Most Read in the Category of Prayer, The Light of My Eye

Ibn Umar (r.a.) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following: “The place of prayer (salah) in religion is like the place of the head in the body.” (Majmau’l-Awsat, 3:154, (2313.) Imam Tabarani, Mu’jamu’s-Saghir)

Abu’d-Darda (r.a) stated the following: “My friend Muhammad (pbuh) gave me the following advice. Even if you are chopped up and burnt, do not associate partners with Allah and do not miss your fard prayers deliberately. Allah will move His protection away from a person who misses his fard prayers deliberately.” (Musnad: 5/238, Al-Bani Sahih Ibn Majah: 3529, Bayhaqi)

The following is reported from Abdullah bin Qurt (May Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “On the Day of Judgment, a slave will be questioned about his prayers first. If his prayers are good, his other deeds will be good, too. If his prayers are bad, his other deeds will be bad, too.” (Tabarani, Targhib)

The following is reported from Hz. Nawfal bin Muawiya (r.a.):  “A person who does not perform a prayer on time is like someone whose family and property were removed.” Ibn Hibban

O he who feels very sorry for very small things that he loses in the world! You lose so much when you miss prayers! 

In a hadith reported by Abdul­lah b. Umar (r.a.), the Prophet (pbuh) says, “A person who misses the afternoon prayer is like a person whose family and property have been destroyed.” (Jamiu’l Ahadith)

O he who does not perform prayers! Do you see what you lose only by missing the afternoon prayer? As if yourfamily and property have been destroyed!.. 

In another hadith reported by Hz. Abu Umama (ra), the Prophet states the following:  “There is nothing superior to a person who is given by Allah the opportunity to perform a two-rak'ah prayer giving. As he is busy with praying, goodness and good deeds are poured onto him.” (Musnad Ahmad)

The following is reported from Jabir Ibn Abdullah (r.a): The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Between faith and unbelief is abandoning the prayer.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Musnad)

The following is reported from Jabir Ibn Abdullah (r.a): The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The key to Paradise is prayer; the key to prayer is wudu (ablution).” (Musnad Ahmad)

Then, a person who wants to obtain the key to Paradise must perform prayers and open the door of Paradise with it. A person who does not perform prayers needs to see what he loses by abandoning prayers!..

The following is reported from Abdullah Ibn-Amr Ibn As (ra): One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) talked about prayers. He said, “The prayer of a person who performs five daily prayers without missing will be brightness, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Judgment. A person who does not perform five daily prayers properly will be together with Qarun (Croesus), Haman, Pharaoh and Ubayy Ibn Khalaf.” (Musnad: 2/169, Darimi: 2/301, Ibn Hibban: 1448)

The following is stated in the explanation of this hadith: The reason why a person who does not perform daily prayers is together with one of those four people is as follows: If a person does not perform prayers because of being busy with his property, he is likened to Qarun, who had a great wealth.  If a person does not perform prayers because of his sultanate, he is likened to the Pharaoh; he will be resurrected together with him. If a person does not perform prayers because of being busy with administration, he is likened to the vizier Haman; he will be resurrected together with him. If a person does not perform prayers because of being busy with trade, he is likened to Ubayy Ibn Khalaf; he will be together with him.

O my soul, which does not understand the value of prayer! You cannot even put up with the heat at noon; how will you put up with the fire whose fuel is men and stones? How will you put up with the torture to which Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman and Ubayy b. Khalaf are exposed and which increases continuously?

Allah Almighty states the following in the chapter of al-Maun: “So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their Prayers.”

Ata b. Yasar states the following about the word "wayl" (woe) mentioned in the verse: “Wayl is a valley in Hell; if mountains were put there, they would melt due to the severity of the heat.”

Ibn Abbas states the following: “Wayl is a valley in Hell. Hell takes refuge in Allah from its severe heat. It is the place of those who do not perform prayers.”

Allah Almighty states the following in the chapter of Maryam: “But after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts: soon, then will they face Destruction”

Some interpreters (tafsir scholars) state the following for the word "Ghayya" (Destruction) mentioned in the verse: “Ghayya” is the name given to some wells into which the pus and wounds of the people of Hell flow.”

Ibn Masud states the following in the interpretation (tafsir) of this verse: “Those who are punished like that are not the people who abandon prayers fully. They are the ones who delay their prayers and perform them after their determined time.”

Said b. al-Musayyab, one of the notables of the Tabiin states the following: “Those who are punished like that are those who do not perform prayers at their determined time. Allah will punish a person who insists on acting like that by putting him into "Ghayya" if he does not repent before he dies. Ghayya is a very deep valley with severe heat in Hell.”

The following is mentioned in the event of Isra (Travelling at Night) reported by Abu Hurayra about those who perform prayers lazily: “…then, the Prophet (pbuh) visits a group of people whose heads are smashed and broken by stones. Their heads are smashed by stones and then are restored; the torture goes on like that. The Prophet (pbuh) asks, ‘O Jibril (Gabriel)! Who are they?’ Jibril answers, ‘They are those who perform fard prayers lazily.’” (Mundhiri, Bukhari) Mundhiri states that this hadith is Hasan. This hadith is also present in Bukhari.)

O he who does not perform prayers! Think: If the punishment given to a person who performs a prayer after its definite time ends, what will the punishment given to a person who never performs prayers be like? Does this punishment not frighten you? Or do you doubt the existence of the hereafter? Or, are you unaware that prayer is a fard of Islam? What will save you in the hereafter if you do not repent and if you do not start performing prayers at once? How will you bear that torture? Open your eyes and see the torture waiting for you; shiver if you are sane!..

