Basic HTML Version
2. It enlivens this belief and makes it constructive in the practical course of life
3. It helps man to realize his natural and instinctive aspirations to greatness and high
morality, to excellence and virtuous growth
4. It purifies the heart and develops the mind, cultivates the conscience and comforts
the soul
5. It fosters the good and decent elements in man and suppresses the evil and indecent
inclinations
When we analyze the Islamic prayer and study its unique nature, it will reveal to us
that it is not merely a physical motion or a void recital of the Holy Book. It is a
matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation and spiritual
devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined. It is an exclusively
Islamic experience where every muscle of the body joins the soul and the mind in the
worship and glory of God. It is difficult for anyone to impart in words the full
meaning of the Islamic prayer yet it can be said that it is :-
1. A lesson in discipline and willpower;
2. A practice in devotion to God and all worthy objectives;
3. A vigilant reminder of God and constant revelation of His Goodness;
4. A seed of spiritual cultivation and moral soundness;
5. A guide to the most upright way of life;
6. A safeguard against indecency and evil, against wrong deviation and stray;
7. A demonstration of true equality, solid unity, and brotherhood;
8. An expression of thankfulness to God and appreciation of Him;
9. A course of inner peace and stability;
10. An abundant source of patience and courage, of hope and confidence
This is the Islamic prayer, and that is what it can do for man. The best testimony to
this statement is to experience the prayer and avail oneself of its spiritual joys. Then
one will know what it really means
The Conditions of Prayer
The offering of prayer is obligatory upon every Muslim, male or female, who is:
1. Sane and responsible;
2. Relatively mature and in the age of puberty, normally about fourteen. (Children
should be advised by parents to start practice at the age of seven and strongly urged
by the age of ten);
3. A Muslim is required to pray even in a state of sickness in a manner he is capable.
However, women are exempted from performing prayers during their menstruation
period and post-childbirth the minimum of which is 40 days. In these circumstances
women are exempt from prayers completely
Prayer is not valid unless the following requirements are fulfilled:
1. Performing the ablution (Wudu’ ), which will be explained later;
2. Purity of the whole body, the clothes worn on it, and the ground used for prayer
from all kinds of dirt and impurity;
44
www.islamicbulletin.com