Farhan Abdul Azeez- Salah The Greatest Gift

The Ascension Through the Heavens

Either way, after that he then ascended with Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) to the heavens. When he got to the first heaven, the angels at the gates of the first heaven told Jibril, they said "Who is this?" (مَنْ هَٰذَا - man hadha) And he said, "This is Jibril." And then they said, "Who is with you?" And he said, "Muhammad (ﷺ)."

So they said, "Has he been sent for?" (أَوَقَدْ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِ - Awaqad ursal ilayhi). Some of the ulema comment and say they ask this question out of astonishment - like, "Has someone from the earth, has a human being while still alive in the earth been sent for to come up to the heavens? Ya Allah, what an honor!"

And then Jibril said yes, and they said, "Marhaban bihi wala ni'mal majee'u ja" - "Welcome to him, and what a great coming this is of the Prophet(ﷺ)."

He comes into the first heaven and he sees Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) says salam to him, welcomes him. Second heaven, he sees different Prophets as he ascends up to seven heavens. Every time they get to the heaven, the same conversation happens - "Who are you?" "Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam)." "Who is with you?" "Muhammad (ﷺ)." "Has he been sent for?" "Yes." "Welcome, what a great coming this is of his."

Bayt al-Ma'mur and Sidrat al-Muntaha

Until finally he gets to the seventh heaven and he sees Bayt al-Ma'mur. Bayt al-Ma'mur is the equivalent of what the Kaaba is on earth - Bayt al-Ma'mur is equivalent in the skies of what the Kaaba is on earth.

The Prophet(ﷺ) even said that 70,000 angels go to Bayt al-Ma'mur every day to worship Allah, just like in this world we have people who go to Umrah and Hajj to go to the Kaaba and worship Allah. 70,000 angels go to worship Allah at the Bayt al-Ma'mur and they never ever return again, and this happens every day - meaning every day there is a unique set of 70,000 angels worshipping Allah. This is the vastness of the creation of Allah.

Now after this, Prophet(ﷺ) says he saw Sidrat al-Muntaha, which is this tree that's the last - al-Muntaha is like the end, it's like the last part of the Samawat, the skies. By the way, I was terming it heavens - Sama' al-Dunya, the first heaven, second heaven - that doesn't mean paradise. Heaven means I'm referring to it as a sky; there's seven different skies.

Sidrat al-Muntaha - this tree is at the end of these seven heavens, after which is the Arsh of Allah, after which is paradise. In fact, the narration says that there were four rivers flowing next to this tree. Prophet(ﷺ) said, "What are these rivers?" So Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) told the Prophet(ﷺ), "Two are hidden, two are open. The two that are hidden are two from paradise" - so there's rivers from paradise the Prophet witnessed with his own eyes flowing next to this tree. And the two from this world, the Prophet(ﷺ) was told, are the equivalent of the Nile River and the Euphrates - meaning these rivers are so blessed and they give so much blessing to the people that there's equivalent of that in the Samawat.

Either way, the Prophet(ﷺ) says, "I looked at it and its leaves were like the ears of elephants" - humongous leaves, he's trying to describe it - "and its fruits were like the large vessels." In the present day city in Bahrain they were known to have big big vessels.

Then he (ﷺ) said that Allah commanded it to change, and he says there is no one, no human being, there's no one created who is able to describe the beauty of that tree. So imagine what the beauty of the trees of Jannah, inside Jannah, are like. The Prophet(ﷺ) is seeing all this.

Jibril's Limit and Meeting Allah

Finally, he's told to go forward, and he tells Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam)"You're telling me to go forward myself? Is this the place where the best friend - you're my khalil, Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) is like the best friend of the Prophet(ﷺ) are you going to leave me at this point?"

And Jibril (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ - alayhis-salam) the one who brings the Wahi to all the Prophets, says:

"O Messenger of Allah, each of us has a known position. I cannot go where you're about to go."

And the Prophet(ﷺ) - again keep in mind the sadness and the grief that he just went through - he goes past this place where no one has gone before, and he talks to Allah directly. And Allah gives him a gift - He gives him the prescription for fifty (five-zero, fifty) prayers a day.

The Gift of Salah - How It Was Given

Imagine that. You know, when you give a gift to someone, you can give a gift - you can just come home one day and have some flowers and just throw it on the kitchen table and say, "Hey sweetie, honey, here's some flowers for you," and she'll appreciate it. Without question she'll appreciate it. But you didn't really do it with style, you know what I'm saying? You just came in and dropped it on the table, "Here you go, and is the biryani ready yet?" It doesn't really work like that.

If you want to really make it worthwhile, you wrap it up beautifully, you surprise, maybe you hide it in your jacket as you come in and you hide a card underneath your pillow, you do all these nice things and maybe you make dinner for her and you light some candles - all this awesome, depending on the presentation and the way the gift is given, it means more to the person.

Brothers and sisters, no command from Allah was ever revealed in the heavens except for prayer. Everything - fasting, Hajj, hijab, whatever it is - any command of Allah has come down when the Prophet(ﷺ) was on the earth and Jibril was sent as a messenger.

