Understanding the purpose of worship

STEP 1: THE MEANING OF THE SIGHTING OF THE
EXALTED CREATOR
In the tradition sighted at the end of the previous chapter there has been
stress on the sighting of the Exalted Creator. We must know that the
sighting is of two types, namely, 1) sighting with the eyes and 2) sighting
with the heart. In the view of the devout persons sighting through the
heart is more important than sighting with the eyes. It must be your experience
that many a time the eye can make a mistake about the object
sighted. For example from a fast moving carriage one gets the illusion
that the trees are fast running in the opposite direction. This, as you
know, is contrary to the fact. But, in the case of sighting through the
heart there will not be any element of error.
Someone asked Hazrat Ali (a.s) if he has sighted Allah whom he worshipped.
He replied, “If I had not seen Him, I would never have worshipped
Him. But I have not seen Allah with these eyes because they
have no such faculty. I have witnessed Allah with the eyes of my heart
and the firmness of my Faith in Him.”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) was asked by someone, “O son of the Prophet!
How to create khuzu wa khushu (humility and fear of Allah) in prayer?”
The Imam (a.s) replied, “During prayer keep your eyes focussed on
the point where you prostrate with your forehead.”
Again someone asked the Imam (a.s) the same question and he told
him that during the prayer he should have the thought in his mind that
he might die immediately after the prayer.
After some more days another person asked the Imam the same question.
The Imam said that during the prayer the person should concentrate
on the thought that he is witnessing Allah; but since Allah does not
have any physical appearance, He cannot be seen with the eyes. The
thought must be there during the prayer that Allah is looking at the
worshipper.
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A thought comes to the mind that the Holy Imam (a.s), instead of giving
three different replies, could have given only one reply, which he
thought was the best. But this thinking is wrong. As a matter of fact, the
Imam was replying to every individual keeping his capability in mind.
The reply given to the third and the last person is for the knowledgeable,
and the most knowledgeable are the Infallible members of the Prophet’s
progeny. They are on record praying to Allah thus, “We have not been
able to justify Your Mystic knowledge.
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Chapter 8
STEP 2: THE REASON FOR CREATION OF THE
UNIVERSE
There are numerous verses of the Holy Quran and several traditions of
the Prophet (a.s) and the Imams that illustrate that the purpose of the
creation of the universe, and all the creatures living in it, is for the sole
purpose of worshipping the Creator, Allah. We should know that prayer
and knowledge of Allah have to be compulsorily together. Without
knowledge of Allah prayer is futile and without prayer any claims of
knowledge of Allah are not of any use. There are certain conditions that
are the very spirit of prayer, for example humility, fear of Allah and dedication
of the heart. If these things are not there then the prayer is not of
much use. These things prevent the worshipper from undesirable acts. If
the prayer is not implicitly in accordance with the established norms,
then it can, at best, be termed as praying just out of habit.
For the acceptance of our prayers we have to consider whether it is
preventing us from the undesirable acts of the daily life. If this is not the
case, we are not fulfilling the very purpose of the Creator prescribing
prayer for the human kind. The prayer of such persons will be hypocritical,
tantamount to going through the ritual for making a show in the social
environment.
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Chapter 9
STEP 3: THE CONDITIONS FOR PRAYER
Going into the details of the steps of prayer is not in the purview of this
book. But briefly, the most important aspect of prayer is the intent of the
worshipper who offers prayer. The Prophet (a.s) has said,
“The actions of a person depend on his intentions.”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) has said, “the intent of a pious person is better
than his actions.” The intent in which there is no desire for nearness is
useless and the nearness without intent too is not of much use. Here the
nearness is not meant to be the physical nearness but the nearness of
spirit. One should know that physical nearness with Allah is impossible
because He is devoid of any physical existence. However pure the intent
for prayer there is no other intent in the act than the nearness to the
Creator. For example the people in the community start considering a
pretender very pious because a rich person got impressed with his prayers
and gave him material benefits.
The translator here recalls the story of a thief who planned to burgle
the palace of the king. He climbed the roof of the palace and sat looking
for a chance to get into the boudoir of the queen. He was waiting for the
king and the queen to fall asleep. During this time he heard the queen
and the king converse. The queen told to the king that Allah has granted
to them a pretty daughter who has now reached the age of the marriage.
