Turn to Allah

"O you who believe! Seek help in patience and the Prayer."
[Surah al-Baqarah; 2:153.]

Anytime you feel yourself full of fear or anxiety – pray and pray with a wakeful heart.

It has been reported that whenever our Prophet (Peace and Blessings Upon Him) found himself dealing with difficult issues, he turned to Bilal (Radhiallahu Anhu) and say
'O Bilal! Give us comfort and call for the prayer.'

In the many stories I have read, our Prophet (Peace and Blessings Upon Him) relied on the prayer in times of hardship and difficulty in addition to the obligatory prayers. There are some many righteous persons in the history of Islam who, when surrounded by difficulty, turn to prayer with all their strength, will and resolution. Thus, putting their despairs in the hands of our Almighty Allah.

We live in a different kind of generation and the type of despair we face is different and stronger than that faced by generations before us. In order to heal, we must return to our mosques (or even in the privacy of our homes) and seek Allah’s pleasure in prayer. The five required daily prayers allow us to achieve the greatest of Allah’s blessings: atonement for our sins and an increase in rank with our creator, the Almighty Allah. For those of us who choose to forget our prayers, Allah will not be pleased as He cannot help us if we do not put our trust and faith in Him.

"For them is destruction, and Allah will make their deeds vain."
[Surah Muhammad – Ayah 8.]

By allowing Allah to see our concerns and our fears, we depend on Him, we trust in Him, and we think highly of Him, and by patiently waiting for His guidance, we show we are true believers. Moreover, we should incorporate this in our actions and in our everyday lives so that Allah will care for us and protect us.

None of us can completely fight misfortunates alone nor can we fend off the disaster when it strikes. Allah did not create us with power that only exists in Greek mythology. In times of difficulty, Allah can give us that power and that strength if we trust in Him and seek His guidance through prayer.

"And put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed."
[Surah Al-Ma’idah – Ayah 23.]

Learning the Salah

Salah is the second and the most important pillar of Islam. The minute you recite the Kalima, Salah is mandatory upon you as a Muslim. There are no excuses for missing Salah, even if you are ill, on a journey or even in war.

Allah Ta’Ala tells us in the Glorious Qurah that "I have not created the jinn and humankind for any other purpose except that they should worship me."

Salah allows to strengthen or faith and worship of Allah. It teaches us live a life of purity and goodness and obedience to creator. Every time we perform our Salah, we renew our commitment to Allah and rid ourselves of the world’s pressures. Salah distinguishes between a believer and a non-believer and Salah is obligatory upon every Muslim.

Here is a series of seven step-by-step videos on learning the Salah for all five prayer times. You can either watch them here or you can visit the You Tube page for all seven videos.















Insha’Allah you find this helpful.

The Pillars of Islam (Sunni)

The Pillars of Islam (Sunni)

There are five pillars of Islam. These are the five duties required of every Muslim.

1. Shahada (professing of faith)
2. Salah (prayer)
3. Zakah (giving to charity)
4. Saum (fasting in Ramadan)
5. Hajj (pilmigrage to Mecca)

Shahada is simply a statement professing your belief in one God (Allah) and accepting that Muhammad is God’s messenger and there is no other God but Allah. The statement in Arabic is: أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله - “ašhadu anna laa ilāha illa (A)llāh, wa ašhadu anna Muhammada(n) rasūlo (A)llāh.” The English translation is “I profess that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.

Salat is the second pillar of Islam. It is the requirement to pray five times a day at fixed times during the day. These times are dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nighttime. Each Salat must be performed facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. With Salah, there is a focus and intent of the mind to Allah, expression of gratitude and worship. The Quran tells that prayer restrains one from committing shameful or evil deeds. There is also a requirement of cleanliness when performing Salah.

Zakah means giving to charity and it the amount given is based on wealth. It is an obligation to those who are financially able to do so and it a personal reasonability of Muslims to ease economic hardship for others and eliminate the equality of health as was practiced by the Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). A Muslim may also donate more as a voluntary act of charity called sadaqah. There are two types of Zakah: kajj and zakat. Kajj is a fixed amount based on the cost of food that is paid during the month of Ramadan by the head of the family and his dependants. Zikat is paid on the wealth is usually 2.5 percent of savings and valuables. There are four important factors when giving zakat: (1) the giver must declare to Allah his or her intention to give zakat; (2) the zakat must be paid on the day that it is due; (3) payment must be in kind. If one is wealthy, he must pay 2.5% of his income. If one does not have much money, then he must pay in a different way, i.e., if he has a lot of cattle, he can pay in cattle instead; and (4) the zakat must be distributed in the community in which it was taken.

Sawm (ritual fasting) during the month of Ramadan is obligatory. Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn till dusk during this month, and they should be mindful of their sins. The purpose of the fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek closeness to Allah and to express their gratitude and dependence on Allah. Muslims are to atone for their past sins and remind themselves of the needy. Muslims are also excepted to put more effort in following the teachings of Islam.

Hajj is a pilgrimage is an ancient practice that occurs during the month of Dhu al-Hajj to the holy city of Mecca. Every Muslim is required to take Hajj at least once in their lives. If a pilgrimage is made at any other time than Hajj season, it is called Umrah which is not mandatory but encouraged. The belief is that the Hajj is an expression of devotion to Allah and not a definition of social standing. The believer should be self-aware and examine his or her intentions before taking Hajj.


Source: Wikipedia, Five Pillars of Islam