The following is stated from Hz. Umar (r.a.): the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The prayer is the pillar of the religion.” Jami’us Saghir,Hilyatul Awliya

O he who does not perform prayers! think! Are you aware that you destroy your religion by abandoning prayers?

The following is reported from Ibn Abbas (r.a.): “Once, the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions, “Pray as follows 'O Allah! Do not make anybody among the rebellious and deprived people.'" Then, he asked, “Do you know who is rebellious and deprived?" The Companions said, “Who? O Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet said, “He who does not perform prayers!” (Ibn Hajar “az-Zawajir” / Abu’l-Lays Samarqandi “Qurratu’l Uyun”)

The following is reported from Hz. Abu Qatada: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that Allah stated the following in a sacred hadith: “I made it fard for your ummah to perform five daily prayers. And I made a promise to myself: If someone comes to me by paying attention to performing five daily prayers, I will send him to Paradise. I have nothing to say for the one who does pay attention to prayers.” (Abu Dawud)

O he who does not perform prayers! Does it not mean to accuse Allah due to His promise and to despise that promise if you do not perform prayers after hearing this promise? Pay attention to this promise, or tomorrow may be too late.

The following is reported from Hz. Ibn Abbas (r.a.): “When a person who abandons prayers reaches Allah, he will see that Allah will have inflicted His wrath on him.” Bazzar, Tabarani, Majma’uz Zawaid

The following is reported from Abu Hurayra radiyallahu anh: While the Messenger of Allah was passing by a grave, he asked, “Whose grave is it?” The Companions said, “It is the grave of such and such person.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “For this person in the grave, to perform a prayer of two-rak'ahs is better than all of your worldly goods.” Tabarani, Majma’uz Zawaid

Yes, to perform a prayer of two-rak'ahs is better than all of the money and the property of the world. It will be understood better in the grave. What is important is to understand it in the world.

Hz. Abu Dharr radiyallahu anh says, Once, the Prophet (pbuh) went out in winter. A lot of leaves were falling off the trees. When he held a branch of a tree, more leaves started to fall off. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said “O Abu Dharr!” I said, “Yes, o Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “If a Muslim performs prayers in order to please Allah, his sins will be shed like the leaves of this tree are shed.” (Musnad Ahmad)

The following is reported from Hz. Aisha radiyallahu anha: The Prophet stated the following for the two-rak'ah sunnah of the morning prayer: “This two-rak'ah prayer is definitely better than the world for me.” (Muslim)

The following is reported from Abu Hurayra: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “When man prostrates upon reciting a verse of prostration, Satan moves away from that place by crying and says, 'I was destroyed. Man was ordered to prostrate and he did; thus, he deserved Paradise. I was also ordered to prostrate but I avoided prostrating. I deserve hellfire.'” (from Sahih Muslim: 81)

O he who is ordered to perform five daily prayers! Do not forget that Satan was damned because he avoided prostrating once and was expelled from Paradise. What will happen to us if we abandon prayers five times a day?

The following is reported from Hz. Fatima radıyallahu anha: the Prophet (pbuh) said to me, “O Fatima! If you want to meet me in the hereafter, increase your prostrations (that is, perform prayers more.)” Musnad Ahmad

O he who does not perform prayers! Listen to the advice the Prophet gives to his daughter. Even the daughter of the Prophet has to increase her prostrations, that is, perform more prayers, in order to be together with him in Paradise; see what kind of an end is waiting for us if we abandon performing prayers; and come to your senses.

PRAYER, THE LIGHT OF MY EYE

 “Prayer is the Pillar of the Religion.”

“Prayer is the Ascension of the Believer.”

“Prayer is the Key to Paradise.”

“Prayer is conversation with Allah.”

Quranic Verses about Prayer

“Verily I am Allah: there is no god but I: so serve thou Me, (only) and establish regular prayer for celebrating My praise.” (Taha, 14)

“By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the Remembrance of Allah nor from regular Prayer, nor from the practice of regular Charity: their (only) fear is for the Day when hearts and eyes will be transformed (in a world wholly new).” (an-Nur, 37)

“Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish Regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.” (al-Ankabut 45)

“But after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts: soon, then will they face Destruction.” (Maryam 59)

“Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. Except the Companions of the Right Hand. (They will be) in Gardens (of Delight); they will question each other And (ask) of the Sinners: "What led you into Hell-Fire?" They will say: "We were not of those who prayed; Nor were we of those who fed the indigent; But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers; And we used to deny the Day of Judgment Until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain.” (al-Muddaththir 38-47)

The Quran orders people to perform prayers with the verses above and tens of similar verses and it shows them the bad results of not performing prayers. 

The Value of Prayer (4th Word)

O my soul and he who is heedless of his prayer!

If you want to understand with the certainty that two plus two equals four just how valuable and important are the prescribed prayers, and with what little expense they are gained, and how crazy and harmful is the person who neglects them, pay attention to the following story which is in the form of a comparison:

One time, a mighty ruler gave each of two of his servants twenty-four gold pieces and sent them to settle on one of his rich, royal farms two months’ distance away. “Use this money for your tickets,” he commanded them, “and buy whatever is necessary for your house there with it. There is a station one day’s distance from the farm. And there is both road-transport, and a railway, and boats, and aeroplanes. They can be benefited from according to your capital.”

The two servants set off after receiving these instructions. One of them was fortunate so that he spent a small amount of money on the way to the station. And included in that expense was some business so profitable and pleasing to his master that his capital increased a thousandfold.

