The Great and Exalted Position of Salaah in Deen

Hazrat Moulana Inaamul Hasan Kaandhelwi (rahimahullah) once mentioned the following:

The example of Salaah in relation to the entire deen is like the door of the house (i.e. by entering the door, one will enter the entire house).

Through a person upholding the obligation of salaah in his life, Allah Ta‘ala will grant him the taufeeq (special and divine assistance) to practice upon the rest of deen.

Performing salaah with devotion and concentration and making an effort to bring life into one’s salaah is extremely important.

In the Mubaarak Hadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:

صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي

Perform salaah in the manner you see me performing salaah.

Through Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) instructing the Sahaabah (and ummah) to perform salaah in the way they see him performing salaah, it is as though he was saying to them, “Let your outer and inner self conform to the way I perform my salaah.”

Salaah is the practical declaration of the kalimah. In the kalimah, one verbally declares that he worships Allah Ta‘ala in the manner taught by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and Salaah is the practical demonstration of this kalimah (i.e. by performing salaah in the manner Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) performed his salaah).

The Ulama have written that instead of one trying to treat each evil quality within himself separately, Allah Ta‘ala has made salaah itself an effective cure for removing all types of evil qualities from a person’s life.

On one occasion, while explaining the manner in which one should encourage people towards performing salaah, Moulana Inaamul Hasan (rahimahullah) mentioned the following:

Instead of running down a person who does not perform salaah, one should adopt a loving and sympathetic approach towards the person.

One should encourage him with love and kindness to fulfil this obligation which he owes to Allah Ta‘ala.

Salaah is such a valuable bounty that when sending down other deeni injunctions, Allah Ta‘ala sent the injunction down to the earth with Hazrat Jibreel (‘alaihis salaam).

However, when it came to salaah, then Allah Ta‘ala took His Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) on the journey of mi’raaj, bestowed him with His special closeness, and then honoured him with the gift of salaah.

(Sawaanih Moulana Muhammed Inaamul Hasan [rahimahullah] 3/156-157)