Salah
is one of the primary pillars of Islam and it is primarily in the form
of Salah that Muslims praise and worship Allah Almighty. Besides being
a pillar of Islam,
it s also mandatory upon a Muslim five times a day. Therefore, except
for the severe cases, it is an obligation of a Muslim to offer Salah
regularly at their prescribed time every day.
When it comes to Salah, there is a proper way of saying it.
The reason, why there is a proper way of saying it, is the fact that it
brings unity among Muslims where at the time of Salah they stand united
in the court of Allah Almighty. However, there are people, who because
of their lack of knowledge, commit a few mistakes of which they aren’t
aware. The lines below highlight such mistakes that a Muslim must avoid
while offering Salah.
Delaying Salah:
One
of the major mistakes that a Muslim has to avoid pertaining to offering
of Salah is intentionally delaying them. Although a Muslim has enough
time to offer prayer even when he or she is busy, however, there are
others who intentionally delay offering of prayer and some times it
happens that the prayer gets missed. Therefore, the intentional delaying
of Salah must be avoided. In this regard, Quran says:
“Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salat (i.e. Asr Prayers).” (2:238)
From
this ayah of Quran it can be inferred that the guarding of Salah means
protecting them by offering them at their given time. Hence, it is
imperative that a Muslim does not take the offering of Salah lightly;
rather he or she must do the due pertaining to offering of prayers
within the prescribed time.
Fast Recitation of Quran:
The
other thing that Muslims usually do without knowing during the prayers
is the fast recitation of Quran. The way of reciting Quran in Sunnah is
on the contrary and a Muslim is supposed to recite Quran slowly with
proper recitation and pauses.
In this regard, about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) it is said:
“The Prophet (PBUH) used to pause after each verse of Surah al-Fatiha.” (Abu Dawood)
Therefore,
in addition to fulfilling a Sunnah by reciting Quran slowly, a Muslim
also gets to enjoy the rhythm and lyre of Quran with its slow
pronunciation and recitation.
Preceding The Imam In Congregational Prayer:
Another
common mistake observed among few of the Muslims pertaining to offering
prayers is their being quick then the Imam in the congregational
prayer. In a congregational prayer, the people in the prayer are
supposed to follow the Imam and perform every gesture of Salah after the
Imam has performed it. However, there are people who in a hurry go into
Ruku or Sajadah before the Imam or rise up from them before the Imam,
which is not allowed and should not be observed. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
said:
“Surely the imam is there to be followed.” (Muslim)
Therefore, one must not supersede the imam when in a congregational prayer.
Offering Salah Quickly:
Perhaps
one of the biggest elements observed in Muslims with regards to their
offering of Salah is offering it too quickly. Salah is like standing in
the court of Allah Almighty, therefore, if there is any place where a
person must not be hasteful, it is the the offering of Salah. Pertaining
to this, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in His hadith:
“The
worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer.” People asked:
“Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his own prayer?” He said:
“By not completing rukoo and sujood.” (Tabrani)
Therefore,
a Muslim while offering prayer must ensure that he or she performs each
and every step of Salah with proper posture and in the right form. In
this regard, our Step-by-Step Salah application can help Muslims learn the right postures and way of offering Salah.
Gazing Sideways:
Gazing
sideways is another mistake generally observed among Muslim pertaining
to offering of Salah. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
“Let
those who raise their gaze up during prayer stop doing so, or else
their sights would not return to them (i.e. they will lose their
eyesight)” (Muslim)
Therefore,
in order to concentrate fully in the prayer, a Muslim must keep the
gaze down at the place of Sajadah. In addition to improving
concentration, it also helps represent the humility that a person must
have in front of Allah Almighty.
Crossing A Person Offering Salah:
Another
mistake which the people make with reference to Salah is that they
intentionally or unintentionally cross I front of the person offering
Salah. Pertaining to this, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
“Were
the one who crosses in front of a praying person to know the
consequences of doing so, he would have waited for forty better than to
cross in front of him.” (Bukhari)
From
this hadith it is clear that a Muslim should never cross a person
offering prayer and wait until the Salah of the person gets finished.
Eating Food That Has Bad Odor:
Another
mistake that Muslims commit is that they don’t pay attention to what
they eat before offering prayer, especially in case of offering prayer
with congregation. Prophet (PBUH) said:
“He
who eats from the smelly plant (garlic or onion), let him come not near
our mosque: the angels are bothered by that which bothers men.” (Muslim)
Therefore,
when going for congregational prayer, a Muslim must refrain from eating
such foods that have bad odor. These are some of the major mistakes
people do while offering Salah. There can be many other as well.
Therefore, if you are in search of correcting your salah.Having this app
in your smartphone will help in analyzing your way of saying salat with
the guide. Thus it would result in identifying and remedying all the
mistakes you do.
Conclusion:
In
a nutshell, the aforementioned are a few of the major mistakes which
Muslims commit when offering prayer because of lack of knowledge. By
reading this post, Muslims can know the mistakes they commit and avoid
them to make sure that Salah is offered in the right way and proper
manner.
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