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The Prayers (Salah)<br />

The Purpose of Prayer<br />

Prayer constitutes one pillar of <strong>Islam</strong> and is considered<br />

the cornerstone of Religion. Any Muslim who fails to ob-<br />

serve his Prayers and has no reasonable excuse is commit-<br />

t<strong>in</strong>g a grave offense and a he<strong>in</strong>ous s<strong>in</strong>. This offense is so<br />

grave because it is not only aga<strong>in</strong>st God, which is bad<br />

enough, but is also aga<strong>in</strong>st the very nature of man. It is an<br />

<strong>in</strong>st<strong>in</strong>ct of man to be <strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>ed to adore the great be<strong>in</strong>gs. and<br />

to aspire to lofty goals. The greatest be<strong>in</strong>g and the loftiest<br />

goal of all is God. The best way to cultivate <strong>in</strong> man a sound<br />

personality and actualize his aspirations <strong>in</strong> a mature course<br />

of development is the <strong>Islam</strong>ic Prayer. To neglect Prayer is to<br />

oppress the good qualities <strong>in</strong> human nature and unjustifiably<br />

deny it the right to adore and love, the right to aspire and as-<br />

cend, the right to excel <strong>in</strong> goodness and achieve noble aims.<br />

Such oppression and denial constitute a very serious and de-<br />

structive offense. Here lies the significance and vitality of<br />

Prayer <strong>in</strong> the life of man.<br />

It should always be borne <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d that God does not<br />

need man's Prayer, because He is free of all needs. He is<br />

t-v-:.:.»:.;.:-y;:-:.;;;.:

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