Go Back and Pray, for You Have Not Prayed
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Creator: Muhammad Alshareef
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Identifier: http://www.khutbah.com/en/salah_zakah/pray.php
Language: en
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Subject: prayer
Title: Go Back and Pray, for You Have Not Prayed
Created on: Tue Jan 29 11:04:49 -0500 2008
Updated on: Tue Jan 29 11:04:49 -0500 2008
Version: 1
Abstract: ... er of Allah sal Allaahu alayhi was sallam was sitting. He prayed two rakaat and then came to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and said salaam. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam answered his salaam and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” So the man went back, prayed (two rakaat) like he did the first time and then came back and repeated the salaam. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam answered the salaam and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” So the man went back, prayed (two rakaat) like he did the first time and then came back and repeated the salaam. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam answered his salaam once again and once again said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” He said this three times until, after this third time the man said, “By He who sent you with the truth O Messenger of Allah, I do not know any better than this. Teach me.” The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam then said: “If you stand up for salah say ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Then read what comes easy for you from the Qur'an. Then, bow until you are comfortable in your ruku’. Then, stand up until you are standing up straight. Then, prostrate until you are comfortable in your sujood. Then, sit until you are comfortable in your juloos. Then, prostrate until you are comfortable in your sujood. And do this in your entire salah.” So let us go back and repeat our salah. Why do we come to the masjid; why do we perform salah? We do so in application of the command of our Creator subhaanahu wa ta’aala. Why should we then lose the blessing and reward because of a wandering heart and an itchy hand? Concentration is the soul of our salah. Concentration is the fruit of our eman. Yet, in spite of knowing this, people do not strive to perfect their salah and hence only a small portion of it is written for them. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Verily, a man will leave from (his salah) and only a tenth of his salah is written for him, a ninth, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a forth, a third, half” (Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi). Uthman ibn Abi Dahshah said, “I have never prayed a salah after which I have not asked Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala to forgive me for my shortcomings in that salah.” Someone who short-changes his salah is a thief. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said in an authentic hadeeth, “The most evil thief is he who steals from his salah.” The Sahaabaa radi Allahu anhum asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how does he steal from his salah?” He sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said, “He does not perfect its ruku’ and sujood.” Because of the speed with which some people pray, they appear as if they are birds, pecking up and down. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam forbade that someone should peck (in salah) like a crow. Umar radi Allahu anhu once stood on the pulpit and addressed the community with a loud powerful voice saying, “A man may grow old in Islam and never have completed for Allah a single salah!” They said, “How is this?” He said, “He does not perfect his concentration, nor his humbleness, nor his focus on Allah 'azza wa jall.” Once, Ma’roof Al-Karkhee rahimahullah stood amongst some of his students and one said to the other, “Please lead the Isha Salah.” The first student accepted but said, “I shall lead the Isha Salah on the condition that you will lead the Fajr Salah and not me.” Ma’roof Al-Karkhee was shocked at what he said and commented, “By Allah, if you think that you’ll be alive at Fajr, then by Allah, you have not yet perfected your salah.” PART II: How to Concentrate in Salah Al Qaasim ibn Muhammad rahimahullah said, “I went out one day, and whenever I would go out I would always pass by Aisha radi Allahu anha and give her my salaam. That day I went out and when I found Aisha she was praying Salat al-Duha, reciting over and over the verse of Allah: Aforetime we were afraid with our families (from the Punishment of Allah). / But Allah was gracious on us and saved us from the torment of the Fire (At-Toor 52/26-27). She was crying and invoking Allah subhaanahu wa ta ‘aala and repeating the verse. I stood there waiting until I got tired, whilst she remained as I found her. When I saw this I said to myself, ‘Let me go to the market, do what I have to do, and come back.’ So, after I had ... [Full Article...]