The king said that he too was looking for a pious person to be the consort
for his daughter. The queen said it might not be a difficult task to find
such a person. She suggested that the vizier should go to the mosque
early morning and the first young person who arrived there should be
the best choice. She said that they should get their daughter married to
that person because they didn’t need to search a person with riches. The
king liked this idea very much and issued suitable instructions to the
vizier. The thief heard all this and saw a wonderful opportunity for himself.
He quietly descended from the roof of the palace and reached the
mosque carefully to be the first person entering there. The vizier brought
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him to the court. The king ordered the young man to be given a shower
and robed in royal finery. The king also declared that the princess will be
married to him and he would get half the kingdom as a dowry. The king
asked the young man if he was willing to accept the proposal. At this
juncture the young man got the idea that for falsely assuming piety he
was getting half of the kingdom. If he became a true worshipper of Allah
the bounties could be unimaginable. Therefore the young man refused
the offer of the king. He told him that Allah, who has given him half the
kingdom, might give him much more. The king hugged the young man
and said, “Alright! I have given you the entire kingdom”
Therefore, it is imperative that there has to be honesty of purpose in
prayer. Hazrat Ali (a.s) has said, “The people who pray with the desire
of entering the Heaven, their devotion is commercial; and those who offer
prayers with the fear of going to the Hell, their attitude is slavish. The
third category is of persons, who offer prayers to Allah with the awareness
that they owe devotion to Him and are the selfless worshippers. I
too offer prayers to Allah because He is the true Lord deserving of worship.
His blessings and gifts are of such magnitude that offering Him
thanks would not be possible even if every cell gets a tongue.”
Hazrat Moosa (a.s) was told by Allah, “O Moosa (a.s)! Create My love
in the hearts of your people!”
Hazrat Moosa (a.s) replied, “O Creator! I love you profoundly, but
how can I create Your love in others’ hearts?”
The reply was, “Mention to them the Blessings showered by Me on
them. They will automatically develop love for Me!”
The Holy Prophet (a.s) said, “O people! Love Allah for His countless
bounties, Love me because of Allah and because of me love my Ahl al
Bayt!”
The purport of Innamal aamaal bil niyaat (Actions are in accordance to
the intents) is that the actions should purely be for the sake of Allah. The
‘intent’ which is from the depth of the heart is better than the action.
Some people wrongly assume that when they utter their desire to perform
ablution or the bath of purification, they have expressed their intent
to do so. What is important is the sincerity in the action. The following
example shall illustrate the point. There is a person who habitually
misses his mandatory prayers. But an occasion comes when he accompanies
a rich person, from whom he expects a favor, to a mosque. To
please the rich man he performs ablution and joins the congregation. Although
his intent was to pray, his prayer is not right, because his intention
was to receive the largesse and not to get Allah’s Pleasure!
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There are two distinct types of intents. The one is an easy intent and
the other is difficult.
The first easy intent is one which comes to mind but the person does
not perform the act purposely. For example, a person enters the washroom
with the intent of performing the ritual purification bath, forgets
about it and takes a shower without going through the steps of the ritual
bath. The person thus would not have purified himself, although the intent
was there.
The difficult intent is one where a person is fully aware of the purpose
and need for the action. He knows the dictates of the wisdom and religious
norms for the act. For example,: a person is first asked as to where
he is going. He says that he intends to go to the bazar. This will be his
first intention. Then he is asked as to why he is going to the bazar. He
mentions about the things he intends to buy. That will be his second
intention.
There are a few stages of intent:
In this world every individual has certain wishes and desires. Some
are after hoarding wealth under the influence of the Satan, others face
any amount of hardship to get their beloved. These hardships are pleasurable
for them. Even if they are told that prayer would bring to them
Bounties in the Hereafter, they would not pay any heed. For the person
who is running after acquiring wealth, his deity is the wealth. Similarly a
person who wants to have name and fame, limits his prayers to craving
for these things.
During the time of the Prophet there was a good mix of godliness and
worldliness in the people. But soon after the Prophet, a clear demarcation
came about between the godly and the worldly-wise people. The
worldly-wise joined hands with the rulers of the day and the pious were
few and far between.