As for the other servant, since he was luckless and a layabout, he spent twenty-three pieces of gold on the way to the station, wasting it on gambling and amusements. A single gold piece remained. His friend said to him: “Spend this last gold piece on a ticket so that you will not have to walk the long journey and starve. Moreover, our master is generous; perhaps he will take pity on you and forgive you your faults, and put you on an aeroplane as well. Then we shall reach where we are going to live in one day. Otherwise you will be compelled to walk alone and hungry across a desert which takes two months to cross.” The most unintelligent person can understand how foolish, harmful, and senseless he would be if out of obstinacy he did not spend that single remaining gold piece on a ticket, which is like the key to a treasury, and instead spent it on vice for passing pleasure. Is that not so?

O you who do not perform the prescribed prayers! And O my own soul, which does not like to pray!

The ruler in the comparison is our Sustainer, our Creator. Of the two travelling servants, one represents the devout who perform their prayers with fervour, and the other, the heedless who neglect their prayers. The twenty-four pieces of gold are life in every twenty-four-hour day. And the royal domain is Paradise. As for the station, that is the grave. While the journey is man’s passage to the grave, and on to the resurrection, and the hereafter. Men cover that long journey to different degrees according to their actions and the strength of their fear of God. Some of the truly devout have crossed a thousand-year distance in a day like lightning. And some have traversed a fifty-thousand-year distance in a day with the speed of imagination.

The ticket in the comparison represents the prescribed prayers. A single hour a day is sufficient for the five prayers together with taking the ablutions.

So what a loss a person makes who spends twenty-three hours on this fleeting worldly life, and fails to spend one hour on the long life of the hereafter; how he wrongs his own self; how unreasonably he behaves.

The spirit, the heart, and the mind find great ease in prayer. For, a person trusts and takes refuge in Allah, Lord of the realms, thanks to prayer. His spirit, heart, and mind are saved from all fears and troubles with it. The prayer virtually gives him the following advice: Allah is one. Do not tire yourself by applying to other beings. Do not be humiliated by pleading them. Do not fawn on them and do not surrender to them. Do not fear them because the Sultan of the Universe is one. He has the keys to everything and holds the reigns of everything. Everything is settled through His order. If you find Him, you will find whatever you want and you will get rid of endless indebtedness and fears…

Prayer is such a treasure that all of the other permissible acts and worldly deeds of someone who performs the prescribed prayers become like worship with good intention. He can make over the whole capital of his life to the Hereafter in this way; he can make his transient life permanent in one respect. Yes, if a person who performs prayers has the intention of covering his body while putting on his clothes, it will gain him rewards. If he has the intention of making his body strong while eating or sleeping in order to be able to perform prayers, his eating, drinking and sleeping will be regarded as worship. Similarly, thanks to prayer, all of his deeds become worship with good intention. It is such a great treasure.

The statements of Islamic scholars about the value of prayers

Now, let us listen to thestatements of Islamic scholars about the value of prayers:

Umar Ibn Khattab (r.a) was stabbed by a Zoroastrian slave while he was leading the morning prayer. He fell down and fainted. Hz. Umar was reminded by the believers that the sun was about to rise and that the time for the morning prayer was about to elapse.   Hz. Umar, who was unconscious, suddenly stood up when he heard this warning and said, “A person who abandons prayers has no share from Islam.”

Then, he led the morning prayer though there was blood coming from his back and fell down. Then, he died. (Muwatta: 1/40, Daraqutni: 2/52)

Hz. Ali and Hz. Sa’d (radiyallahu anhuma) stated the following about abandoning prayers:“A person who abandons performing prayers becomes an unbeliever.” (Ibn Abi Shayba - Bukhari, Tarikh)

Hz. Abu Hurayra (r.a.) expressed the importance of accepting the call to prayer as follows: “It is better for man to fill his ears with molten lead than not to accept the call to prayer (not to perform the prayer) when he hears it.” (Mulla Aliyyul Qari & Mirqatul Mafatih: 1/272)

Abdullah bin Shaqiq al Uqayli expressed the thoughts of the Companions regarding prayer as follows:  “The Companions of Messenger of Allah (pbuh) regarded only abandoning prayers among deeds as unbelief.” Imam Tirmidhi

Hz. Umar (r.a) used to write the following to his governors: “In my eye, the most important deed of you is prayer. A person who maintains it maintains his religion. A person who loses it by not performing it loses other things more.” (Mulla Aliyyul Qari & Mirqatul Mafatih: 1/272)

Ata al-Khurasani (r.a.), one of the greatest hadith and tafsir scholars of the era of Tabiin, states the following about prayer: “The earth will be a witness for a person who prostrates to Allah anywhere in the world on the Day of Judgment. When he dies, the earth cries for him.” (Mirqatul Mafatih: 1/272)

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (r.a), who is called as the Translator of the Quran and the Sea of Knowledge due to his high level of knowledge, states the following about those who abandon prayers: “A person who abandons performing prayers definitely becomes an unbeliever.“(Muhammad bin Nasr al Marwazi- and Ibn Abdilbarr)

Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu anh), one of the notables of the Companions, states the following about abandoning prayers:  “A person who abandons prayers has no religion.” (Mulla Aliyyul Qari & Mirqatul Mafatih: 1/272)

Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a.), one of the Companions states the following about abandoning prayers: ”If a Muslim does not perform prayers, he becomes an unbeliever.” (Ibn Abdilbarr)

The great Companion Abu Darda (r.a.) states the following about prayers: “A person who does not perform prayers has no belief; the prayer of a person who has no wudu is not accepted.” (Mulla Aliyyul Qari & Mirqatul Mafatih: 1/272)

You have heard about the statements of the Prophet (pbuh), the Companions and the Islamic scholars about the value of prayers and abandoning prayers. In this period, when abandoning performing prayers is regarded as something ordinary, our aim is to try to explain that the biggest cruelty a Muslim inflicts upon himself is to abandon prayers.   

