Advice of Scholars - IMPORTANCE OF NAMÂZ

Since Âdam (alaihissalâm), there was namâz once a day in every sharî’at. All that had been performed were brought together and were made fard for us. Although performing namâz is not a pillar of îmân, it is a pillar of îmân to believe that namâz is fard. ‘Namâz’ means ‘duâ’. The ibâdat that is commanded by the Sharî’at and which we all know was named ‘namâz’ (salât). Performing the five daily prayers of namâz is fard-i ’ayn for every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty. That it is fard is openly stated in the Qur’ân and hadîths. Five daily prayers of namâz became a commandment on the Mi’râj night. The Mi’râj happened on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab a year before the Hegira. Before the Mi’râj, only the morning and afternoon prayers were performed.

Ibn Jawzî wrote in his tafsîr Elmugnî: Abû Bakr-i Siddîq (radiyallâhu ’anh) said that, when the time of a daily prayer of namâz comes, angels say, ‘O the sons of Âdam, stand up! Extinguish the fire prepared to burn human beings by performing namâz. ’ ” In a hadîth-i sherîf, it was said, “The difference between the Believer and the unbeliever is namâz,” that is, the Believer performs namâz, and the unbeliever does not. Munâfiqs, however, sometimes perform it and sometimes do not. Munâfiqs will undergo very bitter torment in Hell. Abdullah ibn Abbâs (radiyallâhu ’anh), the leader of mufessirs, said that he heard Rasûlullah say, “Those who do not perform namâz will find Allâhu ta’âlâ angry on the Day of Resurrection. ”

The imâms of hadîth unanimously said, “A person who does not perform a namâz in its due time intentionally, that is, if he is not sorry for not performing a namâz while its due time is ending, will become a kâfir or will lose his îmân during his death. What will become of those who do not remember namâz or see namâz as a duty?” The Ahl as-Sunnat savants unanimously said, “Ibâdât are not a part of îmân. ” But there was not a unanimity concerning namâz.