THE LINK BETWEEN MODESTY AND PERSEVERANCE IN SALAAH

It has been mentioned that there was a young man who was sentenced for a lengthy period for a heinous crime. His family was committed to Islam and he too was a practising Muslim. He was asked what was it that made him slip into crime? The young man responded that as soon as started missing his Salaah; he became vulnerable to sinning excessively to the extent that it weakened his Īmān. The effect of neglecting his Salaah made him succumb to temptations and desires.

The verse of Surah Maryam (Verse 59) clearly defined his plight:
فخلف من بعدهم خلف أضاعوا الصلاة واتبعوا الشهوات فسوف يلقون غيا
‘So came after them successors who lost the prayers and followed their desires so they will meet evil.’

We need to clearly understand that if we do not establish and be steadfast on Salaah, we will succumb to temptations and involve ourselves in more evil. Salaah is the spiritual fort of modesty. Experience has shown that negligence in Salaah makes us more blatant in rebelling against the laws of Allah Ta’ala جل جلاله. Many people who have been incarcerated for crimes have admitted that the primary factor for their destruction was the abandonment of Salaah. The Holy Qur’an states:
إن الصلاة تنهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر
‘Indeed the Salaah stops you from immorality and evil.’

Our pious predecessors have advised that Salaah is that spiritual nourishment which keeps the Rooh alive. Salaah is the essence of our existence; we cannot survive without it.