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) narrates that the Prophet (a.s) said, “abstain
from hypocrisy, because hypocrisy is like polytheism (Shirk).The hypocrite
will be addressed with four names on the Day of Reckoning: unbeliever,
characterless, deceit, adulterer. He will be told that his actions will
earn him retribution and all his prayers would have gone in vain. He
will be asked to seek the wages and return for his efforts from the one he
was working for (the Satan)”
Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s) narrates that the prophet of Islam (a.s) said
that on the Day of Reckoning Allah would order consigning of one
group of people to the Hell. The Keeper of the Hell will instruct the Hell
Fire not to burn the feet of the people because they used to enter the
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Mosque using them. He will caution the fire not to scorch their faces that
they used to do the ablution of their faces for the prayers. He would also
ask the fire to spare their hands that they used to raise them in supplication
to Allah. He would not have their tongues burnt that they used to
recite the Holy Book with their help!.
Then the Keeper of the Hell would ask the sinners, “O cruel ones!
What sins you have committed that despite everything you have been
judged deserving of punishment in the Hell?”
The group would respond saying, “All our actions were to please others
than Allah. This is the reason that we are asked today to seek succor
from those in whose service we spent our lives.”
Hazrat Luqman (a.s) advised his son that hypocrites can be recognized
with three characteristics: while alone, they are tardy about prayers:
when in congregation they pretend to be ardently keen on offering prayers
and in every activity they seek more and more approbation from
others.
Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) narrates from the Prophet (a.s) He said,
“The person who offers prayers to show-off to others is a polytheist
(mushrik). The person who performs Haj to impress others is a mushrik
and one who fasts to attract others’ attention too is a mushrik. One who
pays the tithe (the Zakat) to impress others and pretends to follow all the
Commandments of Allah hypocritically too is a mushrik. Allah doesn’t
accept any acts of the hypocrites.”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) said, “Every hypocrisy is polytheism.
Whatever deed is done with the purpose of showing to others is hypocrisy.
The wages for the deeds too will be disbursed by the one for whom
the deed was performed.”
The Imam (a.s) further said, “The good deed done by a pious person,
however small, Allah will manifest it to others in greater measure.
However much the perpetrator of evil tries to hide his deed from others,
Allah will disclose it to others sooner or later.”
The cure for hypocrisy and cunning is the banishing of evil thoughts
from the mind and controlling the desires for undue worldly benefits.
The person should think that this world is transitory and nothing is permanent
here. He has only to pray for and seek the goodwill and nearness
of the Immortal and Infallible Allah.
It is said that a person was squatting near a tree remembering Allah.
He wished to do his meditation with complete peace of mind when a
group of birds perched on the tree and started chirping. The peace of
mind of the person was disturbed and he scared the birds away. After a
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while of peace the birds again gathered on the canopy of the tree and
started making noise. He scared them away once again. But the birds
were coming back again and again. Another person was passing by and
he observed the activity of the first person. He said, “Brother! As long as
the tree is there, the birds would perch on it and chirp! Why don’t you
cut away the tree?” The man did accordingly. He got rid of the chirping
birds. Similarly, as long as there are present in the hearts of humans the
trees of the love of worldly gains, the birds of desire will be there to
chirp and there will not be peace of mind for prayer and supplication.
Therefore, one should shun the worldly desires, concentrate on the
bounties that Allah has given him. The bounties of Allah are uncountable
and there won’t be an end thanking Him for His Grace. The biggest
Divine Blessing is the existence of the human being. Allah has blessed
man with limbs, sense and strength. He has created the land, the skies,
the sun, the moon, the stars, the animals and birds for the benefit of man.
He has created different climates, flora and fauna for the good of man.
Allah has not deprived even the unbelievers from the benefits of His
bounties in this world. But man continues to give the proof of his ungratefulness.
He bows down shamelessly and thoughtlessly to his own
self-created gods.
Imam Reza (a.s) says, “If Allah had not promised Heaven and had not
created the fear of the Hell, even then prayer would have been obligatory
on humankind. Because Allah is the provider of all the Bounties before
and after the creation of man in this world.”
There are stages of prayer: In the grade of sincere worshippers there is
a group of people who offer prayer in their modesty. These are the
people whose hearts are shining with the light of Faith. They believe that
Allah is Omniscient and keeps track of all our actions. Therefore, they
never commit any act contrary to His Dictates. They are shy of committing
the smallest act tantamount to His Disobedience. They firmly believe
that Allah is Omnipresent.
