Memorise and practice a new hadeeth every week!
By Mawlana Junayd Makda Sahib
Salaah is the key to Jannah
مِفْتَاحُ الْجَنَّةِ الصَّلاَةُ
Our Beloved Nabi ﷺ said, “The Key to paradise (Jannah) is salaah”
Tirmidhi
Explanation
We all want to go to Jannah, and we know, it is good actions which will take us there.
However, there is no action which quite ranks as high as performing the 5 times daily salaah; at its appointed time, with both heart and mind present, with complete cleanliness and in the manner taught to us by our beloved Nabi ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, we learn that salaah is so important that it is the key to entering Jannah.
A few other ahadeeth and Quran verses teach us the importance of salaah by saying:
● Performing salah is the difference between belief and disbelief (Muslim)
● Once in salah, a believer is talking to Allah Ta’ala (Bukhari)
● On the Day of Qiyamah the first thing we will be questioned about is salaah (Tabrani)
● Salaah keeps one (away) from the great sins and evil deeds” (Qur’an 29:45)
● The closest a believer comes to Allah Ta’ala is in the position of sajdah (Bukhari)
● Salaah illuminates the heart and will bring a person light and salvation on the Day of Qiyamah. (Kanzul ummal)
● The 5 times salaah cleans a person from minor sins, just like a person who cleans himself from dirt by bathing 5 times a day
Let us hold fast to the 5 times salaah and also offer as many optional salaah as possible too.
The Companion who continued with salaah
Abbad bin Bishr رضي الله عنه is not a very well known companion of our beloved Nabi ﷺ. On one occasion, after returning from a battle, the companions and our beloved Nabi ﷺ set camp in a place. Abbad and Ammar رضي الله عنهما were appointed the responsibility of night watch.
Everyone went to sleep and Abbad and Ammar رضي الله عنهما split the night between them. Ammar رضي الله عنه went to sleep while Abbad رضي الله عنه would keep watch for the first half of the night.
Making sure not to waste his time, Abbad رضي الله عنه stood up for optional salah. He became so absorbed in recitation and salaah, that a person from the enemy in search of Muhammad ﷺ and his followers, from a distance saw the figure of Abbad رضي الله عنه and silently drew his bow, and fired an arrow which embedded itself in Abbad’s رضي الله عنه flesh. Calmly, Abbad رضي الله عنه removed the arrow and continued with his recitation, still absorbed in his salaah.
The attacker shot two more arrows, which also found their mark. Abbad رضي الله عنه pulled them out and continued his recitation. Abbad رضي الله عنه continued the prayer to its end and then woke Ammar رضي الله عنه saying: “Get up and stand guard in my place. I have been wounded.” Ammar stood up and seeing them both, the attacker fled into the darkness.
Ammar رضي الله عنه turned to Abbad رضي الله عنه saying: “Why didn’t you wake me up when you were hit by the first arrow?” Abbad رضي الله عنه replied: “I was reciting verses of the Qur’an which filled my soul with awe and I did not want to cut short the recitation.”
Moral:
From this story, we learn how beloved salaah was to the companions of our beloved Nabi ﷺ.
We should not be shocked by this. We also have this quality but sadly we use this in other futile and many times sinful activities such as watching movies, engaged in sports and entertainment and playing games. While in these activities we are so absorbed that we forget about what is happening around us.
If only this condition would be present when we recited the Quran, made dua to Allah Ta’ala or performed salah.
