Could My Wird Be Beneficial Even Without Praying the Obligatory Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Riad Saloojee

Question: Assalamu alaykum

1.If you don’t pray, will Wazifa never work for you?

2. If you read a Wazifa a certain number of times daily, is it ok to read more than you’re required to?

Answer: Wa’alaykumsalam wa rahmatullah,

I pray you are well, by Allah’s grace. What follows is a general answer, without regard to specific details that I do not have.

My understanding is that a ‘wazifa’ in Urdu is similar to the word ‘wird’ in Arabic. If so, a wird is a regular and committed practice of worship or remembrance that is meant to remember Allah and seek His numerous blessings and bounties.

The most important wazifa or wird is therefore the performance of the obligatory prayers, or salah. Allah has made salah obligatory upon us for many reasons: we are in dire need of disconnecting our heart from attachments that cause us to be distant from Him; we need to remember Allah regularly; salah is one of the most powerful means to purify our hearts; and sincere performance of salah brings tranquility and serenity to the heart.

To focus on that which is recommended at the expense of that which is compulsory is unwise, harmful and earns Allah’s displeasure. We must seek Allah in the way He commanded us to seek Him.

While having a regular wazifa or wird of Allah is extremely beneficial for the seeker of Allah’s nearness, the first priority should be to discharge the obligation of salah.

As for the other questions pertaining to the wazifa, they require more detail before they can be answered.

May Allah facilitate for us worship of Him in the way that He loves and accepts.

Wa salaamu’alaykum wa rahmatullah,
[Shaykh] Riad Saloojee

Shaykh Riad Saloojee graduated and taught in an Islamic seminary in Cape Town, South Africa.  He is a lawyer by training and worked in the field of civil rights advocacy. Currently, he teaches and translates.