25th National Confab on promotion of daily Ritual Prayers

The 25th National Conference on Namaz or the Daily Ritual Prayers was held on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at Imam Khomeini Higher Education Centre in Mohammad-Shahr of Alborz province.

It started with a message by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. In view of the importance of promotion of the culture of prayer in society, the first such conference was held in 1991. Since then, every year this confab is being regularly held for the benefit of the people, especially the young generation. Here is a report on the 25^th National Confab on the Ritual Prayers.

In Islam, the ritual prayer enjoys a special status and no worship can be compared to it. Negligence of the 5-times a-day ritual prayers is not permitted under any circumstances. Other obligatory acts of worship, such as the fasting of Ramadhan, the performance of the Hajj pilgrimage, the waging of armed Jihad, and the giving of Khoms and Zakat, certain conditions are required, including health, financial means, and the particular months of the year, while the gender and age factors prevents women and old men from participating in armed Jihad. But for performing the daily ritual prayers no conditions are required.

All those, whether male or female, who have reached the age of puberty must perform the daily ritual prayers. If a person is sick, he/she should perform while seated in a sitting position. Even those bedridden are not exempted, and should perform the daily prayers while lying on the bed. Every grown-up Muslim, whether rich or poor, should perform the daily ritual prayers. Even a traveler is not exempted, and should perform the ritual prayer during the journey. However, for the traveler, God has ordered the shortening of the four-raka’at prayer to two. In view of these facts, the daily ritual prayers, is called “Pillar of Religion”. So important are the daily ritual prayers, that on his deathbed, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (PuH), the vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), instructed his sons, daughters, and followers, not to show the least negligence towards the ritual prayers.

The 25^th National Conference on the ritual prayers, opened with a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khameni, who called on officials to promote the spirit and culture of the daily ritual prayers in the society, especially among the youths. He said: the culture of the daily ritual prayers should be promoted, through radio, through TV, through discourses at religious, cultural, and academic centres, through newspapers and magazines, through websites, and through school and university text books.

According to psychologists and social experts, the daily ritual prayers are the most effective factor in building a sound and healthy society, since crimes in a society are the result of weakness of faith, pursuit of carnal desires, selfishness and other negative attitudes, all of which could be controlled by remembrance of God. When the heart is absorbed in the remembrance of God, a person will naturally distance from sins and evil acts. Prayer is one of the proofs of remembrance of God. The more humble the worshipper is before God, the rate of aggression, jealousy and selfishness become less in the community.

Therefore, if we wish to launch a serious campaign against the roots and factors of social crimes, we should promote the culture of the daily ritual prayers in society. Ayatollah Khamenei, referring to the relationship between prayer and spiritual health of person said: prayer is an open door to all members of society for attaining guidance and availing of the mercy of God. He said the spiritual health of every person is tied to the degree or performance of the daily ritual prayers.  

Iran’s Judiciary Chief, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani in his address to the confab, said promotion of the daily ritual prayers in the society is the basic solution to prevent social crimes. He cited a narration in this regard from Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The Prophet of Islam has said: The daily ritual prayers are like a stream at the doorstep in which every believer washes himself. He also referred to the “Nahj al-Balagha” regarding prayers. He said in Sermon 199, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) has emphasized that prayer is obligatory on all believers, and as mentioned by God Almighty in ayah 43 of Surah Mudassir of the holy Qur’an, on the day of judgement, when the people of hell are asked the reason for their being cast into the fire, they will say: “We were not among those who prayed.”

Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani added: if we properly and punctually perform the daily ritual prayers, it will have many benefits for us and save us from social corruption. It is also worth noting that according to the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), the daily ritual prayers are among the factors for building our self and our personality, by helping us abstain from evil, as God has said in ayah 45 of Surah Ankabout:

“Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs.”

At the 25^th National Confab on the Daily Ritual Prayers, all speakers, including cabinet ministers and MPs underlined the necessity of promoting in society, the culture of this particular act of obligatory worship, which is both individual and congregational. The message was to keep alive the hearts with remembrance of God Almighty. The Karaj Prayer Leader said the disorder in today’s society is because of failure to understand the reality and importance of the daily ritual prayers, which needs to be properly implemented in society, but should first being at home, as God says in ayah 132 of Surah TA HA of the holy Qur’an:

“And bid your family to prayer and be steadfast in its maintenance.