Protect your salah – Tarawih reflections 10
‘Take due care of all the prayers, and the middle prayer), and stand before Allah in total devotion.’ [2:238]
Salah was revealed gradually
In this ayah, Allah is teaching the believers how to pray. Of course, the angel Jibril came down and taught the conditions, and the timings. Each salah was taught over two days: the first day he came and prayed with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at the beginning of the salah time, and the second day towards the end of it. But the whole process was gradual. These days we take the rules of salah for granted, but the Companions had to learn it little by little – which is known as tadarruj (gradualism) in Arabic.
Scholars differ on which salah is the middle salah الصلاة الوسطى
A strong view that it’s Asr is based on the following narration:
Ibn Mas’ud and Samura bin Jundub reported God’s Messenger as saying,
“The middle prayer is the Asr prayer.” [Tirmidhi]
The word used in the ayah is qaniteen, which is often translated as devotion. Ibn Abbas interpreted it as referring to tranquillity and khushu, focusing on your relationship with Allah.
There are several authentic narrations from Companions saying that in the beginning, they used to talk to each other during salah – including general small talk. Then Allah revealed this ayah.
Zaid bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him narrated:
We used to talk while engaged in Salat (prayer) during the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and one would talk with his companion regarding his needs in prayer till (this verse) was revealed: “Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer; and stand before Allah with obedience,” then we were commanded to observe silence (in prayer) and were forbidden to talk. [Agreed upon. This wording is from Muslim].
The story of Mu’awiyah
In another narration, a companion named Mu’awiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami was outside Madinah, when this ayah was revealed, and arrived at the masjid for salah without knowing about it. When someone in the congregation sneezed in the middle of the salah, he said ‘yarhamukallah’. The Companions all stared at him in shock and struck their hands against their thighs until he realised he had done something wrong and should be quiet.
Mu’awiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
While I was in Salat with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man in the congregation sneezed and I responded with: ‘Yarhamuk-Allah (Allah have mercy on you).’ The people stared at me with disapproving looks. So I said: “May my mother lose me. Why are you staring at me?” Thereupon, they began to strike their thighs with their hands. When I saw them urging to me to remain silent, I became angry but restrained myself. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) concluded his Salat. I have never before seen an instructor who gave better instruction than he, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him. He neither remonstrated me, nor beat me, nor abused me. He simply said,”It is not permissible to talk during Salat because it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring His Greatness as well as recitation of the Quran,” or he said words to that effect.” I said: “O Allah’s Messenger, I have but recently accepted Islam, and Allah has favoured us with Islam. There are still some people among us who go to consult soothsayers.” He said, “Do not consult them.” Then I said: “There are some of us who are guided by omens.” He said, “These things which come to their minds. They should not be influenced by them.” [Muslim]
In the same narration, Mu’awiyah mentions that the Prophet ﷺ never shouted or hit him or frowned at him, for he ﷺ was the best of teachers. He knew that Mu’awiyah had acted in good faith, and saw no reason to tell him off.
The importance of salah
The ayah begins with the word haafidhu, meaning protect or preserve. This is Allah’s way of telling us to pray on time. It’s a command from Him, not to miss or forget it. Salah is the most important link between us an Allah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
‘Indeed, between a man and idolatry and unbelief is abandoning the prayer.’ [Bukhari]
The phrase ‘establish salah and give Zakat’ shows up over and over again in the Quran, but this ayah is telling us not just to stand up for salah, but to preserve and protect it. We have many ayahs and hadith about the virtues of salah, and how it is a light for us. For example,
‘Prayer is a light.’ [Muslim]
‘Whoever safeguards his Salah, for him on the Day of Judgement will be a light.’ [Ahmad]
Salah also cleanses our sins. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
‘If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day, would you notice any dirt on him? That is the example of the five daily prayers which wash you from sins.’ [Bukhari].
Salah is light for your heart, for your life, for your house and family. According to one narration in Abu Dawood, it is the last thing that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned before he died.
Salah is our link with Allah. We don’t want our children to pray just because we tell them to: we need them to pray because they feel a connection with Allah. We need to train them and explain that this is what it is for.
Prioritise salah
No matter what you have going on, make salah the focal point of your day. More than any business, meetings, classes, anything. If we don’t do this, we are losing out and creating an opening for Shaytan to creep in.
This is why Allah is always saying in Quran that one of the features of the believers is that they establish salah. Many people say that their imaan is in their heart, so they don’t need to pray. This is from Shaytan.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
‘Pray as you have seen me praying.’ [Bukhari]
We ask Allah to make us among those who preserve their salah, pray on time, and connect with Allah with tranquillity.
Based on the reflections of Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Transcribed by Hana Khan
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Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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