Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 2: The Fundamentals

The First Fundamental: Knowledge of The Exalted Creator

The most important fundamental in all Prayer is the knowledge and understanding of the Creator. The understanding of the Creator is directly related to the degree of Faith the believer has in his Creator. Where there is no faith, all worship is futile. To the contrary, worship sans Faith is subject to Retribution.

What is faith?

Faith is the belief in the Existence of the Creator and His Attributes--- the Positive Attributes (Sifat al-thubutiah) and Negative Attributes (Sifat al-Salbiah). The other important components of the believer’s faith are the Belief in Allah’s Justice, His being One and Only God, the Belief that Muhammad (S) is the Last and Final of the line of the Prophets and acceptance of the Twelve Imams (as) from the Family as his Vicegerents; the belief inMi’ad Jismani (The Hereafter- when people will be raised before the Day of Judgment for questioning). Belief in the existence of the Heaven and the Hell and the concept of Reward and Retribution too are important aspects of the Faith.

The Second Fundamental: The Faith

Faith is the Eternal Wealth for a believer. Loss of Faith can be the Eternal Curse for a believer. Satan is the veritable consumer of Faith and Actions because the thief always aims at the most precious object of his target. When he fails in that attempt, he contents himself with burgling less important things.

For example: Creating doubts about Belief in the Existence of Allah in the minds of the believers, Satan thus consigns them to the Hell. To save themselves from this eventuality, the believers should steadfastly adhere to theSafina-tu-najat (the Ship of Deliverance). Those who are dedicated to theAhl-ul-Bayt will board this ship to find cure for all the ailments, it is the succor for the drowning and the guarantee against the machinations of the Satan. Unless a person gets a clear understanding of Allah, it may be difficult for him to understand the Prophet (S) and the Imams (as). For understanding of Allah there are two definite requirements:

1. Knowledge of the Certainty of Existence

This is evidenced by examples. The knowledge of Certainty of Existence is in the nature. Therefore the unbelievers were not asked to believe in Allah, but they were asked not to believe in a comity of deities.

It is narrated that the Prophet asked an Arab as to how he identified Allah? He said, “I saw the droppings of the camel on the way and knew that some camels had passed by. I saw the foot- marks of men and knew that some men had used the path. We have such vast land, the sky the sun, the moon and the stars. Don’t they indicate that there must be someone who has made them?”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrates that someone wanted him to give an explanation about the existence of Allah. The Imam (as) asked him, “Have you ever been on any voyage at sea?”

The man replied in the affirmative.

The Imam (as) rejoined, “Have you come across a storm while on board a ship?”

The man replied in affirmative.

The Imam (as) said, “Did you get a feeling at that time that there must be some power that could come to the rescue of the ship?”

The man replied in the affirmative.

The Imam (as) rejoined, “Yes! That Power is Allah!!”

But the atheists and agnostics who raise objections at every step and find fault with the creations of Allah are like the blind men who have been left in a palatial mansion to partake of the dainty food laid out for them. Some blind persons trample the bread, some other person puts his foot in the bowl of the soup. The blind persons

complain of the host being careless in spreading the food in a wrong place. They are, no doubt, blind to the fact that they have been provided with the best of food in the best of surroundings.

2. Idrak al-Kunha

The second type of Knowledge of the Existence of the CreatorIdrak Al-Kunha (that means, Realization of the Reality) of His Person. This is impossible for the human intellect. When a human being is not capable of understanding its own personality, how could he delve into understanding the Personality of the Creator! But it is the human intellect that has created innumerable sects of various beliefs.

Some sects have concluded that Allah is a handsome youth and others believe that He is old with a flowing white beard! Some others say that He is everywhere and everything is Him!! There are also those who believe that Allah has transmigrated or penetrated into the bodies of those excellent in piety!!!

Therefore, we have to bear in mind Allah’s clear instruction in this matter, “Whatever the Prophet (S) gives, take it.” The Prophet (S) has said, “I am leaving behind two weighty things amidst you; one is the Qur’an and the other myAhl-ul-Bayt. Follow them and you shall find Deliverance.” We have to follow these and should not use our intellect in this matter!

In short, the perfect in piety is one who says about the person of the Creator that he has not understood Him. Because understanding Him consists in knowing that no one has the faculty to understand Him. Therefore one who says that he has not understood his Creator, he is the one who has understood Him!

Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) was once asked about the Unity and the Existence of Allah. He said, “Allah was aware that in times to come there will be people who will think and discuss about Him. Therefore He revealed the verses ofIkhlas andHadeed . One should not go beyond these in interpreting the existence of Allah, lest they go astray.”

