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.”
It is the tragedy of our times. In our homes and our masajid, coast to coast, distinguishing neither west nor east – we find ourselves praying, but not praying. Calmness of heart has replaced itself with a state of constant confusion. The very act so beloved to hearts of the righteous souls of the past, has become a 5 minute exercise of quickly uttered words and motions.
Could you imagine meeting Allah on the Day of Judgment only to find out that none of your prayers were accepted because they were devoid of devotion, humility, concentration, and God-consciousness? That would indeed be a tragedy. For “the first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad” (Al-Tabarani).
Now’s the time to rectify our prayer. Don’t delay! Attend “Fiqh of Salah” this October and learn how to maintain the divine link between you and Allah!
For more information, visit http://www.almaghrib.org/edmonton