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We use prayer to turn to the
Eternally Merciful Allah, present ourselves to
Him, and ask Him to meet all of our needs. We
entreat Him humbly and submissively, fully
aware of our status as weak, poor, and needy
servants who are not self-subsistent. Thus,
prayer is a necessity arising from our belief,
trust, and full confidence in the Lord, as
well as our understanding of tawheed (Arabic
for: oneness of Almighty Allah).
Within this framework,
servants become engrossed in a combined
feeling of fear and hope. Away from the sight
of others, we supplicate from the heart only
to Allah and pray in secret. This sentiment,
which is reflected in this ayah
(Call on your Lord humbly
and secretly; surely He does not love those
who exceed the limits) (Al-A`raf 7:55),
describes an essential element of prayer that
we must observe while praying. However, only
the Legislator (i.e. Allah) can permit and
encourage this attitude at various times, and
only He can determine the degree to which it
is allowed.
Allah enjoins us to pray to
Him only in fear as well as in full hope and
to know that His mercy is with those whose
hearts beat with the consciousness of His
constant supervision over them.
(And call on Him fearing
and hoping; surely the mercy of Allah is near
to those who do good (to others)) (Al-A`raf
7:56).
He even shows us the door
toward which we should walk and teaches us the
rules and principles of how to wait in front
of it.
Turning to Allah all the time
and in every condition, opening our hands in
supplication, and revealing our concerns and
problems to Him are all an honor and an
initial prize. In addition, they are very
significant steps taken to earn a favorable
response from Him.
Almighty Allah says,
(And when My servants
ask you concerning Me, then surely I am
very near; I answer the prayer of the
suppliant when he calls on Me, so they
should answer My call and believe in Me
that they may walk in the right way)
(Al-Baqarah 2:186)
However, there is a condition:
All of these prayers and supplications are to
be performed as indicated here,
(And call on Him, being
sincere to Him in obedience) (Al-A`raf
7:29)
And here,
(Therefore call upon
Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience,
though the unbelievers are averse) (Ghafir
40:14)
Instead of praying only when
among people, as if showing off to others, we
should entreat the All-Knowing Allah, Whose
hearing and seeing is worth far more than any
person's, by sighing in secret (as well as in
public) with utmost sincerity, so that we are
closed to others but open to Him.
Meeting these conditions will
enable us to implore Him with the alchemy of
secrecy, and it will prevent our voices and
sighs from being fouled with the sparks of
irrelevant thoughts.
No one returns empty-handed
from His court. In fact, those people who pour
out their deepest needs and desires and
present such personal grievances about
themselves only to Him, are drawn closer to
Him.
Loyal servants frequently
filter their thoughts and supplications
through their intentions and sincerity, for
they strive to keep their expressions and
feelings free of any disturbance. They become
like mute people so that no one can hear them,
to such a degree that they may even become
jealous of their own voice and words.
Searching for a Heartbeat
In addition to being sincere
while praying, servants should search for
moments during which their pulses beat with
the remembrance of Allah. They should make
full use of holy days and nights, for these
are the times when divine blessings pour
forth. Especially when it is time to pray and
to break the fast, all prostrations and bows
should be performed in such a way that not
even one second is wasted.
Loyal and sincere servants are
expected to fulfill these obligations, for
doing so is essential for the prayer to be
accepted. As all such servants know, a prayer
may be answered either positively or
negatively, or circumstances may become
favorable or unfavorable.
Believers in Allah do not mind
if summer is as cold as winter, if spring
seems to resemble autumn, or if days become as
dark as blind graves. Who cares about darkness
when Allah reminds us of His all-encompassing
power?
(Say: Who is it that
delivers you from the dangers of the land
and the sea (when) you call upon Him [i.e.
Allah] (openly) humiliating yourselves,
and in secret, "If He delivers us
from this, we should certainly be of the
grateful ones."?) (Al-An`am 6:63)
Who cares about such things
when Allah makes His existence known in their
conscience?
