Value of Prayers

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللٌّهِ (ع): صَلاَةٌ فَرِيضَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ حَجَّةً وَ حَجَّةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ بَيْتٍ مَمْلُوءٍ ذَهَباً يُتَصَدَّقُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يَفْـنَى.

Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “One obligatory prayer is better than performing Hajj twenty times, and the performance of one Hajj is better than giving away a house full of gold.”  Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 227

The Face of Religion

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللٌّهِ (ص): لِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَجْهٌ وَ وَجْهُ دِينِكُمُ الصَّلاَةُ فَلاَ يَشِينَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ وَجْهَ دِيْـنِهِ.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “For every thing there is a face and the face of your religion is prayers. So see to it that none from amongst you damages and disfigures the face of his religion.”  Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 209

Importance of Prayers

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ (ص): مَا مِنْ صَلاَةٍ يَحْضُرُ وَقْـتُهَا إِلاَّ نَادَى مَلَكٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ النَّاسِ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قُومُوا إِلـى نِيـرَانِكُمُ الَّتِي أَوْقَدْتُمُوهَا عَلى ظُهُورِكُمْ فَاطْفِئُوهَا بِصَلاَتِكُمْ.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “Whenever the time of each prayer arrives, an Angel announces to the people: (O’ People!) Stand up and extinguish, with prayers, the fire which you have set alight for yourselves.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 209

The Blessings of Prayers

قَالَ عَلِيٌّ (ع): إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّ جَسَدَهُ وَ ثِـيَابَهُ وَ كُلَّ شَي‏ءٍ حَولَهُ يُسَبِّحُ.

Imam `Ali (peace be upon him) has said: “Surely, when a person engages in prayers, his body, his clothes and everything around him glorify Allah.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 213

The Rank of Prayers

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللٌّهِ (ص): مَوْضِعُ الصَّلاَةِ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَوضِعِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “The position of prayers with respect to religion is similar to that of the head with respect to the body.” Kanzul `Ummal, Volume 7, Tradition 18972

Purification of the Soul

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللٌّهِ (ص): مَثَلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ كَمَثَلِ نَهْرٍ جَارٍ عَذْبٍ عَلى بَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلُّ يَومٍ خَمْسَ مَرَّاتٍ فَمَا يَبقَى ذٌلِكَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “The example of the five (daily) prayers is like that of a clear-water river flowing in front of your houses in which a person washes himself five times a day – cleansing him from all dirt.” Kanzul `Ummal, Volume 7, Tradition 18931

The Covenant of Allah

عَنْ رَسُولِ اللٌّهِ (ص): قَالَ اللٌّهُ تَعَالـى: إِفتَرَضْتُ عَلى أُمَّتِكَ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ وَ عَهِدتُ عِنْدِي عَهْداً أَنَّهُ مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَيْهِنَّ لِوَقْـتِهَا أَدْخَلْـتُهُ الْجَـنَّةَ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يُحَافِظْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلاَ عَهْدَ لَهُ عِنْدِي.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) states that Allah, The Exalted has said: “I have made the five prayers obligatory upon your Ummah and have made a covenant with Myself that one who maintains his prayers with respect to their timings, I shall place him in Paradise. As for the one, who does not maintain the timings, I have no covenant (with him).” Kanzul `Ummal, Volume 7, Tradition 18872

Remembrance of Allah

قَالَ الْبَاقِرُ (ع): ذِكْرُ اللٌّهِ لِأَهْلِ الصَّلاَةِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ ذِكْرِهِمْ إِيَّاهُ أَلاَ تَرَى أَنَّهُ يَقُولُ }فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ{

Imam Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has said: “Allah’s remembrance of ‘people who pray’ is greater and superior to their remembrance of Him. Do you not observe that He has said (in the Noble Qur’an): {Remember Me and I shall remember you.}” Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 199

The Mercy of Allah

قَالَ عَلِيٌ (ع): إِذَا قَامَ الرَّجُلُ إِلـى الصَّلاَةِ أَقْبَلَ إِبْلِيسُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ حَسَداً لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللٌّهِ الَّتِي تَغْشَاهُ.

Imam `Ali (peace be upon him) said: “When a person stands up for prayers, Iblis approaches him and looks at him with envy and jealousy, as he sees the Mercy of Allah encompassing the person.” Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 207

Refraining from Sins

رُوِيَ أَنَّ فَتَى مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَانَ يُصَلِّي الصَّلاَةَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللٌّهِ (ص) وَ يَرْتَكِبُ الْفَوَاحِشَ فَوُصِفَ ذٌلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللٌّهِ (ص) فَقَالَ إِنَّ صَلاَتَهُ تَنْهَاهُ يَوْماً مَا فَلَمْ يَلْبِثْ أَنْ تَابَ.

It has been reported that a youth from the Ansar, who used to offer his prayers with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny), used to indulge in sinful and corrupt deeds. When this was brought to the notice of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny), he said: “A day shall come when his prayers shall refrain him from committing sins. Before long, the youth repented.”  Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 198