Hazrat Luqman told to his son, “If you wish to be disobedient to Allah,
search a place where He isn’t there!”
The Prophet of Allah (a.s) said, “Have fear of Allah the best you
could!”
Some of the companions asked, “How could we have the fear of
Allah?”
The Prophet (a.s) replied, “If you wish to have fear of Allah, always
keep your death in mind and keep all your senses free of sins against
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Allah. Take care to eat legitimate (Halal) food and tell the truth. Also you
must remember that your destiny is to go to the grave and the dust.”
The people who have comprehended the pleasure of prayer, their
minds and consciences will be pure and bright and all the worldly desires
would have vanished from the mirror of their hearts. They don’t
give priority to any desires over their duties of obedience and worship of
Allah. For them there is no pain more than the pain of committing sin
against Allah. They have totally comprehended the harm accompanying
sin. They associate Heaven with prayer and supplication and Hell with
sin. They get so much pleasure from prayers that they become unmindful
of the worldly pleasures! Every drop of tear that issues forth from
their eyes in prayer, gives immense pleasure to their hearts. The tears
that come from their eyes in fear of Allah, give them the pleasure of having
Allah’s Fear.
The Prophet (a.s) has said, “The noblest person is one who loves to
pray. His heart is full of Allah’s love. His limbs and other parts are obedient
to the Will of Allah. For prayer he would abandon worldly activities
and he would be oblivious of the comforts of life. He would be totally
dedicated to prayer of Allah without giving any thought to earning a
place in the Heaven.”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) narrates that Allah says, “O my worshippers!
Derive benefit from prayers in the world, as you would in the Hereafter.
As there are the five senses in the bodies of humans, with whose help
they feel things, their spirits too have faculties of senses. The spirits derive
the truths and meanings through their use. As the bodily senses
keep them away from wrong- doing, so do the spiritual senses prevent
them from committing sins. People with good taste distinguish between
good taste or otherwise. But when a person falls ill, even sweet things
taste bitter to him. In such a condition the person loses his confidence on
his faculty of taste. Similarly, as long as the spiritual senses of a person
are not dominated by carnal desires, he will be busy in prayer and supplication.
But once the negative desires gain ascendance over him, he
starts feeling that good deeds are bitter for him. He refrains from prayer
and starts indulging in sinful acts. In his eyes, now, the evil appear good
and the good appear evil.”
Allah observes about the Infallible of the Family of the Prophet (the Ahl
al Bayt) thus, “Allah is friendly towards them, and they are friendly towards
Allah.” They are such worshippers of Allah that even if they are
in the Heaven and they don’t have the Pleasure of Allah, then the
Heaven would be worse than the Hell for them. And if they are in the
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Hell and have the love of Allah, then the fire of the Hell will be like
flowers for them.
Therefore Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s) thought that the fire of Nimrod, to
which the tyrant consigned him, was a bed of flowers. If Allah had not
thought it fit to change the fire into flowers, Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s) would
have accepted it without a whimper of complaint.
Let’s take the example of an ordinary mortal. In his worldly love for
the beloved he would go to any extent to please. He would undergo any
amount of hardship willingly for the sake of the loved one. Wherever he
goes, whatever he does, the sole aim is to please the beloved. But when a
person gets to love Allah, he rises above the concept of the Heaven and
the Hell. The biggest thing in his eyes now will be to have the pleasure of
Allah. He likes the Heaven because he thinks that Allah likes it and
wishes to be away from the Hell that he thinks Allah doesn't like the
Hell.
Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) has said, “O Allah! If You consign me
to Hell and separate me from my friends, I might bear the harsh hardships
of the Hell with forbearance. But how could I withstand separation
from You!” One who has reached such heights in his love for the Creator
can’t be disobedient to the Omnipotent Allah.
Allah exhorts the Prophet (a.s) thus, “O Mohammed! Tell the people. If
you wish to have Allah’s friendship, then follow me that Allah will be
friendly with you.” Again Allah says, “One who is friendly with Allah,
Allah is friendly with him. And those who have Allah’s friendship are in
safety.” Such a person will be safe from the machinations of the Satan in
this world.
And Hazrat Moosa bin Imran (a.s) received the Revelation thus, “O
Moosa! Liar is a person who claims that he is friendly with Allah but
sleeps away when the night comes. A friend seeks to converse with his
beloved in loneliness! In the loneliness of nights Our friends converse
with Us in a manner, as if, they are in Our presence! This status is
achieved by a momin (pious person) when he thinks of Our countless
Blessings and accepts their greatness.”
