Hour after hour, day after day and year after year, the world works to keep us chasing its fancies and whims. The process happens so gradually that we tend not to be aware that we are changing.

Just as the waves wear away at the boulders along the seashore with the passing of the days and the years, so also does life, by virtue of the passage of time, familiarity, repetition and habit, wear away at the spiritual strength, equilibrium and inward purity, we have achieved through prayer, our direct line to God.

Nevertheless, we can return back to that state by rediscovering prayer, and restore ourselves by removing whatever ‘viruses’ have crept in bringing distortion and maladies.

Word-for-word authenticated narratives based on multiple sources and passed down by numerous narrators have given us the original template for Salah (prayer) as it was uttered and performed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, who simply said, “Pray as you have seen me pray”.