The Shaykh’s remarks on the goal and purpose of prayer.
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The Shaykh : It is exactly like the prayer where the intention is not merely for the Muslim to fulfill its conditions, pillars, and obligations, but he must also pay attention to the goal and wisdom for which Allah the Exalted and Majestic prescribed five prayers for His believing servants in every day and night. This is what our Lord the Exalted and Majestic indicated in His saying: [Al-'Ankabut 29:45] The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to this reality regarding prayer in the authentic hadith, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): The man may pray a prayer, but nothing is recorded for him of it except a tenth. That is, it is not recorded in full, but rather recorded as incomplete in varying proportions. He (peace be upon him) clarified this in the complete hadith, namely his saying: And he stopped here to indicate that the complete prayer is very, very rare. It is possible that the Muslim who achieves it is the best of them, for whom half of it is recorded, and so on down to a tenth. If his prayer is accepted by Allah the Exalted and Majestic, otherwise, often the prayer of the one praying is among those prayers by which his face is struck on the Day of Resurrection, and we seek refuge in Allah Blessed and Exalted is He. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to these two realities: the first reality we discussed is related to fasting, and the other reality is related to prayer. He said (peace be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 1690Hasan (Darussalam) Why? Because he did not refrain from what Allah the Exalted and Majestic forbade him. He limited himself only to what we called the material fast-breakers, and he thinks he fasted. We say of such a person: he fasted and did not fast. He fasted by abstaining from the material fast-breakers, but he did not fast because he did not abstain from the spiritual fast-breakers. Therefore, he said (peace be upon him): That is, fatigue. So, we hope that Allah Blessed and Exalted is He will inspire us to fast from the fast-breakers in both their categories, material and spiritual, and to inspire us that our prayer be accepted by Him Blessed and Exalted is He, that prayer which restrains us from indecency and wrongdoing. And on this occasion, I must
Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing
إن الصلاة تنهى عن الفحشاء و المنكرHow many are there who fast, but have nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst.
إن الرجل ليصلي الصلاة ما يكتب له منها إلا عشرهاA man may perform a prayer, yet only a tenth, a ninth, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a quarter, or a half of it is recorded for him.
إن الرجل ليصلي الصلاة ما يكتب له منها إلا عشرها تسعها ثمنها سبعها سدسها خمسها ربعها نصفهاThere are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger
كم من صائم ليس له من صيامه إلا الجوع و العطشHow many are there who fast, but have nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst, and how many are there who stand in prayer or pray, but have nothing from their standing except sleeplessness and fatigue.
كم من صائم ليس له من صيامه إلا الجوع و العطش و كم من قائم أو مصل ليس له من قيامه إلا السهر و النصب
Source
www.al-albany.com
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