The Prophet of Allah (a.s) said to his companions, “Tell me which of
Allah’s Bounties is the first one?” Everyone made his guess about the
bounties. Some said dainty food is the best Blessing, another said that the
children, and more particularly the male child, are Allah’s best Bounty.
Alas, when the Prophet (a.s) was not satisfied with any of the replies, he
asked Hazrat Ali (a.s), “O Ali! Tell me. Of the countless Bounties of Allah,
which one is the best?!”
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The Prophet’s Vicegerent said, “O Prophet of Allah! You know better
than me and whatever I know has been taught to me by you! But since
you are ordering me to respond to your question, I am complying.
1. Of the Bounties of Allah, the best is the capability of invention.
When there was nothing, He gave us the faculty of existence and
observation.” The Prophet (a.s) said, “O Ali! You are right. Now,
What is the next best Bounty?”
2. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The second Bounty is that Allah has not created
us like the flora and the minerals (mountains, rocks, trees etc)
but He has endowed us with spirit and animation.” The Prophet
(a.s) said, “Verily! You are right. Tell me what is the third
Bounty?”
3. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The third Bounty is that Allah has bestowed
to the human-kind the best features of face and body” The Prophet
(a.s) said, “You are right. What is the fourth Bounty?”
4. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The fourth Bounty is that Allah has gifted
the human beings with the external and spiritual senses.” The
Prophet (a.s) rejoined, “True. What is the fifth Bounty?”
5. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The fifth Bounty is that Allah has given intellect
and wisdom to the human beings.” The Prophet (a.s) said,
“You are right. O Ali! What is the sixth Bounty?
6. Hazrat Ali (a.s) replied, “The sixth Bounty is that Allah has gifted
to us the wealth of the True Faith and has not created us in ignorance.”
The Prophet (a.s) said, “This too is true. What is the seventh
Bounty?
7. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The seventh Bounty is that Allah has bestowed
us with immortal life in the Hereafter. The prophet (a.s)
said, “True! What is the eighth Bounty?”
8. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “Allah has created us free and not slave to
anyone.” The Prophet (a.s) said, “You are right. What is the ninth
Bounty?”
9. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “The ninth Bounty is that Allah has created
the earth and the sky and all they contain for our benefit and gave
us full control of these elements.” The Prophet (a.s) assented and
asked, “What is the tenth Bounty?”
10. Hazrat Ali (a.s) replied, “The tenth Bounty is that Allah has created
us men and superior to women.” The Prophet (a.s) asked, “O Ali!
Tell about more Bounties of Allah!”
Hazrat Ali (a.s) said, “O Allah’s choicest of creations! The Bounties of
Allah are uncountable. My entire life shall be insufficient to enumerate
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them.” The Prophet (a.s) said, “O Ali! Truly, you are the inheritor of the
knowledge! Whosoever follows you will be on the Right Path. Your
friends shall find Deliverance! Your enemies and adversaries shall be deprived
of the rewards on the Day of Judgement!” Then he (a.s) said, “the
way to achieve nearness of the Creator is to talk more of Him. The best
prayer is the supplication of the pious person!” Hazrat Ali (a.s) said,
“I don’t worship Allah with the desire for the Heaven nor for the fear
of the Hell! I Worship Him because I found Him deserving of Worship!”
This is the stage of Divine Understanding when even if the supplicant
is sent to the Hell, he will continue with his supplication unmindful of
the Hell Fire!
If someone questions that when at the height of piety Heaven and Hell
have no relevance for the pious, then how is it that the prophets and the
Infallible persons always expressed wish for the Heaven and deliverance
from the Hell in their supplications?
The fact is that Heaven has different connotations in its intrinsic and
apparent aspects. Its fruits, for example, have different tastes for different
individuals to suit every individual palate. For some the taste might
be just good and for the others because of their profound faith, there will
be the feeling of spiritual happiness.
