#18 Salaat: the Second Pillar of Islam

A companion once approached the Prophet, peace be upon him, asking: “Which act of man is the dearest to Allah?” The Prophet (pbuh) replied: “Salaat. [After which] is kindness to parents.”

Salaat, formal prayer, is the second pillar of Islam. Although formal, it should not be formalistic. Rather it is the outward manifestation of an inward state of worship and connection to God.

Islamic sources enumerate the benefits of salaat. It guards a person from evil and sin. It paves the way for forgiveness, as sins drop off the worshipper just as dry leaves fall from a shaking branch. Salaat is described as a key to heaven, and the “m’iraaj”, the spiritual ascent, of a believer. Yet rather than a flight from the body, salaat is the purification, integration and ultimately the transformation of the body, mind and heart as the means for drawing close to God and for doing good in the world.

Before performing salaat, Muslims cleanse themselves from any dirt, bodily discharge or unclean substances. They then perform “wudu” (ablutions) by washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, ears, neck and feet. While washing the physical body, one asks God for forgiveness for any sins committed with that organ, and prays for purification of one’s intention and power of will, so that the specific limbs and organs may be used for goodness. If done with care and sincerity, wudu prepares a believer to stand in front of God with complete humility and reverence.

A believer then prepares a space for worship that is physically clean and removed from distractions. Although mosques, with serene and spacious interiors, provide atmospheres conducive for prayer, the whole world is considered a place of worship. Hence a clean piece of cloth spread on the ground, or even plain, dry earth is also acceptable.

The believer, now physically and mentally purified, stands facing the “qiblah”, in the direction of the Kabah in Mecca, the earthly manifestation of God’s heavenly throne. While the body faces the Kabah, the heart–‎the qiblah of the soul–‎focuses entirely on Allah, the Lord of the Kabah.

The believer then recites verses from the Quran and other invocations in praise of God, while standing, bowing, sitting and prostrating. In “sajda”–‎prostration–‎the believer pressed his forehead to the ground, in complete surrender and humility in front of his Maker. Sajda–‎the lowest physical posture–‎is an expression of the highest spiritual station in front of God: true greatness is rooted in spiritual surrender, so that God may become the eyes through which His servant sees, and the hands through which His servant acts in the world.

Although Muslims are encouraged to worship and remember God as often as possible, adult Muslims must perform salaat a minimum of five times a day. Before dawn, at midday, in the late afternoon, after dusk and in the later evening, a Muslim must turn from the activities of the world and stand before his Lord in prayer.

Salaat need not take much time; yet once it has started, a believer should neither divert the gaze of his eyes, nor the focus of his heart, from complete concentration on his Lord. Only after the salaat is finished may the believer return to normal daily routines. Yet life is not the same as before. Refreshed in spirit and renewed in commitment to the obligations of truth, justice, morality, and mercy, a believer is now prepared to serve God in all of life’s daily activities and occupations.