The Deep meaning behind the 5 daily prayers

Have you ever wondered why Allah (SWT) commanded us to pray 5 times a day? Is it just a duty – or is there a deeper meaning behind it?

Example

Imagine that a poor man enters a palace to offer some gifts for the sultan. Upon entering, he sees gifts worth of millions of liras offered by people far wealthier than himself. Ashamed by his own, he tells the sultan “I offer you all the gifts here under my name, since you deserve them all. If I could I would offer them all to you.” Since the sultan is not in need of anything, he views this poor man’s gift with a value equal to that of his intention.

Prayer (salah)

The daily prayers resemble this scenario. When we enter Allah’s presence to offer our thanks, our own limited thanks are nothing compared to the favors He bestows upon us. Ashamed by our own limited worship, we present the thanks of not just ourselves but that of the entire creation. In fact, during the tashahhud we say: “All greetings belong to Allah, and all prayers and good acts.”

And even though God is in need of absolutely nothing, He, in His mercy, accepts our thanks.

The five daily prayers is a way for humans to express not only a partial thanks but a universal one. That is, we don’t just thank God for just the favors He gave to us individually. By offering all the greetings, prayers, and good acts of every creation; we offer a universal thanks on behalf of the entire creation. Through prayer, our limited and insignificant thanks becomes something much greater.

Qur’an and Hadith

This idea is grounded in the Qur’an. In Surah An-Nahl (16:78), Allah (SWT) says:

“It is God who brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing, and gave you hearing and sight and minds, so that you might be thankful.”
(وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ)

So why did God create us and shower us with all these blessings? So that we may be thankful. And prayer — the pillar of religion — is the best and most complete form of that thankfulness.

Even the Prophet Muhammad (عليه الصلاة والسلام) would spend long periods of the night in prayer. When asked about it, he replied:

“Should I not be a thankful slave?”
(أَفَلاَ أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا)
(Sahih al-Bukhari)

Some people might say: “I perform my prayers, but my life hasn’t improved.” But as we see in the Prophet’s example, worship is not about asking for more — it’s an expression of thanks for what has already been given.

Prayer also reveals the role of humans in the universe. Out of all creatures, humans were chosen to be khulafa’ al-ard — stewards of the earth. That includes offering worship not just for ourselves, but as representatives of the entire creation. We were chosen to carry the voice of the universe and present it before our Creator.

So the next time we pray, we should remember that we’re not just offering our own thanks. We’re standing on behalf of all creation — presenting their greetings, prayers, and good acts to the One who deserves them all.

Source

Twenty Fourth Word, Fifth branch, Second fruit, The Words by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi