Hayya'alas salah. Hayya'alal falah. (Come to prayer. Come to success.)
The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. Allah has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when Allah spoke directly to Moses, He said:
"And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance." (Taha 13-14)
The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad."
(Recorded by al-Tabarani)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?" The people said, "No filth would remain on him whatsoever." The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "That is like the five daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them."
(Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim).
The Side-note: If we want to have PEACE and TRANQUILITY within the boundaries of our own families (or some-time-in-the-future-to-be families, inshaAllah), let us engrave in the back of our minds :
"A family that prays together - stays together."
