# Pillar 2: What is Prayer? **Author:** Sh. Abdullah Oduro **Series:** 5 Pillars Made Plain **Published:** 2020-09-29 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/Lm4pfyx6fOA **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-what-is-prayer **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Linguistically, prayer means to call or to supplicate. Sh. Abdullah Oduro explains the connection with God that is established through prayer. We learn that the Prophet ﷺ developed this connection with Allah (swt) through meditation and supplication, and later, through prayer. ## Transcript **[0:00]** Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. Abdullah Oduro and welcome. What is the prayer? Many of us know prayer to be a means of tuning out **[0:17]** to talk to God or to supplicate or invocate. And that's exactly what it means linguistically. You see the word Arabic salah, which means prayer. In particular, we're talking about the five daily prayers, but generically prayer means to call or to supplicate. **[0:33]** It also has a linguistic connection with establishing a sullah or a connection. So you call on, you invocate and supplicate to God, further strengthening, further establishing, then strengthening that connection with Him. **[0:49]** And the wisdom of the five prayers, which we will talk about throughout the span of a day. We also see that the prayer is something that was ordered to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. You see, Prophet Muhammad received the revelation at the age of 40. He used to meditate before that. **[1:05]** He used to go to a cave called Hira and meditate. And upon this, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la the Exalted sent the angel Gabriel to him at the age of 40, while he was meditating and praying to Allah alone. You see, he never was a polytheist, **[1:20]** but he would pray to Allah alone. Upon this time, Allah sent the angel Gabriel to read to him the chapter in the Quran called Ikra, which is called Read. Upon this, the Prophet ran hurriedly to his wife Khadija and laid in her lap and he was scared. **[1:37]** And he told her to cover him, for verily he was scared and sweating profusely. At this time, Allah ordered him to stand up and pray, because this is the strongest means of keeping that divine link with God and maintaining that connection. **[1:53]** Just as it is and was for the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, this is going to serve as the strongest means for your connection to God. So that is exactly what this Salah is. It is establishing a connection with God **[2:08]** through invocating and supplicating by reciting the Quran and asking him for whatever you need in this life and in the next. May Allah make you of those that stay adherent to these five daily prayers and make you of those that use this as a means of serenity **[2:25]** and strengthening your relationship with your creator. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Thank you. ## Other Episodes in "5 Pillars Made Plain" - [Pillar 5: Who Can Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-who-can-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Where do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-where-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: When do Muslims Go On Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-when-do-muslims-go-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Why do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-why-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: What is Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-what-is-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Introduction to Hajj (Pilgrimage)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-introduction-to-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 4: Where Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-where-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Why Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-why-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: When Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-when-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: What is the Purpose of Fasting? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-what-is-the-purpose-of-fasting.md) - [Pillar 4: Who Should Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-who-should-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Intro to Fasting | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-intro-to-fasting.md) - [Pillar 3: Zakat Al-Fitr](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-zakat-al-fitr.md) - [Pillar 3: Where Should We Give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-where-should-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Who receives Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-who-receives-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: When do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-when-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Why do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-why-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: What is Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-what-is-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Intro to Zakat (Almsgiving)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-intro-to-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 2: Where Can Muslims Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-where-can-muslims-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: When Do We Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-when-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Who Should Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-who-should-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Why do we pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-why-do-we-pray.md) - [Intro to Pillar 2: Prayer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-2-prayer.md) - [Pillar 1: Why Do We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-why-do-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Where Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-where-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: When Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/when-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Who is the Shahada (Testimony of Faith) For?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-who-is-the-shahada-the-testimony-of-faith-for.md) - [Intro to Pillar 1: Shahada (Testimony of Faith)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-1-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md)