For example: If a king serves food to a commoner from his royal table,
the person would relish the delicacies doubly because he is getting the
honour of having food on the royal table and the food that is out of the
ordinary for him. When the same food is served to a nobleman, he too
would enjoy eating it. But it would not be anything out of the ordinary
for him that he gets the same food every day on his own table. However
he cherishes the honour of sharing the table with his monarch! The
prophets too pray for the Heaven that it would enhance their status in
the eyes of the Creator and not for any physical comfort! When they
crave safety from the Hell, it is not from the fear of the Fire but to prevent
themselves from the displeasure of Allah! Hazrat Ali (a.s) has said
in one of his supplications, “O Creator! I can have forbearance when You
punish me but how could I bear separation from You. The heat of the
Fire of the Hell can be bearable for me but how could I bear the heat of
the fire of separation from you!
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Chapter 10
STEP 4: TOTAL DEVOTION OF MIND AND HEART
Among the conditions for prayer, one most important condition is the
total dedication and devotion of the heart. If there is no humility and fear
of Allah (Khuzu wa Khushu) in prayer, then it remains ineffective. Even,
such prayer might bring the person punishment. If a person is conversing
with the king and his mind is elsewhere and the king notices that his
subject is not giving his full attention, he might punish the person for his
lack of attention.
Humility of heart means that the heart is in full attention towards his
Creator while in prayer. The person makes his body and mind totally
submissive to the heart. If this state is achieved in prayer, then even the
lonely (furada) prayer offered by a person will be highly rated. It would
be quite possible that he might get the reward of congregational prayer
because the heart in this case functions as the leader (Imam) of the congregation
and the different parts of the body of the devotee as the
followers.
As the faith increases, the humility of heart too increases in the same
proportion. Therefore the humility of the hearts of the Infallible persons
of the prophet’s Family (the Masoomeen) is of the highest order. The
limbs and body of Hazrat Ali (a.s) used to shiver when going for the
prayer. Somebody asked him, “O Ali! Is it not the same body that captured
the fort of Khaibar and single handedly rent away the invincible
gate of the fort!” Hazrat (a.s) replied, “No doubt! This is the same body
but you must know that at this moment I am on my way carrying the important
charge which even the land, the skies and the mountains refused
to carry!”
It is said that one day Imam Zainal Abedin (a.s) was engrossed in his
prayer and Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s), still a child, fell in the well of
their house. His mother started shouting, “O Son of the Prophet (a.s)!
Mohammed Baqir (a.s) has fallen into the well.” But Imam Zainal
Abedin (a.s) continued with his prayer. The mother of Imam
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Mohammed Baqir (a.s) was running between the parapet of the well and
the place where the Imam was praying. Alas, when Imam Zainal Abedin
(a.s) finished his prayer, he went to the well and rescued his son who
was hail and hearty. The Imam told to his wife, “you know that I was
standing in prayer before my Creator. If He was displeased, the consequence
would be grave. Our purpose is only to get the goodwill of our
Lord and the biggest personal loss is inconsequential. There was no reason
for me to fear about the safety of my son. I was present in front of my
Master with total dedication of my heart and was not attending to the
household matters!”
Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) said that some devotees offered prayers
with one-third dedication of heart, some others with one-fourth dedication
and others with one-fifth dedication of the heart. The Angels will record
the prayers for reward only to the extent of the dedication of the
heart of the supplicant. Therefore it is advised that people should offer as
many supplementary prayers as possible besides their mandatory
prayers.
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) said, “the heart in which there is the desire for
reward and fear of retribution on the Day of Judgement will become eligible
for entry to the Heaven.”
Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) has said, “when a person prepares to offer
prayer, Allah’s kindness and blessings shadow him and the Angel of
Beneficence proclaims,’ O Creation of Allah! If you know how much
your Creator is kind on you, you will not raise your head from your
prostration!’”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) has said, “when the attention of a person is diverted
from his prayer, then Allah says, ‘O My Creation! Is there any god
greater than Me towards whom your attention is diverted.’ Then Allah
observes the lack of attention of the person thrice and finally He gives to
him no more attention.
The dedication of the heart during prayers is dependent very much on
the circumstances of the person. The more the person is perfect in his
Faith and Belief, the more dedication of heart he will manifest. Jafar bin
Ahmed narrates that when the Prophet (a.s) used to stand up for offering
prayer the colour of his face used to change and from his chest a sound
used to emanate which used to indicate enthusiasm.
When Imam Hasan (a.s) used to do the ablutions for offering prayer,
his body used to shiver and the colour of his face used to turn yellow.