We have only quoted the statements regarding the issue with their references so that a person who abandons prayers will notice what a big sin he commits and that he becomes an unbeliever according to many scholars. 

For, to perform prayers properly becomes possible by appreciating its value and importance. We hope this work will help us understand the value of prayers.  Success and guidance come from Allah.

Fiqh decree on abandoning prayers

Before reporting the decree on abandoning prayers, we want to remind you something again: “Our aim is not to frighten but to endear; it is not to make you move away but to approach; it is not to make things difficult but to make easy.”

However, our intention of endearing, making you approach and making things easy must not make us conceal and hide the truth. Then, we will be held responsible by Allah and be regarded among "those who conceal what they know"; we take refuge in Allah to be among this group.

If those concealed fiqh decrees were conveyed to people, those who did not perform prayers would find out what a great sin they were committing and would repent of abandoning prayers. We want to be freed of this responsibility by reporting the fiqh decree on this major sin. Thus, we will not be sued because of it in the hereafter and we will be able to have an excuse.   

After this short explanation, let us see the decree on abandoning prayers:

A person who does not perform prayers because he despises prayers and because he does not care prayers exits Islam and becomes an unbeliever according to the unanimous view of Islamic scholars. There is no disagreement among the scholars that a person who abandons prayers because of despising will become an unbeliever.   

By the way, let us explain what to become an unbeliever means. It means to exit Islam and to lose the attribute of being a Muslim. That is, such a person cannot marry a Muslim; the meat of the animal that he slaughters cannot be eaten by Muslims; he is not washed like a Muslim when he dies; his janazah prayer is not performed; he enters Hell and stays there; he is never allowed to go to Paradise. That is, this person is an unbeliever in the eye of the Shari'ah. His statement, "I am a Muslim" will not be of any use to him.  

It means a person who does not perform prayers because he despises prayers is an unbeliever. He needs to repent and utter kalima ash-shahadah in order to become a Muslim again.

We are reporting this fatwa and the fiqh decree, which makes the soul very angry, so that a person who does not perform prayers because he despises prayers will come to his senses, repent and become a believer again!..

Thus, we learned the decree on not performing prayers because of despising and not caring prayers. Now, let us see the decree on not performing prayers because of laziness:

There are two different views on not performing prayers because of laziness despite believing in its value and importance. The first view is the view of Hanafis, Malikis and Shafiis; according to these three madhhabs, a person who does not perform prayers because of laziness despite believing in its value and importance commits a major crime but he is regarded as a Muslim.   

Abandoning prayers does not make him exit religion. Such a person becomes a sinner and he does not become an unbeliever because of abandoning prayers.

According to Hanbali madhhab, a person who does not perform prayers becomes an unbeliever. According to Hanbali madhhab, a person who does not perform even only one prayer without any excuse becomes an unbeliever. The decrees that are applied for the ones who exit the religion of Islam are applied for that person. When he dies, he is not washed; his dead body is not enshrouded and his janazah prayer is not performed. A hole is dug; then, his dead body is put into that hole and covered with soil.

The view of Hanbali madhhab that a person who does not perform prayers exits the religion of Islam and becomes an unbeliever is also the view of many Companions.  The notable Companions like Hz. Umar, Abdurrahman bin Awf, Muadh bin Jabal, Abu Hurayra, Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn Abbas, Jabir Ibn Abdullah, Abu’d Darda (may Allah be pleased with them) and many Islamic scholars like Ishaq b. Rahuya, Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, Ibrahim an-Nahai, Hakam bin Utayba hold the view of  Ahmad Ibn Hanbal that those who do not perform prayers exit the religion of Islam and become unbelievers.

That is, thedecree on abandoning prayers is as follows:  A person who does not perform prayers by despising and not caring unanimously becomes an unbeliever. He will stay in hell forever and Paradise becomes haram for him. The situation of a person who does not perform prayers without despising (due to laziness, etc) is controversial. According to three madhhabs, such a person commits a major sin but he is still a believer. According to Hanbali madhhab, such a person exits the religion of Islam and becomes an unbeliever. Many Companions and scholars whose names we have mentioned above also hold the view of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.

O he who does not perform prayers! Will you still insist on abandoning prayers after hearing all this? Or, will you repent and start performing prayers at once? Choose the second option, repent to Allah and start performing prayers. Otherwise, you will be so regretful when death suddenly comes that you cannot imagine.

Never say, “I am like the other people. I am not the only one who does not perform prayers. If there is punishment for it, the other people will be punished, too.”

Do not speak like that because people will accompany you only as far as the grave. Nobody can help you when you are in the grave. Consoling yourself with the misfortunes of the other people is not of any use in the grave and afterwards. That is, when you are tortured in the grave or in Hell, you cannot console yourself by looking at the others who are also tortured. Do not think that you are unattended and at liberty. If you view this guesthouse of the world wisely, you will see that nothing is irregular and purposeless; how can you be irregular and purposeless?

