GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah

GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah10%

GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah Translator: Al-Syyed Abu Mohammad Naqvi
Publisher: Nashriyat-e-Walayat-e-Elahia
Category: Quran Interpretation

GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah
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GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah

GUIDANCE FOR MANKIND; Exegesis of Kalam Ullah

Publisher: Nashriyat-e-Walayat-e-Elahia
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought


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سُوۡرَةُ العَنکبوت

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

الٓمٓ (١) أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتۡرَكُوٓاْ أَن يَقُولُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفۡتَنُونَ (٢)

Alif Laam Meem. (1) Do the people think that they will be left (released) because they say, “We believe”, and they will not be tried? (2)

1-After reciting this verse, Amirul Momineen asws asked: What is Fitna? It was replied: I sacrifice on you, trial in Deen. Imam asws said: People will be tried as gold is tried, then they become pure (who fulfil test) as gold becomes pure. (al-Burhan, v6, p109)

2-When these verses were revealed, Maola Ali asws said: Ya Rasool Allah sawaw, what is this Fitna? He said: Ya Ali asws, you will be involved in it, and you will be fought against, so get ready for the fight. (al-Burhan, v6, p110)

3-When these verses were revealed, Nabi Akram sawaw said to Ammar: Certainlay just after me evil & corruption will erupt until swords will strike, that difference among them until they will kill each other and will declare immunity to each other. So when you see this then it is obligatory on you that you take side of this with big forehead who is on my right side, Ali bin Abi Talib asws. And if whole mankind is on one side, then you should be on Ali’s asws side, and leave the people. O Ammar, no doubt Ali asws will neither let you depart from guidance, nor put you in destruction. O Ammar, obedience of Ali asws is my obedience, and my obedience is obedience of Allah. (al-Burhan, v6, p111)

Lesson:

1-Allah Ta’ala has made Walayat-e-Ali asws as Criterion to test Eman, which is applicable from Azal to Abad. Majority of the people will say verbally that they ‘also’ believe in Walayat of Maola Ali asws, but when it is said to them, “now act on Quran & Hadees, and testify Walayat-e-Ali asws while standing in the Presence of Allah” then they run away, saying, “No, we act only and only according to our leader the Muqassir Mulla.”

Its example is just as thousands of Mullas gave Fatwa that killing of Imam Hussain asws is permissible, similarly Fatwa of Muqassir Mullas is that killing of Imam Ali asws with tongue is permissible, i.e. if one recites the testimony of Walayat-e-Ali asws in Namaz then his Namaz will be nullified.

2-If whole mankind is on the side of Muqassir Mulla, we do not care. Momin is steadfast on Walayat-e-Ali asws, what is in the heart same is testified by tongue, and will keep paying homage to Imam Hussain asws by shedding blood, and will keep busy in superior Ibadat of waiting for Zahoor of Imam Qaim asws.

وَكَذَالِكَ أَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡکتَـٰبَ‌ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُمُ ٱلۡکتَـٰبَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَمِنۡ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَن يُؤۡمِنُ بِهِۦ‌ۚ وَمَا يَجۡحَدُ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِلَّا ٱلۡکـٰفِرُونَ (٤٧)

And similarly We have revealed to you the Book, so those to whom We gave the Book believe in it; and among these (also) there are some who believe in it. And none rejects Our Ayaat except the disbelievers. (47)

1-Imam Mohammad Baqir asws said about the saying of Allah, “so those to whom We gave the Book believe in it” means that they are Aal-e-Mohammad asws, “and among these also there are some who believe in it” means Momineen among the Muslims. (al-Burhan, v6, p134)

Lesson:

1-Masumeen asws are the bearer of Quran. And obeying their command Momineen believe that Quran is from Allah in which everything is narrated. Deniers of Walayat choose few hundred verses according to their desires and turn away from the rest, making Quran as Mahjoor.

2-Verse no.49 of Sura al-Ankaboot tells that clear Ayaat are in the chests of Ootul-ilm i.e. Masumeen asws. And verse no.69 tells that Allah is with Mohsineen i.e. Masumeen asws.

سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفً۬ا‌ۚ فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡها‌ۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ ذَالِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَکۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠)

So direct (firmly) your face inclined toward Deen, (adhere to) the Fitrat (nature) of Allah upon which He has created mankind. There is no altering in the creation of Allah. That is the established (right) Deen, but most of the people do not know. (30)

1-About the saying of Allah, “So direct (firmly) your face inclined toward Deen” Imam Mohammad Baqir asws said: This is Walayat. (al-Burhan, v6, p150)

2-About the saying of Allah, “the Fitrat of Allah is that upon which He created all people” Imam Jafar Sadiq asws said: This is Tauheed and Mohammad Rasool Allah sawaw and Ali Amirul Momineen asws. (al-Burhan, v6, p152)

3-Qawl-e-Masoom asws is that all new born are born on Fitrat (Deen/nature of Allah), then his/her parents make him/her Jew or Christian. (al-Burhan, v6, p155)

4-About the saying of Allah, “the Fitrat of Allah upon which He created people” Imam Mohammad Baqir asws said: This is “La ilaha illallah Mohammadur Rasool Allah Ali Amirul Momineen Waliullah.” (Tafseer Safi, v3, p102)

Lesson:

1-Deen-e-Fitrat (the Natural Religion) is that straight religion in which there is testimony of Tauheed, Risalat, and Walayat. Allah Rahman has created all humans on Deen-e-Fitrat, there can not be any alteration in the Sunnah of Allah that some He creates on Walayat-e-Ali asws and some not, that will be injustice if there is change in Sunnah. These are the parents of the child, Muqassir Mulla, and Shaitan who misguide the child all together, e.g. they convince the child that Walayat-e-Ali asws is not part of anything so the child becomes a Christian, and they convice the child that testimony of Walayat nullifies Namaz & other deeds then the child becomes a Jew as well.

2-It is obligation for the parents that they should leave their children on Fitrat of Allah, and teach & preach them the manners of Mawaddat of Masumeen asws, Azadari of Imam Hussain asws, and waiting & preparing for Zahoor of Qaim asws.

سُوۡرَةُ لقمَان

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

وَٱقۡصِدۡ فِى مَشۡيِكَ وَٱغۡضُضۡ مِن صَوۡتِكَ‌ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلۡأَصۡوَاتِ لَصَوۡتُ ٱلۡحَمِيرِ (١٩) أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَاتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَسۡبَغَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعَمَهُ ۥ ظَـٰهِرَةً۬ وَبَاطِنَةً۬‌ۗ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَـٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٍ۬ وَلَا هُدً۬ى وَلَا كِتَـٰبٍ۬ مُّنِيرٍ۬ (٢٠)

And be moderate in your gait and lower your voice. Indeed, the harshest of all voices is the voice of the donkey. (19) Don’t you see that Allah has made serviceable to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and abundantly bestowed His favours upon you (both) outward and inward? And among the people is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book. (20)

1-Someone asked Amirul Momineen asws that what is meant by donkey? He said: Allah is Exalted (Higher) than this that He creates something then denies (dislikes) it. It only means my opponents, who are in a box in the shape of donkeys. When they bray in the Hell, then the inhabitants of the Hell also become angry due to their harsh screaming & crying. (al-Burhan, v6, p183)

2-About “and aboundantly bestowed His favours upon you, apparent and hidden” Imam Mohammad Baqir asws said: The outward favour is Nabi Akram sawaw and whatever he brought about Marifat of Allah Azza wa Jalla and His Tauheed. And inward favour is Walayat of us the Ahlul Bait asws and covenant of our Mawaddat. By Allah, thus covenant was taken from the people about these outward and inward favours, and people believed in the outward ones, and did not believe in the inward ones. Then Allah Ta’ala revealed, “O Rasool, let them not grieve you who hasten in Kufr from among those who say with their tongues, ‘we believe’ but their hearts do not believe.” (al-Ma’ida, v41) then Rasool Allah sawaw was happy with its revelation, because Allah does not accept Eman of the people without the covenant of our Walayat and without our love. (al-Burhan, v6, p184)

3-About the saying of Allah Ta’ala, “and abundantly bestowed His favours upon you outward and inward” Imam Musa Kazim asws said: Outward favour is Imam asws who is present, and inward is Imam asws who is Ghaib. Mohammad Azdi asked: Will there be any Ghaib among the Imams asws? Said: Yes, his body will be Ghaib (invisible) from the eyes of the people, but his Zikr will not disappear from the hearts of Momineen, and he is our Twelfth, and Allah will make all difficulties easy for him, and will remove all hardships for him, and will reveal all the treasures of the earth for him, and all far will become near, and heads of all transgressor unjust ones will be bent through him, and all the transgressor Shaitans will be killed by his hands. He is son of Syyeda of all mothers, his Zahoor will be kept secret from the people, and it is not permissible for the people to call his name until Allah Azza wa Jalla reappears him, then he will fill the earth with equity and justice as it will be full of injustice & oppression.

(al-Burhan, v6, p184)

Lesson:

1-Whoever raises voice against Walayat-e-Ali asws from any aspect, he is donkey, and boxes of Fire are ready for such people. Such people are so bad that even the inhabitants of the Hell will be fed up with them. These donkeys are also mentioned in verses no.49-51 of Sura Mudassir, who run away from Zikr of Ali asws i.e. wild donkeys run away from Asadullah (Lion of Allah). Such donkeys are also mentioned in verse no.5 of Sura Juma, who learn some branches of so-called knowledge devised by non-Muslims and then consider themselves as Alim but they do not have any knowledge of Quran & Hadees and Marifat-e-Walayat, they are such donkeys who are loaded with burden of books, without knowing what is written in them.

2-The outward and inward Favours of Allah Ta’ala are Masumeen asws. The deniers of Walayat are jealous from Walayat of Masumeen asws, so they argue about Walayat-e-Elahi that they (Mullas) should have share in Walayat as well. But if they would read the enlightened Book in the light of the sayings of Masumeen asws who are the teachers of Quran, then they can get the knowledge & guidance of Walayat-e-Ali asws, and then they will leave the dispute. Muqassireen only say verbally with their tongues “we also believe in Walayat-e-Ali asws” but their hearts beat in the love of Walayat of Muqassir Mulla, hastening in Kufr.

وَمَن يُسۡلِمۡ وَجۡهَهُ ۥۤ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ۬ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ‌ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡأُمُورِ (٢٢)

And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good, then verily he has grasped the firm handhold. And to Allah belongs the sequel of all matters. (22)

1-About the saying of Allah, “then surely he has grasped the firm handhold” Imam Musa Kazim asws said quoting his grandfathers asws: It means Mawaddat of us the Ahlul Bait asws. (al-Burhan, v6, p187)

2-Rasool Allah sawaw said: Who wants that he should hold such a strong handhold which will never break, then he should hold Walayat of my brother & Wasi Ali bin Abi Talib asws, because who loves him and made him guardian, will never perish. And who keeps jealousy with him and kept animosity, will never get salvation. (al-Burhan, v6, p188)

Lesson:

1-Momineen are holding the strongest handhold Hablullah, this chain of Walayat is uninterrupted and unbreakable. Muqassireen have noose of Mulla in their necks, when that Muqassir Mulla dies, then Muqallideen are like stray dog of washerman, neither of home nor of washer-bay. Then they have to find another Mulla who can make them dance on his instructions like a tamed animal.

وَلَوۡ أَنَّمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقۡلَـٰمٌ۬ وَٱلۡبَحۡرُ يَمُدُّهُ ۥ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ سَبۡعَةُ أَبۡحُرٍ۬ مَّا نَفِدَتۡ كَلِمَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ۬ (٢٧)

And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea (was ink) replenished thereafter with seven more seas, the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed Allah is Mighty, Wise. (27)

1-It was asked from Imam Hassan Askari asws: What means “...seven seas of ink, even then the Words of Allah would not finish”? Said: It means ocean of Kibreet, ocean of Yemen, ocean of Berhoot, ocean of Tibria, two joining oceans Masidaan, two joining oceans of Africia, and ocean of Bahuran. And we are those Words, that you people can neither understand our Faza’il, nor you can inspect. (al-Burhan, v6, p189)

Lesson:

1-All the astronomers, astronauts, mathematicians, scientists, thinkers and scholars of the world can not find the boundaries of the universe. And this universe Allah has created in the love of Masumeen asws. Then no doubt it is difficult to understand Faza’il of Masumeen asws. Only Allah knows the reality of Masumeen asws, and vice versa.

2-If all Jinns and Humans become scribes, and pens are made from all plants, and all the oceans became ink, even then Faza’il of Masumeen asws can not be written down.

Narrow minded, with cerebral palsy, blind of wisdom & intellect, denier of Walayat, Muqassir Mulla talks nonsense about the greatness, infallibility, knowledge, authority, and Walayat of Masumeen asws who are Beloveds of the Omnipotent Allah. Mulla interferes and does Shirk in Deen.

سُوۡرَةُ السَّجدَة

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

قُلۡ يَتَوَفَّٮٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمۡ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ تُرۡجَعُونَ (١١)

Say: The Angel of death will take you who has been entrusted with you, then to your Rabb you will be returned. (11)

1-One day Rasool Allah sawaw was on his pulpit and Ali asws was standing next to him, and put his right hand in his hand and raised it until the whiteness of armpits was exposed and said: O people, beware, no doubt Allah is your Rabb, and Mohammad sawaw is your Nabi, and Islam is your Deen, and Ali asws is your Hadi, and he is my Wasi, and my Khalifa after me, Ali asws is my arm, and my trustee on revelation of my Rabb. And my Rabb has not bestowed me any merit except similar to it specified for Ali asws. Allah does not accept any Farz (obligation) from anyone except with the love of Ali bin Abi Talib asws. When I went to visit heavens and reached near Arsh, there was a curtain of green Zabarjad, so the voice came, “Ya Mohammad sawaw, raise it” so I raised it and there was an Angel and the world was in front of his eyes, and he was having a tablet in his hands which he was looking. Jibrael (a.s.) said: Ya Mohammad sawaw, this is Izrael (a.s.) the Angel of death. I said: Assalamo Alaika O my friend the Angel of death. So he said: Wa Alaikassalam O Seal of the Prophets sawaw, how is your son of uncle Ali bin Abi Talib asws? I said: My friend the Angel of death, do you know him? He said: How I should not know him, Ya Mohammad sawaw, I swear by Him Who raised you as Nabi with Haqq, and made Mustafa Rasool sawaw, I know your cousin brother Wasi asws just as I know you as Nabi sawaw, and why it should not be like that, because no doubt Allah has delegated me to capture spirits of all the creations except your Rooh and Rooh of Ali asws, because Allah calls you both to Him by His Mashiyat, as He wishes and decides. (al-Burhan, v6, p197)

Lesson:

1-Masumeen asws are before life and death was created, and they are Wajhullah and Mashiyatullah, for which there is no death & destruction. They are Hazir Nazir, sometime they reveal themselves and sometimes they are concealed from the sight of the creations.