But for this special gift, Allah doesn't want to send it down through Jibril. Allah wants to bring the Prophet(ﷺ) to Himself and give the Prophet(ﷺ) Himself directly, in a direct conversation, this gift - to the Prophet for him and

for his Ummah.

Our Perspective on Salah

So now when we have to think about our 50 - it was 50 prayers but eventually got reduced to 5 - when we think about our prayers, do we think of it as a gift from Allah that we cherish and we honor and we love? Or do we think of it as a task that, "Man, it's Dhuhr, man it's Fajr, I got a 300 pound blanket off of my chest to get up and pray"?

How do we look at it? Because if we understood it's a gift from Allah then we will love this gift. And if we love Allah we will love to worship Allah by the gift which He gave us. It's a gift from Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.

That's why it's narrated that it was said about the Prophet(ﷺ):

(Abu Dawud 1319)

"If he ever got worried about something, he would rush to the prayer and find comfort in the prayer."

He would tell Bilal:

(Abu Dawud 4985)

"Make the iqama, O Bilal, so we can have comfort in prayer." Have comfort in prayer.

Does our prayer give us comfort, brothers and sisters, or do we think of it as a burden?

The Difference in Perspective

You know what's interesting is that if you ask somebody - like those of you who play sports, football or soccer or basketball, whatever sport you play - you know you could play basketball for two hours straight and you'll be sore, you might take a few elbows, you might get bloodied, whatever, you're sweating, you don't smell good, you're guarding a guy who's sweating and covered in sweat and doesn't smell good, you're tired. But you keep playing. Not only do you keep playing, you keep enjoying it.

But when your mom tells you, "Can you wash the dishes after dinner?" You're like, "Ya Allah, I have to spend two minutes of my life washing the dishes!" It's like more heavier than a mountain, and it's only like three plates in the sink you gotta wash, but it's like torture for those two minutes.

Why? When you're washing the sink you're still in the AC, you're still comfortable, you got some cool water, you're not sweating, you're not hot, you're not tired, you're not sore - you're just washing some dishes. But it's

difficult. But two hours of basketball when you're sweaty and you're hot and you're tired and you're sore - two hours isn't enough and you want to keep playing. Why?

Because of the difference in perspective and how we look at things. You see, because we hate washing dishes, two minutes is too much. But because we love playing basketball or whatever you love to do, two hours is too little.

Now if we love Salah and if we understood it as a gift, then when the Imam starts reciting anything longer than Surah Al-Ikhlas, we're like "Alhamdulillah!" Because nowadays if it's not Ikhlas then, "Shaykh, slow it down - I mean speed it up! Quicker prayers, shorter surahs, it's too long!" But if we enjoy our prayer, we would wish the Imam would keep going on and on and we wouldn't feel it - we would want him to go more and more.

The Sahaba's Love for Salah

Now the Prophet(ﷺ) loved his prayer, he loved the Salah, and this transferred - the Ummah understood this as a gift. In fact, the Sahaba were fighting against this tribe called Juhayna and they stopped in the middle of the battle - they had to pray Salatul Dhuhr.

So the enemies of Allah, when they saw the Muslims praying Dhuhr, they said, "Man, if we attacked them at this point, we could have defeated them - just a full-fledged attack while they're praying." And look, they didn't even leave their prayer in the middle of battle.

No matter what state you're in, brothers and sisters, even if you're on your death bed and you have to pray, you pray. And if you don't have the strength to stand up, you pray sitting. If you can't pray sitting, you just lie down. If you can't even do that, with your eyes you have to pray.

A Personal Story About Prayer

I remember one time I was in the operating room as a student and I was in the surgery, and then what happened was an emergency case came in. They didn't have anybody to help the doctor, so they needed an extra pair of hands, so they told me - I was in an anesthesia rotation - and they told me, "You have to scrub in and help on the case during surgery."

And I hadn't prayed Dhuhr yet, and the surgery was going to go long until Asr. So I literally had to pray Salatul Dhuhr standing in the OR while I'm operating on somebody, or helping the doctor operate. But you have to pray. If I didn't pray Dhuhr, I don't have an excuse in front of Allah. No matter what your condition, you have to pray.

A Prayer More Beloved Than Their Children

The Sahaba - when the enemies of Allah, the tribe of Juhayna, they said that if we attack them in Dhuhr, then

you know what they said? They said that, "Salatul Asr is going to come to them - there's going to come a prayer to them next." They want to attack them at this time in Asr. They're saying, "A prayer is going to come to them that is more beloved to them than their own children."

This is how much they loved Salah. Can you imagine? They love Salah more than their own children. There's perhaps no greater love than the love of a mother for her daughter or her son, or the love of a father for his child. But they loved Salah more.

The Importance of Salah in Our Lives

Now I want to share with you, brothers and sisters, some points on Salah - how can we view it as a gift. Before I get into the main part, I want to share with you just some things.

