It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah son of Umar that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:

(The superstructure of) al-Islam is raised on five (pillars), testifying (the fact) that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is His bondsman and messenger, and the establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, Pilgrimage to the House (Ka'ba) and the fast of Ramadan.[1]

          Salah, or prayer is the second pillar of Islam. The gift of five prayers was given to the Muslim Ummah, when our beloved Prophet (SAW) went to meet Allah SWT on Mairaaj. Fortunately for us, by establishing five prayers daily, the reward of fifty prayers has been promised to the Muslim Ummah.We all know that it is really important for us to establish prayer as Muslims, but many of us don't realise that according to a hadith, failing to establish prayer might  lead to shirk, or kufr. [2]

          The importance of Salah becomes evident, as one of the first questions that would be asked on the day of Judgement, would be about our Salah.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (SAW) said:

“The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels, although He knows best, ‘Look at My slave’s prayer!Is it complete or lacking?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete, but if it is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether my slave did any voluntary (nawafil) prayers.’ If he had done voluntary prayers,

He will say, ‘Complete the obligatory prayers of My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be examined in a similar manner.” [3]

          This hadith also shows that after establishing five obligatory prayers, establishing nawafil is highly recommended. And the best voluntary prayer is Tahajjud; the prayer established at mid night.

          Apart from seeking Allah's Pleasure, establishing prayers has many benefits for us as Muslims, as well as human beings. Establishing Salah stops us from immodesty, and other sins. It helps us to manage our time more efficiently. By establishing Salah, our sins are forgiven, and righteousness is inculcated in us.

          But many times we feel that even after our attempt to establish prayers, we do not get the benefits we have been told, or at least not too the extent we had hoped for. Why is that so? What should we do to achieve the results that have been mentioned in various hadith?

          We need to perfect our Salah; Make it beautiful, to achieve maximum results. Are we offering Salah right on time, or are we delaying it till we just have enough time before Qada? Are we trying to make perfect wudu every time, or are just carelessly making wudu? Are we dressed properly for Salah? Meeting all conditions of Satr (fully covered)?Are we making sure that we meet all other conditions of Salah (clean place, clean clothes etc)? If we are not taking the preparation of Salah seriously, then how do we expect that our Salah would be of a standard that would please Allah SWT?

          When we actually start our prayer, we have to make sure to perform each step of prayer properly, giving it its time, and reciting the dua of each step slowly, such that it sinks in you. Qayaam, Ruku, Said, Jalsa, Tashhud, each step demands its proper time and dua.

          We can improve the standard of our Salah by improving the quality of our recitation (Qiraat) in Salah. How can we improve the quality of our recitation? We have many options available. We can look for a Quran teacher in our local mosque, or Islamic centre. We can also hire online Quran teacher. Online Quran teacher can really help us improve our pronunciation of Quran. The rules of pronunciation of Quran are called Tajweed, and it is essential to read Quran with correct Tajweed to gain maximum reward.

          Online Quran teachers are not only qualified, and well trained to teach Quran, they are also experienced to teach. Teaching involves different strategies for different students, based on their age, background, previous knowledge etc. Online Quran teachers can help us improve our Tajweed skills, which will help us improve our quality of Salah. Online Quran teachers can also help us to memorise different surahs, or chapters of Quran. This would help us greatly when we are not able to join congregation, or Jamaat, and have to offer Salah individually.

          We can beautify our Salah by learning perfect Tajweed and memorising a larger part of Quran. Online Quran teacher is a great help to achieve this. By taking Quran lessons online, we can be sure of improving our Quran recitation, Quran memorisation, as well as improving our Salah. It definitely is a win-win situation. May Allah Accept from us our good deeds and good intentions. Ameen.         

References:

[1]Narrated by Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 21

[2] Narrated by Sahih Muslim, Al-Emaan, Hadith 82

[3] Narrated by Abu Dawood, Hadith 864