It is narrated that Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) has said, “The Twelve Infallible Imams (as) are the Chapters of Knowledge and Understanding of the Creator. By following them one can achieve the path of guidance and understanding. If they were not there, none would have understood Allah.

Through them Allah has completed theHujjat (Proof).” There are several traditions of the Prophet (S) and the Masoomeen in this regard.

But Satan has led astray many intellectuals who have used their thinking instead of depending on the dictates of Allah, the Prophet (S) and the other Infallible persons. With their fertile imagination they gave Allah several forms. The Platonic Mystics (Ulema al-ashraqi?) and Scholastic Philosophers (Mutakallemeen) differ very much in their concept of Allah. Some of theMutakallemeen believe that Allah has a body and is like the radiant light.

The Sects of Sufis

Some Sunni sufis say the face of Allah is like a simple youth. Some others say that He is like an old man with flowing silvery beard. Some others say that Allah has a huge body and is sitting in the firmament. Some Sufis, Mutakallameen and the Christians believe in the transmigration or penetration of God. While the Christians restrict the phenomenon of the penetration only to Jesus, the other two groups believe that Allah will penetrate into anyone who has reached the height of piety. Because of this belief Allah has termed the Christians unbelievers (Kuffar ) in the Qur’an and Has cursed them.

There is another sect of the Sufis that is worst than the believers of transmigration. They believe in the Unity of Allah. They believe that Allah is everything and everywhere. He can come in different forms and shapes. Sometimes he is Zaid, at others he is Amr, sometimes He assumes the shape of a cat or a dog or anything else. Some Hindus too have a similar belief. The book of Brahmins,Jog , is on the same subject.

The Sufis value this book very much. They think that this book is better than the theological works of theShi’as. Even someShi’as think that the Sufis are right. In their ignorance they are accepting these beliefs and rendering themselves unbelievers (Kafirs ).Only those who remain steadfast in following theAhl-ul-Bayt are on the Right Path.

Most of the Sufis are from theSunni Ashari sect. But there is a lot of diversity in their beliefs and ways. If in some book it is said thatAbu Hanifa advises praying in a particular way, then another says thatSufian Suri advises another method.

Kulaini narrates through an authentic source that one daySadeer was on his way home from the mosque and Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) was proceeding towards the mosque. The Imam heldSadeer’s hand and turning towards Kaaba said, “OSadeer! People are required by Allah to come to his House, the Kaaba, circumambulate it and express their allegiance to the Imam (as) as Allah says in his Holy Book,’ I shall forgive one who repents, adopts the Faith, does good deeds and is guided’”

Then the Imam (as) pointed towards his chest and said, “O Sadeer! Getting guided means loving, obeying us. I shall show to you the pilferers of the Faith. Look there! (At that moment Abu Hanifa and Sufian Suri were sitting in the mosque. The Imam pointed his finger toward them.). These are the bandits of the Faith and have not received Guidance from Allah! If these persons stay at their homes and send the people to us, then we shall guide

them on the path of the Faith and instruct to them the teachings of Allah and his Prophet (S).”

Another reliable source narrates that an inhabitant of Mecca said that one day Sufian Suri asked him to accompany him to the presence of Imam Muhammad bin Ja’far (as). We reached him at a time when the Imam was about to mount his steed. Sufian said, “Kindly repeat to us the Sermon delivered by the Prophet (S) in the Mosque of Kheef.” The Imam (as) said, “I am now proceeding on some work. I shall relate to you the Sermon some other time.” Sufian said, “In the name of your relationship with the Prophet (S), I implore you to relate the Sermon now.”

The Imam (as) dismounted from the horse and related the Sermon and Sufian Suri started writing it down. Sufial Suri read back what he had noted. Then the Imam (as) mounted the horse and went on his way. Then the person asked Sufian to give him the manuscript that he wanted to see the contents.

After reading the contents, the person told to Sufian Suri, “By Allah! The Imam (as) has made something obligatory on you that the Prophet (S) has said,’ Anyone who has three qualities shall never be subject to malice and guilty of breach of trust: 1.Righteous deeds that are done in the way of Allah, 2.Being a well-wisher of the Imam (as) and the Believers. 3. Living amicably with the Muslims.” He asked Sufian Suri, “Who are the Imams (as) whose obedience is obligatory?”

