Prayer And Its Effects

لَيسَ مِنّا مَنِ استَخَفّ بِصَلاتِهِ, لا يَرِدُ عَلَيَّ الحَوضَ لا وَ اللهِ.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “The one who takes prayer light is not of me. No, by Allah such a person will not reach the Haud, Pond of abundant.”

لَو كانَ عَلى بابِ اَحَدِكُـم نَهـرٌ فَاغتَسَلَ مِنهُ كُلّ يَـومٍ خَمـسَ مَرّاتٍ هَل كانَ يَبقى عَلى جَسَـدِهِ مِنَ الـدّرَنِ شَيء اِنّما مَثَـلُ الصّلاة مَثَلُ النّهرِ الّذي يُنقي كُلّما صَلّى صَلاة كـانَ كَفّارَة لِذُنُوبِهِ إلّا ذَنبٌ اَخرَجَهُ مِنَ الإيمانِ مُقيمٌ عليه.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “If there be a stream at the house of one of you in which the one washes himself five times a day, will there remain anything from the dirt over his body? Verily, the likeness of prayers is the same as the stream. The person who establishes ritual prayers clears out his sins thereby, except for the sin that takes him out from Faith he believes in.”

وَ صَلاة فَرِيضَة تَعـدِلُ عِنـدَالله اَلـفَ حِجّة وَ اَلـفَ عُمـرَة مَبرُوراتٍ مُتُقَبِّلاتٍ.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: An obligatory prayer, with Allah, is equivalent to one thousand Hajj pilgrimages and one thousand Umrah performances (voluntary pilgrimages to Ka'ba) which are right and accepted.”

لا تُضَيِّعُوا صَلاتَكُـم, فَاِنّ مَن ضَيّعَ صَلاتَهُ حُشِرَ مَعَ قارُونَ وهامانَ وَ كانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللهِ اَن يُد خِلَهُ النّارَ مَعَ المُنافِقينَ.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “Do not waste your prayers, because, surely, the person who wastes them will be raised with Croesus (Qarun) and Haman so that it is rightfully certain for Allah to put the one in Hell with hypocrites.”

إذا صَلّيتَ صَلاةً فَصَلِّ صَلاةَ مُوَدِّعٍ.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “Say each of your prayer as if it were your last prayer.”

لَو يَعلَمُ المُصَلّي ما يَغشاهُ مِنَ الرّحمَة لَما رَفَعَ رَأسَهُ مِنَ السّجُودِ.

Imam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) said: “If a praying person knew to what extent he was surrounded by His Mercy, he would never raise his head from (the state of) prostration.

اَوّلُ ما يُحاسَبُ بِهِ العَبدُ اَلصّلاةُ فَاِن قُبِلَت قُبِلَ ما سِواها

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) said: “On the Reckoning Day, the first thing that a servant will be reckoned for is the prayer; therefore, if it is accepted, the rest (good actions) will be accepted, too, (otherwise, his other good deeds will not avail him).”

اِنّ شَفاعَتَنا لَن تَنالَ مُستَخِفًّا بِالصّلاةِ.

At the last moments of his life, Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) called his relations and companions and told them: “Verily, our intercession never reaches the one who takes prayers lightly.”

عَشرٌ مَن لَقِىَ اللّه عَزّ وَ جَلّ بِهِنّ دَخَلَ الجَنّة: شَهادَةُ اَن لا اِلهَ إلاّ اللّه وَ اَنّ مُحَمّداً رَسُولُ الله وَ الإ قرارُ بِما جاء مِن عِنـدِ الله عَزّ وَ جَلّ, وَ اِقامُ الصّلوة, وَ إيتاءُ الزّكوة وَ صَومُ شَهرِ رَمَضانَ, وَ حِجُّ البَيتِ, وَ الوِلايَةُ لأَولِياء الله, وَ البَراءَ ةُ مِن اَعداءِ اللهِ, وَ اِجتِنابُ كُلِّ مُسكِرٍ.

Imam al-Baqir, the fifth Imam, (‘a) said: “There are ten things that when a person meets Allah the Almighty and Glorious, with them, he will enter Heaven: Confessing that there is no god besides Allah And that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah Acknowledging what has come down to the Prophet (S) from Allah (the Qur'an). Establishing regular prayers. Giving alms. Fasting in Ramadan. Performing the Pilgrimage (Hajj) to the Sacred House. Kindness to the lovers of Allah Detachment from the enemies of Allah And, avoiding any alcoholic beverage.”

الصّلاة قُربانُ كُلِّ تَقِـىٍّ, وَالحَـجّ جِهادُ كُلِّ ضَعيـفٍ, وَ لِكُـلِّ شَـيء زَكاة وَ زَكاة البَـدَنِ اَلصّيامُ, وَ جِهادُ المَـرأة حُسـنُ التّبَعّلِ.

Imam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) said: “For the God-fearing, prayer is a means of seeking nearness to Allah and for the weak, the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is as good as Jihad (Fighting in the way of Allah). For every thing there is a levy, and the levy of the body is fasting. The Jihad of a woman is to afford pleasant company to her husband.”

ما مِـن لَيلَة إلّا وَ مَلَـك المَـوتِ يُنادي يا اَهـلَ القُبُـورِ لِمَـن تَغبِطُونَ اليَومَ وَ قَد عايَنتُم هَولَ المُطّلَعِ, فَيَقُولُ المَوتى اِنّما نَغبِطُ المُؤمِنينَ في مَساجِدِهِم لاِنّهُـم يُصَلّـونَ وَ لا نُصَلّي, وَ يُؤتُونَ الزّكاة وَ لا نُزَكّي, وَ يَصُومُونَ شَهرَ رَمَضانَ وَ لا نَصُومُ, وَ يَتَصَدّقُونَ بِمَا فَضَلَ عَن عِيالِهِم وَ نَحنُ لا نَتَصَـدّقُ ... .

The Holy Prophet (S) said: There comes no night but that the angel of death calls to the dead in the graves and inquires what they regret for today when they have vividly seen (and known) this (the next life). Then the dead will say: “Verily, we regret and envy the believers who are in their mosques and they are praying while we are not; they give alms and we do not; they fast during Ramadan but we do not; they donate in charity what they have more than the need of their family members while we do not ...”