2-If any human (who is created from clay) gives life for Deen of Mohammad sawaw, everyone believes that he is martyred & alive and get food as well, and no one doubts because it is written in the Quran. But if you say that Masumeen asws are Hazir Nazir and they are helper & provider, then death is visible on the face of Muqassir Mulla and he gets colics. Ignorant does not know that perpetuation of universe is the proof of Masumeen being Hazir Nazir, because universe can not exist without them.

3-Rasool Allah sawaw repeatedly announced Walayat-e-Ali asws on thousands of occasions from Dawat Zul Asheera to Ghadeer-e-Khum until incident of Pen & Paper. But Muqassir Mulla could not get anything except doom.

أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقً۬ا‌ۚ لَّا يَسۡتَوُ ۥنَ (١٨) أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتُ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ نُزُلاَۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (١٩) وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ فَمَأۡوَٮٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ‌ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓاْ أَن يَخۡرُجُواْ مِنۡهآ أُعِيدُواْ فِيها وَقِيلَ لَهُمۡ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ (٢٠)

Then is he who is a believer like one who is defiantly disobedient? They are not equal. (18) As for those who believe and do good deeds, for them are the Gardens of Refuge as welcome for what they used to do. (19) And as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their shelter is the Fire. Everytime they want to emerge from it, they will be returned to it. And it will be said to them: Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny. (20)

1-Imam Mohammad Baqir asws said about these verses: The matter is that Waleed bin Uqbah bin Abi Moeet started arguing with Ali bin Abi Talib asws, and Waleed bin Uqbah the Fasiq said: By God, I am more eloquent in language than you, and more accurate in aiming in javelin throwing, and more worthy of being army chief than you. Maola Ali asws said: Shut up, certainly you are Fasiq. At that moment Allah revealed these verses. (al-Burhan, v6, p205)

Lesson:

1-Imam Hassan Mujtaba asws also said to Waleed bin Uqbah Fasiq while he was sitting in the court of Shaam: Maola Ali asws whipped you eighty times for drinking alcohol, and caught & killed your father in front of Rasool Allah sawaw in the battle of Badar, and Allah Azza wa Jalla has called Ali asws as Momin in verses, and named you Fasiq.

2-It means that who competes with Maola Ali asws, he is Fasiq and corrupt. Everyone knows that Maola Ali asws is Ayatul Kubra and Hujjatullah allal Khalq. We recite Ziyarat of Amirul Momineen asws “Assalamo Alaika Ya Ayatullah al-Uzma”, which is quoted in Mafateh al-Jinnan. Now anybody who claims that he is Ayatollah Al-Uzma, or someone says that he is Hujjatullah allal Khalq, or anyone says that he is on Walayat of Muqassir Mulla, then isn’t he Fasiq by competing with Masumeen asws? There is no chance to enter Paradise after competing with Maola Ali asws. But on the day of Qiyamah deniers of Walayat-e-Ali asws will see triangular shade (Mursalat, v30) which they will think as paradise, when they will go under it, Fire will rain on them.

وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ ٱلۡأَدۡنَىٰ دُونَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ ٱلۡأَكۡبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ (٢١)

And verily We make them taste the nearer punishment besides the greater punishment, that perhaps they will return. (21)

1-About the saying of Allah, “And verily We make them taste the nearer punishment” said: Punishment with sword in Raj’at, and saying of Allah, “so that they will return” means that they will return in Raj’at so that they should be punished. (Tafseer Qummi, p527) (al-Burhan, v6, p208)

Lesson:

1-Opponents of Walayat-e-Ali asws will be punished in the grave, then punishment in Raj’at, punishment on the day of Qiyamah as well, then punishment in the lowest level of Hell locked in the boxes of Fire disfigured in the form of donkeys.

2-In spite of so many clear Ayaat & Ahadees, we can not understand the courage of Nasibi Muqassir that he talks nonsense about Masumeen asws, or perhaps Shaitan is encouraging him by false hopes and by showing his evil-deeds adorable, saying: Look you are very very pious & peaceful yourself, leave aside equality of an infallible, in fact you are higher in grade than the Prophets (a.s.) of Bani Israel.

وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنۡهمۡ أَٮِٕمَّةً۬ يَهۡدُونَ بِأَمۡرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُواْ‌ۖ وَکانُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ (٢٤)

And We appointed Imams among them who guide with Our Amr (command) when they were patient and believed firmly in Our Ayaat. (24)

See Tafseer of this verse under verse no.41 of Sura Qassas.

وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡفَتۡحُ إِن کنتُمۡ صَـٰدِقِينَ (٢٨) قُلۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَتۡحِ لَا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِيمَـٰنُهُمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يُنظَرُونَ (٢٩) فَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنۡهُمۡ وَٱنتَظِرۡ إِنَّهُم مُّنتَظِرُونَ (٣٠)

And they say: When will be this victory if you are truthful? (28) Say: On the day of the victory the faith of those who disbelieve (and who then will believe) will not benefit them, neither will they be reprieved. (29) So turn away from them, and wait, indeed they are awaiting (as well). (30)

1-Imam Jafar Sadiq asws said about the saying of Allah Azza wa Jalla: The day of Victory is that day when the world be be under occupation of Qaim asws. On that day believing of anyone will not benefit him who was not Momin before. And the faith of those people will benefit them who believe in this victory, and they have great honour & respect near Allah, and they will be beautified on the day of Qiyamah and they will be sent to Paradise, and Hell will be kept hidden from them, and this is the reward for the lovers of Amirul Momineen asws and his holy progeny’s asws lovers. (al-Burhan, v6, p210)

Lesson:

1-To repent & believe only after seeing punishment is not acceptable, just as when Firoun was drowing he expressed Eman but time was gone. Similarly when Imam Qaim asws will reappear, and opponents of Walayat will see the nearer punishment, then immediately they will express Eman by testifying Walayat but then they will not be reprieved.

So still there is time that one should reform by doing Taqleed & Ata’at of only Hazir Nazir Masumeen asws who are sent down by Allah. Marifat & testimony of Walayat-e-Ali asws is not only belief, it is good deed as well, and salvation and intercession and eternal success too, and this is the Pleasure of Allah and wish of Rasool Allah sawaw.

Definition of Prayer

The Meaning of Prayer

Prayer (du’a’) means the asking of a servant for his needs from Allah, the Exalted. On analyzing this definition, we find that it can be reduced to the following four elements:

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww), i.e. Allah, the Exalted.

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i), i.e. a human being.

3. Prayer (ad-du’a’), i.e. the act of asking from Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-maduww lahu), i.e. the need which one presents before Allah by means of prayer.

The following is an explanation of each of the above four elements.

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww)

The one called upon during prayer is Allah, the Exalted; the One who is:

a. Absolutely Self-sufficient and to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.

“Do you not know that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.” 1

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates whatever He wishes.” 2

b. Whose kingdom does not diminish by His bestowal.

“This is indeed Our provision, which will never be exhausted.” 3

“To these and to those- to all We extend the bounty of your Lord. All do We help, these as well as those, out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.” 4

A phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads, “And the frequency of giving increases Him not but in generosity and kindness.”

c. In whose divinity there is no stinginess. He is not miser in answering the needs of His servants.

Therefore, there is no reason that He should not answer the prayer of His servants when they pray to Him regarding that which is of importance to them, be it great or small, as He {himself} has said,

“Call Me, I will answer you” 5 ;

except if the response (istijabah) is not to the benefit of the supplicant, as he is not aware of what is beneficial to him in reality and what is not, whilst Allah is All-knowing.

With regard to this, a phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads:

“If there was a delay {in Your response}, I would blame You, due to my ignorance; while perhaps that which has {been} delayed is good for me, as You know the outcome of all affairs. I have not seen a more generous master, so patient with a wretched slave, than You are with me.”

