Bet-you-didn't-know-that FACTS about Salah

Assalamoalaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Dear sisters,

Here are some absolutely amazing facts about salah :D Don't come after me if you already knew them, I just wanted a catchy title... tehe... ^_^

1) Salah was obligated by Allah to Prophet (s.a.w) and his ummah above the seven heavens (during al-Isra wal-Miraaj), in a place of nearness to Allah (s.w.t) that even the angels were forbidden to enter. SubhanAllah, this goes to show the status of our beloved Prophet (s.a.w)... He was the only one given the privilege of going THAT close to Allah (s.w.t)!

2) Salah is a direct link between Allah (s.w.t) and you, with no third being in the middle. When you pray, Allah responds to you directly and immediately! (Nawawi's hadeeth qudsi no. 8, originally in Muslim)

3) Did you know Allah (s.w.t) obligated 50 prayers initially? Then, the number was brought down to 5 to show the value of each prayer. By the mercy of Allah, if we pray 5 prayers daily, we still get reward for 50!!! Each prayer is worth 10 prayers that were prescribed earlier. (ahadeeth about the Miraaj in Bukhari and Muslim)

4) Salah is obligated even on the battlefield! Like I emphasized before, there is NO excuse to miss salah if you're conscious and able to pray.

5) Prophet (s.a.w) would often pray until his feet bled. When asked about this he would say, "Should I not be grateful to my Lord?"

6) Praying salah at its appointed time is the MOST beloved act of worship to Allah (s.w.t), followed by good treatment of parents, and then jihaad in the way of Allah.

7) The first thing you will be answerable for on the Day of Judgement is salah. If your salah is in check, the rest of your deeds will be too inshallah. But if your salah is deficient, the rest of your deeds will be deficient too (Al-Tirmidhi). Let's all make an effort to establish salah as abandoning it would mean abandoning Jannah!

8) Prayer protects a person from committing evil, immoral, and unethical deeds. (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:45)

9) The closest anyone can get to Allah (s.w.t) is during prayer.

10) Prophet (s.a.w)'s last advice before his death was to establish prayer.

11) Whoever refuses to pray, Allah (s.w.t) has promised him/her a difficult life and he/she will be raised up blind on the Day of Judgement. (Surah Ta-Ha 20: 124)

12) Without prayer, no other good deeds (including fasting, hajj, zakat) are accepted by Allah (s.w.t). Prophet (s.a.w) said: "The first matter of a slave to be judged will be his salah. If they are good, then the rest of his actions are fine and acceptable; however, if they are ruined, then the rest of his actions will also be ruined." (Al-Tabarani)

13) Hell fire will not touch the parts of our body that we prostrate on! :D

14) Prophet (s.a.w) will recognize his ummah on the Day of Judgement by their shining faces, hands, and feet. Every part of the body washed during wudu will be shining on that day! So, if you ever wished to shine like the vampires in novels/ movies, perform wudu!

15) After making wudu properly, if a person prays with concentration and sincerity, Allah (s.w.t) will forgive him/her!

16) Salah is your knight in shining armour, literally! It will come in the grave to protect you from the punishment and it will also interceed for you on the Day of Judgement.

17) Throughout the heaven and the Earth, Allah (s.w.t) has created angels that never get tired of praying. They have been praying since their creation and will continue to until the last day, non-stop!

18) Salah washes away sins just as water washes away dirt, 5 times a day, until no sins are left.

19) There is a valley in Jahannam for people who delay and miss salah on purpose. This valley is called the Valley of Ghayy. Allah (s.w.t) says: "So thereafter follow them a progeny that delayed the prayer [until the time ran out] and followed their desires. So they will be thrown into the [valley of] Ghayy" (Surah Maryam 19:59)

20) The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Ayat Al-Kursi immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering  Paradise except death.” (Reported by An-Nasa’i and IbnHibban)

All information shared in this post is derived from Coolness of the Eyes: Fiqh of Salal 101 course material.

Sincerely,
D.M.