Benefits of Obligatory Prayers / Faedah Solat Lima Waktu

The obligatory prayers of Islam is the backbone of Islam and there are only 5 of them in a day:

1) 2 rakaah of Fajr (dawn) which starts at the first appearance of light at dawn and ends when the sun starts to rise.

2) 4 rakaah of Dhuhr (noon) from the time the sun starts to descend towards the west after the zenith to the time when the length of an object's shadow is equal to the actual object's height.

3) 4 rakaah of 'Asr (Afternoon) starts when Dhuhr ends and ends when the sun sets.

4) 3 rakaah of Maghrib from the time the sun sets till the red color of the dusk disappears.

5) 4 rakaah of Isya' from the time Maghrib ends till the first appearance of light of dawn.

Sadly, not many of us are able to perform them religiously. Many of us are deeply immersed in our worldly concerns that we neglect this responsibility of ours. We forget that this responsibility is also a privilege only available to Muslims. It is a private time between us and Allah the Exalted, communicating directly to our creator, to thank Him for all the good fortune that He has bestowed on us and confide in him our grievances.

Among the biggest benefits of praying are:

1) It is an act best loved by Allah.

 As Abdullah bin Mas'ud asked the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him; "Which deed is best loved by Allah?" The prophet said "Performing prayers on time." (Part of a hadith reported by Bukhari)

2) Preventing us from continuously immersing ourselves in sinful deeds.

As mentioned in Surah Al-Ankabut; verse 45:

"Indeed, the prayer prevents (you) from (committing) great sins and evil deeds." 

 This is a known fact too, any of us who has "been there, done that" knows that whenever we start to indulge in sinful deeds, our prayers will undoubtedly be missed; one time or another. If, on the other hand, you keep track of your prayers, the tendency to stray will be minimized. Somehow or another, you heart will not be at ease, the guilt will be too overwhelming and rightly so, how can you ever face your God five times a day and happily disobey him the rest of the day? If you guard your prayers fiercely, you will always remember that Allah's eyes are Ever Watchful and that He sees all that you do.

Even if you do indulge in some form of entertainment, the duty of praying will bring you back to a rational state of mind  before you further delve into mischief.

3) Purification of sins so long as we don't commit the major sins in Islam. 

It is reported in Shahih Muslim in a hadis narrated by Abi Hurairah: 

The Prophet peace be upon him said : "The five prayers and the friday prayer to the next friday prayer, is a purification (of sins) between them, so long as you don't engage in Major sins."

4) A radiant shining face in this world and hereafter as the hadith reported in Shahih Muslim "The prayer is a shining light."

5) Elevates your status and cleanse your sins.

As the Prophet said " Perform plenty of sujud (prostration) , as you shall not sujud in front of Allah one time but He will elevate your status one higher and forgive a sin. " Reported in Shahih Muslim.

If these are not enough benefits to make you strengthen your resolution to keep your prayers, then remember that it is the first deed to be accounted for on the Day of Resurrection. Should our prayers be complete, happy will us be, but if otherwise, wretched will us be. 


Remember too, that Muslims have no mark on their faces, no emblem whatsoever, so what separates a Muslim man from a non-Muslim man? It is the prayer, as simple as that.


So, I call upon my Muslim brothers and sisters, let us keep our prayers and may we be among those who succeed in the Hereafter. 


Amin.. 


(Note for a little help in keeping your prayers, check out the dua here )