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i)

The supplicant is the servant who is needy (faqir) in all respects, even in his awareness of being needy to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.” 6

“…Allah is the All-sufficient, and you are all-needy.” 7

Nothing can elevate a person to Allah, the Exalted, better than his neediness (faqr) to Him. ‘Neediness to Allah’ is among the stations (manazil) of the mercy of Allah.

The more a person is aware of his neediness to Allah, the closer he is to His mercy. On the contrary, the more arrogant he becomes, not realizing his neediness and dependency on Allah, the farther he shall be from His mercy.

3. The Act of Asking (ad-Du’a’)

The more persistent a person is in his petition to Allah, the closer he shall be to His mercy. The climax of asking from Allah is when one is in need of Him desperately (idtirar), such that he has no other choice but that Allah should answer his prayer.

By idtirar we mean a state in which a person loses all other means of attaining his wish, and there remains for him only one choice; a choice whose affair lies solely in the hand of Allah and not in his hand. Subsequently, he turns to Allah, the Exalted, in desperation. It is in such a condition that a servant is the nearest of all things to Allah’s mercy:

“Is He not who answers {the call of} the distressed {person} when he invokes Him and removes his distress…?” 8

In fact, there is no separation (fasl) at all between the supplication of the distressed and the response from Allah in removing his distress.

This state of being in desperate need of Allah (idtirar) during supplication implies detachment (inqita’) from all other than Allah, and turning to Him alone; otherwise the act of supplicating and asking from Allah would no longer be considered as stemming from desperate need toward Him.

However, prayer does not dispense with the need for effort and action, as the endeavour by the supplicant for attaining his wish does not dispense with prayer and petition to Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-mad’uww lahu)

The object of supplication is anything that a supplicant prays to his Lord for, of his needs and wishes. And there is absolutely no objection in that a supplicant should ask from Allah whatever he wants, however great it might be; as this does not render Allah incapable, nor does His kingdom diminish because of this, nor is there any miserliness in His divinity.

Similarly, it does not matter if he were to pray to Allah even for the smallest of his wishes, “even for the band of his shoes, the fodder of his cattle, and the salt of his bread”, as it has appeared in a Divine Narration (hadith al-qudsi).

For Allah loves His servant to be constantly in contact with Him with respect to everything, small or big, of his needs, and that his small needs should not veil him from Allah due to their insignificance, nor should the enormity of his needs separate him from Allah. He, the Exalted, likes to see the hands of His servant stretched toward Him for every need, and his heart continuously in remembrance of Him, in every state, in ease and in adversity.

Beside this, there is nothing like prayer and need in interlocking a human being with Allah.

The Value of Prayer

The Qur’an says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 9

Prayer implies the turning (iqbal) of a servant toward Allah. Turning toward Allah constitutes the essence (ruh) of worship (‘ibadah), whilst worshipping Allah is the goal of the creation of mankind.

These three points mentioned above reveal to us the value of prayer as well as its reality. So let us start with the third point and work our way upward to the first one.

The Qur’an is very clear in that worship (‘ibadah) is the aim behind the creation of the human beings. He, the Exalted, says:

“I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me.” 10

This is precisely what the third point entails; a concept which is of utmost importance in Islam.

The value of worship lies in that it ties and links the human being to Allah. It is due to this very reason that the intention of getting closer to Allah (qasd at-Taqarrub) is an essential element in the realization of ‘ibadah, without which the action performed would not be considered as ‘ibadah.

Hence, the reality of ‘ibadah is the journey toward Allah, turning to Him, aspiring His face, and seeking His pleasure. This is the second point which is, in fact, an illustration of the first point.

The first point implied that prayer is a state of turning toward Allah, as it is one of the most distinct instances of connection and link with Allah. Among the different acts of devotion (‘ibadah), there is no act which can take man closer to Allah than du’a’.

Sayf at-Tammar is narrated to have said, “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) saying, ‘I enjoin prayer (du’a’) upon you, for there is nothing which will get you closer to Allah than du’a’.’”11

The greater one’s need (hajat), desperation (idtirar) and dependency (faqr) on Allah, the more profound is his state of turning (iqbal) toward Him. There is a proportional relation between one’s feeling of dependency and his being in need of Allah desperately, and one’s turning toward Allah; for need and desperation prompts one to take resort in Him. And the iqbal of a person toward Allah, the Exalted, would be according to the degree of his perception of his own neediness, as the opposite is also correct.

He, the Exalted, says in this regard:

“Indeed man becomes rebellious when he considers himself without need.” 12

Indeed man rebels and turns away from Allah as much as he sees himself to be needless. On the contrary, he turns toward Allah as much as he perceives his indigence and need toward Him. The Qur’an is precise in its words,‘when he considers himself without need’ .

In actual fact, no human being is needless of Allah, rather the whole of man’s existence is absolute neediness (faqr) to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, All-laudable.” 13

Nevertheless, it seems to him that he has become needless, and it is the arrogance (ghurur) of man that creates this impression in him.

When it appears to him that he is needless, he becomes disregardful and turns aside and transgresses. But when distress touches him and he feels himself to be in need of Allah, then he comes back and turns toward Him.

In conclusion, the reality of prayer is ‘turning toward Allah’ (iqbal). Whoever wishes to call on Allah and implore Him, he must turn toward Him earnestly. And it is this state of ‘turning’ which constitutes the reality and essence of prayer and makes it valuable.

Four Ways of Reaching Allah in the Qur’an

Supplication is among the most important ways ordained by Allah for His servants in order for them to arrive at Him.

Apart from this, Allah, the Exalted, has stated in the Qur’an four ways of arrival at Him.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “There are four things in favour of man, and not against him; faith (Iman) and thankfulness (shukr), for Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Why should Allah punish you if you give thanks and be faithful?’ 14 ; seeking forgiveness (istighfar), as He, the Exalted, says: ‘But Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness’ 15 ; and prayer (du’a’), for He, the Exalted, says:‘Say, ‘My Lord would not care for you were it not for your supplication?’ 1617

Mu‘awiyah bin Wahab narrates from Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a), “O Mu‘awiyah! Whosoever is given three {things} shall not be deprived of the {other} three. Whoever is given prayer (du’a’) shall {also} be given the response (ijabah). Whoever is endowed with thankfulness (shukr) shall {also} be endowed with enhancement (ziyadah). And whoever is granted reliance on Allah (tawakkul) shall {also} be granted sufficiency (kifayah), for Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book,‘And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him’ 18 ; and He says: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you {in blessing}’ 19 ; and He says:‘Call Me, I will answer you.’ 2021

‘Abdullah bin Walid al-Wasafi reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “{There are} three things with which nothing can cause harm {to a person}; prayer (du’a’) during hardships, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) after committing a sin, and thankfulness (shukr) when one is given a blessing.”22

These are in fact channels of communication with Allah. Nonetheless, the channels of communication with Allah are many, such as repentance (tawbah), fear (khawf) and awe (khashyah) of Allah, love (hubb) and yearning (shawq) for Allah, and hope in Allah (raja’).

However, man’s relation with Allah must be structured on a well-arranged collection of the above elements, as Islam does not approve the theory of there being only a single way of communication with Allah.

Prayer is one of the most significant means of communication with Allah and turning toward Him. This is because nothing inspires people to take resort to Allah the way their neediness (hajat) and indigence (faqr) prompt them to do so. Hence, du’a’ is among the widest of the doors of communication with Allah.

In his supplication at dawn, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whom I call for my need whenever I wish, and confide to Him my secrets whenever I will -without a mediator, and He fulfills my need.”

