The requirement of prayer
In order to examine the qualities by which one should supplicate to God, we will look at verses from the Holy Qur’an. It is narrated that the companions of the Prophet (s) asked him, “How should we pray to God? Is God near us so that we should whisper to him? Or is He far from us so that we should call Him loudly?” The following verse was subsequently revealed:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
WhenMy
servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeednearmost
. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly. (Qur’an 2:186)
This verse explains the concept ofdu‘a
in its most pleasant manner, its most delicate structure, and its most beautiful form. There are some subtle points in this verse, which denote the importance of the matter.
a) The words of God are in the first person narrator form, not the third person. This indicates that a great amount of attention is paid to the subject.
b) Instead of saying something like “when people ask you…,”the
word “عِبَادِي ” has been used, which means “when my servants ask you…” This shows the greatness of His kindness, and that again, attention is given to the subject.
c) The expected response for “When My servants ask you about me” would be “tell them that He is indeed near most." However, in this verse, the intermediary [i.e. tell them] has been removed, and the verse says “فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ” “I am indeed near-most.”
d) The sentence has been emphasized with إن meaning “indeed.”
e) In the original, Arabic, God’s state of proximity is mentioned with a modifier (قَرِيبٌ ), and not a verb. Thus, the more permanent quality of the relationship is emphasized.
f) The action of answering is mentioned in the present tense (أُجِيبُ ) which indicates the repetition and continuity of God’s response.
g) The response ofdu‘a
is
mentioned with the condition of “إِذَا دَعَانِ ” (when he calls me). This condition is not truly an additional condition as the action of supplicating to God requires that someone is doing this. What this implies is that a response is not limited by anycondition,
and thedu‘a
of a supplicant will be answered unconditionally, as is mentioned in the verse:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
“Call Me, and I will hear you (40:60).”
This verse indicates that “supplicating” is the only condition to receive a response.
Each of these points in its own right indicates that intimate care and attention have been paid to the issue ofdu‘a
. Another characteristic of this verse is that the first person pronoun is used seven times, and it is the only verse in the Holy Qur’an in which this occurs.
In addition to mentioning the issue of adu‘a’s
response, the verse has also mentioned the reasons for it. For instance, the reason that God is near is because they are His servants, and therefore, they are completely dependent on Him. Moreover, because He is so close to them, He answers theirdu‘as
. Since there is no condition for adu‘a
to
be answered, God will answer the supplication of anyone who supplicates. The only condition for His response is that the supplicant should call to God. Although this condition is not an addendum, it indicates that a supplicant should be sincere in his supplication, and should only desire it from God. A true prayer entails the presence of one’s heart and soul and not merely with the presence of one’s tongue.
0%
Author: Fatemeh Nazari