Number one: What's interesting is that when we're born - if we're born into Islam, born to Muslim parents what's the first thing we hear in our ears? The first thing we hear is the Adhan, the call to prayer. It's a Sunnah that when the child is born, the Adhan is called in their ear. And you know what happens? We hear the Adhan but we obviously don't pray - we're a one minute old child, we don't have the ability to even open our eyes yet maybe, so how do we expect to pray? Obviously you don't pray, but you hear the call to prayer.

Now the last thing that's done before you leave this world is what? Salatul Janazah, the funeral prayer. And when that prayer is prayed, there is no Adhan that is called, but the prayer is made.

It's as if our life is between Adhan and prayer - between the call to prayer and prayer itself. That's how important Salah is in our lives.

The Wisdom Behind Five Prayers

If you think about it, there was a reason why Salah went from 50 down ultimately to 5 - because if it was 50, it's like we're praying every 20 minutes a day, every 20 minutes we're praying a Fardh prayer, and we wouldn't be able to do anything else.

But it's as if Allah is teaching us that the most important thing in your life is prayer. And that's why the people of Jannah, they're going to be sitting in Jannah and they're going to be talking about the people of Hellfire.

Allah says:

The people of the right hand will be asking about the sinners and the criminals, and they will ask them, "What caused you to get into Hellfire?"

And the first reason they give why they are now in Hell is:

قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ

"We didn't used to pray, we were never amongst those who would pray."

So the people of Hellfire are in Hellfire because they didn't pray. So prayer is the most important thing in our lives, brothers and sisters.

Gem #1: You Are Talking to Allah in Your Prayer

Now let me share with you some gems and how this is a gift from Allah. Number one: Know that you are talking to Allah in your prayer. You are talking to Allah.

Just to give you a simple example - if I told you that whoever you look up to, the biggest athlete or the biggest superstar, let's say Kobe Bryant, gives you a call, calls you on your personal cell phone and says, "Hey what's up man, I just want to see how you are doing," and he talks to you - you would be so happy. You would be like, man! And two minutes later you call the same friend again and say, "By the way, just in case you forgot, Kobe Bryant called me."

Now imagine, brothers and sisters, Kobe is something - he's not even a Muslim. What about if I told you if you talk to Allah and Allah talks to you in prayer? How should that make you feel? How should that make you feel? The Creator of the heavens and the earth is talking to you directly.

Even if I'm a sinner, even if I've committed so many sins, even if you commit so many sins - Allah talks to you in prayer.

The Prophet ﷺ said in a sahih hadith:

(Bukhari 405)

"When one of you stands to pray, you are talking to Allah and confiding in Allah, so let everyone look to what manner in which he talks to Allah."

The Story of Musa (عليه السلام) and His Staff

You know, Allah tells Musa (عليه السلام) in Surah Taha, He asks him a question:

"Oh Musa, what is that in your right hand?"

So Musa (عليه السلام) says - he had a staff in his hand:

"It is my staff."

Now, did he stop there? Did he say anything else? If I was holding this iPad in my hand and he says, "What's in my hand?" It's an iPad - simple question, simple answer.

So Musa (علیه السلام) though doesn't stop there. He says:

"It is my staff, I lean upon it, and I use it with my cattle, and I have a lot of other uses for it too."

Why is he going on and on about the staff? Does he love that staff that much?

The Example of a Newly Wed

Let me give you an example. You know when somebody gets engaged, you see brothers and sisters, they just got newly engaged or newly wed - you see the guy just sitting around and he just kind of stares off into space and he's just like... because he's in love. Especially the opening stages of marriage - after that Allah will leave that for you to decide what happens!

But in the beginning of the marriage, the initial stage, man, they'll look for any excuse to talk. You know maybe the sister sees her husband or her fiancé or whatever wearing a nice shirt, she's like, "Wow, your shirt looks really pretty."

And the guy's like, "You know what, this shirt is actually 100% cotton and I bought it from Kohl's or wherever you guys shop, Macy's or JCPenney, and it was actually $35 but I got it for you know $34.99, I got this awesome sale." He just goes on and on about this shirt.

Now guys, do you care about shirts, man? You wear whatever you wear, you don't really care. But why are you going on and on about this shirt? You don't care about this shirt, but what you care about is the one you're talking to. And because you enjoy talking to your wife or fiancé or whatever, you can go on and on about the most random things.

Musa (عليه السلام) is asked by Allah, "What is in your hand?" It's my staff. But he doesn't stop. Why? He goes on and on about his staff because he loves talking to Allah.

Surah Al-Fatiha: A Conversation with Allah

Now you and I, brothers and sisters, when we stand to pray to Allah, we talk to Allah directly. Surah Fatiha is actually a conversation between us and Allah.

We say:

Allah responds to us:

"My slave has praised Me."

Allah responds:

"My slave has extolled Me."

(Muslim 395)

...until the end of the hadith in Sahih Muslim. Allah responds when we talk to Allah.

Gem #2: Allah Mentions You When You Pray

Number two: Not only are you talking to Allah, but Allah mentions you when you pray. What do I mean by that?

