= The Prayer and its Effect in Removing Sins =

Assalam o alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
JazakALLAH KHAIR for reading..!
May ALLAH subhana wa ta'ALA bless us and keep us on the straight path ameen sum ameen
Allaah said:
Indeed prayer restrains from the obscene and evil deeds.[ 1]
Allaah has explained in this verse that a correct prayer, performed
with khushoo’ undoubtedly prevents its performer from obscene and evil
deeds and leads him to goodness. Therefore, you will see that the people
of the mosque are the most superior of mankind and the best amongst
them. The sins and shortcomings of others are many times more than the
sins and shortcomings of these people.
If the prayer does not prevent us from obscene and evil deeds then it
is necessary to carefully scrutinize the deficiency within it and to
correct it. There is no escaping from correcting one’s prayer and there
is no fleeing from bringing about khushoo’ within it. So let us look at
the causes and let us strive to treat them with the cure. Just like we
treat our bodies for their diseases, the treatment of the souls is more
appropriate and comes first. And this is what will help us to understand
the saying of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam): “The first
thing for which a servant will be held to account for is his prayer. If
it is correct and sound, all the rest of his actions will be correct and
sound and if it is corrupt then all the rest of his actions will be
corrupt.”[2]
So in the correction of the prayer lies the corection of all the
other actions. The position of the prayer (relative to all the other
actions) is like that of the head to the body. This is because the
servant is nearest to his Lord during his prayer, he calls upon his Lord
and seeks forgiveness from Him. He returns to Allaah and cries to Him,
the Sublime.
The prayer cannot be corrected except with the correction of the
aqeedah (belief), being observant of Allaah, having fear of Him,
bringing oneself to account in front of Him, and trembling out of fear
of His Fire. When he finishes his prayer and is put to trial with sins
and disobedience, he finds strength in his heart to repel them. This is
because he looks at the the temporary and vanishing pleasures and then
at the bliss and joy which never ends and the happiness which is never
cut off. So he puts the good which will remain (and last forever) ahead
of that which is only transitory and vanishes.
The prayer of the servant is corrupted due to lack of the careful
observance of Allaah and weakness in taqwaa[3]. He is, therefore, not
able to produce such awe which will come in between him and his acts of
disobedience.
There also occurs in the hadeeth: “Indeed there is in the body a
morsel of flesh which if it be sound and wholesome, the whole body will
be sound and wholesome and which if it be corrupt, the whole body will
be corrupt. Indeed it is the heart.”[4]
In the correction and purification of the heart lies the correction
of the whole body and in the corruption of the heart lies the corruption
of the whole body. If the heart is corrected, the hand will be
corrected so that it does not steal or strike anyone or commit zina by
touching what is unlawful. The feet will also be corrected so that they
do not walk towards what is unlawful. The ears will be put straight so
that they do not listen to musical instruments, slander or backbiting.
The situation of the tongue will improve so that it does not speak
except what is good. If the heart is corrupted, the whole body becomes
corrupt and the limbs will not depart except towards evil conduct and
mischief.
The matter of the heart is either set aright or corrupted by the
prayer. If the prayer is good it is an indication that the heart has
benefitted and that it is sound and wholesome. If it is not good, it is
an indication of the heart receiving little benefit and of its
corruption. Evil deeds then become manifest and overtake the limbs.
Know that every prayer which is performed with awe and humility
enlivens the heart and stimulates it to do good deeds and also makes it
adapt to good deeds, just as every good action which is performed
outside of the prayer increases ones khushoo within the prayer. In a
hadeeth there occurs: “Upon you is the Night Prayer (Tahajjud) as it was
the habit of the righteous people before you, is a means of nearness to
Allaah the Exalted, a prevention from evil deeds and an expiation for
sins.”[5]
The Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) has made it clear that
the Night Prayer is a prevention from sins in that it stops the one who
performs it from evil deeds and incites him to do good deeds. Therefore,
it is necessary for us to establish the prayer and to increase in it
and likewise we must perform the Night Prayer, standing awe-struck,
humble and submissive to Allaah the Sublime. Our hearts weeping over
what we have neglected and fallen short of while hoping for the mercy of
our Lord. We seek nearness to him by calling Him by His Names and
Attributes, asking Him by them that he establishes us (upon His path)
and that He gives us benefit from our prayer and standing at night.
It was said to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam): So and so
prays the whole of the night, yet when he reaches the morning he steals!
He (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: “What you say (i.e. about his
prayer) should prevent him from that” or he said: “His prayer will
prevent him (from that).”[6]
When the prayer of the servant reaches it’s goal in preventing him
from sin and disobedience it is written for him in Iliyyeen as is
mentioned in the hadeeth: “If a prayer is performed after another prayer
and there is no foolishness (vain talk) between them, it is written in
Illiyyeen.”[7]
Do not, therefore, let it escape you that the prayer will prevent you
from entering your house towards sin or going out towards it because it
has been reported from Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) said: “When you leave your house, pray two rakahs, they
will prevent you from going out towards evil and when you enter your
home pray two rakahs, they will prevent you from entering into evil.”[8]

NOTES

[1] Surah Ankaboot 29:45
[2] Reported by at-Tabaraanee in [al-Awsat] and [ad-Diyaa] from Anas (ra). It is also in [Saheeh ul-Jaami'], no. 2570.
[3] The taabi’ee, Talq ibn Habeeb was asked to define taqwaa. He said:
“Taqwaa is to act in obedience to Allaah, hoping for His Mercy upon a
light from Him and taqwaa is to abandon acts of disobedience to Allaah,
out of fear of Him upon a light from Him.” Reported by Ibn Abi Shaibah
in his [Kitaab ul-Eemaan], no. 99. Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) explained the
phrase “…upon a light from Him…” to mean pure and correct Eemaan, that
nothing but pure Eemaan initiated the servant to perform the action.
[Translators note]
[4] Reported by Bukhaaree, Muslim and others from an-Nu’maan ibn Basheer (ra).
[5] Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad, at-Tirmidhee and others. It is also in [Saheeh ul-Jaami'], no. 3957.
[6] Reported by Ahmad, Bazzaar and others. Shaikh al-Albaanee declared
it Saheeh in his Silsilat ul-Aahaadeeth id-Da’eefah, Vol. 1, p. 16, in
relation to the false hadeeth: “Whoever is not prevented by his prayer
from committing obscene and evil deeds does not increase except in
distance from Allaah.”
[7] Reported by Abu Daawood and others. It is also in [Saheeh ul-Jaami'], no. 3731.
[8] Reported by al-Bazzaar and al-Bayhaqee in [Shu'ab ul-Eemaan. It is also in [Saheeh ul-Jaami'], no. 518.