Al-Muminoon (The Believers)

9. “And those who take care of their prayers, ”

The most prominent characteristic and demeanour of the believers is the first thing mentioned in the Sura, their attitude to the ritual prayer, when it says that the believers are they:

“Who are humble in their prayer.”

This attribute is again mentioned when it says:

“And those who take care of their prayers.”

Thus the Sura emphasizes both the role and effect of the ritual prayer, which is as a sign for its importance, and the verse, as the last specialty of the believers, here, says:

“And those who take care of their prayers, ”

It is interesting that the primary attribute of the believers is ‘humility in ritual prayer’ and their final attribute has been counted ‘paying attention to their prayers’. Their attributes start with the ritual prayer and end with the ritual prayer, because the ritual prayer is the most important relation between the Creator and mankind.

The ritual prayer is the supreme school of training the self. It is the means towards awareness of the soul and heart and insures man against sin. In short, if ritual prayer is one with all its rites, it will be a certain ground for all goodness and righteous deeds.

It is also necessary to mention that the first holy verse concerning the believers’ qualities and this very verse are different from each other from the point of the matter. That is why in the first verse ‘Salat’ (prayer) is used in the singular form and in this verse it is used in the plural form.

The first one refers to humility and a special inward attitude which is the spirit of ritual prayer and affects the whole entity. The recent verse focuses upon the discipline and the conditions for the performance of the prayers, which include the time, place, and the number of the ritual prayers.

Here, the true believers are recommended to observe all the disciplines and conditions necessary for all the ritual prayers.

The Extraordinary Importance of the Ritual Prayers

Numerous narrations have been narrated from the Prophet (S) and the Infallible Imams (as) recorded about these holy verses containing some expressive meanings that unveil the extraordinary importance of the ritual prayer in the religion of Islam.

Abu ‘Uthman said:

“I was sitting with Salman Farsi under a tree, when he grasped a dry branch and shook it so that all the leaves on it fell off. Then he told me: “You did not ask me why I did that.” I asked him to tell me what his intention was for doing so. He said: “This was the same action the Prophet (S) performed when I was sitting beside him under a tree. There, the Prophet (S) asked me: ‘Wouldn’t you ask me why I did this, Salman?’ I asked him to tell me why. He said: ‘When a Muslim does his ritual ablutions and then performs the five ritual prayers, all his sins will fall away as the leaves of this branch’.”1

In another tradition, Abu ’Umamah said:

“Once we were sitting with the Prophet (S) in a mosque, when a man came and said:‘O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a sin, for which a fixed punishment is prescribed upon me. Please execute it on me.’ The Prophet (S) said: ‘Did you perform the ritual prayer with us?’.The man said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah’. The Prophet said: ‘So Allah has forgiven your sin and removed your prescribed punishment’.”2

Also it is narrated that Imam Ali (as) said:

“We were waiting with the Prophet (S) for the ritual prayer, when a man stood up and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a sin.’ The Prophet (S) turned his face away from him, and when the ritual prayer was finished, the same man stood up and repeated what he had said before. The Prophet (S) said: ‘Did not you perform this ritual prayer along with us? Did you not perform its ritual ablution well?” He said: ‘Yes.’ The Prophet (S) said: ‘This is the penance for your sin’.”3

Again it has been narrated that Imam Ali (as) quoted from the Prophet (S) who said:

“The five ritual prayers for my Ummah are like a stream of flowing water placed in front of the door of each of your house. Suppose one of you has dirt on his body and takes a bath in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on his body? Of course not! The five ritual prayers are such for my Ummah (people).”4

There is no doubt, however, that when the ritual prayer is performed and its conditions are observed, it immerses man in a world of spirituality and devotion, which make his links with Allah so strong that all the impurities and effects of sins are washed away from the heart and the soul.

The ritual prayer insures man against sin and it removes the rust of sin from the mirror of the heart.

The ritual prayer causes the seeds of man’s noble habits to germinate in the depths of his soul. The ritual prayer, indeed, strengthens the will, purifies the heart, and cleanses the soul. Thus, if the ritual prayer is not like a body without a soul, then it can be the supreme school of training the self.