Solat (praying) is a Pillar of Islam

Abdullah bin Umar r.a narrates that he heard the Rasullullah (Prophet) s.a.w saying:

“Islam is founded on five pillars: bearing witness that there are no God but Allah and Muhammad s.a.w is His servant and apostle; establishment of solat; paying of zakat; performance of Hajj; and fasting in Ramadhan.”

The Prophet s.a.w has compared Islam to a canopy resting on five supports. The Kalimah is the central support and the other four pillar of Islam are so to say, the remaining four supports is missing a collapse will result in the defective corner. Now let us judge for ourselves how far we have kept up the canopy of Islam. Is there really any pillar that is being held in its proper place?

The five pillars of Islam mentioned in this hadith signify the most essential duties of a Muslim. Although a Muslim cannot do without any one of them, yet solat in Islam occupies a position next only to iman. Abdullah bin Mas’ood r.a says:

“Once, I inquired of the Holy Prophet s.a.w, which act (of man) was the dearest to Allah. The Prophet replied, “Solat”. I then inquired which act come next (in order of merit) and the Prophet replied, “kindness to parents”. I again asked what was next and he answered “jihad”. “

Mullah Ali Qari (Rahmatullah Alaih) has quote this hadith in support of the belief that Solat is the most important religious duty after iman. This is further corroborated by a hadith, in which the Holy Prophet s.a.w is reported to have said:

“Solat is the best of all that has been ordained by Allah.”


Prophet Muhammad, praying, Allah, Zakat, Hajj, Fasting, Ramadhan

Sahabah's Discard of Red Sheets of Saddle Cloth

Rafe r.a says:

"We were once with the Prophet s.a.w on a journey. The sheets that we had spread on our camels were decorated with red thread work on the borders. The Prophet s.a.w said, "I notice that the red colour has begun to catch your fancy." We stood up and dispersed in confusion at this rebuke, so much so that our camels seeing our bewilderment began to run about. We immediately removed the sheets from their backs."

We surprised on hearing such stories about sahabah, as we are living in a different atmosphere with quite a different frame of mind. When the Truce of Hudaibiyyah an envoy of Qureysh, had an opportunity of studying very carefully the behaviour of sahabah. When we returned to his people, he said to them:

"I have been to the courts of great kings and monarchs as an envoy. I have met the Emperors of Persia, Rome and Abyssinia. Nowhere have i seen people around a Sovereign so respectful to him as I saw the companions of Muhammad s.a.w. When he spits, his sputum is not allowed to fall on the ground. It is taken by somebody in his hands to anoint his face and body therewith. When he issues some order, every person hastens to carry it out. When he makes wudhu, his companions race one with another to snatch the water trickling down from his limbs, in such a way that an observer would think there are going to fight over that water. When he speaks, everybody is silent as if he were dumb. Nobody raises his eyes to look at him, out of respect for him."

Prophet Muhammad, Emperors Of Persia, Rome, Abyssinia, Speaks

Rewards for fluent recitation and for faltering recitation.

From Aishah r.a narrates that Rasullullah s.a.w once said ; “One who is well versed in the Quran will be in the company of those angels who are scribes, noble and righteous; and one who falters in reading the Quran and has to expert hard for learning, gets double the reward.”

“One who is well versed in the Quran” means one who is proficient in memorizing as well as in reciting it. It is highly praiseworthy if one masters its meaning and significance as well. “To be with the angels” means that like the angels who transferred the Quran from Loh Mahfuz (Protected Tablet in the Heavens), he also conveys it to others through its recitation and, therefore both have the same occupation; or that he will join the company of such angels on the Day of Judgement. One who falters will get double reward – one for his reading and the other for his effort in reading the Quran, In spite of faltering again and again. It doest not mean that his reward will exceed that of a well versed person. The reward that is mentioned for a well versed person is far greater, so much so that he will be in the company of special angels. The explanation is that the labour involved in faltering and the difficulties in the reading of the Quran carry an independent reward. As such, reading of the Quran should not be given up, even though faltering may be an excuse.

Mulla Ali Qari, has reproduced from the riwayat (saying) of Tibrani and Baihaqi that one who cannot memorize the Quran well and yet persists in learning it by heart get double reward. Similarly, one who cherishes a longing for memorizing it and doest not possess the ability to do so, but does not give up his efforts, will be reckoned by Almighty Allah among the huffaz (plural of hafiz – one who has learnt the whole Quran by heart) on the Day of Resurrection.

Reward, angels, Allah, reading quran, double reward, Judgement Day

Abu Bakar r.a daily allowance from the Baitulmal.

Abu Bakar r.a was a cloth merchant and live by that trade. On the death of the Prophet s.a.w , people selected him as the Khalifah. Next day with some cloth slung on his arm, he was proceeding to the market as usual when Umar r.a met him in the way.

Umar : “Where are you going to Abu Bakar ?”

Abu Bakar : “To Market !”

Umar: “If you get bussy with your trade, who will carry out the duties of the caliphate ?”

Abu Bakar: “How am I to feed my family then ?”