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Ankabut:

"Recite what has been revealed to you from the book, the Quran, and establish the prayer, for certainly prayer prevents you from evil and wicked deeds. Then Allah says, 'And the remembrance of Allah is greater, and Allah knows what you do."

Now the question is: What does "the remembrance of Allah is greater" mean? Allah says:

"Establish prayer for My remembrance."

So does this part of the verse وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ mean that the important part of prayer is remembering Allah?

Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما asked this question to Abdullah ibn Rabi'a, another Sahabi, and he says, "What does وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ mean?"

And so the Sahabi, Abdullah ibn Rabi'a, says:

"When we remember Allah, when we say Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah like this, that's what's more greater, that's what's more important - that's what's important in prayer: that you remember Allah."

And Ibn Abbas tells him, "No, what this means is:

"Allah's remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of Allah."

And he recited the verse in Surah Al-Baqarah:

"Remember Me, I will remember you."

So when you're standing to pray to Allah and remembering Allah, Allah remembers you.

Imagine Being Mentioned Before a Crowd

Just to give you an example, to make you understand it better: Imagine you walk into like a convention, AlMaghrib Fest or like you know ISNA convention or some huge convention with like 20-30 thousand people there, and you walk in and your favorite sheikh - maybe Sheikh Yasir Qadhi or Sheikh Abdul Nasir or Ustad Nouman Ali Khan or your favorite speakers - is up on the stage, and in front of this huge crowd 30,000 people, he sees you walk in and he's like, "As-salamu alaikum Farhan," "As-salamu alaikum Ibrahim," whatever your name is - in the middle of the speech, in front of everyone he interrupts his speech and he calls you by your name.

You might feel embarrassed, but it makes you feel good, right? Like, "Man, he remembers me, thank you very much."

Now imagine Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions your name in a gathering better than any gathering we could have in this world. Angels are in the presence of Allah, Allah mentions your name - think about that!

The Story of Ubayy ibn Ka'b

Not only that, the Prophet ﷺ, he says to Ubayy ibn Ka'b, he goes to him one day and he tells him in a sahih hadith:

(Bukhari 4961, Muslim 799)

He says, "Allah has commanded me to recite to you."

He says:

"Those who disbelieved..." - to recite to you Surah Al-Bayyinah.

So Ubayy - imagine if the Prophet ﷺ came and told you, "Allah has commanded me to recite to you a surah" - so you know what Ubayy's question was? He said:

"Did Allah mention my name? Mention me? Above the seven heavens, elevated above the throne of Allah, above all of this, mention me - one slave from all the slaves of Allah, the billions of people on the earth - Allah mention me by my name?"

And the Prophet ﷺ said, "Yes, He told me to recite to Ubayy. He mentioned your name."

And Ubayy then began crying.

Ya Allah, Allah mentioned my name! Can you understand what that means? When every time you pray or you remember Allah, Allah remembers you - it's amazing. If we understood that, it changes our perspective on Salah.

Gem #3: Allah Looks at You When You Pray

Not only that - number three: Not only does Allah talk to you and you talk to Allah, not only does Allah mention you by name - Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala looks at you when you pray.

You, me, the sinner - Allah looks at me directly amongst all the other billions of people. Allah gives me personal time.

Yes, the Prophet ﷺ said in a sahih hadith:

(Tirmidhi 2863)

He says, "Allah commanded you to pray, so when you pray, don't turn away."

The ulama say it doesn't mean with your eyes - that's of course a given - but what's the original meaning of the hadith actually is: with your heart. Meaning when you pray to Allah, don't start thinking about other things. Focus on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Prophet said:

"Don't turn away with your heart or your eyes." Why?

"Allah faces His slave when he prays, so long as His slave doesn't turn away."

Can you imagine that? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala faces us, gives us one-on-one time. Every Muslim who prays - do you understand why Salah is a gift from Allah now?

Salah as a Means of Forgiveness

All what I said, and it's already been almost half an hour - all what I said actually isn't the main part of how this is a gift. This is just one aspect of how Salah is a gift for the Ummah.

What I want to share with you in conclusion - I guess it's really the meat, but for the sake of time we're going to have to use it as a conclusion - is that Salah is a gift from Allah for us, and Salah, prayer, is actually a means of forgiveness for our sins.

Let me walk you through the steps of prayer and how in the different steps of prayer Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgives our sins based on this prayer. Once we get to the end, you'll see - wow, Salah truly is a gift.

Number one: If you want to take notes, I advise you to do so, actually, or watch this again, because really if you understand these things, it completely changes your perspective on prayer.

Point #1: The Five Daily Prayers Expiate Sins

Number one: As recorded by Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه

(Muslim 233)

"The five daily prayers and the Jumu'ah to Jumu'ah, between each Jumu'ah and between each of the five prayers, is an expiation of the sins committed between those times," so long as one is not guilty of major sins.

So when you pray Salatul Fajr and then you pray Salatul Dhuhr, whatever small sins you have committed between those two times are forgiven by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And between Dhuhr and Asr when you

pray, minor sins are forgiven. And between Jumu'ah to Jumu'ah, so the whole week long, whatever minor sins you have committed are wiped away by virtue of you attending Salatul Jumu'ah.