Prayer: the Essence of Worship

Du’a’ is the essence and spirit of ibadah. This is because the purpose behind the creation of mankind is to worship Allah, and the goal of worship is to tie man to Allah, the Exalted, and prayer actualizes this goal in an extensive manner and through the strongest of means.

The Holy Prophet (S) is related to have said, “Supplication is the essence (mukkh) of worship. One who maintains supplication shall never perish.”23

He (S) has also said, “Flee to Allah for your needs, and take refuge with Him in your calamities, and entreat Him and call on Him; for du’a’ is the kernel of ‘ibadah. There is no believer (mu’min) who calls on Allah except that He answers him; He will either speed up {in granting him} his request in this world, or He will delay it for him to the Hereafter, or He will expiate of his sins as much as he has implored Him, so long as he does not pray for a wrong deed.”24

The above narration illustrates for us the path of the journey of man toward Allah in prayer, and the manner in which he should turn toward Him. Just ponder on these statements: ‘Flee to Allah for your needs’, ‘take refuge with Him in your calamities’ and ‘entreat (tadarru’) Him’.

In another tradition, the Holy Prophet (S) says: “Supplication is the weapon (silah) of a believer and the pillar (‘imad) of religion.”25

The reason behind prayer being the pillar of religion is that the foundation of religion is the journey toward Allah, whilst prayer is turning toward Him, and commencing this journey. And since the reality of prayer is turning toward Allah, it is the most liked and the most revered of things in the eyes of Allah.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “There is no thing more honourable (akram) in the eyes of Allah than du’a.”26

Hannan bin Sudair relates from his father, “I said to al-Baqir (‘a), ‘Which act of worship is the best?’ He (‘a) replied, ‘Nothing is more lovable to Allah than that He should be asked and besought of what He possesses. There is no one more disliked by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than him who is disdainful of His worship and does not ask Him of what He possesses.”27

In his supplication for the day of Wednesday, Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whose pleasure (mardat) is in petition to Him and begging for what is with Him, and whose anger is in lack of insistence in imploring Him.”

A phrase in the supplication of kumayl reads, “…For you have decreed upon your servants to worship You, and have commanded them to supplicate You and assured them that they would be answered; so to You, O my Lord, I have turned my face, and toward You, O my Lord, I have extended my hand…”

Disregard for Prayer is to Turn Away from Allah

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 28

According to this verse, being disdainful (istikbar) of worship (‘ibadah) implies disregard for prayer, as the context of the verse exhorts to prayer when it says:‘Call on Me’ , and immediately after this it says:‘those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’

Hence, disregard of prayer according to the above verse is tantamount to being arrogant in worship; as it implies turning away (i’rad) from Allah. The same has been reported from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) regarding the interpretation of the above verse. He (‘a) says:“{Supplication} is, by Allah, the worship (‘ibadah), it is -by Allah- the worship!”

Hammad bin ‘Isa reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “Supplication is indeed the worship (‘ibadah). Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’” 29 30

Man holds no status in the eyes of Allah but by virtue of supplication and to the extent that he prays to Allah. And Allah, the Exalted, cares for His servant as much as he implores Him and turns toward Him,

“Say, ‘What store my Lord would set by you were it not for your supplication?” 31

This is because the reality of supplication is equivalent to turning toward Allah (iqbal), as disregard for it is turning away (i’rad) from Him. And Allah does not care for one who turns away from Him, nor will he hold any status in His eyes.

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) says in a narration, “No one is more hated by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than he who shows arrogance in worshipping Him and does not ask Him for that which lies with Him.”32

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said, “You must implore Allah or else He will be wrathful at you. Indeed Allah has servants who do {righteous} deeds, so He gives them {of His mercy}; and there are others who sincerely ask Him, so He grants them. Thereafter, He will gather all of them in the Heaven. So those who performed {good} deeds shall say, ‘Our Lord, You gave us because we acted {righteously}, but why did You give to these {people}?’ He will say, ‘These are my servants. I gave you your reward without wasting anything of your deeds. These people besought Me, hence I gave them and enriched them; this is My grace, I give it to whomsoever I desire.”33

Allah Yearns for the Supplication of His Servant

When a servant turns toward Allah by way of supplication, then he is loved by Allah. And if he turns away from Him, He is disliked by him.

Nevertheless, Allah, the Exalted, may delay in responding to the prayer of his servant so that his standing before Him, his turning toward Him, and his entreating Him may be prolonged; for Allah loves to hear the imploration of His servant and yearns for his prayer and secret conversation with Him (munajat).

Imam al-Kazim (‘a) is reported to have said, “Verily, Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, delays in answering a believer out of desire for his imploration and says: ‘This is a voice I love to hear.’ And He quickly responds to the prayer of a hypocrite and says: ‘This is a voice I hate.’”34

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Pray to Allah frequently, for Allah loves His believing servants to call on Him and He has indeed promised them the response.”35

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is related to have said, “The most lovable of acts to Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, on this earth is supplication.”36

It has been reported that Imam al-Baqir (‘a) used to say, “When a believer entreats Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a need, He delays in responding to him quickly, out of love for {hearing} his voice and listening to his lamentation.”37

Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “{It so happens that} a servant makes supplication and Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, says to the two angels, ‘I have indeed answered him, but confine him to his need, for I love listening to his voice.’ And {at times} a servant makes a petition and Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, says: ‘Grant his need quickly, for I hate his voice.”38

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “When a servant -who is a friend of Allah, implores Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a matter which concerns him, then it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill the need of My servant, but do not hurry, for I long to listen to his voice and call.’ And when a servant -who is a foe of Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, calls on Allah regarding a matter which concerns him, it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill his need and make haste, as I dislike to listen to his voice and call.”39

Asking one’s Needs from Other than Allah

Allah, the Exalted, dislikes the pleading of people with one another for their needs, as He loves a believer to honour his self and his hand by refraining from begging from others. Besides, He, the Exalted, loves to be beseeched by the believers, and loves their imploration and supplication to Him.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “Indeed Allah has loved one thing for Himself and has abhorred it for His creatures. He has disliked for His creatures {their} pleading {with one another}, and has loved for Himself to be entreated {by them}. There is nothing more beloved to Allah than that He should be besought. Hence, none of you should be ashamed of asking Allah of His bounties, even if it is for the strap of a sandal.”40

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Allah loves a servant to ask from Him {even} for {commiting} a great sin, and He hates a servant who takes lightly the smaller sins.”41

Muhammad bin ‘Ajlan relates:

“I was caught in a great poverty and constraint, and he who is in constraint has no friend. I was also in a great and heavy debt and was under pressure to repay it. So I set out toward the house of Hasan bin Zayd –who was then the governer of Madinah, as we used to know each other. Muhammad bin ‘Abdillah bin ‘Ali bin al-Husain (‘a) –whom I knew well for long- realized from my condition where I was heading toward. He met me on the way and took hold of my hand and said, ‘I have come to know of what you are intending to do. Who do you entertain hope in to remove what has befallen you?’

‘Hasan bin Zayd’, I replied.

He said, ‘In this case, he is not going to fulfill your need, nor will your request be granted. You must ask One who is capable of doing that, One who is the Most Generous of those who are generous. Seek from Him what you are hoping for; for I have heard my cousin, Ja’far bin Muhammad, narrating from his father, who related from his grandfather, who reported from his father Husain bin ‘Ali (‘a), who narrated from his father ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a), who reported the Holy Prophet (S) saying:

‘Allah revealed to some of His prophets in some of His revelations saying, ‘By My might and majesty, I will indeed sever the hope of one who entertains hope in other than Me with despair, and I will clothe him with the dress of humiliation among the people, and I will distance him from My salvation and bounties. Does My servant entertain hope in other than Me during hardships, while all the hardships are in My hand?

