Indeed, prayer (salah ) is the cornerstone of Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing salah, paying the zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan” (Al-Bukhari).

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore states the following: In Islam, salah is compulsory. It is the second pillar of Islam. Thus, it is a very important component of being a Muslim. Without it, a Muslim has destroyed his belief. T his was explained by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in a hadith.

Thus, it is incumbent upon everyone to find ways to perform their prayer on time. If we are not able to, we can compensate the missed prayer by performing at other times. This is called qada.

Performing prayer is relatively easy. If one cannot stand, we can perform it by sitting down. If one cannot sit, they can perform it lying down. If one cannot stop, they you are constantly on the move, it can even be performed it while walking. A soldier in the war is however advised to seek a qualified local scholar to explain in detail about the mechanics of praying like this.