lightened the load for My servants, and I reward a good deed tenfold." Reported by Bukhari.
Prayer is light, proof, and salvation in this world and the hereafter. The Prophet ﷺ said: "And prayer is light." Reported by Muslim.
And the Prophet ﷺ mentioned prayer and said, "Whoever guards it, then it will be for him light, proof, and salvation on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever does not guard it, then he will have no light, proof, or salvation, and he will be with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf on the Day of Resurrection." Reported by Ahmad.
Prayer is the comfort of the believers' eyes and their refuge in times of calamity, where they commune with the Lord of the worlds. He hears them and responds to them in His Majesty.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The comfort of my eyes has been placed in prayer." Reported by Nasai.
And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, the believer when he is in prayer, he is communing with his Lord." Reported by Bukhari.
And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah, the Exalted, said: 'I have divided the prayer between Myself and my servant into two halves, and my servant shall have what he asks for. So when the servant says: 'All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,' Allah the Exalted says: 'My servant has praised Me.' And when he says: 'The Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,' Allah the Exalted says: 'My servant has extolled Me.' And when he says: 'Master of the Day of Judgement,' Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me.' And when he says: 'You we worship and Your aid we seek,' Allah says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray,' Allah says: 'This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he has asked for.'" Reported by Muslim.
Prayer, O brethren of Islam, purifies the servant from the filth of sins, prevents immoral deeds and wrongdoings, and expiates sins and misdeeds, extinguishing the fire of sins.
Did not the Lord of all creation say:
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ
"And establish prayer, indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing" (Al-'Ankabut:45)?
And did not the Lord of the earth and the heavens say:
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ
"And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and during parts of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember" (Hud: 114)?
Indeed, the five daily prayers are a purifying river flowing, whereby Allah erases sins. The Prophet ﷺ said: "What do you think if there was a river at one's door and he bathed in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on him?" They said, "No dirt would remain on him." He said, "That is the example of the five prayers, with them Allah wipes away sins." Reported by Bukhari and Muslim.
Our Prophet ﷺ says, "A caller is raised at the time of every prayer, proclaiming: 'O children of Adam, stand up and extinguish what you have ignited upon yourselves.' They stand, purify themselves, and their sins fall from their eyes, and they pray, and they are forgiven for what occurred between them. Then they ignite [sins] again until the time of the next prayer, when the caller proclaims: 'O children of Adam, stand up and extinguish what you have ignited upon yourselves.' They stand, purify themselves, and pray, and they are forgiven for what occurred between them. This is repeated at the times of Asr, Maghrib, and Isha prayers. Then they sleep, having been forgiven." Reported by Tabarani.
But how does a servant properly establish the prayer as Allah has commanded?
O servants of Allah:
Allah the Exalted has commanded the establishment of prayer; it is like a building constructed solidly, so that the servant may attain its bounty and reap its fruits. The first aspect of establishing the prayer is to safeguard it as Allah has commanded, for Allah has described the believers, saying:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
"And those who are observant over their prayers" (Al-Mu'minun: 9).
Allah has warned those who neglect the prayer, saying:
فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا
"But there came after them successors who neglected the prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil" (Maryam: 59).
Indeed, missing a single prayer is among the greatest calamities, greater than the calamity of one who loses all his family and wealth.
The Prophet ﷺ says, "Whoever misses a prayer is as if he has lost his family and wealth." Reported by Ahmad.
How could it not be so when the Prophet ﷺ says, "Do not deliberately leave a prescribed prayer, for whoever abandons it deliberately is released from Allah's protection." Reported by Ahmad.
From the aspects of establishing the prayer is performing it at its prescribed time, for the prayer was upon the believers a prescribed duty at fixed times. Allah has threatened those who delay their prayers beyond their appointed times with destruction, saying:
فَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُصَلِّينَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ
"So woe to those who pray [but] who are heedless of their prayers" (Al-Ma'un: 4-5).
Mus'ab ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas asked his father, Sa'd, about these verses, "Father, have you seen the verse: 'Who are heedless of their prayers'? Who among us does not get distracted? Who among us does not talk to himself?"
He replied, "It is not that; it is rather wasting time, being idle until the time passes." Reported by Abu Ya'la.
Another aspect of establishing the prayer is perfecting its purification, and completing its standing, bowing, and prostration, for the prayer is a worship that has conditions, pillars, obligatory acts, and recommended practices. It is obligatory for a Muslim to pray as the Prophet ﷺ prayed.
The Prophet ﷺ says, "Allah has prescribed five prayers. Whoever excellently performs their ablution, prays them at their times, completes their bowing and humility, it is Allah's covenant to forgive him. Whoever does not do so, there is no covenant from Allah; if He wills, He will forgive him, and if He wills, He will punish him." Reported by Abu Dawud.
Another aspect of establishing the prayer is achieving sincerity and humility in it, and not being distracted from Allah the Exalted, for the presence of the heart is the spirit of the prayer. According to your humility in your prayer, so will be your reward and recompense, for Allah has praised the believers who are humble in their prayers, saying:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ
"Successful indeed are the believers, those who in their prayer are humble" (Al-Mu'minun: 1-2).
The Prophet ﷺ says, "Allah has commanded you to pray; when you pray, do not look around, for Allah sets His Face towards the face of His servant in his prayer as long as he does not look away." Reported by Tirmidhi.
And the Prophet ﷺ says, "A servant might pray and have only a tenth, a ninth, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a quarter, a third, or half of it recorded for him." Reported by Ahmad.
May Allah bless me and you with the great Quran, and may He make us benefit from what it contains of verses and wise remembrance. I seek Allah's forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Second Sermon
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who align with him.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, obey Him, and know that He is aware of what is in your hearts, so beware of Him.
Brothers in Islam:
The Prophet ﷺ said, "The first thing that a servant will be accounted for on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is sound, then he has succeeded and prospered; if it is corrupt, then he has failed and lost. If anything is lacking from his obligatory prayer, the Lord, the Almighty, the Majestic, says: 'Look to see if My servant has any voluntary prayers that may complete what is lacking from the obligatory prayer,' then all his other deeds are treated the same." Reported by Tirmidhi.
Indeed, the prayer is a scale of the righteousness of deeds and a measure of a servant's love and reverence for Allah, the Exalted. Whoever preserves it and keeps it as Allah has commanded has indeed preserved his faith; and whoever neglects it, is even more neglectful of the rest of his faith.
O Allah, aid us in remembering You, being grateful to You, and worshipping You well.
O Allah, make us and our descendants among those who establish prayer, our Lord, and accept our supplication.
O Allah, support your weakened servants, destroy the Jewish criminals, and save your oppressed servants with Your mercy.
O Allah, grant us security in our lands, reform our leaders and those in authority over us, and place our governance in those who fear You, adhere to Your guidance, and follow Your pleasure.
O servants of Allah: Remember Allah with much remembrance, glorify Him morning and evening, and our last call is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