And does he anticipate from other than Me, while I am the All-sufficient and the Generous? In my hand are the keys of the closed doors, and My door is open for one who calls on Me. Do you not know that when one is afflicted with a calamity, then none other than Me has the ability to remove it from him? Then how come I find him hoping for its removal by turning away from Me, while I have given him out of My generosity and grace what he did not ask from Me?

Still he turned away from Me and did not beseech Me, rather he beseeched other than Me during his hardships, while I am Allah, I begin endowment before request (mas’alah). Can it be that I am asked but I do not give generously? Never. Are not generosity and kindness particular to Me? Are not this world and the Hereafter in My hand?

If all the inhabitants of the seven heavens and the earth were to ask Me and I were to grant each of them his request, this would not diminish My kingdom by the like of a fly’s wing! And how can a kingdom whose custodian is Me diminish? So wretched be he who disobeys Me and is not conscious of Me.’

So I said to him, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah! Repeat this narration for me.’ So he repeated it three times. Then I said, ‘By Allah, I am not going to ask anyone for a need after this.’ And it was not long before Allah granted me a provision (rizq) from Him.”42

Notes

1. Qur’an, 2:107.

2. Qur’an, 5:17.

3. Qur’an, 38:54.

4. Qur’an, 17:20.

5. Qur’an, 40:60.

6. Qur’an, 35:15.

7. Qur’an, 47:38.

8. Qur’an, 27:62.

9. Qur’an, 40:60.

10. Qur’an, 51:56.

11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.293.

12. Qur’an, 96:6 7.

13. Qur’an, 35:15.

14. Qur’an, 4:147.

15. Qur’an, 8:33.

16. Qur’an, 25:77.

17. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.291.

18. Qur’an, 65:3.

19. Qur’an, 14:7.

20. Qur’an, 40:60.

21. See: al-Khisal-of as-Saduq, vol.1, pg.50; al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.3; and al-Kafi, vol.2, pg.65.

22. Al-Amali of at-Tusi, pg.127.

23. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.300.

24. Ibid., pg. 302.

25. Ibid., pg. 288.

26. Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 311.

27. Ibid, pg.311. See also al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.292.

28. Qur’an, 40:60.

29. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1083.

30. Imam as-Sajjad (‘a) says in Sahifat as-Sajjadiyyah, supplication no.45, “And You have said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’ Hence You have named supplicating You ‘worship’ and refraining from it ‘disdain’, and You have threatened that the refraining from it would yield entrance into hell in utter humility.” {Trns.}

31. Qur’an, 25:77.

32. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8604.

33. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8609.

34. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.97, pg.296.

35. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1086, hadith no.8616.

36. Ibid, pg.1089, hadith no.8639.

37. Qurb al-Asnad, pg.171; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

38. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8731; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

39. Usul al-Kafi, pg.527; and Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8732.

40. Furu’ al-Kafi, vol.1, pg.196; and Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.1, pg.23.

41. Al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.293; and Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.292.

42. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.303 304.

Definition of Prayer

The Meaning of Prayer

Prayer (du’a’) means the asking of a servant for his needs from Allah, the Exalted. On analyzing this definition, we find that it can be reduced to the following four elements:

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww), i.e. Allah, the Exalted.

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i), i.e. a human being.

3. Prayer (ad-du’a’), i.e. the act of asking from Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-maduww lahu), i.e. the need which one presents before Allah by means of prayer.

The following is an explanation of each of the above four elements.

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww)

The one called upon during prayer is Allah, the Exalted; the One who is:

a. Absolutely Self-sufficient and to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.

“Do you not know that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.” 1

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates whatever He wishes.” 2

b. Whose kingdom does not diminish by His bestowal.

“This is indeed Our provision, which will never be exhausted.” 3

“To these and to those- to all We extend the bounty of your Lord. All do We help, these as well as those, out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.” 4

A phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads, “And the frequency of giving increases Him not but in generosity and kindness.”

c. In whose divinity there is no stinginess. He is not miser in answering the needs of His servants.

Therefore, there is no reason that He should not answer the prayer of His servants when they pray to Him regarding that which is of importance to them, be it great or small, as He {himself} has said,

“Call Me, I will answer you” 5 ;

except if the response (istijabah) is not to the benefit of the supplicant, as he is not aware of what is beneficial to him in reality and what is not, whilst Allah is All-knowing.

With regard to this, a phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads:

“If there was a delay {in Your response}, I would blame You, due to my ignorance; while perhaps that which has {been} delayed is good for me, as You know the outcome of all affairs. I have not seen a more generous master, so patient with a wretched slave, than You are with me.”

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i)

The supplicant is the servant who is needy (faqir) in all respects, even in his awareness of being needy to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.” 6

“…Allah is the All-sufficient, and you are all-needy.” 7

Nothing can elevate a person to Allah, the Exalted, better than his neediness (faqr) to Him. ‘Neediness to Allah’ is among the stations (manazil) of the mercy of Allah.

The more a person is aware of his neediness to Allah, the closer he is to His mercy. On the contrary, the more arrogant he becomes, not realizing his neediness and dependency on Allah, the farther he shall be from His mercy.

3. The Act of Asking (ad-Du’a’)

The more persistent a person is in his petition to Allah, the closer he shall be to His mercy. The climax of asking from Allah is when one is in need of Him desperately (idtirar), such that he has no other choice but that Allah should answer his prayer.

By idtirar we mean a state in which a person loses all other means of attaining his wish, and there remains for him only one choice; a choice whose affair lies solely in the hand of Allah and not in his hand. Subsequently, he turns to Allah, the Exalted, in desperation. It is in such a condition that a servant is the nearest of all things to Allah’s mercy:

“Is He not who answers {the call of} the distressed {person} when he invokes Him and removes his distress…?” 8

In fact, there is no separation (fasl) at all between the supplication of the distressed and the response from Allah in removing his distress.

This state of being in desperate need of Allah (idtirar) during supplication implies detachment (inqita’) from all other than Allah, and turning to Him alone; otherwise the act of supplicating and asking from Allah would no longer be considered as stemming from desperate need toward Him.

However, prayer does not dispense with the need for effort and action, as the endeavour by the supplicant for attaining his wish does not dispense with prayer and petition to Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-mad’uww lahu)

The object of supplication is anything that a supplicant prays to his Lord for, of his needs and wishes. And there is absolutely no objection in that a supplicant should ask from Allah whatever he wants, however great it might be; as this does not render Allah incapable, nor does His kingdom diminish because of this, nor is there any miserliness in His divinity.

Similarly, it does not matter if he were to pray to Allah even for the smallest of his wishes, “even for the band of his shoes, the fodder of his cattle, and the salt of his bread”, as it has appeared in a Divine Narration (hadith al-qudsi).

For Allah loves His servant to be constantly in contact with Him with respect to everything, small or big, of his needs, and that his small needs should not veil him from Allah due to their insignificance, nor should the enormity of his needs separate him from Allah. He, the Exalted, likes to see the hands of His servant stretched toward Him for every need, and his heart continuously in remembrance of Him, in every state, in ease and in adversity.

Beside this, there is nothing like prayer and need in interlocking a human being with Allah.

The Value of Prayer

The Qur’an says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 9

Prayer implies the turning (iqbal) of a servant toward Allah. Turning toward Allah constitutes the essence (ruh) of worship (‘ibadah), whilst worshipping Allah is the goal of the creation of mankind.

These three points mentioned above reveal to us the value of prayer as well as its reality. So let us start with the third point and work our way upward to the first one.

