In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Glory be to God whenever you reach evening and whenever you rise in the morning. All praise is for Him in the Heavens and on Earth, in the late afternoon, and whenever you reach the noon. (30: 17-18)

You ask me, fellow Muslims, why the five daily prayers must be prayed at specific times. I will give just one of the many reasons for this. Each prayer time is the opening of a significant turning point, a mirror to the Divine disposal of power as well as the universal Divine bounties therein. We are told to pray at those specific times to give more adoration and glory to the All-Powerful One of Majesty, and to give more thanks for the bounties accumulated between any two periods. To comprehend this subtle and profound meaning a little better, consider these five points:

First point: Each prayer stands for praising, glorifying, and feeling grateful to God. We glorify Him by saying subhan Allah (Glory be to God) by word and action in awareness of His Majesty. We exalt and magnify Him by saying Allahu akbar (God is the Greatest) through word and action in awareness of His Perfection. We offer thanks to Him by saying al-hamdu lillah·(All praise be to God) with our heart, tongue, and body, in awareness of His Grace. From this, we conclude that the heart of prayer consists of glorification, exaltation, praise, and thanksgiving. Thus, these three phrases are present in all words and actions of those who pray. Further, following each prayer, they are repeated 33 times each to confirm and complete the prayer’s objectives. The meaning of prayer is pronounced consecutively with these concise utterances.