Logic For Islamic Rules

Does Prayer Have a Role in Acceptance of All Deeds?

Question: I have seen an objection against Muslims in books that the Islamic scholars have written in the books of jurisprudence and traditions that till the Prayer is not accepted the other deeds will not be accepted. And then the book mentions the conditions for acceptance of Prayer that a person cannot fulfill in his whole life. And even if one fulfills it, such a person must be very exceptional and rare. Therefore according to their own statement all the deeds and worship acts they have done all their life will not be accepted. Please explain to me this matter.

Answer: The first thing is that a study of books of Islamic jurisprudence shows that the conditions mentioned therein are not so difficult that no one could fulfill them. Rather some people can pay more attention to their deeds and worship acts and fully comply to those conditions. You can find it yourself if you study the Articles of Islamic Acts. Therefore it is not correct to blame such things on Islam.

Secondly, the acceptance of deeds and worship acts by Allah has many stages and grades. It is possible that they may not achieve the first grade acceptance but may be eligible for lower grade. Basically correct worship has a grade of acceptance. In the same way the acceptance of other deeds too shall depend on the acceptance of Prayer.

This statement could be explained in the way that if the Prayer is correct and performed according to the apparent Islamic laws, it would definitely be accepted by Allah. And as

 much the heart and conscience of man are clean and as much he refrains from oppression and injustice, the grade of its acceptance would be proportionate to this. Because the value of each deed depends on the mentality and condition of the person who is performing it.