Articles

BACK TO BASICS: How to Perform Salah

Author: 
MuslimBro & Imaani Aslam

Islam is a complete way of life. It is based on five basic duties which are known as the five pillars of Islam. Salah is the second pillar of Islam and the most important of all acts of worship. The other three pillars are: Zakat, Sawm and Hajj.

Salah is prayer offered to Allah using specific words and actions as taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Allah says in the Quran: “Indeed I created Jinn and human beings for no other purpose but to worship me.” [51:56]

Some Questions and Answers on Salah

Author: 
Shaykh Salim Ghisa

I pray but my mind wanders off to things like football, TV, work etc. So is there any point of praying then?

Prayer is judged based on action as this is what a person can control. Of course a person's mind should be focused on what they are doing especially when it is worship.

However, Allah is the most Merciful and is fully aware that Shaitaan will try and discourage you from praying and therefore he will use all types of distraction.

Therefore a person should stick to their actions as this means you are worshipping Allah even though your desires are telling you otherwise, and InshaAllah you will be rewarded for your patience.

Slowly, these distractions will start to go away and one will obtain satisfaction, so one must not give up.

Back to Basics: Salah

Author: 
MuslimBro and Shaykh Salim Ghisa

In this first series of 'Back to Basics' we will cover the second pillar of Islam - Salah. Many of us read it without knowing the importance, the benefits and even the rulings of salah. So sit back and relax and increase your knowledge and understanding of salah.

Why pray?

The answer shouldn't be 'because my dad said so!' After believing in the shahada (declaration of faith), the most important worship and also a pillar of Islam is salah. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The link between a Muslim and disbelief, kufr, is his or her neglect of prayer." [Muslim].

Chill in Heaven or Burn in Hell?

Author: 
MuslimBro

The belief in the Day of Judgement is a fundamental of Islam. This is when Allah (swt) will be the only Judge and no-one will be able to help us - not even our own parents! On the Day of Judgement, the hair of a child will turn grey. [Bukhari]. This shows the severity of that Day where even children will be stricken with fear, although they are innocent and going to Heaven (Jannah). The only thing which will benefit us will be our good deeds. We will either be told that we have been successful thus will go into Heaven, or have failed so will end up in Hell.

Heaven

What does Heaven look like?

The Qur’an and Hadith reveal many detailed descriptions of Heaven: