8 Farhan Abdul Azeez Sweetness of Salah The Key to Success

Sweetness of Salah: The Key to Success

The Dua of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab

The daughter of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab states that she heard her father make a very interesting dua. Her father made a supplication to Allah. He says, "Oh Allah, I ask you to die in your path, but also to die in the city of your prophet in Medina."

Now, she says when she heard her father say that, "How is that possible? When the battles, the jihad was occurring in Bilad al-Sham, in Iraq, in Northern Africa. How are you expecting to die a shaheed in Medina?" And he says, "Allah can do as He wills. This is my wish. To die a shaheed in the way of Allah. To die a martyr in the path of Allah, and to die in the city of Muhammad."

The Martyrdom of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab During Fajr Prayer

Now Allah answered the dua of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. At the time of Salat al-Fajr, one morning, he came to lead the believers in prayer. And now it is said about Salat al-Fajr in jama'ah, in the masjid, that Masjid Nabawi was so full that it was not uncommon for people to come stand next to the imam because there was no space in the back. This is what the Prophet left behind - an ummah, a community, who fills the masjid for Salat al-Fajr.

Now the imam, we typically hear he says, "Straighten the lines." Now Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, when he would say that, he would actually walk between the lines, and with his own hands, straighten the line, man by man. So imagine this scene: you have, it's like an army behind the imam, shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot. No one is off a straight line.

And it was said that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, he would recite long surahs - Surah Yusuf, Surah Naml. He would recite long surahs. This was the sunnah of the Prophet in Salat al-Fajr. He would recite long surahs, and also it gives time for people to come. They have to make wudu, wake up, things like this. It gives them time.

The Attack During Prayer

So Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, after doing this, he begins the prayer: Allahu Akbar. Now behind a pillar in the front of the masjid, hid a slave by the name of Abu Lu'lu Al-Majusi - Abu Lu'lu, the fire worshipper. When Umar Ibn Al-Khattab began the prayer, he jumped out from behind this pillar with this dagger that had two heads. And some narrations say he soaked it in poison for one month, hoping that if this stabbing doesn't kill the individual, the poison will.

And he stabs Ameer Al-Mu'mineen Umar Al-Khattab three times, or two times in different narrations, in the chest, in the shoulder, and beneath his navel. Now the one beneath his navel, he split open to the point that the narration says the contents of the abdomen of Umar were hanging out.

Now, when this happens, imagine this scene: the imam is praying Salat al-Fajr, you have jama'ah behind him, what happens? Now the people in the back, they don't know what's going on, so they say, "SubhanAllah." The imam stopped reciting, so they're correcting the imam to recite.

Umar's Response: Completing the Prayer

Now Umar Al-Khattab, what does he do? Stabbed three times, to the point that, again, the lower abdominal injury was so bad that his contents were sticking out. He grabs Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ one of the senior sahaba behind him, and gets him to lead the prayer, and then he passes out unconscious.

Now Abdur Rahman finishes the prayer. Look at this - Abdur Rahman finishes the prayer. They don't stop the prayer. As-Salah. He finishes the prayer, but he recites a short prayer.

Now Abu Lu'lu Al-Majusi, now he's facing literally an army, and so what does he do? He dives into the ranks of the believers and starts stabbing left and right. He stabbed thirteen sahaba, seven of whom died on the spot, until one sahabi threw his cloak over Abu Lu'lu, and he was covered in this cloak in confusion and darkness. They don't have lights like we do now, just a few lanterns. So he realized he's gonna be captured, so he committed suicide. He killed himself.

Umar Carried Home

Now Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf finishes the prayer, and Abdullah, the son of Umar, narrates what happens next. He says:

"We came to my father to carry him home, and the blood was flowing from his injuries."

His injuries were flowing with blood. Now we know that those in the medical field, specifically abdominal injuries, are one of the most catastrophic, because blood can flow or pool in the body quickly, and you will die from internal bleeding. He has open wounds, open abdominal injuries, in which blood is flowing.

So he says:

"I put my hand, my fingers, over the injury to stop the blood from flowing."

"My hand entered into his stomach."

So he says, "I took out my turban, and we tied it around his injury to stop the bleeding. We carried him home, and my father was completely knocked out. He didn't know what was going on."

Umar Awakens: His First Words

Now they take him home, and they're trying to wake him up. "(يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - Ya Ameer al-Mu'mineen!)" He's not responding to anything. Some narrations say he only woke up when they said:

"The prayer, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen!"

Then out of unconsciousness, he wakes up into consciousness. And the narration says:

"He looked to the right and he looked to the left."

And now imagine this scene: you have people crying, women crying behind the curtains. The sahaba around Umar, they're concerned and they're worried about him. And his body is pulsating with pain. And you know what his first words are when he wakes up? You know what he says?

He says: (أَصَلَّى النَّاسُ؟ - Asalla al-nas?) "Did the people complete the prayer? Did the people complete the prayer?"

And they say, "Yes, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen."

Umar Insists on Making Wudu and Praying

Then he looks to the crowd and he sees his son. He says, "Ya Abdullah, bring me water." So he says, "Do you want to drink?" He says, "No."

"I need to make wudu. I didn't complete my Salat al-Fajr."

"I was cut off from Salat."

So he says, he brings him the water. And this states, you know, they brought a doctor to him and they had him drink milk, and the milk poured out from the wound he had. That's how bad of an injury he had, Umar Al-Khattab. And they say when that happened, we knew he was going to die. At that state, he wants to make wudu - not just to him, he wants to make wudu to pray.

And then he says, "Abdullah (أَقْعِدْنِي - Aq'idni) - sit me up." He was lying down. He says, "Sit me up." And his son tells him, "O my father, (أَبَتَاهُ - abatahu) - you're in this state, you want me to sit you up? Really?"

And he says: (أَقْعِدْنِي لَا أُمَّ لَكَ - Aq'idni la umma lak) - "Sit me up. May you have no mother!" Meaning like, "Come on man, sit me up. There's not a time to mess around."

And his son tries to sit him up. He says, "I don't want to pray. I don't accept praying lying down." And this states, and so when they sat him up, his injury opened, and the contents of his abdomen, his intestines, popped out a second time. And he let out this cry of pain. So they laid him back down, and they covered the injury. And then he prayed (صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ - salat al-fajr).

Umar Learns Who Killed Him

And this states, now after this, after this, he asks the question that we would all think he would ask right away:

"Who killed me?"

And they say, "The slave of Al-Mughirah." And he says, "Abu Lu'lu'ah, the Majusi, the fire worshiper?" And they say, "Yes."

The Status of Prayer in Umar's Life

And you know, Umar Al-Khattab, he says - now brothers and sisters, if you don't understand the position of prayer from what we have mentioned so far, then you'll understand it from this. Umar Al-Khattab says:

When he was told it was the fire worshiper who killed you, he says, "All praise is due to Allah who has not made my death at the hands of a man who has even made one sajda to Allah by which, by virtue of just making one sajda, one prostration to Allah, he can argue against me in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment. Just one sajda."

This was the status of salah in the lives of our ancestors, our heroes, our fathers.

The Prophet's Example

Now, where did Umar learn this from? You know, the Prophet, before he died, he was knocked out completely unconscious. And the time for (صَلَاةُ الْعِشَاءِ - salat al-isha'i) was there and the companions filled the masjid. And when the Prophet awoke, you know what his first words were? The same words Umar said:

(أَصَلَّى النَّاسُ؟ - Asalla al-nas?) "Have the people prayed?"

"No, Ya Rasulullah, they are waiting for you."

So he says, "Bring me water so I can make ghusl." They brought him water. He tried and he passed out. That's how sick he was. He was so sick that when he would come out, when it was late, he would come out - his arms would be around Ali and Abbas and Usama ibn Zayd and different sahaba would carry him out.