So prayer in and of itself is an expiation of all minor sins.

Point #2: Wudu Washes Away Sins

Number two: The Prophet said in a hadith in Sahih Muslim:

(Muslim 245)

He said, "When one makes wudu and perfects their wudu, their sins leave their body" - he says that they are washed away and they come out from beneath your fingernails, meaning the extent of your body - everything is washed away.

Another hadith also in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet said:

(Muslim 244)

"When the Muslim or the believer, the Mu'min, makes wudu, when he washes his face," he says that when you wash your face, every sin that your eyes have committed - whatever haram that we may have looked at, that we didn't lower our gaze or we were supposed to lower our gaze, or spied on someone when we shouldn't have spied on someone - whatever our eyes have committed, the Prophet says when you wash your face when you make wudu, all the sins your eyes have committed wash away with the water or with the last drop of water.

Then he continued: When you wash your hands, every sin your hand has committed is washed away that your hands have committed. And when you wash your feet, every sin that your feet walked towards is washed away with the last drop of water, until he says, "Until he comes out of making wudu free of sin."

Can you imagine? You make wudu and your sins are washed away. So this whole process of prayer is a cleansing of our sins. So before you even begin prayer, your sins are washed away.

So now, brothers and sisters, even if you have wudu, make wudu again before prayer. And think when you're making wudu - to have khushu' and humility and concentration in prayer - think when you're making wudu: as you wash your hands, you're washing away the sins of your hands; when you wash your mouth, you're washing away the sins of the tongue; when you wash your face, you're washing away the sins of the eyes. And then it makes you humble to Allah.

The Connection to Hajj and Arafah

Just like when we go to Hajj - before we go to the house of Allah to make Tawaf, we go to Arafah. Arafah

happens on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, Tawaf al-Ifadah happens on the 10th, 11th or 12th of Dhul Hijjah. You first - before going to the house of Allah - you must first cleanse your sins in Arafah, all your sins are wiped away.

The Prophet said in a hadith that there is no day in which people are freed from Hellfire more than the day of Arafah. So the people's sins are wiped away in Arafah and then they go to the house of Allah.

When we make wudu, it's almost like a preparatory step to going to the house of Allah. When we make wudu, it's like a preparatory step before we stand before Allah, before Allah looks at us and we talk to Allah and He talks to us and before He mentions us. We must cleanse ourselves of sin before we stand before Allah.

So wudu is a cleansing of sins.

Point #3: Walking to the Masjid

Number three: If you go to the masjid, the Prophet said in an authentic hadith also in Sahih Muslim:

(Muslim 666)

"Whoever makes wudu in his house then walks to a house of Allah to perform one of the Fard prayers," he says, "every step you take - one step wipes away a sin and the other raises a rank with Allah."

So Allah knows - when we drive, maybe it's every turn of the wheel, every time - Allah knows what it is, but even when we walk from our doorstep to the car, from the parking lot to the masjid, every step we take - and Allah knows, we'll leave the generosity to Allah, we won't try and figure out, Allah is so generous, we can't count the generosity of Allah as you're driving to the masjid, when you walk to the masjid, every step is a sin forgiven, the next step is a rank raised.

So now when you're walking to prayer, not only have you made wudu and cleansed yourself of sin, even more sins are being wiped away.

Point #4: Angels Pray for You Before Prayer

But the mercy doesn't end there. Number four: The Prophet said in Sahih Muslim again that the angels pray for you before prayer. So when you get to the masjid and you sit down and you're waiting for the prayer to begin - let's say you get there a couple minutes early, or the more early the better - he says:

(Muslim 649)

Number one: that you get the reward of as if you are in prayer just when you're waiting for prayer. When you're waiting for the iqama to be called, the imam to start prayer, when you're sitting there in the masjid for those couple minutes, you actually get the reward of prayer.

But then we're talking about how is Salah a means of expiation and forgiveness of our sins. He says:

As you're sitting there, there are angels appointed to make du'a for you, to make du'a for you: "O Allah, forgive him, O Allah have mercy on him."

Point #5: Sins Fall Off During Ruku and Sujood

Number five: The Prophet said in an authentic hadith that's been narrated in the books of Imam al-Bayhaqi and Imam al-Tabarani, authenticated by Imam al-Albani, he says:

(al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, al-Tabarani)

You made wudu, you're sitting in the masjid waiting for prayer, now you say "Allahu Akbar" and you begin prayer. Your sins are brought to you and placed on top of your head and your shoulders - all the sins you have committed. And he says, "Every time you make ruku or sujood, your sins fall off of you."

Can you imagine?

You know, the believer, brothers and sisters, the believer when he prays, when he - how the believer looks at his sins - the mu'min, the Muslim, the believer in Allah - the sin, even if it's the smallest sin possible, the smallest sin you can think of, he looks at that like a mountain on top of his head that's about to fall on him and crush him.

