11 WAYS IN WHICH SALĀH FORGIVES YOUR SINS
Salāh is an amazing gift from Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla to this Ummah. In fact, the Sahāba loved Salāh so much that once, in a battle against Juhainah, the enemies of Allāh noticed the Muslims praying Zuhr. They thus planned to attack the Muslims when they would be praying Asr, saying " Certainly, a Salāh will come to them [Asr prayer] that it is more beloved to them than their own children." [Muslim]
Allāhu Akbar! The Sahāba loved Salāh so much to the point they preferred worshipping Allāh through that which He loves most - the Salāh - even to their own families!
Let us look at simply one aspect of how Salāh is a gift for this Ummah:
1⃣ The Prayer Itself is an Expiation of Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said,
“ The five daily prayers and Jumu'ah to Jumu'ah is an expiation of the sins committed between those times so long as one is not guilty of major sins.” [Bukhari]
2⃣ Wuḍū Washes Away Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ When the Muslim or the mu'min (believer) makes wuḍū', when he washes his face, every sin that his eyes has committed (whatever ḥarām we may have looked at, if we didn't lower our gaze when we were supposed to, if we spied on someone we shouldn't have) wash away with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin his hand has committed is washed away. When he washes his feet, every sin that his feet walked towards is washed away with the last drop of water until he comes out of making wuḍū' free of sin.” [Muslim]
3⃣ Walking to the Masjid Forgives Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ Whoever makes wuḍū' at home and then walks to the House of Allāh to perform one of the five prayers, every step he takes wipes away a sin and the next step raises his status with Allāh.” [Muslim]
4⃣ As You Wait for Prayer in the Masjid, Angels Pray for Your Forgiveness
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
" The angels keep on asking Allāh's forgiveness for anyone of you, as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and he does not pass wind. They say, 'O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him." [Bukhari]
5⃣ Saying Aameen (Properly) Erases All of One's Previous Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ When the imām says āmīn (after Sūrat'l-Fātiḥah), say 'āmīn' because if you say 'āmīn' at the same time the angels say 'āmīn,' then all of your sins you have committed are wiped away.” [Bukhari, Muslim]
6⃣ Every time you make Ruku’ or Sujud, Your Sins Fall Away
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ When the worshipper stands up in prayer, all his sins are brought and placed upon his head and shoulders, so whenever he bows and prostrates, they fall from him." [Bahyaqi, Tabaraani, authenticated by Al-AlBaanee]
7⃣ Every Sajda You Make Forgives Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ Make a lot of sajdah (i.e. make a lot of prayer) because for every time you make a prostration to Allāh, your rank is raised and your sin is forgiven. ” [Muslim]
8⃣ Angels Pray for Your Forgiveness After Prayer
When you are done with prayer, angels pray for your forgiveness and mercy, just like they do before prayer, so long as you stay in the same position of the prayer and don't lose wuḍū'. The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
“ The angels will pray for you as long as you are in the same position that you just prayed in and don't break your wuḍū'. The angels say, 'O Allāh forgive him. O Allāh have mercy on him.'” [Bukhari]
9⃣ We Ask Allah for Forgiveness After Prayer Three Times
After pray, the Sunnah of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) is to say, “Astaghfirullāh” three times. We ask Allāh for forgiveness with a heart humbled before Allah and hopeful that He will pardon our shortcomings and transgressions.
🔟 The Adhkaar After Salah Erases Sins
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
" He who recites after every prayer: Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection) thirty-three times; Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) thirty-three times; Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest) thirty-three times; and completes the hundred with: there is no true god except Allah. He is One & He has no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty & His is the praise, & He is Omnipotent, will have all his sins pardoned even if they may be as large as the foam on the surface of the sea." [Muslim]
How long does it take? Two or three minutes? But people don't do it... and they miss out on incredible reward.
1⃣1⃣ Adkhār Wipes Away Sins in an Incredible Way
The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said,
' There are two qualities which no Muslim person attains but he will enter Paradise, and they are easy, but those who do them are few.' The Messenger of Allah (Salalaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) said: 'The five daily prayers: After each prayer one of you glorifies Allah 10 times (say Subhan Allah) and praises Him 10 times (say Alhamdulillah) and magnifies him 10 times (say Allahu Akbar), which makes 150 on the tongue and 1,500 in the balance.' And I saw the Messenger of Allah (Salalaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) counting them on his hands. 'And when one of you retires to his bed he says the tasbih (Subhan Allah) 33 times and the tahmid (Alhamdulillah) 33 times and the takbir (Allahu Akbar) 34 times, that is 100 on the tongue and 1,000 in the balance.' The Messenger of Allah (Salalaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) said: "So which of you does two thousand five hundred bad deeds in a day and a night?" It was said: "O Messenger of Allah (Salalaahu Alaihi Wasalaam), how can a person not persist in doing that?" He said: "The Shaitan comes to one of you when he is praying and says: 'Remember such and such, remember such and such," or he comes to him when he is in bed and makes him fall asleep." [Hasan, Nasa’i]
Why did the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam say that on the scales, the reward is multiplied by 10? Because, Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla, the Abundantly Merciful, says
" Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit, and whoever brings an evil deed shall have only the recompense of the like thereof, and they will not be wronged. "[Al-An'aam, 6:160]
So in Islam, every good deed is credited with 10 rewards, and every bad deed is only credited with 1 bad deed. But why did the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam say towards the end of the hadith, "So which of you does two thousand five hundred bad deeds in a day and a night?" Because, Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla says,
"... Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice)" [Hud, 11:114]
So he ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam is saying that even if you do 2,500 bad deeds in a day, if you pray the five prayers and make this adkhār after each prayer and before you sleep say this, then even if you do 2,500 bad deeds, this adkhār wipes it out and now you are free of sin and Jannah is yours.
Brothers and sisters, Salah is an incredible gift from Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla for this Ummah. May He make us all performers of salaah ....Ameen
"And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers." (51:55)