And he says:

"He was so sick his feet were dragging behind him on the ground."

In this state, he kept asking four times he awoke. All four times they brought him water and he tried to make ghusl to pray. He kept saying when he woke up his first words: (أَصَلَّى النَّاسُ - Asalla al-nas?) "Have the people prayed?"

Brothers and sisters, this is the importance of prayer in our lives.

Guarding Our Prayers

And the question is: do we guard our prayers? Five times a day is all we are asked of. Or do we delay our prayer? When we are at work, are we afraid that our boss will say, "What are you doing?" Are we afraid to make

wudu? He was about to die and he made wudu. Are we afraid to make wudu publicly and people will catch us with our foot in the sink saying, "What are you doing, foolish person?" Do we worry about what people will say? My work is more important. My studies are more important. I have patients to attend to. I have bills I have to take care of. I have things that are required of my time. I have to make it to class. I can't miss salah.

The Severe Warning for Delaying Prayer

You know, Allah says in Surah Maryam:

"There came after them an ummah who left off the prayer and followed their desires, so they will meet al-ghayy."

Al-ghayy, brothers and sisters, is a valley in hellfire of which hellfire itself seeks refuge from this part of it. Now Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه he says these people didn't leave their prayer. They actually pray the five prayers. These people who will meet a valley in hellfire so severe, they actually pray five times a day. But what did they do?

When the time for Dhuhr would come, they wouldn't delay Dhuhr till after Dhuhr. They would delay Dhuhr till the bazaar. One minute before Asr comes in, I'm gonna pray Dhuhr, and then pray Asr right away and get the combo deal, two for one discount. These people, these people will meet al-ghayy in hellfire. What about those who don't pray at all? What about those who don't pray at all?

The First Question on the Day of Judgment

See, we underestimate the importance of salah in our lives. It's become a task, something we have to do. Some of us don't even pray on time. Now for those who don't pray at all, Allah says about the people of Jannah, they'll be sitting in Jannah, and they're gonna be asking about the people of hellfire. He says:

Allah says about the people, the companions of the right hand, the people of Jannah, they're going to be asking about the criminals, and they will say to them, "What caused you to enter into hellfire?" The affair has been settled, the people of Jannah are in Jannah, the people of hellfire are in hellfire. What caused you to enter hellfire?

"We didn't used to be amongst those who would pray."

The first reason they give: we didn't used to pray to Allah.

Our Life Between Adhan and Salah

You know, brothers and sisters, you know the first thing that, when we are born into this world, what is the first

thing we hear in our ears? Those of you who are born into Islam with Muslim parents - the first thing we hear is the adhan, the call to prayer. Now you don't pray, you're not a one-day-old who stands up after you hear the adhan, "Allahu Akbar," you don't pray. But you hear the call to prayer.

Now fast forward sixty to seventy years later when you die - the average age of this ummah sixty to seventy, although death can come at any time. When you die, is there adhan called for your prayer? No. But is there a prayer that is made? Yes. So our life is between adhan and salah. That is our life. And for the one who misses out on this life, the life of a believer, they have not lived. They have not lived. Our life is between adhan and salah.

The Story of Abdullah: The Paralyzed Man

You know, there was a man who was paralyzed from neck down. He was healthy. He had an accident. His name is Abdullah. He had an accident, and this accident paralyzed him from neck down.

Brothers and sisters, imagine if you left the masjid - (لَا سَمَحَ اللهُ - la samaha Allah) - you get in a car accident, you're hospitalized, and you're paralyzed from neck down. Somebody who in his thirties, so he's lived the peak of life, he's lived through strength and health, he's experienced the sweetness of this dunya, and now he's paralyzed from neck down.

They asked him, "O Abdullah, if you had three wishes, what would they be? Three wishes you can make." Imagine you're posed this question being paralyzed. I think the first wish we would all make is, "O Allah, give me health again."

