• Opening: All praise be to Allah, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness. We bear witness that there is but one God, Allah, and there is none like unto Him. We bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets sent as a mercy to humanity. May the peace and blessings of Allah forever be upon him, upon his pure and righteous household, upon his companions, and upon his righteous followers all over the world. Ameen.
• Dear Muslims, Allah says in the Qur’an in sura 24:41

  Do you not see that Allah is He whom do glorify all those who are in the heavens and the earth, and the (very) birds with expanded wings? He knows the prayer of each one and its glorification, and Allah is cognizant of what they do.

• Every creature on earth and in the heavens worships Allah in its own way. This is the natural way of life: Deen-al-fitr. Human beings are no exception. Allah has ordained for us fixed times at which we are to make our obligatory prayers.
• Again Allah says in sura 13:15

  And unto Allah falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and afternoons.

• Allah has made prayer an obligation for us not because he needs us. Allah is Self-sufficient. He has ordained prayer for us because it is better for us. Allah says in sura 29:45

  Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is greatest, and Allah knows what you do

• Everything in the universe is consistent. It is the way Allah created it to be. In order for us to maintain consistency and not go astray during our daily lives, we must remember, at fixed times, the one who Created us. On this issue, Allah says in sura 4:103

  Verily the prayers at fixed hours have been prescribed for the believers

• We must not underestimate the importance of this obligation. Prayer is addressed directly and indirectly in the Qur’an over 100 times. It is the second pillar of our religion, and it has been agreed upon that one must pray the obligatory 5 prayers each day in order to be Muslim.
• It is reported that The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, stated that:

  "The covenant (which distinguished) between us and them is Prayer, so whoever abandoned it committed an act of disbelief."

• And Allah says in the Qur’an in sura 19:59

  But after them followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts soon, then, will they face destruction

And in sura 107: 4 and 5

So, woe to the worshipers who are neglectful of their prayers

• Among what we can draw from these verses and sayings are the following:
  1. Prayer is required from Muslims at fixed times
  2. Prayer is an obligation in order to be considered Muslim. It is what separates us from the non-muslims
  3. Prayer protects a human being from the evils of this life and keeps him or her focused on serving Allah and entering Paradise.
• Brothers and sisters in Al-Islam, be mindful of your duty to Allah. The Qur’an has called you the best of people from mankind. In order to live up to this title, you must worship Allah and avoid going astray. He has provided you with prayers as a discipline and a reminder that we are to be humble before our Lord. Therefore, pray at the stated times and remember Allah often.