The Significance of Salat
We have another question from Shahab Aslam from Islamabad.
'It is said that Salat is the first pillar of Islam.'
'It is also said that the first question we will be asked on the Day of Judgement will be about Salat. How true is this?'
Brother Shahab, the importance of Salat
and the central role Salat plays for all the different types of worship cannot be denied.
One who rejects Salat becomes a disbeliever.
However, those who begin to utter lies in the matters of the religion -
- now, there is something else that I have noted.
Religious people exaggerate the ranks of the saints and prophets they follow.
They say, 'Our prophet is so great!'
Even if God has not granted that prophet such a grand rank, the followers will [say that he did].
Just look at Christians -
- what haven't they included in their tenets about Jesus Christ?!
They have a lot of tenets about Jesus Christ which are completely inaccurate.
Do you understand?
Okay. Now, the same can be said about the saints.
For disciples, even if their Spiritual Guide is a Ghous ul Zama (a relatively minor saint),
they will declare him to be the greatest saint in the entire universe.
I don't know why but it is as if they consider it their obligation to do so.
They think, 'Praising and glorifying the Spiritual Guide as much as possible should be part of our faith.'
There was a man like this in Abdul Qadir Jilani's era.
He was a disciple and he considered his Spiritual Guide to be someone very great.
And his Spiritual Guide was a pseudo-Sufi.
He had nothing [by way of spiritual authority or power].
Now, the disciple was walking along a road.
At that moment, he heard the announcement that Abdul Qadir Jilani's caravan was passing through.
Now, in the olden days - these days, you have cars and motorbikes.
And other means of travel.
But in the olden days, what used to happen was - just as they make carriages for brides in Pakistan and India.
The bride sits in the carriage and they hoist it up on their shoulders and carry her [to the groom].
[In the olden days] there used to be carriages like this that people would travel in.
There used to be a similar means of travel back in the olden days.
[Spiritual Guides] used to sit in them and their disciples [would carry them].
So Abdul Qadir Jilani was sitting in one such carriage
and his disciples were carrying it on their shoulders.
Obviously, 20-25 disciples were walking ahead of the carriage and 20-25 were walking behind it.
And they used to raise slogans as they walked, 'The caravan of ___ saint of God is passing through!'
Just like that, right?
So similarly, Abdul Qadir Jilani's caravan was passing through.
The disciple [of the pseudo-Sufi] heard the announcement Abdul Qadir Jilani's caravan was passing through
and he thought, 'I have heard that Abdul Qadir Jilani is the greatest saint in the world.'
'But my Spiritual Guide is somebody else.'
He thought, 'What if I look at Abdul Qadir Jilani's face and develop more love for him than I have for my Spiritual Guide?'
So in order to avoid such [a situation], he hid.
He thought, 'My Spiritual Guide is enough for me.'
He hid from Abdul Qadir Jilani.
So when Abdul Qadir Jilani's caravan was passing through where the man was hidden, Abdul Qadir Jilani stopped.
He told his disciples, 'There is a man hidden over there. Bring him here.'
The disciples brought him before Abdul Qadir Jilani. He asked the man, 'Why did you hide when you saw us?'
The man replied, 'Your Holiness, I believe in your eminence, this is the problem.'
'I didn't want to look at you hence my heart to be [more] inclined towards you.'
'I want to remain with my Spiritual Guide.'
Abdul Qadir Jilani checked and said, 'Your Spiritual Guide is a false Guide.'
Then Abdul Qadir Jilani called the man towards him and embraced him.
He said, 'Due to your faith and loyalty to your Guide, I have decided to bless both you and your Spiritual Guide.'
Sometimes [this tendency to] exaggerate comes in handy!
But only sometimes - it is a matter of fortune.
The Barelvis stopped talking about Abdul Qadir Jilani and other saints of God.
They have left the entire spiritual system in the hand of Ahmed Raza Khan.
He was a 'Ba Amal' religious scholar. He wasn't even a saint.
This is wrong, isn't it?
Why is it wrong? Because of [disciples] exaggerating the ranks [of their respective saints or prophets].