The Qur’an is very clear in that worship (‘ibadah) is the aim behind the creation of the human beings. He, the Exalted, says:

“I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me.” 10

This is precisely what the third point entails; a concept which is of utmost importance in Islam.

The value of worship lies in that it ties and links the human being to Allah. It is due to this very reason that the intention of getting closer to Allah (qasd at-Taqarrub) is an essential element in the realization of ‘ibadah, without which the action performed would not be considered as ‘ibadah.

Hence, the reality of ‘ibadah is the journey toward Allah, turning to Him, aspiring His face, and seeking His pleasure. This is the second point which is, in fact, an illustration of the first point.

The first point implied that prayer is a state of turning toward Allah, as it is one of the most distinct instances of connection and link with Allah. Among the different acts of devotion (‘ibadah), there is no act which can take man closer to Allah than du’a’.

Sayf at-Tammar is narrated to have said, “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) saying, ‘I enjoin prayer (du’a’) upon you, for there is nothing which will get you closer to Allah than du’a’.’”11

The greater one’s need (hajat), desperation (idtirar) and dependency (faqr) on Allah, the more profound is his state of turning (iqbal) toward Him. There is a proportional relation between one’s feeling of dependency and his being in need of Allah desperately, and one’s turning toward Allah; for need and desperation prompts one to take resort in Him. And the iqbal of a person toward Allah, the Exalted, would be according to the degree of his perception of his own neediness, as the opposite is also correct.

He, the Exalted, says in this regard:

“Indeed man becomes rebellious when he considers himself without need.” 12

Indeed man rebels and turns away from Allah as much as he sees himself to be needless. On the contrary, he turns toward Allah as much as he perceives his indigence and need toward Him. The Qur’an is precise in its words,‘when he considers himself without need’ .

In actual fact, no human being is needless of Allah, rather the whole of man’s existence is absolute neediness (faqr) to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, All-laudable.” 13

Nevertheless, it seems to him that he has become needless, and it is the arrogance (ghurur) of man that creates this impression in him.

When it appears to him that he is needless, he becomes disregardful and turns aside and transgresses. But when distress touches him and he feels himself to be in need of Allah, then he comes back and turns toward Him.

In conclusion, the reality of prayer is ‘turning toward Allah’ (iqbal). Whoever wishes to call on Allah and implore Him, he must turn toward Him earnestly. And it is this state of ‘turning’ which constitutes the reality and essence of prayer and makes it valuable.

Four Ways of Reaching Allah in the Qur’an

Supplication is among the most important ways ordained by Allah for His servants in order for them to arrive at Him.

Apart from this, Allah, the Exalted, has stated in the Qur’an four ways of arrival at Him.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “There are four things in favour of man, and not against him; faith (Iman) and thankfulness (shukr), for Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Why should Allah punish you if you give thanks and be faithful?’ 14 ; seeking forgiveness (istighfar), as He, the Exalted, says: ‘But Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness’ 15 ; and prayer (du’a’), for He, the Exalted, says:‘Say, ‘My Lord would not care for you were it not for your supplication?’ 1617

Mu‘awiyah bin Wahab narrates from Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a), “O Mu‘awiyah! Whosoever is given three {things} shall not be deprived of the {other} three. Whoever is given prayer (du’a’) shall {also} be given the response (ijabah). Whoever is endowed with thankfulness (shukr) shall {also} be endowed with enhancement (ziyadah). And whoever is granted reliance on Allah (tawakkul) shall {also} be granted sufficiency (kifayah), for Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book,‘And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him’ 18 ; and He says: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you {in blessing}’ 19 ; and He says:‘Call Me, I will answer you.’ 2021

‘Abdullah bin Walid al-Wasafi reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “{There are} three things with which nothing can cause harm {to a person}; prayer (du’a’) during hardships, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) after committing a sin, and thankfulness (shukr) when one is given a blessing.”22

These are in fact channels of communication with Allah. Nonetheless, the channels of communication with Allah are many, such as repentance (tawbah), fear (khawf) and awe (khashyah) of Allah, love (hubb) and yearning (shawq) for Allah, and hope in Allah (raja’).

However, man’s relation with Allah must be structured on a well-arranged collection of the above elements, as Islam does not approve the theory of there being only a single way of communication with Allah.

Prayer is one of the most significant means of communication with Allah and turning toward Him. This is because nothing inspires people to take resort to Allah the way their neediness (hajat) and indigence (faqr) prompt them to do so. Hence, du’a’ is among the widest of the doors of communication with Allah.

In his supplication at dawn, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whom I call for my need whenever I wish, and confide to Him my secrets whenever I will -without a mediator, and He fulfills my need.”

Prayer: the Essence of Worship

Du’a’ is the essence and spirit of ibadah. This is because the purpose behind the creation of mankind is to worship Allah, and the goal of worship is to tie man to Allah, the Exalted, and prayer actualizes this goal in an extensive manner and through the strongest of means.

The Holy Prophet (S) is related to have said, “Supplication is the essence (mukkh) of worship. One who maintains supplication shall never perish.”23

He (S) has also said, “Flee to Allah for your needs, and take refuge with Him in your calamities, and entreat Him and call on Him; for du’a’ is the kernel of ‘ibadah. There is no believer (mu’min) who calls on Allah except that He answers him; He will either speed up {in granting him} his request in this world, or He will delay it for him to the Hereafter, or He will expiate of his sins as much as he has implored Him, so long as he does not pray for a wrong deed.”24

The above narration illustrates for us the path of the journey of man toward Allah in prayer, and the manner in which he should turn toward Him. Just ponder on these statements: ‘Flee to Allah for your needs’, ‘take refuge with Him in your calamities’ and ‘entreat (tadarru’) Him’.

In another tradition, the Holy Prophet (S) says: “Supplication is the weapon (silah) of a believer and the pillar (‘imad) of religion.”25

The reason behind prayer being the pillar of religion is that the foundation of religion is the journey toward Allah, whilst prayer is turning toward Him, and commencing this journey. And since the reality of prayer is turning toward Allah, it is the most liked and the most revered of things in the eyes of Allah.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “There is no thing more honourable (akram) in the eyes of Allah than du’a.”26

Hannan bin Sudair relates from his father, “I said to al-Baqir (‘a), ‘Which act of worship is the best?’ He (‘a) replied, ‘Nothing is more lovable to Allah than that He should be asked and besought of what He possesses. There is no one more disliked by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than him who is disdainful of His worship and does not ask Him of what He possesses.”27

In his supplication for the day of Wednesday, Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whose pleasure (mardat) is in petition to Him and begging for what is with Him, and whose anger is in lack of insistence in imploring Him.”

A phrase in the supplication of kumayl reads, “…For you have decreed upon your servants to worship You, and have commanded them to supplicate You and assured them that they would be answered; so to You, O my Lord, I have turned my face, and toward You, O my Lord, I have extended my hand…”

Disregard for Prayer is to Turn Away from Allah

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 28

According to this verse, being disdainful (istikbar) of worship (‘ibadah) implies disregard for prayer, as the context of the verse exhorts to prayer when it says:‘Call on Me’ , and immediately after this it says:‘those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’

Hence, disregard of prayer according to the above verse is tantamount to being arrogant in worship; as it implies turning away (i’rad) from Allah. The same has been reported from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) regarding the interpretation of the above verse. He (‘a) says:“{Supplication} is, by Allah, the worship (‘ibadah), it is -by Allah- the worship!”