Sufyan al-Thawri رحمه الله said:

"Because just one mistake I made, I was prevented from praying the prayer in the night, Qiyam al-Layl, for six months."

The smallest bad deed that we do, we're worried so much about it - will Allah take us to account for that bad deed? That's what the scholars say. It's said:

"Don't look at how small of a bad deed that you've done, maybe it's just a small thing, but look at the greatness of the One whom you have sinned against."

How can we sin against Allah using the blessings Allah has given us? We use the eyes, the gift from Allah to us, we use it to look at haram.

So the believer, even the smallest deeds, he thinks it's a big deal. But the hypocrite - a bad deed he does, he doesn't pray, he disrespects his mother, even big bad deeds, he doesn't wear hijab, big sins - they look at it like a fly, no big deal, just shoo it away, no big deal.

So when the believer stands before Allah in prayer, he now realizes all his sins are on the top of his head and his shoulders. He prays with so much concentration hoping Allah forgives his sins. So when he goes into ruku, he goes with humility and submission to Allah - "Oh Allah, I submit myself to You, Oh Allah, I turn my life away from the life of sin and I commit myself to You." Then with this humility, the sins fall off of your shoulders and your head as every time you go into ruku or sujood.

Point #6: The Opening Du'a of Prayer

Number six: The Prophet said in an authentic hadith, the sahih hadith in the books of Nasa'i, that when you begin to pray, one of the du'a you can say after you say "Allahu Akbar" is you say this du'a:

(Bukhari 744, Muslim 598)

So you make this du'a to Allah to distance yourself between you and your sins the distance of the east and the west - as great as the distance between the east and the west. And you say, "Oh Allah, cleanse me of my sins as a white garment is cleansed from filth." And you say, "Oh Allah, wash away my sins with water and snow and ice."

So you ask Allah to forgive all your sins as you begin your prayer one of the three du'as that you can mention at the beginning of your prayer.

Point #7: Saying Ameen with the Angels

Number seven: It doesn't end - you see how much Salah is a gift! Number seven: The Prophet said in an authentic hadith in Bukhari and Muslim and other books of hadith:

(Bukhari 780, Muslim 410)

When the imam says "Ameen," then he says you also say "Ameen," because if you say "Ameen" at the exact same time the angels say "Ameen," then all of your sins, all the sins he has committed, are wiped away - just by saying Ameen at the same time as the angels.

And a quick tip - how to say Ameen at the same time as the angels? Say it with proper Tajweed. The "Aa" part is two harakas. So this brother, if you do - everybody with your fist do this and go like this - this is one haraka, closing it is two. So you say "Aameen" - that's how long it is, nothing longer.

You see a lot of times in prayer people are like "Aaaaaaameen" - no, that's incorrect. And then "Meen" - two, four or six depending on what the imam is reciting.

So if you say it at the same time as the angels - imagine how many times you pray - surely sooner or later "Ameen" is going to be at the same time as the angels. All your sins are forgiven.

Point #8: Every Sujood Forgives Sin

Doesn't end there. Number eight: The Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih Muslim:

(Muslim 482)

He says, "Make a lot of sujood" - i.e., make a lot of prayer, but specifically sujood. He says, "Make a lot of sujood because for every time you make a prostration to Allah, your rank is raised and your sin is forgiven."

So every sujood that you make, sins are being forgiven.

Point #9: The Du'a Between the Two Sujoods

Number nine: In the sitting between the two sujoods, what do we say? We say:

"Oh my Master, oh my Lord, forgive me."

We also say, you can also say:

(Abu Dawud 850, Ibn Majah 898)

"Oh Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me, and guide me and give me health and grant me sustenance, and raise my rank."

So the important point that we're focusing on - and just one aspect of the many gifts of Salah - is we say, "Oh Allah, oh my Master, oh my Lord, forgive me."

Point #10: Angels Pray for You After Prayer

Number ten: Now when you're done with prayer, when you finish prayer, just like angels pray for you before prayer - as you're sitting before prayer - so long as you stay in the same position of the prayer, meaning you don't move backwards or get up and walk away, so long as you're sitting in the exact spot you prayed and you don't lose wudu, the Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih Bukhari:

(Bukhari 445)

He says that the angels will pray for you so long as you're in the same position that you just prayed in, so long as you don't break your wudu. The angels say the same du'a at the beginning of prayer that is said at the end of prayer. So long as you're sitting there, the angels - the pure creations of Allah who never sin against Allah - they pray for you: "Oh Allah, forgive him, Oh Allah have mercy on him."

Point #11: Saying Astaghfirullah After Prayer

Number eleven: Doesn't end there. After prayer, the first thing we say - it's the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ - is say "Astaghfirullah" three times. So we ask Allah for forgiveness.

Now brothers and sisters, khushu' in prayer is very important. This is not a lecture on khushu', but not only khushu' in prayer is important, but khushu' when you're making tasbeeh is important.

What do I mean by that? One time Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه saw a man - he was walking around, imagine the scene - the man is saying "Astaghfirullah," "Hey brother, how's it going, what's going on man, you're looking sharp today," "Astaghfirullah," "Hey, how's it going there..." He's saying "Astaghfirullah" but he's not paying attention.