People asked him the reason for this change in him. He said, “It is necessary
for every worshipper that when he prepares to go to the presence of
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his Creator, he keeps in mind His Greatness and Omnipotence. Because
of this feeling the person’s face will turn yellow and his body will
shiver.”
It is said that after completing the ablution for prayer Imam Zainal
Abedin (a.s) used to have shivering in his body and the face used to turn
yellow. On being asked by people, he used to reply, “don’t you know the
Greatest Creator before whom I am going to offer my supplications.”
It is narrated that Fatima binte Hazrat Ali once called Jabir Ansari and
told him, “you are a companion of the Holy Prophet (a.s). I am requesting
you to advice Imam Zainal Abedin (a.s) not to prolong his prayers
that his forehead, thighs and back are injured and swollen.” Jabir Ansari
went to the presence of the Imam (a.s) and found him busy in his prayer
and the weakness of his body and visage was evident. The Imam (a.s)
gave some place to Jabir to sit beside him and inquired about his health
in feeble voice. Jabir said, “O Son of the Prophet (a.s)! Allah has created
the Heaven for you and your friends and the Hell for your enemies and
adversaries. Then why are you taking so much hardship on yourself?”
the Imam A.s.) said, “O companion of the Prophet (a.s)! My ancestor, the
Prophet (a.s) of Allah, who has a great status in the eyes of the Creator,
and also Allah has forgiven all possible acts of omission and commission
of his past and present, kept himself so much busy in prayer that his feet
used to develop inflammation. The companions used to tell the Prophet
(a.s) that Allah has been so kind on him that He promised to forgive his
mistakes.(tark e aula) Then they wondered why the Prophet (a.s) was inflicting
so much hardship on himself.
The Prophet (a.s) used to say, “O my companions! When God is
showering so much kindness on man, is it not his duty to thank Allah for
the bounties He has granted.”
Jabir said to Imam Zainal Abedin (a.s), “O my master! Have kindness
on your followers. Because of your existence Allah is kind on the
Muslims and no curse is falling on them from the skies.”
The Imam (a.s) replied, “O Jabir! I wish to be like my ancestors in
prayer that I am able to meet them!”
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) says that one day his father went to the presence
of his own father and found him busy in his prayer. He noticed that
the face of the Imam (a.s) had turned yellow and his forehead was
bruised and the feet were swollen. The cheeks of the Imam (a.s) were injured
because of excessive crying. When he saw the condition of his father,
he cried out aloud. The Imam’s attention was diverted towards his
son and finding him crying he asked him to fetch the book of Ameeral
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Momineen (a.s) in which he had discussed about the subject of prayer.
He fetched the book. The Imam (a.s) cried the more after reading the
book and said, “Who has the strength to pray like the Ameeral Momineen
(a.s) did!
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) says that when Imam Zainal Abedin (a.s) used
to stand up with the intention of the prayer, his face used to turn yellow
and while in prostration, his eyes used to get wet.
Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) says that Imam Zainal Abedin (a.s) used
to offer one thousand rakaat of prayer in a period of one day and night.
When he used to stand up for the prayer, the colour of his face used to
change and it used to appear as if he was standing like a hapless person
in the presence of a great king. His entire body used to shiver and it used
to give the impression as if he was offering his last prayer. When asked
about his condition during the prayer, he used to retort that one should
suitably present himself to the Great Creator.
It is said that one of the Imam’s child fell from a height and fractured
his hand. There was commotion in the house and a bonesetter was
called. The bone of the child was set; but all this while the Imam (a.s)
was busy in his prayer. The next morning when he saw the arm of his
son in a sling, he inquired about the reason of the injury.
One day the Imam’s house caught fire and the neighbours put it out.
The Imam (a.s) was totally oblivious of the incident. When the people
asked him the reason, he replied, “I was busy putting out another big
fire!
Abu Ayyub narrates from Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) that when
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) used to stand up for prayers, the colour of his
red face used to turn yellow and it always gave an impression that he
was face to face with Allah, busy conversing with Him.
The Creator of the Universe has ordered man to offer prayer in the
morning, evening and noon, five times in a day to renew his dedication
and obedience to Him.