Five Warnings by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi Regarding Prayers

First Warning by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi Regarding Prayers

In this part of our work, we will quote from Nursi's 21st Word by simplifying some of it and making explanations. In this work, Nursi addresses his own soul. We will also address our own souls and talk to them. We would like you to listen by accepting your souls as the addressees. We are starting to quote from that work hoping that it will cure our spiritual illnesses:

One time, a man great in age, physique, and rank said to me: “The prayers are fine, but to perform them every single day five times is excessive. Since they never end, it becomes wearying.”

A long time after the man said these words, I listened to my soul and I heard it say exactly the same things. I looked at it and saw that with the ear of laziness, it was receiving the same lesson from Satan. Then I understood that those words were as though said in the name of all evil-commanding souls, or else they had been prompted. So I said: “Since my soul commands to evil, one who does not reform his own soul cannot reform others. In which case, I shall begin with my own soul.”

I said: O soul! Listen to five ‘Warnings’ in response to those words which you uttered in compounded ignorance, on the couch of idleness, in the slumber of heedlessness.

FIRST WARNING

O my wretched soul! Is your life eternal, I wonder? Have you any incontrovertible document showing that you will live to next year, or even to tomorrow? What causes you boredom is that you fancy you shall live for ever. You complain as though you will remain in this world to enjoy yourself for ever. If you had understood that your life is brief and that it is departing fruitlessly, it surely would not cause you boredom, but excite a real eagerness and agreeable pleasure to spend one hour out of the twenty-four on a fine, agreeable, easy, and merciful act of service which is a means of gaining the true happiness of eternal life.

That is, the reason why man gets tired of performing prayers is his thought that he is eternal and immortal. Man thinks he will stay in the world for a million years or more and thinks that he will perform prayers every day for a million of years and becomes tired of it. In fact, the real pleasure for those who know God Almighty is in prayer; it would not be difficult for them to perform prayers hundreds of millions of years let alone one million year.

The treatment for this thought lies here: First of all, a person needs to think that he will die one day and depart this world. Man does not have a guarantee that he will live until tomorrow. You might die before watching the end of this video. Your friends might find your dead body in the place where you are sitting.

Man needs to understand that he is ephemeral and mortal first. The secret lies here. What bores man about performing prayers is the fact that he thinks he is immortal. If he knew that he has no guarantee that he will live until tomorrow, he would definitely allocate 1 hour of the 24-hour day to prayers.  

Then, o my soul who does not like praying and o he who does not perform prayers! Think of this: 350.000 people die in the world every day. That is about 15.000 people every hour and about 250 people every minute. That is, before this minute ends, 250 people will die. Probably, none of those 250 people knows that they will die now. Some of them are working; others are sleeping; they are making plans but they have only a few seconds left to live in this world. O my soul and my friend! What if we are among those 250 people? Think of this fact, repent before it is too late and start performing prayers!..

FOURTH WARNING

O my foolish soul! Is this duty of worship without result, and is its recompense little that it causes you weariness? Whereas if someone was to give you a little money, or to intimidate you, he could make you work till evening, and you would work without slacking. So is it that the prescribed prayers are without result, which in this guest-house of the world are sustenance and wealth for your impotent and weak heart, and in your grave, which will be a certain dwelling-place for you, sustenance and light, and at the Resurrection, when you will anyway be judged, a document and patent, and on the Bridge of Sirat, over which you are bound to pass, a light and a mount?

Someone promises you a present worth a hundred liras, and makes you work for a hundred days. You trust the man who may go back on his word and work without slacking. So if One for Whom the breaking of a promise is impossible, promises you recompense like Paradise and a gift like eternal happiness, and employs you for a very short time in a very agreeable duty, if you do not perform that service, or you act accusingly towards His promise or slight His gift by performing it unwillingly like someone forced to work, or by being bored, or by working in half-hearted fashion, you will deserve a severe reprimand and awesome punishment. Have you not thought of this?

Although you serve without flagging in the heaviest work in this world out of fear of imprisonment, does the fear of an eternal incarceration like Hell not fill you with enthusiasm for a truly light and agreeable act of service?

FIFTH WARNING

O my world-worshipping soul! Does your slackness in worship and remissness in the prescribed prayers arise from the multiplicity of your worldly occupations, or because you cannot find time due to the struggle for livelihood? Were you created only for this world that you spend all your time on it?

You know that in regard to your abilities you are superior to all the animals, but in regard to procuring the necessities of worldly life you cannot compete with even a sparrow. A sparrow learns about all of the conditions of its life in a few weeks. However, you can learn to walk only after a year. So why can you not understand that your basic duty is not to labour like an animal, but to strive for a true, perpetual life, like a true human being.

In addition, the things you call worldly occupations mostly do not concern you, and are trivial matters which you meddle in officiously. You neglect the essential things and pass your time acquiring inessential information as though you were going to live for a thousand years. For example, you squander your precious time on worthless things like learning what the rings around Saturn are like or how many chickens there are in America. As though you were becoming an expert in astronomy or statistics.

If you say: “What keeps me from the prayers and worship and causes me to be lax is not unnecessary things like that, but essential matters like earning a livelihood,”

Then my answer is this: if you work for a daily wage of one hundred kurush, and someone comes to you and says: “Come and dig here for ten minutes, and you will find a brilliant and an emerald worth a hundred liras.” If you reply: “No, I won’t come, because ten kurush will be cut from my wage and my subsistence will be less,” of course you understand what a foolish pretext it would be.

