How Should We Pray?
The prayer that Muslims say is what God and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has ordered them to do. According to the Quran and Hadiths, prayer should have the following four conditions:
1) It should be performed with awareness
Acts of worship that are performed without any prior attention and thinking bear no value. People should pay attention to every word and meaning in the prayers and supplications. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said two rakats of prayers with attention are worth worshiping all night without attention.
2) It should be based on love
A prayer that is said with laziness will have no effect. Worshipers should carry the love of God in their hearts and perform prayers to thank the Almighty for all His mercies.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) believed the passion for salah should be to a degree that Muslims abandon all their affairs when hearing adhan (call to prayer) and start talking with God.
3) It should be pure
The Holy Quran says religious acts should be performed with the pure intention of worshipping God and nothing else. “They were only commanded to worship God, be uprightly devoted to His religion, steadfast in prayer and pay the zakat. This is truly the eternal religion.” (Surah Al-Bayyina, verse 5)
Hypocrisy is a sort of shirk (polytheism) that destroys the value of everything. God does not accept a prayer that has been performed with non-divine intentions such as receiving the attention of others or deceiving people. The spirit of prayer is the pure intention behind it.
4) It should be performed with humility
Being humble while praying means that worshipers give all their attention to God, be at peace, and feel themselves before God which is more powerful than anything that one can imagine.
Two opening verses of Surah Al-Mu’minun describe those “who are humble in their prayers” as the “prosperous believers”.
This series is derived from a book written by Quran teacher Mohsen Qara’ati.
