Limadha Nusalli - al-Muqaddam
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- Limadha Nusalli - al-Muqaddam
Limadha Nusalli (Why Do We Pray?) is a religious work by the contemporary Egyptian scholar and preacher Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddam, addressing the virtues, spiritual significance, and central importance of ritual prayer (salah) in Islam .
Background and Purpose
The work originated as an educational lecture series aiming to address widespread negligence and laxity regarding prayer in modern times, an era characterized as a time of "second estrangement" (al-ghurba al-thaniyya) . Al-Muqaddam emphasizes the necessity of reviving an awareness of the immense status and gravity of prayer, reminding believers of why it was prescribed and how it shapes a Muslim's faith and everyday conduct .
Core Themes and Contents
Status and Nature of Prayer
The author highlights that prayer is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith (the shahadatayn) and the pillar upon which the faith rests, occupying a place comparable to the head on a body . Among its unique characteristics, it was directly enjoined upon the Muslim community in the heavens on the Night of the Ascension (al-Mi'raj), and it is never waived for a legally accountable believer under any circumstances except for women during menstruation or post-natal bleeding .
Al-Muqaddam describes prayer as a unique direct link between the servant and God, noting that correct theological belief (aqidah) precedes worship because an individual must recognize God's attributes as the Creator and their own condition as a needy servant before true devotion can occur . Furthermore, prayer serves as a precise gauge of faith; the author compares it to a clinical thermometer that measures the rise and fall of a believer's religious devotion and veneration of divine commands .
Spiritual Benefits and Worldly Protection
The book outlines numerous worldly and spiritual protections conferred by performing prayer properly with all its conditions, pillars, and humility (khushu') :
- Sanctuary and Refuge: It acts as a divine guard over a Muslim's life, property, honor, and faith, serving as a sanctuary during afflictions and calamities .
- Light and Radiance: It provides literal and spiritual light (nur) in the believer's heart, manifests as composure and radiance upon the face in this world, and illuminates the darkness of the grave and the Day of Judgment .
- Expiation of Sins: The five daily prayers consistently wash away minor sins committed between them, extinguishing the metaphorical fires ignited by human transgressions .
Deliverance in the Grave and the Hereafter
Al-Muqaddam dedicates significant attention to eschatological dimensions, stating that prayer is the first deed concerning the rights of God for which people will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection, with other deeds judged accordingly . It serves as a shield against the torment of the grave—where a person's righteous deeds appear as a comforting companion—and protects against Hellfire, as the fire is forbidden from consuming the traces of prostration (sujud) on the human body .
The work notes that prayer is the foremost wish of the dead, citing narrations showing that the deceased would value returning to the world to pray two light supererogatory units (rak'atayn) above the entirety of worldly possessions . Furthermore, upholding prayer elevates ranks in Paradise and qualifies believers for the ultimate reward: gazing upon the Countenance of God in the Hereafter .
Abandonment and Neglect
The treatise warns against the severe consequences of abandoning or neglecting the prayer. It records scholarly consensus that renouncing prayer out of denial of its obligatory status (juhud) is major disbelief (kufr akbar) that expels a person from the religion, while noting the scholarly disagreement concerning one who abandons it out of sheer laziness (takasulan) while still acknowledging its obligation—whether such an act constitutes major disbelief or a lesser form of disbelief (kufr duna kufr) . Leaving prayer is portrayed as one of the greatest sins, associated with hypocrisy, a darkened heart, a wretched life (ma'isha danka), an evil end at death, punishment in the grave, and consignment to the depths of Hellfire (Saqar) .
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