Hammad bin ‘Isa reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “Supplication is indeed the worship (‘ibadah). Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’” 29 30

Man holds no status in the eyes of Allah but by virtue of supplication and to the extent that he prays to Allah. And Allah, the Exalted, cares for His servant as much as he implores Him and turns toward Him,

“Say, ‘What store my Lord would set by you were it not for your supplication?” 31

This is because the reality of supplication is equivalent to turning toward Allah (iqbal), as disregard for it is turning away (i’rad) from Him. And Allah does not care for one who turns away from Him, nor will he hold any status in His eyes.

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) says in a narration, “No one is more hated by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than he who shows arrogance in worshipping Him and does not ask Him for that which lies with Him.”32

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said, “You must implore Allah or else He will be wrathful at you. Indeed Allah has servants who do {righteous} deeds, so He gives them {of His mercy}; and there are others who sincerely ask Him, so He grants them. Thereafter, He will gather all of them in the Heaven. So those who performed {good} deeds shall say, ‘Our Lord, You gave us because we acted {righteously}, but why did You give to these {people}?’ He will say, ‘These are my servants. I gave you your reward without wasting anything of your deeds. These people besought Me, hence I gave them and enriched them; this is My grace, I give it to whomsoever I desire.”33

Allah Yearns for the Supplication of His Servant

When a servant turns toward Allah by way of supplication, then he is loved by Allah. And if he turns away from Him, He is disliked by him.

Nevertheless, Allah, the Exalted, may delay in responding to the prayer of his servant so that his standing before Him, his turning toward Him, and his entreating Him may be prolonged; for Allah loves to hear the imploration of His servant and yearns for his prayer and secret conversation with Him (munajat).

Imam al-Kazim (‘a) is reported to have said, “Verily, Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, delays in answering a believer out of desire for his imploration and says: ‘This is a voice I love to hear.’ And He quickly responds to the prayer of a hypocrite and says: ‘This is a voice I hate.’”34

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Pray to Allah frequently, for Allah loves His believing servants to call on Him and He has indeed promised them the response.”35

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is related to have said, “The most lovable of acts to Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, on this earth is supplication.”36

It has been reported that Imam al-Baqir (‘a) used to say, “When a believer entreats Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a need, He delays in responding to him quickly, out of love for {hearing} his voice and listening to his lamentation.”37

Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “{It so happens that} a servant makes supplication and Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, says to the two angels, ‘I have indeed answered him, but confine him to his need, for I love listening to his voice.’ And {at times} a servant makes a petition and Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, says: ‘Grant his need quickly, for I hate his voice.”38

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “When a servant -who is a friend of Allah, implores Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a matter which concerns him, then it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill the need of My servant, but do not hurry, for I long to listen to his voice and call.’ And when a servant -who is a foe of Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, calls on Allah regarding a matter which concerns him, it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill his need and make haste, as I dislike to listen to his voice and call.”39

Asking one’s Needs from Other than Allah

Allah, the Exalted, dislikes the pleading of people with one another for their needs, as He loves a believer to honour his self and his hand by refraining from begging from others. Besides, He, the Exalted, loves to be beseeched by the believers, and loves their imploration and supplication to Him.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “Indeed Allah has loved one thing for Himself and has abhorred it for His creatures. He has disliked for His creatures {their} pleading {with one another}, and has loved for Himself to be entreated {by them}. There is nothing more beloved to Allah than that He should be besought. Hence, none of you should be ashamed of asking Allah of His bounties, even if it is for the strap of a sandal.”40

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Allah loves a servant to ask from Him {even} for {commiting} a great sin, and He hates a servant who takes lightly the smaller sins.”41

Muhammad bin ‘Ajlan relates:

“I was caught in a great poverty and constraint, and he who is in constraint has no friend. I was also in a great and heavy debt and was under pressure to repay it. So I set out toward the house of Hasan bin Zayd –who was then the governer of Madinah, as we used to know each other. Muhammad bin ‘Abdillah bin ‘Ali bin al-Husain (‘a) –whom I knew well for long- realized from my condition where I was heading toward. He met me on the way and took hold of my hand and said, ‘I have come to know of what you are intending to do. Who do you entertain hope in to remove what has befallen you?’

‘Hasan bin Zayd’, I replied.

He said, ‘In this case, he is not going to fulfill your need, nor will your request be granted. You must ask One who is capable of doing that, One who is the Most Generous of those who are generous. Seek from Him what you are hoping for; for I have heard my cousin, Ja’far bin Muhammad, narrating from his father, who related from his grandfather, who reported from his father Husain bin ‘Ali (‘a), who narrated from his father ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a), who reported the Holy Prophet (S) saying:

‘Allah revealed to some of His prophets in some of His revelations saying, ‘By My might and majesty, I will indeed sever the hope of one who entertains hope in other than Me with despair, and I will clothe him with the dress of humiliation among the people, and I will distance him from My salvation and bounties. Does My servant entertain hope in other than Me during hardships, while all the hardships are in My hand?

And does he anticipate from other than Me, while I am the All-sufficient and the Generous? In my hand are the keys of the closed doors, and My door is open for one who calls on Me. Do you not know that when one is afflicted with a calamity, then none other than Me has the ability to remove it from him? Then how come I find him hoping for its removal by turning away from Me, while I have given him out of My generosity and grace what he did not ask from Me?

Still he turned away from Me and did not beseech Me, rather he beseeched other than Me during his hardships, while I am Allah, I begin endowment before request (mas’alah). Can it be that I am asked but I do not give generously? Never. Are not generosity and kindness particular to Me? Are not this world and the Hereafter in My hand?

If all the inhabitants of the seven heavens and the earth were to ask Me and I were to grant each of them his request, this would not diminish My kingdom by the like of a fly’s wing! And how can a kingdom whose custodian is Me diminish? So wretched be he who disobeys Me and is not conscious of Me.’

So I said to him, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah! Repeat this narration for me.’ So he repeated it three times. Then I said, ‘By Allah, I am not going to ask anyone for a need after this.’ And it was not long before Allah granted me a provision (rizq) from Him.”42

Notes

1. Qur’an, 2:107.

2. Qur’an, 5:17.

3. Qur’an, 38:54.

4. Qur’an, 17:20.

5. Qur’an, 40:60.

6. Qur’an, 35:15.

7. Qur’an, 47:38.

8. Qur’an, 27:62.

9. Qur’an, 40:60.

10. Qur’an, 51:56.

11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.293.

12. Qur’an, 96:6 7.

13. Qur’an, 35:15.

14. Qur’an, 4:147.

15. Qur’an, 8:33.

16. Qur’an, 25:77.

17. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.291.

18. Qur’an, 65:3.

19. Qur’an, 14:7.

20. Qur’an, 40:60.

21. See: al-Khisal-of as-Saduq, vol.1, pg.50; al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.3; and al-Kafi, vol.2, pg.65.

22. Al-Amali of at-Tusi, pg.127.

23. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.300.

24. Ibid., pg. 302.

25. Ibid., pg. 288.

26. Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 311.

27. Ibid, pg.311. See also al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.292.

28. Qur’an, 40:60.

29. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1083.

30. Imam as-Sajjad (‘a) says in Sahifat as-Sajjadiyyah, supplication no.45, “And You have said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’ Hence You have named supplicating You ‘worship’ and refraining from it ‘disdain’, and You have threatened that the refraining from it would yield entrance into hell in utter humility.” {Trns.}

31. Qur’an, 25:77.

32. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8604.

33. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8609.

34. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.97, pg.296.

35. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1086, hadith no.8616.

36. Ibid, pg.1089, hadith no.8639.

37. Qurb al-Asnad, pg.171; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

38. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8731; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

39. Usul al-Kafi, pg.527; and Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8732.

40. Furu’ al-Kafi, vol.1, pg.196; and Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.1, pg.23.

41. Al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.293; and Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.292.

42. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.303 304.


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