You know sometimes you see people with the masbaha, the tasbeeh, the dhikr beads, and their hands are moving but they're talking to people - "Hey how's it going" - but their hand is still moving as they're talking. What are you doing?

Allah says in the Quran:

"Allah has never given any person, any man, two hearts in his chest." You can't do two things at once.

So Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه sees this man making "Astaghfirullah" like this - you know, just not paying attention - and he says, "Oh the son of my brother," he says, "the way you're saying Astaghfirullah, the way you're asking Allah for forgiveness, requires you to ask Allah for forgiveness."

So when you say Astaghfirullah after prayer, say it with humility - "Oh Allah, please forgive me" - and you focus on what you're saying.

Point #12: The Reward of Post-Prayer Adhkar

It doesn't end there. Number 12: This is a hadith, it's sahih. The Prophet ﷺ said, after every prayer, if you say:

• SubhanAllah 33 times
• Alhamdulillah 33 times
• Allahu Akbar 33 times

Then to make 100, because 33 plus 33 plus 33 is 99, to make 100, you say:

(Muslim 597)

The Prophet ﷺ says: "Whoever says this, his sins will be forgiven even if they were as much as the foam of the sea."

Can you imagine? Just by saying this adhkar for - how long does it take? Two minutes, three minutes - but people don't do it.

Point #13: Two Things That Guarantee Jannah

Number 13, and we'll end with this last point: The Prophet ﷺ says in an authentic hadith - I'm sorry, it's a hadith in the books of Imam al-Nasa'i, he's actually classified as Hasan by most scholars, wallahu a'lam - he says ﷺ that there are two things that are so easy to do that will grant a person Jannah if they do it, but people don't do it.

Two simple things that the Prophet ﷺ is guaranteeing Jannah for this person if they do it, but he's saying people don't do it. What does he say?

The first thing is, he says that after every prayer - you know the first hadith that we mentioned says 33 times, there's also a narration that says 10 times - so he says ﷺ, you say:

After every prayer:

• SubhanAllah 10 times
• Alhamdulillah 10 times
• Allahu Akbar 10 times

So that's how much? 30 after every prayer. So 30 times 5 prayers a day is how much? 150.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Tirmidhi 3410, Nasa'i 1348)

He says that it's only 150 on the tongue - 150 times you said SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, or Allahu Akbar - but he says it counts as 1500 in the scales. Why? Allah says in the Quran, if you do one good deed, Allah is going to give you 10 times the reward.

Just like every time you made prayer, it was originally 50 but it became 5, but when you pray 5 prayers, you get the reward as if you prayed 50 prayers.

So he ﷺ says, just saying 150 times - SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah after every prayer, 30 after each, total it's 150 on the tongue, 1500 in the scales.

Then he says, and before you sleep, you say:

• SubhanAllah 33 times
• Alhamdulillah 33 times
• Allahu Akbar 34 times

That makes 100. He says it's 100 on the tongue, 1000 on the scales.

He then says ﷺ, so 1500 after the prayers as a good deed and then the 1000 before you sleep - that's equal to 2500 good deeds.

Then he says, "Who amongst you commits 2500 bad deeds a day?"

If we do this every day, we get 2500 good deeds. Who does 2500 bad deeds a day?

Now why is he asking this question? Because in the beginning of the hadith, he ﷺ said, "If you do this, you're guaranteed Jannah." Because brothers and sisters, Allah says:

"Good deeds wipe away bad deeds."

So every good deed you do wipes away a bad deed. So if you did 2500 bad deeds in a day, if you just do this - pray the five prayers, make this adhkar after each prayer (10 times SubhanAllah, 10 times Alhamdulillah, 10 times Allahu Akbar) and before you sleep the 33, 33, 34 - even if you did 2500 bad deeds, this adhkar wipes that out, and then now you're free of sin. Jannah is yours.

Can you imagine? Do you see, brothers and sisters, after all these things we just mentioned - 13 different ways in which our sins are wiped away by Allah? Just wudu is enough to wipe away our sins, but everything - what a gift from Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala!

The Importance of Praying on Time

You see, brothers and sisters, how it is - if we just take care of our prayers with humility and with khushu', and we pray five times a day and pray on time. That's important, because if you don't pray on time, Allah actually described the people of Hellfire as those who prayed - they actually prayed five prayers a day - but they didn't pray on time.

They pray on their appointed time - your sins are wiped away. What a gift from Allah! What a gift from AllahSalah is!

A Warning Against Taking Advantage of Allah's Mercy

So now you're in Ramadan, you're getting ready for Ramadan. Ramadan is a time when we actually increase in our prayer, so increase in your prayer and let Salah be a means of cleansing your sins.

Now, that's why I said I apologize, I'm going to go a little over the time. And the reason why is I can't say what I just said without giving this disclaimer, because maybe somebody says, "Wow, 13 different ways in which my sins are forgiven! I can do whatever I want - I'll have a girlfriend, I'll go to the club, I'll drink alcohol, I'm not going to wear hijab - I can do whatever I want because why? Allah is so merciful, I just pray. All I'm going to do is pray five times a day."

