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extends its sense of organization to all walks of life: individual and social behavior,
labor and industry, economics and politics, national and international relations, and so
on. It also demonstrates why Islam does not recognize “ secularism” or separation of
religion from man’ s daily transactions. The interaction between true religion and
meaningful life is vital. And this is why Islam penetrates into all walks of life to
conduct all human activities in a sound and wholesome manner, acceptable to God
and benevolent to man
As a result of this necessary correspondence between true religion and daily life,
Islam does not attend to the doctrine of “ six days for me or the world and one day for
the Lord” . This doctrine amounts to nothing in the long run, and makes the liveliness
of religion turn pale and faint. Besides, it shows serious injustice to God on man’ s
part and afflicts detrimental injuries on the latter’ s soul. It is a serious negligence of
the spiritual and moral needs which are as important as, if not greater than, the
material desires. It is a dangerous disruption of the nature of man, and any such
imbalance is a symptom of degeneration. Similarly, if man earmarks six days for
monkery or exclusive meditation and one day for himself, he would be better in no
way. The balance would still be upset. The natural and logical course, then, is the
course which Islam has offered. Being of a complementary nature and standing in the
center of the stream of creation, man will plunge into serious troubles, if he neglects
either his soul or his body, or if he lets either one outweigh the other. To nourish both,
to foster both in a well-balanced and sound manner is the hardest test of man’ s sense
of justice and integrity as well as of his willpower and truthfulness. And to help man
to pass this test, Islam has come to his rescue with the regular exercises of faith.
The Purpose of Prayer
Prayer constitutes one pillar of Islam and is considered the Foundation of Religion.
Any Muslim who fails to observe his prayers and has no reasonable excuse is
committing a grave offense and a heinous sin. This offense is so grave because it is
not only against God, which is bad enough, but is also against the very nature of man.
It is an instinct of man to be inclined to adore the great beings, and to aspire to lofty
goals. The greatest being and the loftiest goal of all is God. The best way to cultivate
in man a sound personality and actualize his aspirations in a mature course of
development is the Islamic Prayer. To neglect prayer is to oppress the good qualities
in human nature and unjustifiably deny it the right to adore and love, the right to
aspire and ascend, the right to excel in goodness and achieve noble aims. Such
oppression and denial constitute a very serious and destructive offense. Here lies the
significance and vitality of prayer in the life of man
It should always be borne in mind that God does not need man’ s prayer, because He is
free of all needs. He is only interested in our prosperity and well-being in every sense.
When He emphasizes the necessity of prayer and charges us with any duty, He means
to help us; because whatever good we do is for our own benefit, and whatever offence
we commit is against our own souls. Here, too, man is the center of gravity, and his
common interest is the main concern. The benefit which man can derive from the
Islamic prayer is immeasurable and the blessing of prayer is beyond imagination. This
is not just a “ theory” or conventional assumption; it is a fascinating fact and a spiritual
experience. Here is an explanation of the effectiveness of the Islamic prayer :-
1. It strengthens the belief in the Existence and Goodness of God and transmits this
belief into the innermost recesses of man’ s heart
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