Salat. One of the five pillars of Islam. It is a way and a means to get closer with Allah the
Almighty. As Muslims, it assists us in ridding ourselves of sins and gradually draws us closer to
Allah and the good things in life, therefore cleansing our souls. Bringing us closer to our Creator,
it provides us with that connection. The word ‘Salat’ itself is the Arabic word for prayer. After the
declaration of faith (Shahada), this is the second pillar of Islam. However, the question I will be answering in this article is why is it necessary?
Firstly, to understand why Salat is necessary we have to understand its purpose. Simply put, the
primary purpose of Salat is to act as a person’s communication with Allah the Almighty. This
comes with a lot of benefits. Purification of the heart is the ultimate religious objective of Salat.
A beautiful demonstration of the importance of Salat was given by the Holy Prophet (sa). He
asked his companions:
“If there was a river at a person’s door and he took a bath in it five times a day, can you believe
that any dirt would be left on body.” His companions replied “O’ Prophet (sa) of God, not a trace
of dirt would be left.” At this, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “That is the parable of the five prayers
by which Allah removes sins and eliminates weaknesses.”
I would like to conclude with a slightly personal anecdote that I have used before in one of my
previous articles. Many of my Atfal brothers have told me how Salat has strengthened their faith
in multiple ways and has made their life more joyous and peaceful. For example, the difference in
you passing a test or not could be due to the fact that you offered Salat that day. It is not always
the fact that just offering Salat will instantly accept all of your prayers; it could be that praying
gave you that peace and confidence to do well on the test yourself, through the guidance of Allah
the Almighty.
In conclusion and answering the question that I had asked at the beginning of this article, Salat is
necessary as it brings joy, peace and even more benefits in your life as we build that connection to
our Loving and Merciful Creator.
By Yasir Khan, 15.
