The Importance of Praying on Time

‘The most beloved deeds in the eyes of Allah are:
offering prayers at the stipulated times, [then] goodness
and kindness towards parents, [and then] Jihad in the way of Allah.’
(The Holy Prophet)

Praying Salah as soon as the time of prayer sets in is the most noble and beloved deed in the eyes of Allah. Although Allah has allowed us the flexibility of praying the Salah at any point from the moment the time of Salah sets in until the Salah becomes Qadha, the best time for prayer is at its designated time.

Praying on time is a test of our priorities. Is obeying Allah the focus of our lives or is it enjoying ourselves, spending time with friends, studying, or making money? The more we value our relationship with Allah, the more careful we will be about praying on time.

As Imam al-Sadiq (A) states, ‘When the time of prayer sets in, it is a test of faith to see how much importance they give to prayer times.’ If my meeting with Allah is the most important part of my day, I will do my best to schedule my entire daily routine around the times of Salah.

In the battlefield of Karbala, Imam Husayn (A) showed us the best example of prioritising Salah before everything else. Even in the midst of heated battle, surrounded by Yazid’s army on all sides and wounded by spears and arrows, the Imam fell to the ground in prayer as soon as the time of Asr set in.

If our holy Imam chose to break away from intense battle to pray his Salah on time, how can we delay our Salah for trivial reasons like watching a football match or socialising with our friends and still call ourselves the lovers and followers of Imam Husayn (A)? In fact, how can we claim to be the true followers of our beloved Prophet about whom Imam Ali (A) narrates:

‘The Prophet never put anything before his prayer, neither
his dinner nor anything else. When the time of prayer set in,
it was as if he knew neither family nor close friend.’