Purification through Salaah

Hazrat Esa (alaihis salaam) once passed by a river. There he saw a beautiful and elegant looking bird lying in a puddle of mud and dirt. The bird's entire body was covered with filth. He then noticed this bird come out of the mud and then dive into the river until it was clean and beautiful again. Thereafter, the bird once again flew into the dirt and mud and became covered with filth. Once more, the bird left the mud and flew into the river again until it was clean and beautiful again. This astonishing act was repeated five times. Hazrat Esa (alaihis salaam) began to wonder as to the reason for this strange sequence of events.

Sayyiduna Jibraeel-e-Amin (alaihis salaam) descended and told him: "This bird is equal to a human from the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Each time he sins he becomes unclean, and when he performs his Salaah, then Almighty Allah purifies him just like the mud and dirt that was cleansed from the bird".

The value of Salaah is also mentioned in the Qur'an:
اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ
"Indeed Salaah stops one from indecency and sins"

The Qur'an mentions Salaah as being an act of worship that can stop one from commiting acts of sin. However, it should be noted that this is a Salaah, a prayer, that is performed with all it's qualities; concentration, contentment, applying all the rules related to Salaah and determination is only part of the ingredients to an accepted Salaah. But in order to do that it is important that we seek the knowledge regarding Salaah.

The above post was taken from Simply Islam blog run by Maulana Zain. Masha'Allah he has a vast amount of information on the blog from which I am sure everyone will be able to derive some benefit. Please do visit it and link it up your blog or website, Jazakallah.

Related posts:
Missed Calls from Allah
Steadfastness in Salaat
Sutra in Salah
Fajr Salah