In just the same way, you work in this orchard for your livelihood. If you abandon the obligatory prayers, all the fruits of your effort will be restricted to only a worldly, unimportant, and unproductive livelihood.We will be no different from the man who loses a diamond worth hundreds of thousands lira for fear that ten lira will be reduced form his wages.But if you spend your rest periods on the prayers, which allow your spirit to relax and heart to take a breather, you will discover two mines which are an important source, both for a productive worldly livelihood, and your livelihood and provisions of the hereafter.

In Short:O my soul! Know that yesterday has left you, and as for tomorrow, you have nothing to prove that it will be yours. In which case, know that your true life is the present day. So throw at least one of its hours into a mosque or prayer-mat, a coffer for the hereafter like a reserve fund, set up for the true future.

Know too that for you and for everyone each new day is the door to a new world. If you do not perform the prayers, your world that day will depart dark and wretched, and will testify against you in the World of Similitudes. For everyone, every day, has a private world out of this world, and its nature is dependent on the person’s heart and actions. Like a splendid palace reflected in a mirror takes on the colour of the mirror; if it is black, it appears black; if it is red, it appears red. Also it takes on the qualities of the mirror; if the mirror is smooth, it shows the palace to be beautiful, and if it is not, it shows it to be ugly. As it shows the most delicate things to be coarse, so you alter the shape of your own world with your heart, mind, actions, and wishes. You may make it testify either for you or against you. If you perform the five daily prayers, and through them you are turned towards that world’s Glorious Maker, all of a sudden your world, which looks to you, is lit up. Quite simply as though the prayers are an electric lamp and your intention to perform them touches the switch, they disperse the world’s darkness and show the changes and movements within the confused wretchedness of worldly chaos to be a wise and purposeful order and a meaningful writing of Divine power. They scatter one light of the light over your heart, and your world on that day is illuminated through the light’s reflection. It will cause it to testify in your favour through its luminosity.

The work we have prepared about the value of prayer ends here. We have used the Risale-i Nur Collection by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi as reference. We have simplified and explained some parts but we should confess that we have not been able to be as impressive as him. Therefore, we invite you to read the original Risale-i Nur Collection and read the truths through the pen of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi.

O Lord! Make us love all kinds of worship especially prayer for the sake of Your mercy and give us strength and enthusiasm to perform them. Put the pleasure of worshipping you into our hearts. Grant us the bounty of being close to you and take pleasure from your dhikr. Regard this work as atonement for the sins of our brothers who contributed to it and who watch it. Amin…

THIRD WARNING

O my impatient soul! Is it at all sensible to think today of past hardships of worship, difficulties of the prayers, and troubles of misfortune, and be distressed, and to imagine the future duties of worship, service of the prayers, and sorrows of disaster, and display impatience?

In being thus impatient you resemble a foolish commander, who, although the enemy’s right flank joined his right flank and became fresh forces for him, sent a significant force to the right flank, and weakened the centre. Then, while there were no enemy soldiers on the left flank, he sent a large force there, and gave them the order to fire. No forces then remained in the centre, and the enemy understood this and attacked it and routed him.

Yes, you resemble this, for the troubles of yesterday have today been transformed into mercy; the pain has gone while the pleasure remains. The difficulty has been turned into blessings, and the hardship into reward. In which case, you should not feel wearied at it, but make a serious effort to continue with a new eagerness and fresh enthusiasm. As for future days, they have not yet arrived, and to think of them now and feel bored and wearied is a lunacy like thinking today of future hunger and thirst, and starting to shout and cry out.

Since the truth is this, if you are reasonable, you will think of only today in connection with worship, and say: “I am spending one hour of it on an agreeable, pleasant, and elevated act of service, the reward for which is high and whose trouble is little.” Then your bitter dispiritedness will be transformed into sweet endeavour.

My impatient soul! You are charged with being patient in three respects:

The first one is patience in obedience. You need to show patience in fulfilling fards and commands.

The second one is patience in refraining from sin. You need to show patience in avoiding harams and sins.

The third one is patience in the face of disasters. You need to show patience in the face of misfortuens and consent to the decree of qadar.

If you are intelligent, take as your guide the truth apparent in the comparison in this warning. Say in manly fashion: “O Most Patient One!”, and shoulder the three sorts of patience. If you do not squander on the wrong way the forces of patience Almighty God has given you, they should be enough to withstand every difficulty and disaster. So hold out with those forces!

We have understood from this warning that God Almighty gives everybody a daily force of patience. This force of patience is enough to fulfill the fards, avoid harams and show patience against disasters. However, man makes a mistake and squanders the forces of patience; he sends some of them to the future and some to the past. He cannot fulfill the worship of the current time with the patience that remains and cannot put up with disasters.

Let us explain with an example: For instance, a person's son dies. If the degree of the severity of the death of his son is ten, God Almighty sends him a force of patience of ten degrees to make him show patience in the face of that misfortune. When the degree of the misfortune is ten, the degree of the patience that is given to him is also ten. This person thinks of the past days of his son and his memories with him in the past and sends three degrees of the patience to the past. Then, he thinks as follows: if he had not died, we would have done this and that in the future; thus, he sends three degrees of the patience to the future. There remains only four degrees of patience. Since the degree of the misfortune is ten and the degree of the patience that remains is four, he cannot put up with that misfortune and starts to cry. If he had not squandered his patience, he could put up with that misfortune.   

For instance, a person is sent a force of patience of twenty degrees so that he will perform daily worship. The force of the daily worship also has twenty degrees. However, this person makes a mistake here. He sends five degrees of his patience to the past. That is, he thinks about the hardships of his worship in the past. He sends five degrees of his patience to the future. That is, he thinks about the worship he will have to perform in the future. There remains ten degrees in his hand. However, he needs twenty degrees of patience to perform his daily worship. Therefore, he cannot perform the fards that day. So, man should not squander his patience and think as follows: "I have performed the afternoon prayer. There is no fard prayer to be performed now. The evening prayer? It has not come yet. I might or might not live until the evening. If I live, my Lord will send me the patience necessary for it. I will think about that prayer when the sun sets."

