Islam Guidance

(B) The Daily Spiritual Training

(B) The Daily Spiritual Training

Islam has also provided its followers with a program for spiritual training on a daily basis. This program is known as salāt. Salāt is not a “prayer” in the sense of talking to God whenever, wherever and however you like. Salāt is an act of worship which must be done in a prescribed manner. Whenever we use the words “ritual prayer” it refers to salāt and not to “prayer” in the sense explained above.

In appearance, salāt is just an act of worship; but with further insight into the philosophy of salāt, you will realize that it is also a program which trains the Muslims to spiritually strengthen themselves and to become the masters of their own lives rather than be slaves of their desires. It is this aspect of salāt which has made it the pillar of Islam. The Prophet says: “The salāt is the pillar of religion.”

While describing the effect which salāt should have on the lives of Muslims, Allah says:

“Establish the salāt; surely the salāt prevents [the doer] from the indecencies and the forbidden [acts]. And surely the remembrance of Allah is great.” (29:45)

This verse clearly says that a true salāt would help the doer in staying away from sins. It is in the light of this verse that the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) said, “The first deed to be checked [on the Day of Judgment] will be the salāt: if it is accepted, then other deeds will also be accepted; but if it is rejected, then other deeds will also be rejected.” What the Prophet meant was that the salāt plays a pivotal role in the life of a Muslim: if his salāt was a true salāt and had affected his behaviour, then there is a great chance that his other deeds will also be good; but if his salāt was just a ritual without any impact on his life, then there is a lesser chance that his other deeds would be good.

The five daily prayers, provided done with understanding, will not just be rituals but a program for spiritual upliftment of the Muslim. The salāt will constantly remind him to keep the purpose of life in focus and work towards it. That is why the Prophet once asked his companions, “If there is a stream outside your house and you wash yourself in it five time every day, then would any dirt remain on your body?” When the answer was negative, the Prophet said, “Indeed the example of salāt is like that flowing stream — whenever one performs a salāt, the sins between the two prayers are washed away.”[24]

In this lesson, we will look at just three aspects of salāt which can help us in spiritual training.

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