Taaleem e Namaz by Dr Abdullah Bin Ahmed, Urdu Translation by Saeed Ahmed

Namaz (Urdu), Salat (ṣalāh) is an Arabic word whose basic meaning is "bowing, homage, worship, prayer." In its English usage, the reference of the word is almost always confined to the Muslim formal, obligatory worship described in this article.

Translating salat as "prayer" is not usually considered precise enough, as "prayer" can indicate several different ways of relating to God; personal prayer or supplication is called duʿāʾ (Arabic: دُعَاء, literally "invocation") in Islamic usage.

The chief purpose of salat (Namaz) is to act as a person's communication with and remembrance of God. By reciting "The Opening", the first sura (chapter) of the Quran, as required in daily worship, the worshiper can stand before God, thank and praise him, and ask for guidance along the "Straight Path". Under the Hanbali School of thought, a person who doesn't pray five times a day is an unbeliever.

The other three Sunni schools of thought say that the person who doesn't pray five times a day is an unholy sinner. Those who prescribe to the Hanbali view cite a hadith from Sahih Muslim that states that prayer is a dividing line between a believer and a non-believer.

In addition, daily worship reminds Muslims to give thanks for God's blessings and that submission to God takes precedence over all other concerns, thereby revolving their life around God and submitting to his will. Worship also serves as a formal method of dhikr or remembering Allah.

In the Quran, it is written that: "For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord;" "To those whose hearts, when God is mentioned, are filled with fear, who show patient perseverance over their afflictions, keep up regular prayer, and spend (in charity) out of what we have bestowed upon them."

Salat (Namaz) is also cited as a means of restraining a believer from social wrongs and moral deviancy. According to a hadith in the collection Sahih Bukhari, Muhammad considered salat "the best deed".

The importance of the Salah (Namaz) was further demonstrated by Muhammad (peace be upon him), who on his deathbed and in the pangs of death would announce: الصَّلاةَ ، الصَّلاةَ وَمَا مَلَكَت أَيْمَانُكُم. "The Salah, I remind you of the Salah; and to look after the women." His Companions described the scene saying, "The majority of the Messenger of Allah's advice – when death came to him – was 'The Salah; and to look after the women.' to the extent that his chest would be repeating these words, and his tongue ceased to express them."

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