. J ; ; ;J; : ,;I•; (cont.)

One of these obligations toward the Prophet (peace be upon him) is to love him. This does not just imply any form of love but complete imaan requires that one loves the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than anyone or anything else of this world. Allah says in the Quran, J J ,.. J ,,.. ,,.. ର-- È "" Ո,""·t" " " ;) F J . J F J . s:. 0 0; u-- h\ ; l:, ' :-- i , r--::--· ॿ . 0, : _-- d.J , ;; .&\ 4 " -abl\ ঀ - ?" ঁ.? ,,,,-· ( --6) ,,,,_r'J) ; ॾ ो. ; ; ; ., ., A. ,,.. ଱౐· ·1ll rJiJI 04i h\) ,_7а "Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are disobedient" (al-Taubah 24). Second, when one makes the testimony of faith, this means that he is accepting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as his example of how to live and behave in a way that is correct and pleasing to Allah. Allah says in the Quran, ., ,., / ,.# 0 .. / "' JJ !j ् / ,.# .. J .... .... ;Ai r;;i lj c\ 1;.-ऌ 01.5' ( -c;_ o_;.:v1 fU1 0;:.w) J, ½ 01.5' j_jJ \ӣ 2\ ];=;) ƒ„\ "Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow for him who hopes in (a good meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much" (al-Ahzaab 21). Allah also says, A J J ,,.. ,,.. ,., J :z ,., ,,.. ,., J 0)* + ,-- Zl1 ' Hadith #3: Islam Has Been Built Upon Five [Pillars] The meaning of "establishment of the prayer" has been stressed here because that is what the pillar of Islam is. This pillar is not simply the performance of the prayer. It is not performing it in any way or with just physical motions. Nor is it simply praying in the heart without any physical parts to it whatsoever. Nor is it praying the prayer at the time one finds convenient. One must be careful to perform this pillar of Islam in the best and correct manner. On this point, Nadwi wrote, salah [prayer] is not merely the name of certain physical movements. It is not a wooden, lifeless ritual or something of a military discipline in which one's choice or volition has no place. It is an act in which all the three aspects of human existence, physical, mental and spiritual, find their due expression. The body, the mind and the heart participate in it jointly and in an ideal manner. The acts of standing erect, kneeling and prostration appertain to the body, recitation appertains to the tongue, reflection and contemplation to the mind, and fear, repentance and lamentation to the heart ... Human personality is a many-sided thing. It is made up of the body, the mind and the heart. All the fundamental aspects of human existence are represented in salah which is the foremost manifestation of faith. Some religious legists, men of prayer and devoutness, and Jews of the last phase saw only physical action in it while among the Oriental mystics and intellectuals some held it merely to be a form of contemplation and meditation. Yet again, many an ignorant Christian monk and so-called Muslim ascetic thought that it was symbolic of love and devotion, grace and adoration, warmth and ardor, sorrow and broken-heartedness and awe and repentance alone. They all stopped at what they imagined, but, as a little reflection will show, these people were sadly misguided and ignorant of the marvelous comprehensiveness of the institution of salah.1 The Importance of the Prayer The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be overstated. It is the first pillar of Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. Allah has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when Allah spoke directly to Moses, He said, 1 Abu! Hasan Ali Nadwi, The Four Pillars of Islam (Lucknow, India: Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, 1976), pp. 22-23. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi lit r\ ;.j I Ƿ s\ c;f -Ji ଟ Tआ;.. w इLi ई?..\ L;fj ; ; .... ; ž ǽ . ,.,. \.,... ..- C>}=अ gp\ ttj ‘:y;'G / / "And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance" (Taha 1 3-14).