as He has said, by way of example: ﴿إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ﴾[1]; “If you disbelieve, surely Allah has no need of you, while He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants; and if you are grateful, He is pleased with it for you.” Thus, it is clear that He has commanded every good deed and prohibited every evil deed; as He has said: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ﴾[2]; “Indeed, Allah enjoins justice, doing good, and caring for relatives, and He prohibits indecency, vice, and oppression.” Accordingly, He has not commanded any evil deed, nor has He prohibited any good deed; as He has said: ﴿قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ﴾[3]; “Say: ‘Undoubtedly, Allah does not command what is indecent,” and, by way of example: ﴿لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ أَنْ تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ﴾[4]; “Allah does not prohibit you from dealing kindly and justly with those who did not fight you over religion and did not drive you out of your homes.” Therefore, submitting to His commands and prohibitions—although the reason for it may be hidden from some people—is obligatory for everyone, and acting in accordance with them is regarded as obeying Allah and worshiping Him, which fulfills the needs of the children of Adam and ensures their happiness.

[Prayer]

An example is His command regarding prayer, which is a specific and fixed obligation upon Muslims; as He has said: ﴿إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا﴾[5]; “Indeed, prayer is a prescribed obligation upon the believers.” It is performed five times throughout the day and night: at the beginning and end of the day, which are the Fajr and the Asr prayers; at the beginning of the night, which is the Maghrib prayer—as He has said: ﴿وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ﴾[6]; “And perform prayer at the two ends of the day and at the beginning of the night”;