He should also think as follows: "I will perform the fasting of Ramadan today with the patience given to me. Tomorrow? It is not tomorrow yet. It is not necessary to think about tomorrow now. I might not live until tomorrow. If I do, my Lord will give me enough patience to perform fasting tomorrow. I will think about tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

One should think as follows regarding not committing sins: "I will not commit any harams today. I will not drink alcohol, I will not backbite and I will not go to haram places." If he is asked, "How will you put up with them every day?", he should answer as follows: "I will not do them today. I am not talking about every day. Tomorrow? It is not tomorrow yet. I might not live until tomorrow. If I do, tomorrow's patience will be given to me tomorrow. It is not logical to send the patience of today to another day that has not come yet and to weaken today."

Man can even get rid of bad habits by thinking like that. For instance, a person who smokes can think as follows: "I will not smoke today. Tomorrow? It is not tomorrow yet. I will think about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Tomorrow's patience will come tomorrow. I have no guarantee that I will live until tomorrow; I might be in the grave tomorrow. It is useless to think about tomorrow today and to send the patience to that day." 

Then, o he who does not perform prayers! Use your patience daily like that. Use it separately for each prayer. For, you have no guarantee that you will live until the next prayer time. Regard each prayer as your last prayer. Thus, prayers will not make you bored and tired; and you will perform each prayer enthusiastically and with pleasure as if it is your last prayer.

The reason for the severe threats about abandoning prayers

What is the reason for the severe threats about abandoning prayers?

A question like this can come to the mind at this point: “What need has God Almighty of our worship that He severely and insistently threatens those who give up worship with such a fearsome punishment as Hell? How is it that He demonstrates the ultimate severity towards an insignificant, minor fault and He throws His slave into the most frightening valleys of Hell for missing one prayer?” This question is answered by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi in His book called Lem'alar (Flashes) in the 23rd Flash. We will simplify his answer and make some explanations:

A PERSON WHO ABANDONS WORSHIP VIOLATES THE RIGHTS OF THE UNIVERSE.

The reason for the severe threats and fearsome punishments of God Almighty for those who abandon prayers and worship is as follows:  A king inflicts a severe punishment on a person who violates the rights of the people in order to protect his subject’ rights so that justice will be manifest and the rights of the people will be protected.

In the same way, the man who gives up worship and prayer violates the rights of beings in a significant manner and oppresses them spiritually. God Almighty punishes him severely in Hell in return for his violation and spiritual oppression so that the rights of His beings will be protected and justice will be manifest.

A person who abandons worship and prayer violates the rights of the beings andoppresses them spiritually as follows:  The perfection and value of beings are manifested through the glorification and worship performed by that aspect of them which is directed towards their Maker, Allah.  That is, every being becomes valuable because it is a work of art of Allah and because it glorifies Him.

The one who abandons worship does not and cannot see this worship. Indeed, he denies it. Then, the beings that occupy an exalted position by reason of their worship and glorification fall down to the level of disorderly beings. They are reduced from their high positions of glorifying their Lord and mentioning His name to a valueless and unimportant state. Besides, he regards those beings each of which is a divine letter and a mirror of the beautiful names of Allah as unimportant, purposeless, lifeless and miserable. Thus, he despises the value of the beings, denies their perfection and violates their rights.

For, the words of a stork glorifying its Lord as "Haqq! Haqq!" (God! God!) are regarded as "Laq! Laq!" by a person who does not worship. He thinks the glorification of the stork as "Haqq! Haqq!" is"Laq! Laq!" For,everyone sees the universe in his own mirror. God Almighty gave every person a particular world from this world; the color of this world is painted based on the creed of the heart of that person. For example, a despairing, lamenting, weeping person sees the beings as weeping and in despair, while a cheerful, optimistic, merry person sees the universe as joyful and smiling. A reflective man given to solemn worship and glorification discovers and sees to a degree the certain, truly existent worship and glorification of beings, while a person who abandons worship through either neglect or denial sees beings in a manner totally contrary and opposed to the reality of their perfections, thus transgressing their rights. God Almighty questions such oppressors in the hereafter for their violation and takes the rights of the beings from them. 

Now let us think about this: Suppose that someone comes to the mosque while you perform a prayer or glorify Allah with prayer beads in your hands, looks at you and says, “Why is that man sitting here doing nothing? He is losing his time without doing anything…” His words will make you angry and you will say, “I am not sitting here doing nothing. I am glorifying my Lord and prostrating before His magnificence. I am mentioning His name and performing the prayer that He orders…” After giving this answer, you will go to the presence of the fair king to get your right from that person; you will ask the king to take your right from that person due to his bad thoughts about you.

Similarly, a person who does not perform prayers and abandons worship thinks that all beings are unattended and purposeless. He denies their dhikr and glorification; he refuses all of their worship; thus, he violates their rights. They virtually address God Almighty as follows:  “O Lord! We were glorifying you and mentioning your name but this person accused us of being purposeless. He slandered us by denying our dhikr and worship. He accused us of being worthless by overlooking your beautiful names that become manifest on us. Take our rights from him.” God Almighty will accept the prayer of those beings and will receive their rights from that person who does not perform prayers.

