Below is a copied letter of correspondence with Hazrat Moulana Yunus Patel Rahmatullahi alayh regarding missing Salaah:
The letter:
Assalaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
Respected Moulana
I have a terrible habit of missing salaah. I cannot seem to read all my five daily salaah. I am trying, but can’t seem to get it right, even if it’s just reading the fardh salaah without the sunnats. Another problem that I am faced with is that I have no peace and contentment of heart. It really depresses me and makes me feel irritable and moody which also causes a problem in my marriage. My heart is a hard black stone.
Reply of Hazrat Moulana Yunus Patel Rahmatullahi alayh:
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Respected Sister
Wa ‘alaikumus salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
1. Without the five daily salaah, no Muslim can enjoy peace and happiness. There will only be restlessness. Salaah in Deen is like the head in a human body. If there is no head, there is no life. Similarly, if there is no salaah, there is no spiritual life.
2. Make some time to read Fazaail-e-Salaah by Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahimahullah). Try to read at least one or two pages every day, even if you have read it before. Read the ahaadeeth with their commentaries and with the intention of ‘amal (practising on whatever you read). Insha-Allah, you will develop the habit of being punctual on your salaah.
3. Reflect seriously over your present condition. Would you like to die in the state where you have missed your salaah, and then face the wrath of Allah Ta‘ala and immediate punishment in the grave? Shaitaan was rejected for refusing to make just one sajdah. Imagine Allah Ta‘ala’s anger over us, when we refuse to make so many sajdahs!
4. For the heart to become soft and purified, we have to make sincere taubah, give up our sins and commit ourselves towards fulfilling the commandments of Allah Ta‘ala. If we continue in the direction of neglect and persist in sin, the heart’s condition will not improve, it will only worsen. The onus is upon the individual.
5. When you are hungry, you won’t say, “I am hungry” and do nothing. You will go to the kitchen and prepare some food to satisfy your hunger. To satisfy the hunger and restlessness of the soul, you will also have to prepare and feed it spiritual food by engaging in good deeds. This neglect of salaah is starving the soul of its spiritual nourishment. For the commodities of dunya, an effort is made; so for Jannah, we will also have to make some effort.
6. Don’t lose hope. Download and read the books “Combating the Whisperings of Shaitaan” and “Aashiq-e-Saadiq”. Listen to some of my talks and zikr programmes. Insha-Allah, I will also make du‘aa for you.
Was salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
Yunus Patel (Moulana)