Look, brothers and sisters, you see, Salah is a gift and Salah is a mercy from Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala. You know, even before we talk about Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, one of the things that makes us as humans the most angry is when somebody takes advantage of our kindness. We give someone a gift and then they use that gift against us.

Maybe your boss says, "Hey," he hires a good friend of his and gets him into work. The guy comes in late the next day. He comes in late and he actually starts eating the food at the restaurant. The next day he comes in late and he actually orders a whole buffet meal and takes it home for his family, doesn't pay for it or anything. Okay, there's a point where even if the boss is nice, there's a point where this is too much.

You know, I just want you to think for a second - this is a gift Allah has given us. How do you think, how should we feel if we're going to use this gift Allah has given us and say, "Oh Allah, I'm going to play games with your religion, I'm going to take advantage of your mercy, I'm going to find loopholes in the system and I'm going to do whatever I want outside of Salah and just do these two things, and then bam, I'm good, I'm going to Jannah"? It doesn't work like that.

The Warning About Deceiving Allah

Allah says about the hypocrites:

The hypocrites, they try and deceive Allah, but Allah actually deceives them.

But it's as simple as this: If we try and take advantage of the mercy of Allah, then what? Allah can simply just say, "You know what, wudu is not going to wipe away your sins anymore, and Ameen is not going to wipe away your sins anymore, all that we mentioned is not going to wipe away your sins anymore." Simple as that.

And then what? Now you think we're taking advantage of the mercy of Allah, but what happens? You're not getting the reward. It's as simple as that. If you play games with Allah, Allah can, if He so wills, stop this mercy from coming to you.

It's a gift if you use it right.

The Conversation of Isa عليه السلام with Allah

And I'll end with this one of the most powerful verses in the Quran, and all of them are powerful.

Allah says about Isa عليه السلام when he's talking to Allah about the people who have taken him as a son of Allah. Allah says, Isa tells Allah:

"If you punish them, then they are your slaves, you can do with them as you wish. And if you forgive them, then You are certainly Al-Aziz, the Most Mighty and Powerful, Al-Hakim, the Most Wise."

Now Allah responds, and this is where we have to understand. Allah says:

"Today" - on the Day of Judgment - "today is the day that those who are truthful with Allah, their truthfulness will benefit them."

If you're sincere with Allah, Allah knows that we're weak and we commit sins, but if we take Salah as a gift and with full sincerity to Allah we try and keep coming closer to Allah, and we know that Salah - if we make mistakes - if we're sincere to Allah, the Salah will wipe away our sins.

And if we're truthful like that - even if we never get to the point where we leave off sin, but we keep trying and we keep sticking to our prayer - Allah says, "Today is the day that the one who is sincere and truthful with Allah, this sincerity and truthfulness will benefit them."

"They will be granted paradise underneath which rivers flow, gardens and gardens underneath which rivers flow. Then He says they will stay there in forever."

And the greatest statement ever:

"Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah. That is the most supreme success."

The Greatest Gift in Jannah: Seeing Allah

I'll end with this last statement. Allah in Jannah, He will appear to the believers in Jannah and He will call to them. And the greatest gift of Allah in Jannah is to see the face of Allah.

Imagine this: You're in Jannah with the believers, with the prophets, with the messengers, with Maryam عليها السلام and Asiya رضي الله عنها and all these wonderful men and women. And Allah calls you directly and He says:

(Muslim 2829)

"O people of Jannah, are you pleased?"

Imagine Allah asking us, "Are you pleased?" And the people of Jannah will say:

"O Allah, how can we not be pleased when you have given us things that you have never given to anyone else from your creation?"

We're in Jannah, we have whatever we want from food and drink and palaces, we're in Jannah.

And Allah says to the people of Jannah:

"Should I not give you something greater than all of the delights of Jannah?"

And they say, "O Allah, what is greater than all that you have given us?"

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells them:

"I have granted you My pleasure. You have earned what you've worked for in this world. And this time that we live in this world, you have struggled and strove in My path, you left off your desires for My sake. So now I have granted you My pleasure."

That's the greatest blessing.

"And I will never ever be angry with you again."

Closing Du'a

"This is the day in which those who are truthful with Allah, this truthfulness will benefit them. They will stay in Jannah with rivers flowing beneath them forever."

"Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah."

We end with that. Jazakum Allahu khairan for your patience and your time.

We ask Allah to make us amongst those who witness Ramadan and allow us to benefit all the fruits of Ramadan.

We ask Allah to make us that we leave Ramadan with our sins forgiven.

We ask Allah to allow us and gift us with perhaps the greatest gift of Ramadan - the ability to witness a night that is better than a thousand months.

Allahumma Ameen. Jazakum Allahu khairan for your patience.

We ask Allah to bring us benefit from that which we heard and to allow what we have learned and what we have heard to be beneficial to us.

Allahumma Ameen. Jazakum Allahu khairan.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.