English Translation of Al-Quran
[35].Surah Fatir [The Originator of Creation]
Ayat 18. And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden, and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he is near of kin. You (O Muhammad ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH), can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen, and perform As-Salat (Iqamatas Salat). And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of his own self. And to Allah is the (final) Return (of all).
Tafseer of Surah Fatir Ayat 18. Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another’s burdens if one heavily laden should call another to (bear) his load. Not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other). Even though he is nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord unseen and establish regular Prayer. And whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to Allah. Bearer: waziratun: feminine in Arabic, as referring to the soul (nafs), as in 6:164 and 53:38. Natural relationship may be considered as a reasonable cause or opportunity for bearing each other’s burdens. For example, a mother or a father might offer to die for her or his child, and vice versa. But this does not apply to spiritual matters. There the responsibility is strictly personal and cannot be transferred to another. In 29:13 we are told that the misleaders “will bear another burdens along with their own”: but the context shows that the “other” burdens are the burdens of deluding the others with their falsehoods. Both sins are their own, viz., their original sin, and the sin of deluding the others. But the responsibility will be doubled. B’il Ghaib: unseen in the adverbial sense. The man, who, though he does not see Allah, so realizes Allah’s Presence in himself as if he saw Him, is the man of genuine Faith, and for him Allah’s Revelation comes through many channels and is always fruitful. (Cf. 36:11). Prayer is one of the means of purifying ourselves of lower motives in life, for in prayer we seek the Presence of Allah; but the purity which we seek is for our own souls: we confer no favor on Allah or on any Power in the spiritual world, as some imagine who make “gifts” to Allah. In any case the destination of all is to Allah.
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) said, “That which differentiates us from the disbelievers and hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He who abandons it, becomes a disbeliever.”
[At-Tirmidhi Hadith # 2621]
Lesson: as mentioned above in Surah Fatir Ayat 18. “(O Muhammad ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH), can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen, and perform As-Salat (Iqamatas Salat). And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins)” This Hadith makes the importance of Salat in Islam abundantly clear. The opinion of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) was based on the information contained in the Hadith which have been mentioned above. They did not take the Hadith which interpreted the leaving of Salat as Kufr mere scolding or reproof. They considered slackness and negligence in Salat as Kufr and apostasy and regarded Salat a symbol of Islam.
