Remembering back almost 30 years, I recall some of the comments madeby many localAmerican non-Muslims experience their surprise at hearingof the conversion of some oftheir compatriots to the religion of Islam.
They would exclaim something like: "You're kidding! She became one ofthem (aMuslim)? Now she's gotta pray five times a day!" It is obviousfrom such a comment that such persons consider the prayer to be aburden, not a blessing.
But for the believers, it is a true blessing, never a burden, as we canunderstand from thisverse: "Successful indeed are the believers. Thosewho offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness."(Quran 23:1-2).
For many potential converts / reverts to Islam, the idea of attending to theprayer 5 timesdaily may seem at first as a bit of a hindrance to theirconversion, if they look upon itwith the understanding that it is a burden.But when one experiences for himself/herself the sweet nectar of thefaith, they will come to understand the true quality of the blessing of theprayer. Quite the opposite of a burden.
There are many injunctions and legislations in Islam for which we are notgiven a clearreasoning. But the legislations themselves are quite clear.One of these such legislations is that of the ruling of the exemption of thewoman from the prayer during the times of her menstruation and afterchildbirth. The basic logical reasoning behind this legislation is inconformity with the basic requirement of purification of the person,clothing, andsite of prayer. In preparation for the prayer, one must ensurepurification of the body, allclothing, and the actual site of the prayer.Without such purification, the prayer isrendered invalid. For the womanat the times of impurity due to childbirth ormenstruation, she cannotpurify herself until the course has passed. This is not to deny her of therewards or benefits of the prayer. Rather, it is a blessing for her that she isgiven valid excuse from attending to the prayer at these times. She goes through differentbodily changes and hormonal influxes than do men, andso at this time, she is notrequired to physically attend to the prayer. Shemay, of course, recite from the Quran what she has committed tomemory, or make her private supplications to Allah as she sowishes orfeels the need to. In fact, it is quite openly recommended that she doesjust thatto keep her spiritual side fully nourished as much as possible atthis time as well as at others. It is blessing on her that she is relieved fromany extra physical activity at thistime, giving her the time andopportunity to seek the rest that her aching tired bodyrequires.
Another blessing that has been bestowed upon women is that it is notrequired of her toattend the congregational prayers 5 times daily as arethe men, nor is she required toattend the Friday noon prayer as are themen. She may attend if she so wishes and is able,as long as she adheresto the rules of the proper hijab and conduct. But it is not arequirement ofher as it is for male counterparts. It is most generally the woman whostays awake late at night taking care of the young and demandingchildren, losing herneeded replenishing sleep, and therefore weakeningher already weak and tired body. A blessing from Allah, not a burden.
For the men-although it has been deemed an important aspect of hisreligion to attend to the daily congregational prayer, there is muchevidence from the sayings of the Prophet himself (pbuh) to encouragesuch attendance. One such saying tells us of the higher ranking of thecongregational prayer over the singular- the reward being twenty-seventimes richer. And another prophetic saying tells us of how the angels prayfor the forgiveness of the person from the time he enters the mosque untilthe time he exits.Another saying still tells us how with each step towards the mosque, a sin is forgiven andhis rank (in paradise) is lifted anotherdegree. Such prophetic teachings all serve toencourage attendance in themosque for the congregational prayer. Here we mustremember the verse:"They are those on whom are the blessings from their Lord, and receiveHis Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones." (Quran 2:157).
In explanation of this verse, the preceding verses are telling about thosewho practice patience and remember Allah with thanks even at the onsetof calamity and loss. They arethe ones upon whom Allah bestows Hismercy and pleasure. It is interesting to note that in the original Arabic, theterm for "blessings" is "salawat", which is in truth the plural of "salat"(prayer). Allah Himself does not pray nor is He in need of prayer. But Hedoes always shed His vast blessings upon us. Again-the prayer is infact a great blessing, and no burden.
Another great blessing from Allah is that for those who are in the state oftravel, duringwhich the longer 4-part prayers are to be shortened to 2-sections each, and there is also permission to join two of the prayerstwice daily, making the actual timing of the prayers three times dailyrather than five. Another blessing from Allah to relieve us of our burdens,and yet enabling us to realize our duties to Him and reapthe full possible
blessings.
We were once traveling a long distance by car. It was a trip that tooksomewhere between 7-8 hours. As we commenced the trip in the latemorning close to noon time, we were bound to have to stop somewherealong the way to observe the prayers. As the time for the mid-day prayerof dhuhr came and went, we could find no suitable area along the road tostop for the prayers. So, in adherence to the laws of observing prayers for
the travelers, we simply continued along our way, with the full intentionof performingthe dhuhr prayer in shortened format in conjunction withthe asr prayer. Indeed, that is exactly what we did. When the time of theasr prayer arrived, it just so happened that we were passing through atown at that moment, and so we stopped at one of the road-side mosquesto wash and attend to our prayers. And what a great relief that was at thatmoment, to have such a break from the drive. Our car is a verycomfortable car, but it is a car all the same. And to be in such a crampedsitting position for such a long period of time without taking intermittedbreaks and to give a boost to blood circulation can prove quite tiring. Itwas not until we actually got out of the car at that mosque that werealized how tired and cramped our bodies really were. If it had not beenfor the necessity to stop for the prayers, we most likely would havesimply pushed on even further, perhaps even all the way to ourdestination point. We don't have any small children with us any more tonecessitate more frequent stops. That break for the prayer proved to bequite refreshing-for the spirit, mind, and body all alike. Again-amarvelous blessing, no burden.
We have so much to be thankful to Allah for-so much that we can nevercount. So why don't we all start today to try to show a bit of gratitude andappreciation-through better attendance to our prayers. We shall be thewinners in the long run, if only we will do so.
"And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer)" (Quran 2:45)