You know his first wish, what the wish was? He says, "I wish to make a sajda to Allah. I wish I had the physical ability to put my forehead down on the earth and humbly submit myself to Allah and make sajda to Allah. And he says, I wish I would never rise from that sajda again."

And then he says, "You know, when I was healthy, I didn't used to pray. I didn't used to pray. But he says, when people come visit me now paralyzed - my family, my friends, people I don't know - they come and visit me, they feel sorry for me. They feel mercy. They feel sadness. SubhanAllah, we saw you just the other day walking with us, now you can't even use the bathroom by yourself. They feel sorry for him."

You know what he says? "But what I find so strange is that when I didn't used to pray, when I didn't used to pray, no one felt sorry for me. We give importance to the issues of this world, but the one who doesn't pray is destroyed in akhira."

The promise is guaranteed. The Prophet says the first thing you will be asked about on the Day of Judgment is as-salah. If it's good, then whatever comes after will be good. But if you have left off your prayer, if you have destroyed your prayer, if you didn't pray on its time, then whatever comes after is worse.

He says, "No one felt sorry for me when I didn't used to pray, but now you feel sorry for me." He says, "I fear the verse of Allah."

The Day When the Shin Will Be Uncovered

When Allah says: on the Day when the shin will be uncovered, and the believers and the hypocrites will be there, they will be called to make one sajda to Allah. But those who didn't used to pray, or those who used to pray but did it to show off, Allah says they won't be able to make sajda.

And at that moment, the scholars say, the sahaba said, it will be like an iron rod is placed in their back. Straight. When they try to go down, they will fall backwards in humility, in disgrace. And Allah says at that point, their eyes will be humbled and they'll be overwhelmed with regret and remorse.

And Allah says: they were called to make sajda in this world while they were healthy. While you were healthy, brothers and sisters, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, the muezzin calls you five times a day to prayer. You're healthy. Did you answer the call? Come to prayer. Come to success.

True Success Lies in Salah

Indeed, brothers and sisters, the success of every believer, every human being, lies after Islam in salah. And there is no iman. There is no iman. There is no faith. There is no ounce of belief in the one who left off salah.

The Prophet said in Sahih Muslim that the difference between a believer and kufr and shirk is the abandonment of prayer.

The Man in Syria Who Never Prayed

You know, in Syria, what's happening right now? What's happening right now in Syria, we ask Allah to give our brothers and sisters in Bilad al-Sham, in Syria, in Palestine, and all around the area, victory in all across the world. Allahumma ameen. We ask Allah to strengthen them and to firm them, and to grant them victory over their oppressors. Allahumma ameen.

There was a man who was arrested by the soldiers of Bashar. And you've seen the videos, and you've seen the reports. They're beaten and tortured, being told to make sajda to a picture of Bashar. And they are told to say, "Say, la ilaha illa Bashar. Say there is no god but Bashar."

Now this man is being beaten. And you've seen the videos, you know what they go through. And if you haven't, watch them. Watch them to know the thabat that's required of the believers in this day and age. Watch them so you understand what it takes to be a believer in this time, when believers are few and far in between. When believers who stick to the deen of Allah in front of these tests from governments, and from fear and torture, they never give in. We ask Allah to give us all the thabat and the strength to face them, to face these tests, and to die with la ilaha illa Allah on our tongues.

This man, he's being beaten and told to say, "La ilaha illa Bashar." You know what he says? He refuses. And he refuses to even make prostration while he's being beaten. When they took him to the prison, they asked him, "Why? It's allowed. In face of torture, you can listen to them."

He says, "I have never once in my life made a sujood before. I've never prayed before. And I didn't want my first sujood to be to anyone other than Allah."

When you go through a test like this, you realize salah, the value of salah in your life.

First Khutbah Conclusion

The value of salah in your life.

Second Khutbah: Taking Care of Our Salah

Brothers and sisters, as we mentioned, the first thing the Prophet says:

"Indeed, the first thing the servant will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment is his salah."

