General Issues Pertaining to the Prayer |
The Benefit of the Worshipper's Standing Before His Lord |
Source: From the Introduction to 'al-Khushoo fis-Salat' of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali |
Article ID : IBD050006 |
The Prayer is a sanctified and holy
moment (mauqif) for the worshipper in the presence of his Lord
and Deity in truth. He
fulfils (by its performance) his covenants, obligations and
statements of confession which
are contained within and are required by the testimony that:
"There is nothing
which has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that
Muhammed is His
Messenger"
and by whose attestation one becomes a muslim.
These covenants,
obligations and resolutions: among them
are those of belief, those of speech and those of action; and the
explanation of
that is as follows:
Firstly: The Takbeer: This
is a compulsory acknowledgement for the worshipper, both in belief
and speech,
that Allah is the greatest, greater than everything in His Essence,
Attributes
and in the rights (owed to Him). Among His rights are the obeying of
His
commands and refraining from His prohibitions in regard to beliefs,
acts of
worship, characteristics and manners; in all moments and situations.
This
acknowledgement penetrates into the various postures of the
worshipper during
his prayer, from the qiyaam to the rukoo', to the sujood, the verbal
confessions
he makes and after that into the submissiveness in action; so there
does not
remain any moment of heedlessness or innattentiveness and there does
not remain
in his heart that which pushes out the (awareness of the
responsibility of
fulfilling) the rights of Allah upon His servant; whether it is
persons,
property, money, family or progeny and among His rights are (His)
Magnification,
Love (for Him greater than for all else), Fear (of His displeasure
and
punishment), Hope (in His Mercy) and Obedience.
Secondly: The
Rukoo': This
is an obligation in action. The worshipper bends his back and (bows)
his head
during it out of obedience, lowliness and humility to his Deity. So
by this he
fulfils his covenants of being constant in his obedience, carrying
out the
orders of his Deity, refraining from His prohibitions, ruling by His
Sharee'ah
in happiness, adversity and every other situation. The worshipper
returns (to
fulfil) these covenants and obligations every time he performs the
rukoo' both
in the obligatory prayers or the supererogatory. Whoever bends his
back in the
prayer in obedience to Allah and after that rebels from some of His
commands or
shows boldness towards some of His prohibitions due to the calling
of his desire
or whim, then he has contradicted his fulfilment of this obligation
to the
extent of the evil of his action.
Thirdly: The Tasbeeh:
This
is the statement which the worshipper makes during his rukoo' "How
free
from every imperfection is my Lord, the Mighty" (Subhaana-rabbiyal-
adheem)
and in his sujood "How free from every imperfection is my Lord, the
Highest" (Subhaan-rabbiyal-a'laa). This is an obligation in speech
by which
the worshipper declares his Deity free from every defect and
shortcoming in His
attributes, actions and His rights (over the creation). Among His
rights are the
declaration of His mightiness in every situation, the placing of
obedience to
Him before obedience to ones soul or parents, leaders and others
besides them.
Whoever declares Allah to be free from all imperfections during his
rukoo' and
sujood and then shows boldness towards His disobedience when he
departed from
the prayer, he has reduced/diminished his glorification of his Deity
to the
extent of his disobedience to Him.
Fourthly: The Sujood:
This is the extremity
in, or the end result of humility; when the worshipper places
his noble limbs upon the
dust or the earth. The sujood is a covenant in action. It is an
obligation due to the
absolute obedience owed to the Deity in truth in all situations.
There is no exception in
this absolute obedience for moments of desire or moments of the
whims of the soul (this
absolute obedience incorporates all moments and situations).
Whoever covers his face with
dust (due to the performance of sujood) out of extreme humility,
then departs from his
prayer and returns to the obedience of the soul in disobedience
to Allah, obedience to the
creation in disobedience to Allah and the following of whims in
disobedience to Allah,
then he has been false to himself to the extent of his
disobedience (or sin). But whoever
does that, then he must repent hastily as the Messenger of Allah
has said: "All
the progeny of Aadam (constantly) errs and
the best of those who constantly err are those who (constantly)
repent"[1]
Fifthly: Folding of the hands during the Qiyaam: This is a manifestation from among the manifestations of
humility and defeat in front of the Deity in Truth. Among its implications are
subservience to the divine commandments in that one does not move except when
commanded and one is not at ease or quiescence except when commanded. Whoever
sought this position of worship for a few moments and after that lets loose the
reigns of his soul then he wanders/trespasses (while ignorant of Allah's
rulings) into the greatest of matters (i.e. sins) and he has fallen into a type
of deception.
Sixthly: Khushoo': This is a
position of total and extreme submissiveness and humility in front of the Deity
in Truth and the quiescence/tranquillity of the heart and the limbs. One does
not move except where commanded and is not at ease except where commanded. It is
an obligation in action due to the necessity of obedience and the abandonment of
disobedience to the Deity in Truth. Whoever discharges this obligation during
the prayer then contradicts it (behaves otherwise) upon departing from the
prayer he has caused diminution/annulment of (his Khushoo') to the extent of his
disobedience.
Seventhly: Whatever is
repeated in every raka' from among the obligations and covenants in speech such
as the repetition of his praises, requesting of guidance to the straight path,
the path of those who have blessings bestowed upon them, not of those upon whom
is anger and they are the Jews and whoever is like them, nor of those who are
astray and they are the Christians and whoever resembles them, and the likes of
what is said in the tashahhud and the meanings of the various verses and
supplications that are repeated in the prayer: in summary, every movement, every
moment of ease, every statement and every action during the prayer, be it an
obligation, covenant, resolution or confession from the worshipper in front of
his Master and Deity in Truth, which he repeats in every raka', whether it is in
the obligatory or supererogatory, makes free his heart, tongue, limbs and
feelings from associating partners with Allah. He is a muslim, in submission to
Him. He gives for His sake, takes for his sake, acts for His sake, abandons for
His sake. He loves for his sake and hates for His sake. The proof for this truth
is the saying of Allah (Azzawajall)
{And establish the prayer. Verily the prayer prevents
the obscene and evil deeds}[2]
and the saying of the Messenger
(sallallahu-alaihi-wasallam}:
"The example of the five prayers is as the
example of an abundant flowing river by the side of the door of one of you. He washes
every day from it five times."[3]
Therefore know - brother/sister reader - the position
and importance of your prayer and establish as it should be truly established
and gain happiness from it as Allah desires for you. I ask Allah that he assists
us all and has mercy upon us, verily He is the All Hearer, the Responder.
FOOTNOTES
1. Reported by [At-Tirmidhi] no. 2501 and [Ibn Majah] no. 4251 and
[Ad- Daarimee] 2/303 and [Ahmad] 3/198 with a hasan sanad from Anas bin Malik.
2. Surah Ankabut 29:45
3. Reported by [Muslim] no. 667 from
Jaabir.