(Or who answers the
distressed one when he calls upon Him and
removes the evil?) (An-Naml 27:62)
The Qur'an is the divine book
that guides us, interprets events, and
explains both the macro- and micro-worlds. It
is the language of the World of the Unseen in
this life, a contract of divine blessings for
humanity, and the essence, essential nature,
glory, and light of Islam.
As if that were not enough, it
is also the map of the worlds of the
afterlife, a means of happiness for believers,
and a book of prayer.
Reading Qur'an With Your
Heart
The Qur'an introduces a prayer
by glorifying Allah, and then it asks to be
set on the straight path, sprinkling its most
brilliant jewels with Surat Al-Fatihah. Next
comes Surat Al-Baqarah, which calls us to pray
by means of implicit expressions of prayer,
raising its voice with the tune of its
explicitness, and teaches us what to ask from
Allah,
(Our Lord, grant us
good in this world and good in the
Hereafter, and save us from the torment of
the Fire.) (Al-Baqarah 2:201)
After a few pages, it shows us
the greenhouses and shelters in which we can
take refuge while facing difficult conditions
and asking for help,
(Our Lord, pour down
upon us patience and make our steps firm
and assist us against the unbelieving
people.) (Al-Baqarah 2:250)
The last verse of this surah
points to the following prayer, which is a
gift from Prophet Muhammad's (peace and
blessings be upon him) Ascension, and which
should be repeated constantly reads,
(Our Lord, do not
punish us if we forget or make a mistake;
Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden as You
did lay on those before us; Our Lord do
not impose upon us that which we have not
the strength to bear, and pardon us and
grant us protection and have mercy on us;
You are our Patron, so help us against the
unbelieving people.) (Al-Baqarah
2:286)
The next surah, Surat Aal `Imran,
also starts with and reminds all believers of
a very significant prayer,
(Our Lord, make not our
hearts to deviate after You have guided us
aright, and grant us from Your mercy;
surely, You are the the Grantor of
bounties without measure.) ( Aal `Imran
3:8)
A few verses later on, we are
invited again with an allusion to the prayers
of the pious, who supplicate with the
following cries,
(Our Lord, surely we
believe, therefore forgive us our faults
and save us from the chastisement of the
Fire.) (Aal `Imran 3:16)
and
(Our Lord, we believe
in what You have revealed and we follow
the Messenger (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), so
write us down with those who bear witness.)
(Aal `Imran 3:53)
Right after this comes a gift
of prayer from the mouths of the devout ones,
the scholars who gathered around the
Messengers and Prophets and strived,
(Our Lord, forgive us
our faults and our extravagance in our
affair, and make firm our feet, and help
us against the unbelieving people.) (Aal
`Imran 3:147)
The section of contemplation
toward the last part of the surah finishes
with a wish for a good end,
(Our Lord, surely we
have heard a preacher calling to the
faith, saying, "Believe in your
Lord," so we did believe; our Lord,
forgive us therefore our faults, and remit
our evil deeds, and make us die with the
righteous.) (Aal `Imran 3:193).
In accordance with the
context, the Qur'an frequently presents
examples of the Prophet's supplications,
sighs, and pleas for help,
(You [i.e. Allah] are
our Guardian, therefore forgive us and
have mercy on us, and You are the best of
the forgivers.) (Al-A`raf 7:155)
and
(On Allah we rely. Our
Lord, make us not subject to the
persecution of the unjust people, and
deliver us by Your mercy from the
unbelieving people.) (Yunus 10:85-86)
Hundreds of Qur'anic verses
call us to interrogate ourselves, plea, and
complain about our evil features.
Such verses reveal that prayer
is a source of strength, a fountain of
absolution for those who committed sins, a
solution for the needy, a hand extended to
help those struck by disaster, a key to a
treasure for the poor, a doctor for the sick,
a breeze of hope for the desperate, and a
dispatch order of a gift for the oppressed and
the victim.
The Qur'an always points out
that prayer and humble supplications lead to
salvation from worldly problems and concerns
with the Hereafter, and that those who see it
(i.e. the Qur'an) with the heart and murmur
with the soul are traveling toward and praying
to Allah.
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