Umar: “Let’s go to Abu Ubaidah (incharge of Baitulmal), who will fix some daily allowance for you from the Baitulmal”

They both went Abu Ubaidah. He fixed for Abu Bakar an allowance equal to that usually paid to an average Muhajirin.

Once Abu Bakar wife said to him: “I would like to have a sweet dish.”

Abu Bakar : “I have no money to arrange for the dish.”

His wife: “If you permit, I shall to try to save something daily from our allowance which will some day make enough to enable us to prepare the sweet dish.”

He agreed. A little money was saved in many days. When his wife brought the money to make purchases for the sweet dish, he said :

“It seems that we received so much over and above our needs.”

He deposited the saving in the Baitulmal and for future got his allowance cut down by amount saved by his wife.

Rewards of two, three and four sentences of Quran

From Uqbah ibni Amir r.a has said : “Rasullullah s.a.w came to us while we were sitting on the suffah and asked if any one of us would like to go the market of Buthan or Aqiq and fetch from there two she-camels of the finest breed without committing any sin or severing a tie of kinship. We replied that everyone of us would love to do so. Rasullullah s.a.w then said that going to the mosque and reciting of teaching two ayat (sentence) of Quran is more precious than two she-camels, three ayat are more precious than three she-camels, and that similarly reciting or teaching of four ayat is better than four she-camels and an equal number of camels.”



Suffah is the name of particular raised platform in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet s.a.w in Medina. It used to be occupied by the poor muslim muhajirin (plural of emigrant from Mecca to Medina) who are know as “Ashab usSuffah” (men of suffah). The number of these men varied from time to time. Allamah Suyuti (Rahmatullahalaih) has listed one hundred and one names and also written an independent booklet about their names.

Buthan and Aqiq were the two market-place for camels near Medina. The camel, more particularly a she-camel having a fat hump, was favourite of the Arabs.

The expression “without sin” is significant. A thing can be acquired without labour either by extortion, through illegal inheritance (by forcefully taking over the property of some relative) or by theft. Rasullulah s.a.w thus ruled out all such acquisitions. Acquiring a thing without labour and without any sin is certainly preferred by all, but much more valuable is the learning of a few ayat.

It is a clear fact that let alone one or two camels, even if one acquires the kingdom of all the seven Aqlim (continents) one will be forced to leave it, if not today surely tomorrow (at the time of death), but the reward of one ayat will be ever-lasting. We see even in this life that a man feels happier when he is given only one rupee (without the condition of returning it), rather than if he is given one thousand rupees for keeping in this safe custody for a while only. In the latter case, he is merely burdened with a trust without getting any benefit out of it. In fact, this hadith implies an admonition not to compare something temporary with something external. Whether in action or at rest, man should consider if his efforts are being wasted on acquiring the temporary gains of this world, or are directed towards achieving the everlasting ones. Woe be the waste of effort for which we earn eternal misery. The last phrase of the hadith, “superior to an equal number of camels” contains three meanings. First, up to the number four, the reward has been mentioned in detail. Beyond this, it is briefly mentioned that the more ayat a person acquires, the greater will be their superiority over the number of camels. In this case, the word “camels” at the end refers to the species either he-camels or she-camels and the number implied is more than four because up to the number four, the reward has been mentioned in detail.

The second meaning is that the numbers mentioned are the same as referred to ealier, the significance being that inclinations are always different; some are fond of she-camels, others prefer a he-camel. Therefore, Rasullullah s.a.w has used this expression to signify that every ayat is superior to a she-camel. And if one prefers a he-camel, an ayat is also superior to a he-camel.

The third meaning is that the numbers mentioned are the same as referred to before and not more than four. According to the second meaning, the explanation that an ayat is superior to a she-camel or he-camel does not hold good, but it implies a collection, i.e., one ayat is superior to a he-camel and a she-camel considered together, and likewise every ayat is superior to the combination of an equal number of he-camels or she-camels. Thus a single ayat has been compared to a pair or couple (of camels). (May Allah bless his grave with Divine light) has preferred the latter interpretation because it points to a superior virtue. This however, does not meaning that the reward on an ayat, can be equaled to a camel or two camels. All this is for inducement and illustration. It has been clearly written before that an ayat whose reward is permanent and enduring is superior and preferable even to a kingdom over the seven aqlim (continents), which is bound to disintegrate.

Mulla Ali Qari has written an account of a pious Shaikh who went to Mecca for Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca on the 9th day of Zulhijah – the 12th month of Islamic calendar). When he landed at Jeddah, some of his friend in business requested him to prolong his stay in Jeddah, so that they could earn more profit for their merchandise by virtue of his presence. In fact they wanted that some of the servant of the Sahaik be benefited by the profits of their business. At first the Shaikh expressed his inability to prolong his stay, but when they insisted the Shaikh asked them as to the maximum profit was not the same in all cases; but the maximum that they could expert was hundred percent. The Shaikh said, “you have taken all this trouble for such a petty gain; such an insignificant gain. I cannot miss the solat (prayer) in the respected ‘Haram’ ( the most Scared Mosque), where the rewards of solat gets multiplied one hundred thousand times.” In fact, we muslims should consider how, for petty worldly gains, we sometimes sacrifice great spiritual benefits.