Guidance on the Virtue of Prayer and Its Importance in Islam

Question:
We began, Your Eminence the Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, in the previous lesson with the book of prayer. We would like to ask, before we read the hadiths about the virtue of the prayers and their importance in Islam, perhaps you could open this lesson with some guidance on that?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, something related to prayer was mentioned in the previous lesson. Prayer is the pillar of Islam, and it is the best of acts of worship, and the most important of acts of worship after the two testimonies. So it is obligatory for every person of legal capacity, male or female, to take care of it and preserve it. Its virtue is immense. Whoever preserves it and performs it, Allah will expiate his sins. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: , they are expiations for what is between them, as long as major sins are not committed. In another wording: . And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Do they leave any of his filth? They said: No, O Messenger of Allah. He said: So the five prayers are such that Allah erases sins by them. That means Allah erases sins by them for the one who avoids major sins, for the one who preserves them and fulfills their rights and stays away from major sins. So prayer is a matter of great importance and great status. It is obligatory for every believer, male and female, to take care of it, preserve it, and perform it with tranquility, humility, and full attention with the heart and body, because it is the pillar of Islam, as in the hadith mentioned in the previous lesson. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So it is obligatory for every Muslim to take care of prayer, to preserve it, and to take care of completing and perfecting it as Allah Mighty and Majestic willed.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you,