After a long
and hectic day at work, how difficult it is for a tired
person to go out to the mosque and concentrate on his prayers
to Allaah, the Almighty. Snuggled up in a warm and cozy bed,
how difficult it is to get up at the call of the Mu`azzin:
"Come to prayer! Come to success!"
The famous
doctor and philosopher, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), recalls such a
moment in his life. One cold and icy night, he and his slave
were resting at an inn in a remote part of Khuraasaan. During
the night, he felt thirsty, so he called to his slave to
bring him some water. The slave had no desire to leave his
warm bed, so he pretended not to hear Ibn Sina’s call. But
finally, after repeated calls, he reluctantly got up and went
to fetch the water. A little while later, the melodious sound
of the azaan (call to prayer) filled the air. Ibn Sina began
to think about the person calling the people to prayer. "My
slave, ‘Abdullaah, he mused, has always respected me and
admired me. He seizes any opportunity to lavish praise and
affection on me, but tonight he preferred his own comfort to
my needs. On the other hand, look at this Persian slave of
Allaah: He left his warm bed to go out into the chilly night,
he made ablution in the icy water of the stream, and then he
ascended the high minaret of the mosque to glorify Him Whom
he truly serves: "I bear witness that there is none worthy of
worship except Allaah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah." Ibn Sina records: "I learned the
essence of true love, that love which results in complete
obedience." The love of Allaah demands total and
unconditional obedience. Allaah, the Almighty says: { Say
[oh, Muhammad!]: "If you love Allaah, follow me: Allaah will
forgive you your sins, for Allaah is Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful } (Soorah 3:31)
Prayer: A Cry of the Inner Soul
His arrogance
and pride have often led man to behave as an oppressor and a
tyrant. Some men have been carried away by their own
self-importance that they have even claimed divinity. Pharoah,
the ruler of Egypt, was among those who announced: "I am your
supreme Lord!" With his sense of greatness and pride, Pharoah
subjugated the Israelites and made their lives wretched and
miserable.
But is man
really as strong and great as his ego tells him? The Qur`aan
tells us the reality of man’s nature: { It is Allaah Who
created you in a state of weakness, then gave you strength
after weakness, then after strength, gave you weakness and a
hoary head: He creates what He wills, and He is the
All-knowing, the All-powerful } (Soorah 30:54)
Weakness in
the beginning and weakness in the end: This is the essence of
man. He is so weak and helpless at birth that his entire
existence depends on his parents and his family. If he were
to be abandoned in these first crucial years, he could not
survive on his own. He needs a gentle and loving hand, not
only in his infancy, but in his childhood and even in his
teenage years. As this child enters the years of youth and
independence, he begins to take control of his own life. He
looks with pride at his strong physique, his handsome
features and his many talents. He begins to despise those of
lesser abilities, even scorning his parents, who exhausted
their own health to nurture him. He becomes unjust and cruel,
using his strength and vigour to dominate others. He thinks
he is master, free to act as he wills. But does this youth,
these good looks last forever? In only a few decades, he
begins to lose his strength…his youth is replaced by old age.
Weakness in the beginning, weakness in the end."
The message is
clear: The real Master is Allaah. He Alone is Mighty, He
Alone, is Great. He Alone is never tired, never needs rest,
is never dependent upon anyone. Allaahu Akbar! - Allaah is
the Greatest! In our everyday lives, we say a warm thank you
for the small acts of kindness which others do for us. So
what about thanking Allaah, Who, in His infinite Mercy, has
provided for every single one of our needs. Just observe the
beauty and perfection of the earth around you and fall down
in gratitude to your Lord.
Prayer: The Ascension for a Believer
After the
Messenger of Allaah e was commissioned for Prophethood, the
first thing he was commanded to do by Allaah was to pray. The
angel Jibreel u came to him and a spring of water gushed out
of the rocks in front of them. Jibreel u then showed Allaah’s
Messenger how to make ablution. He then showed him how to
offer prayers to Allaah. He began to pray two rak`ah twice a
day, once in the morning and once in the evening. He then
went home and showed his wife Khadeejah what he had learnt
from the angel Jibreel u.
From that
time, the Prophet e never went through a day without praying.
Just before his migration to Madinah, he was taken on a night
journey to Jerusalem and then to the heavens (Mi`raaj).
During this journey, Allaah, Almighty, ordered him to pray
five times a day. This prayer was a gift given to every
Believer to enable him to experience a spiritual ascension
five times a day. The Prophet said: "The prayer is the
Mi`raaj of the Believer." It gives every Muslim the chance to
communicate with his Lord. During each prayer, the Muslim
recites Soorah Al-Faatihah: This recitation is not a dull
monologue by the Believer, but Allaah promises that it is a
conversation between Him and the worshipper. The Messenger of
Allaah reported that Allaah, the Almighty says: ‘When my
slave says in his prayer: "All praise is for Allaah, the Lord
of the worlds," I say: "My slave has praised Me" When he
says: "The Merciful, the Compassionate, Master of the Day of
Judgement," I say: "My slave has glorified Me." When he says:
"You Alone we worship and your Aid we seek," I say: "This is
between Me and My slave." When he says: "Show us the Straight
Path," I say: "This is for My slave, and I give My slave what
he wants."
The Messenger
of Allaah once said: "Prayer is the pillar of religion."
(Narrated by Al-Baihaqi) He also informed us that Islaam is
built upon five pillars, the second being to establish prayer
five times a day. (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari) This makes the
image very clear: Islaam is like a building supported by five
columns; remove just one column and the entire building
weakens. In the same way, when a person stops praying, his
faith becomes weak, and the mildest blows can cause it to
crumble. The prayer is so very important that the Prophet
said: "Verily, between man and polytheism and disbelief is
abandoning prayer." (Narrated by Muslim)
Allaah says,
concerning the plight of the disbelievers on the Day of
Judgement, that they will be asked by the Believers: { "What
led you into the Hell-fire?" They will say: "We were not of
those who prayed." } (Soorah 74:42-43). Allaah also says: {
Successful indeed are the Believers, those who humble
themselves in their prayers } (Soorah 23:1-2), and: { And
those who guard [strictly] their worship, such will be the
honoured ones in the Gardens [of Bliss] } (Soorah 70: 34-35).
Allaah has
emphasized the need for humility and concentration in
prayers. There is no doubt that Satan is the most bitter
enemy of man; he always tries to disturb the Believer’s
prayers. He (the worshipper) finds his mind suddenly engulfed
with memories, problems, worries, work and his family… and he
will often find himself wondering whether he has prayed three
rak`ah or four. This is how Satan steals the prayer. Man was
created only to worship Allaah. He says: { I created not the
jinns and mankind except to worship me } (Soorah 51:56). Man
is to live in this world as a worshipper of Allaah and prayer
is the best for of worship. On the Day of Judgement, man will
have to answer for his deeds. Allaah says: { Then shall you
be questioned about the joy [you indulged in] } (Soorah
102:8)