Prayer is the height of devotion that lifts a human being from the
ground to the unimaginable heights. It is the medium for achieving nearness
to the Almighty Allah. Prayer awakens the believers from their
slumber of negligence and reminds them of the Hereafter. Islam has set
clearly defined schedules for the prayers and it keeps the believers reminded
to come for the congregations. The first call comes in the early
morning to raise the people from their slumber. This call, which is
termed the adhaan, is made in loud tones in which the name of the Great
Allah (Allah ho Akbar) is repeated four times to break the slumber of the
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proud and the negligent. Then follows the witness there is no god but
Allah.
Man should not worship other humans, animals, plants and other elements
of nature like the mountains and the rivers. You must reiterate
that He, Allah, is One and Only Creator and Has made arrangements for
the benefit of man in this world and the hereafter. He has sent His Messenger,
His Friend and Prophet (a.s), with clear messages for the believers
to listen to and act on them implicitly.
Then the worshippers are exhorted to make haste to come for the prayer,
which is to their own advantage. They are told that the prayer is the
best of acts and they must hurry to join it. At the end of the call to the believers
it is repeated that Allah is Great.
There are people in this world who, even after hearing the loud call to
prayer, continue with their mundane activities. But there are others who
willingly pay heed to the call, keep away their worldly tasks for the time,
and proceed to join the prayer.
It is said that when the time for the prayer comes, one angel calls on
behalf of Allah, “O believers! Proceed towards prayer and extinguish the
fire of your sins with the light of the prayer.” When a pious person decides
to go for prayer, he is required to cleanse himself of the apparent
dirt. He should also cleanse his mind of any negative thoughts that
might be there. When he is ready for the prayer, first he must wash his
face. At this time he must say, “O Allah! You have said that on the Day
of Judgement some faces will turn black and others will be white and
shiny. Please make my face shiny and prevent it from going black.”
While cleansing the right hand, he should remember that on the Day of
Judgement, the pious would carry their record of actions in the right
hands and the sinners would carry their records in the left hands.
Therefore he must pray that his record of actions is held in the right
hand on the Day of Judgement. While anointing (masah) his forehead, he
should pray, “O Allah! Please be kind on me.” While anointing the feet,
he should pray that the feet do not falter on the Bridge of Sarat on the
Day of Judgement.
It has been mentioned in the traditions that a house which has dogs,
where intoxicants are stored, where pictures and paintings are kept, the
Angels of blessings do not come. These things should be kept away from
the living quarters and even the thoughts of these forbidden things
should be banished from the minds of the believers. At the threshold of
the mosque, he should say, “O Allah! You have opened this door to me,
please open the doors to Your nearness too for me!” While standing at
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the place of prayer, he should say iqamah and in his mind recall the
words of the adhan and their meanings because prayer is the height of
piety and the Prophet (a.s), while he was in Meraj, reiterated the words
Allah O Akbar while entering every stage. Therefore before every prayer
the words Allah O Akbar are repeated seven times.
Now the person is ready for the conversation, that is, for offering his
prayer to Allah. At this stage, he should say
aoozo billahis samial aleem minashaitanir rajeem to ward off the
Satan. Now that the time to go to the presence of the Almighty Allah has
come, the worshipper should say Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. These
words are reiterated before any work is commenced and particularly so
when one starts to offer his prayer. Even in our mundane lives we have
to praise the important persons when we approach them. When we
stand in the Presence of Allah, the Beneficent and Merciful, it is natural
that we must praise Him and acknowledge that He is the Lord of The
Day of Judgement (Youm iddeen). Then the worshipper says, “Iyyaka
nabudo (We worship only You)”
Therefore, the Prophet of Allah (a.s) has said, “Whilst praying think
that you are seeing Him (Allah) and in humility submit, waiiaka
nastaeen (O Sustainer! We ask for your succor for our failings and shortcomings!).
Thereafter a request is made to Allah to include the prayers of
the supplicant with the prayers of the persons on whom Allah has
showered his Blessings and Bounties and not of those on whom Allah’s
wrath has fallen!”
Now we quote Hazrat Ali’s (a.s) eloquent saying,
“The best prayer is Knowledge of Allah (Marifat) and Identification
that He is ahead of everything and nothing was there before Him. He is
the only One and has none like Him. He is Immortal and has no end. He
is the Creator of the Universe and everything that is found on the earth
and in the sky. He is Omniscient (Khabeer) and Gentle (Lateef) and he is
Omnipotent; that He has control over all things!”