"If he took care of his salah, then he has indeed attained success."

"And if he didn't take care of his salah, then he is destroyed. He has lost everything."

Now, we ask Allah to make us all amongst those who pray five times a day.

The Story of the Man Who Didn't Pray Properly

But let's look at what the Prophet said. This is a narration, an authentic narration in Bukhari and Muslim and other books of hadith, in which the Prophet was sitting in the masjid and a man came into the masjid and he prayed two rak'ahs. And as he was leaving, he said salam to the Prophet.

And the Prophet told him:

"Go back and pray, for you haven't prayed."

The man prayed a second time. He prayed! He literally went through all the motions of salah, and the Prophet a second time tells him:

"Go back and pray, for you haven't prayed."

This happened three times until the man told the Prophet:

"Ya Rasulullah, I swear by the One who has sent you with the truth, I don't know how to do better than what you have seen me do, so teach me, Ya Rasulullah."

So the Prophet taught him how to pray properly. When you go into ruku, when you go into sujood, when you go into sitting, every position of prayer, you have to stop. Don't rush through prayer.

Reward Based on Presence of Heart

Now the question is, brothers and sisters, the Prophet said in an authentic hadith:

"A man can pray prayer and you'll only be given a tenth of it, a ninth, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or a quarter, or a third, or a half."

Why? Because Ibn Al-Qayyim, he says: (بِإِجْمَاعِ السَّلَفِ - bi'ijma'i as-salaf) - "As a consensus of all the scholars, you will only be rewarded from your salah":

"You will only be rewarded from that which you understand and that which your heart is focused and attentive in."

So now the question is, brothers and sisters: how many of us by this definition pray just five times a day? It's scary. It's a scary proposition, because it's the first question we'll be asked about.

Announcement About the Conference

So brothers and sisters, inshallah ta'ala, tonight the masjid is holding a conference this weekend. Tonight we begin with, at 8:15, recitation from the Holy Quran. And then after Salatul Maghrib, Sheikh Yasir Birjazi, Imam of the Valley Ranch Masjid, will be sharing - now the theme of the conference is actually welcoming Ramadan.

Now my topic today was about salah, but the reason why is, as the hadith says, if you don't take care of salah, everything else after is going to be lost. And in Ramadan we increase in our salah. So we have to learn how to pray and how to feel and taste salah.

But tonight, inshallah ta'ala, 8:15 we start with the recitation of the Quran, Salatul Maghrib. And then after that we will have our first session with Sheikh Yasir Birjazi about fasting in Ramadan, specifically in the time of the summer and dealing with the heat.

Then tomorrow from 10 a.m., inshallah ta'ala, I will be presenting a seminar about salah. We talked about the importance of prayer. Inshallah ta'ala, tomorrow from 10 until 7 p.m. - I know the flyer says 5, but we're actually going to extend it because we have a lot to cover - until 7 p.m. For those of you who can stay, you're welcome. If you can't, then inshallah ta'ala, you can go home and come back for the evening.

From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. we're going to go through a seminar: Sweetness of Salah - Developing khushu' and concentration in your prayer. And we're going to go through every stage of salah and how we can taste the sweetness, inshallah, that will make our salah different. And I've taught this program a few places before. Alhamdulillah, the people have said it's changed their complete outlook on salah. We ask Allah to bless us, to give us life so we can attend this program tomorrow, so we can benefit from salah.

After, at 7 p.m., there's a break. And then inshallah ta'ala, after Salatul Maghrib, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan will be here, my teacher - just like Sheikh Yasir is my teacher, hafidhahumulllah. He will be giving a talk about Ramadan and the Quran:

"This is the month of the Quran."

So he'll be sharing with us from Maghrib to Isha. We have, inshallah ta'ala, a packed program. And after, Sunday, after Salatul Fajr, inshallah I'll be giving a short reminder. And then we'll have a community breakfast for everyone. Everyone is welcome to come join us throughout this program.

Closing Dua