Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” (An-Nisaa’ 4:103)
Why do we find it so hard to perform salah only five times a day for ten to fifteen minutes each? Allah (SWT) created us and gave us so many blessings and so much time so why can’t we sacrifice our sleep and a few minutes each day to talk to our Creator? We think we have busy schedules and that we have so much work to do, but we all forget that one day, we have to go and answer our Creator for the sins we did without repentance, for the prayers we missed without guilt, and for the time we wasted instead of doing something useful.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said that whoever does ablution excellently, prays at the appointed salah times, and completes their bows, prostration, and khushu’ (attuning heart to the prayer) has a promise from Allah that He will forgive him. And whoever does not do that, he has no promise from Allah. He may either forgive him or punish him. (Malik and Ahmad)
Allah (SWT) wants salah to be easy on us and a source of peace and tranquility, like it was for Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and also as a way to Jannah. Instead, we make it hard on ourselves by thinking of it as a chore. There is no doubt that salah is our duty as a Muslim but there are ways to make more of it than that. Think of salah as a conversation with Allah (SWT). Even if you are obviously not getting a reply, you know that Allah (SWT) is listening to you and He is always there for you. Think of salah as a way of getting your sins forgiven.
Salah helps in stressful as well as peaceful times. People get different degrees of benefits from their salah depending on how hard they tried to be sincere in their prayers. Some people feel tranquil when they pray, while others feel that they are safe from any danger because Allah (SWT) is with them, and some people haven’t been able to reach those degrees yet so they simply try hard to concentrate in their prayers. Allah (SWT) knows everyone’s feelings and intentions so they get rewarded according to how much they try to perfect their salah.
There are many ways of improving concentration in salah. Think of all the sins you did that day and ask Allah (SWT) to forgive you with fear and hope in your heart, close your eyes and think of something peaceful to help you concentrate on your salah, or try to figure out the meanings of what you are reciting. When a person actually makes an effort to perform salah on time and pray slowly with concentration, Allah (SWT) makes it easy it on him to do so, and then even when he is in trouble, he will find his peace in salah. When he is in confusion, he will find his answer in salah and when he is happy, he will find contentment in salah.
There are so many problems facing people everywhere-financial problems, medical problems, life problems, etc. but no one ever thinks of turning back to the one they need-Allah (SWT). People are so busy in their lives, whether they are happy or sad, that they forget to ask help from the one who can give it the most or they forget to thank the one who needs to be thanked the most. Humans are forgetful but if we take up a little responsibility of doing our prayers on time and then also reminding others, we can acquire more reward from Allah (SWT), form a closer relationship with Him, put an end to most of our problems, and have a much better life, which is a lot more than we ever had before.
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