Nowadays the above question is commonly being posed to potential rishtas, and my siblings (not my parents) place great emphasis on the importance of how namaazi or religious the guy is.
So a question for the guys, say if you read namaaz now and again, does it mean you’re non-religious as opposed to a guy who regularly reads namaaz? I know guys are a bit slack when it comes to prayers so even if he doesn’t read regularly it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the devil. But is there room for improvement or change if he reads occasionally? Or should one be quite strict in ones requirements and not compromise on the namaaz factor?
that is exactly what my sister asked when I told her about this girl some time last year.
Sister: Is she religious? Me: I dont know, but she has performed hajj and the other day when I was talking to her she had just said her Isha prayers Sister: chuckles, so she is not just a Jumma musalman like you Me: i guess not
Funny how far we have strayed from the deen, so much so that if a person prays five times a day, we consider him to be religious.
I pray four times a day (miss fajr, cuz i am a lazy tard) and i consider myself hellbound. I do not even consider people who pray five times a day to be religious, because doing so only makes them ordinary muslims, not pious muslims.
Now those who make the obligatory prayers (fardh) and then do the extra sunnahs and nafl salaats are, in my view, the truly "religious" people.
just because you pray 5 times doesn't mean you're truly religious. Your actions and ethics matter too. The fact that the guy prays and is meticulous about his religious obligations may be a sign that he has a good heart, but not necessarily.
look for other qualities like compassion, ethics, and honesty, which may or may not be the result of prayer
^ I agree. I also have to add that I've seen parents give noble speeches at weddings about how pious their children are and how they pray five times a day, when in reality they don't really and are far from being "religious". You gotta be careful cause people will and do lie to you when it comes their children and rishtas. The only way you will really know what the person is truly like is if you actually get to know them, as opposed to getting to know them by what their parents say about them.
I agree with Mr. Dope, praying five times makes you a normal person, not religious. You can still be a religious person even if you dont pray fives times.. provided you intend to pick up the habit soon.
What it does do is force you to keep yourself in a state of purity pretty much throughout the day, from the moment you wake up till the moment you go to bed. Also it helps to be praying five times a day when you have kids etc because they then take on from you and it becomes routine for them to pray instead of making it look like an extra unnecessary chore. Parents are their kids' biggest role models so if you really do care about transferring your religious values to your kids, praying five times a day is a good place to start.
At university i would usually make it to jumma salat on campus. After jumma salat the hottest topic among some guys would be which club to go partyin that evening (friday night!!). This is the kind your sibs need to stay away from. :p
You're absolutely right dope. Although I do believe if someone is taking out the time, even if its the farz and takes 2 minutes to read, it is indicative that they have a fear of the Almighty. And some people strive to improve (like me) ... similar to you, getting up for Fajr is something I still struggle with, but feel guilty whenever I miss it.
But wunderkind and Mehnaz make valid points, a person's character plays a huge role. And sometimes namaazi people's habits do contradict themselves.
So Mehnaz, you would never ask a potential rishta if he reads namaaz, fasts, goes to the mosque for Jummah? I most certainly would.
I ask, but I don't hold it against him if he doesn't pray 5 times a day and nor do I give him bonus points if he does. It all depends on what else comes with him (personality wise) and what his values, ethics and morals are like. Yes, most of these stem from religion anyway, but someone praying regularly doesn't necessarily make them 'good'. Other characteristics are just as important. They have to be kind and loving as well as a million other things. :p
I always do too, I was actually quite shocked when one potential said he didnt fast. My unlce who doesn't even read namaz, jumma nor eid namaz still keeps rozay. It's hard not to expect people to do things just because you do. I suppose everyone has thier reasons.
hmm, dont put TOO much emphasis on the fasting and praying... Inshallah with time, things and people do change...
its not just guys being lazy, there are a lot of females who dont pray either and i dont see a lot of guys fretting over that...
praying can not be forced... yes, you can ask your partner to pray but you cant force them.. the worst is putting them down about it and making them feel bad (my opinion.. i know most will disagree)
and i agree with dope about the religious factor... praying 5 times is an obligation.. its one of the pillars of islam that makes us a muslim... it does NOT make us a religious muslim...
And I also believe, that those people who profess love for their faith and argue in its favour or argue a certain point yet don’t pray five times, should be simply ignored and their arguments chucked in the garbage…
Because obviously, if a person can ignore the most important and unwavering command of Allah :swt:, then what position is he in to even raise a single issue regarding Islam??
that is exactly what my sister asked when I told her about this girl some time last year.
i guess not 
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