In a similar way, there is an element of exaggeration when describing the importance of worship now.
Muslims have developed an element of exaggeration when describing the importance of worship.
Especially the Muslims in Pakistan.
And the Muslims in India.
They think that the gist of all worship lies in Salat.
And to appear to be a Muslim, all you have to do is keep a beard.
Salat, beard, Salat, beard, Salat, beard.
Now, the people who say that Salat is the first pillar of Islam - have they forgotten the Koran and Prophetic Traditions?
The entire world knows this.
Everybody knows it.
What is the first pillar of Islam? [Audience: the Motto of Faith].
Will you convert from being a disbeliever to to being a Muslim by first offering Salat? Is that how you will enter Islam?
There is a limit. There is a limit to ignorance.
Have the Muslims lost their minds?
What a silly thing to say!
If someone is going to accept Islam, will they do so by performing Salat?
Obviously, if the first pillar of Islam were Salat, then a disbeliever would have to first offer Salat in order to become a Muslim.
But do people offer Salat [to become Muslims]?
They recite the Motto of Faith to entire Islam. So the first pillar of Islam is the Motto of Faith, isn't it?
Secondly,
will the first question on the Day of Judgement be in regards to Salat?
Why would it be about Salat?
Salat was brought down 13 years after Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) announced his prophethood, when he ascended on the Night of Ascension.
Before that, people used to simply engage in invocation of God's name.
So why would the first question be about Salat?
Salat was not brought down until the Night of Ascension. What did they used to do before that?
If you look at it practically,
you will see that in the years before the Night of Ascension - a period of 10-13 years - they would only engage in invocation of God's name.
So, practically, the first pillar is to make mention of God's name.
The Motto of Faith is the first pillar of Islam.
A Prophetic Tradition states, 'The greatest invocation is that of the Motto of Faith - La Ilaha Illah Allah Mohammad Rasool Allah.'
Now in regards to the first question [on the Day of Judgement] being about Salat,
the religious clerics say this having read Mevlana Rumi's Masnawi.
Mevlana Rumi said this in his Masnawi.
However, Mevlana Rumi is not the authority on the religion.
Neither is Mevlana Rumi the authority on the religion nor is any other saint.
If anyone is an authority on the religion, it is Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
If Mevlana Rumi says something - okay, let's suppose Rumi declared Salat to be the first pillar and said that it will be the first thing you will be asked about on the Day of Judgement.
What did people who followed Islam before Mevlana Rumi think [about this matter]?
Another point is that Salat has been made obligatory upon the Devout Believers.
Had Salat been the first pillar of Islam -
- well, a person who has just converted to Islam is not a Devout Believer yet. How will he perform Salat?
Salat is obligatory upon Devout Believers, is it not?
So both of these philosophies are lacking in authenticity.
Both of the philosophies.
They lack authenticity.
The [translation of the last phrase] is to 'lack authenticity'.
Salat is a type of worship which [is obligatory for]
when you become a Devout Believer and the invocation of God's name echos in the chambers of your heart,
and your other subtleties are enlightened.
Then when you offer Salat and you are aware of [the reality] of what you are reciting during Salat -
- for example, when we recite the Attahiyat during Salat,
the words of the Attahiyat
are taken from the conversation between God, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Gabriel on the Night of Ascension.
When Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) ascended on the Night of Ascension and reached the Realm of God's Throne.
Now what is the scene? Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) reaches the Empyrean of God.
God is there.
God sends benedictions upon Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Right?
God says, 'You are my Prophet,' and Gabriel says, 'Yes, no doubt.'
Then God sends benedictions upon the saints under Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
He sends benedictions upon the Sauleheen.
Then God sends benedictions upon the Devout Believers.
This entire conversation was collected and made into Attahiyat.
You repeat the conversation between God and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that took place on the Night of Ascension every time you offer Salat.
But it never occurred to you that this conversation took place between God and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on the Night of Ascension in the Empyrean of God.
When your subtleties are enlightened and you are aware that you are repeating that conversation between God and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the Empyrean of God,
then what would the level of your Salat be!
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