Now, imagine this:  The person who does not perform prayers violates the rights of all of the beings in the minute and second that he lives in the way that we have mentioned. All of the beings that are oppressed spiritually at that moment demand their rights. Imagine the number of the beings and the multitude of the files sued against him… Imagine that the person who does not perform prayers commits this violation and spiritual oppression in every minute of his life. With the repetition of the crimes, the lawsuits will increase. Every particle, flower, insect and innumerable beings will file cases against this person due to the oppression he inflicts on them in every minute and even second of his life and demand God Almighty to take their rights from him. Will the severe torture that this person will suffer due to so many law cases not be called anything but justice?

A PERSON WHO ABANDONS WORSHIP OPPRESSES HIS OWN SOUL.

Another reason why a person who does not perform prayers is punished severely is this:The person who abandons prayer does not own himself.  He is a slave and creature of Allah, who has endless power and limitless knowledge.  He oppresses himself, who is a slave and creature of Allah, by abandoning prayers. Allah wants to take the rights of His slave from his evil-commanding soul because he does not use his organs that were created to worship in order to worship but uses them to do worthless ephemeral things; so, He delivers awesome threats. Allah virtually protects His slave from his evil-commanding soul.

A PERSON WHO ABANDONS WORSHIP ACTS INDECENTLY AGAINST DIVINE WISDOM.

Another reason why a person who does not perform prayers is punished severely is this:When man abandons worship, which is the reason and purpose of his creation, he is regarded to have denied Allah and to have accused Him of doing something useless. This makes him deserve severe punishment. Let us understand this issue through an example:

A master constructs a top model car by spending a lot of money so that people will travel in it; you take this car and make it a coop for chickens. When you do this, you say the following with the tongue of your disposition: “The master who constructed this car spent so much money in vain. This car can only be used as a coop. I used it in the way it deserved and made it a coop…” When you use that car as a coop, you deny the value of the car and state that the master of the car has no wisdom. To make the car a coop indicates this.  

Think of another master… This master makes a clock to show the time and gives it to you as a present. It is understood from the tongue of the disposition of the clock that the master who made this clock and gave to you wants you to know the time by looking at it. That is the reason why he made the clock. If you take this clock and use it as a tray, you will be regarded to have insulted the master.  When you use that clock as a tray, you say this with the tongue of your disposition: “This clock can be used as nothing but a tray. The master who made it did something useless and spent so much money in vain…” When you use it as a tray, it means you deny the value of the clock and state that the master of the clock has no wisdom. To make the clock a tray indicates this.

Similarly, our organs, which are worth millions, were created with the purpose of worshipping. A person who does not use his eyes, tongue, ears and other organs in order to worship and uses them for the worldly affairs, he will say the following with the tongue of his disposition just like the man in the example:  “These organs were given to me in vain; they have no duties. Therefore, I use them for the worthless and ephemeral worldly affairs. The master who spent so much money to make them did something unwise; he spent so much money for such a short life…”

Thus, the person who uses the organs that Allah gave to him only for the worldly affairs criticizes the wisdom of Allah and accuses Him of doing useless things. The punishment for that sin can only be severe torture in Hell. 

In short, the person who abandons worship wrongs his own soul first because his body is the slave and creature of God Almighty. Then, he transgresses the rights of the universe. He reduces their value to nothing and accuses them of being purposeless. Then, he shows disrespect to Divine wisdom. He deserves awesome threats and severe punishment due to his faults.

SECOND WARNING

O my stomach-worshipping soul! Every day you eat bread, drink water, and breathe air; do they cause you boredom?

They definitely do not cause you boredom because you need them; let alone boredom, you probably take pleasure from them. Yes, man eats every day but he does not get tired of it; he drinks water every day but he does not get tired of it; he breathes every second but he does not get tired of it. You probably have never seen anyone who gets tired of eating, drinking and breathing. It is because the human body needs them. Since the need is repeated, it is not boredom that they cause, but pleasure.

Does only the material body have needs? Do the human heart, spirit, mind and feelings not have any needs? They definitely do; their primary needs are worship, prayers and supplication.

O my soul! Then, the prayer, which is the food of my heart, which is your friend, the elixir for spirit, which is also your friend, and the nice and fresh air of my divine feeling should not cause you boredom. 

The human heart, which is exposed toinfinite grief and sorrows and which iscaptivated by infinite pleasures and hopes, is full of love that can embrace this realm. The food and strength of such a heart can be obtained by applying to Allah, who is merciful and generous, through prayers and supplication.   

O my soul! Who but Allah can satisfy such a heart and soothe it? To whom but Allah can the heart adhere in order to get rid of its sorrows and attain its desires?

The spirit of man leaves this ephemeral world very fast by screaming farewell. Besides, man is related to all beings. The elixir for such a spirit can only be drunk by turning toward the mercy of fountain of the beloved Lord, who is the Everlasting One, through performing prayers.

O my soul!  Who but Allah can soothe the scream of the spirit caused by separation? Who can be a shelter for it? Who but Allah can console and soothe it?..

It is such a divine feeling that it desires eternal life by its nature and was created for eternity; it is a mirror of the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal One. Such a divine feeling desperately needs breathing in the sorrowful, crushing, distressing, transient, and suffocating conditions of this world; it can breathe only through the window of the prayer.

O he who does not perform prayers! Tell me: How will you satisfy your divine feeling that can be satisfied only by Allah? How will you soothe it and how will you make it breathe?

What can satisfy the human heart, spirit and his divine feeling and can make them feel contented? Nothing but Allah and mentioning His name!..