Prayer and Paradise

Chapter 23 in the Quran- Surah Al muminoon (the Believers) starts off by describing the believers' traits:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

Successful indeed are the believers 

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ

Those who humble themselves in their prayers;

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ

Who avoid vain talk;

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ

Who are active in deeds of charity;

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ

Who guard their private parts,

إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ

Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame,

فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ

But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors;-

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants;

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ

And who guard their prayers(observe the daily prayers on time);-

أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ

These will be the heirs,

الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

Who will inherit Paradise: they will dwell therein (for ever).

The very beginning of the Surah tells us about successful people, or believers. The next 8 verses then describe these successful people's characteristics. And then verses 10 and 11 tell us their prize. Which is what? Paradise forever. 

Paradise is at our feet here! Take a look and examine these traits. After you do that, go back and notice something unique. The very first characteristic given to these successful believers is that they PRAY with khushoo', or humility and humbleness and sincerity. Now go to the last trait. What is it? Those who guard and keep timing of their PRAYERS on schedule. Allah described them through their prayers both in the beginning and the end. The first one is how they actually pray and the last one is when they actually pray and how they prioritize their prayers. What does that tell us? Well, two things essentially. 

1- Prayer is more important than we think. It's the essence of a believer. It IS what distinguishes u from others, what helps you succeed.  

2- It's not just about how you pray, it is when you pray. And at the same time, it's not enough to prioritize your prayers and pray them all on time. It also involves the way you pray each prayer and the amount of sincerity you give it. These two go hand in hand. A successful prayer thus is one prayed on time continuously and prayed with khushoo' and sincerity. 

We ask Allah to help us balance both of these traits, and embody the characteristics of these successful believers. Ameen.