Sufian replied, “Muawiah, Yazeed and Marwan bin al Hakm!” The person also asked Sufian, “Which is the group of Muslims with whom people are required to live amicably?” Sufian Suri replied, “The Sunnis of Marjia Sect(Who say that a person who missed prayers and fasts, is not aware of the method of the Bath of Purification, demolishers of Kaba, have done incest with their own mothers, have a Faith equivalent to the Faith of angels Gabriel and Mekail) or Sunnis of the Sect ofQadaria (who say Allah cannot do everything that He wishes ) or theKharijites, the Dissenters (who call Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) an unbeliever and curse him ).”

Sufian added, “However what is the opinion of the Shi’as and their Imams (as) about this tradition?” The person said, “The Shi’as believe that it is obligatory to obey Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and the Infallible Imams of the Ahl-ul-Bayt!” Hearing this Sufian Suri tore the paper on which he had noted the Sermon of the Prophet and said, “Don’t mention to anyone what transpired today!”

It is a truth that such hostility and denial of the Holy Imams (as) was practiced not only by Abu Hanifa but also by many who were from the earlier period. Mention of these will be made at appropriate places in this book

In the book,Futuhat, it is said,Subhan min azhar al ashiya wa Huwa aina (Pure is the Allah who has manifested things, and the things are Him.”

At another place in “Khusoos al Hakm” it says, “ProphetNoah (as) made a mistake as the Prophet. His people were righteous and were drowned in the sea of Piety”. The author writes at several places in the book that people should neither adhere to any particular religion nor deny any religion. They should not deny even the idols because they are the manifestations of god.

God is present in everything. Allah had not given ascendancy to Harun (as) over the cow worshippers because He wanted to be worshipped in every manifestation. In the eyes of Allah there is nothing in the world that isn’t a deity. The author says that the Christians are termed unbelievers only because they believe in the Unity of God with the proviso that Jesus too is God.

Some people came to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and said that they considered him god because of his attributes. Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) was furious at this blasphemous thought and ordered them to be drowned in a deep well. Imagine, when calling such a revered personality god is blasphemy, then how grave it is to term dogs, cats and stones as gods. One will wonder when some people believe that god is in everything and everything is god!

Therefore some wrongly believe that a person who reaches a stage that he sees Allah in everything, he is exempt from offering prayer. The Verse in which Allah exhorts people to offer prayers, “Wa aabudu Rabbaka hatta yatiakal eqeen, and worship thy Lord till death catches up with you”, they interpret the following way to suit their belief, “and worship thy Lord till you have faith in His Unity”. Maulana Hilli says in his book,Kashf al Haq wa Nahj al Sidq, “ Allah doesn’t penetrate into anything, because if this premise is accepted, then Allah will be bound to a place and His Attribute is that He is everywhere and not subject to any restriction of time or place.

Discussion On The Concept Of Transmigration Or Penetration

One sect of Sunni Sufis believes that Allah penetrates into the Sufis of high piety. Therefore people visit the mausoleums of saints. Sometimes Sufis claim that Allah and all things are united and at others they say that Allah has transmigrated or penetrated into things. The prayer of these sects is singing, clapping, whistling and dancing.

They do this, despite the fact that Allah has forbidden such activities. Allah addresses the unbelievers thus, “Wa ma kaana salatuhum indalbaithe illa makaan wa tasdeeyatan- their (meaning the hypocrites) prayer and supplication is nothing more than whistling and clapping near the Kaaba.” What more impunity one can expect from the people that when Allah expresses His displeasure at the actions of the hypocrites, they perpetrate them.

I have experienced once that some Sufis came to the mausoleum of Imam Husayn (as). at dusk. Eryone of them offered prayers excepting one who sat quietly. Similarly at theIsha prayer, everyone joined the congregation barring the one who sat quietly at the earlier prayer. I asked one of the Sufis as to why that person didn’t join the prayers. He replied, “The person is not obliged to pray because he has reached Allah. For those who have reached Allah, there is no curtain between them and Him. Then why should they have the curtain of Prayer between them and Him.Prayer is theHaajib (the janitor or the door keeper) between the Creator and the Creation!”

O wise people! Evaluate their beliefs and way of worship! Imagine their excuse of foregoing the Obligatory Prayers! The height of their perfidy is that such persons are considered theAbdals (the saints)!

The Sufis write down their thoughts in verse and their followers read them, sing them, do clapping in unison, jump and dance! They term these acts as prayers. More about them later on!!

The Third Fundamental: The Stages Of Understanding

There are several stages of the knowledge and understanding of the Creator. The Understanding progresses and reaches the next higher stage with the development of the degree of Faith in the person. Khawaja Naseeruddin Tusi says that the Stages of Understanding of the Almighty are like the stages of knowledge about fire.

The first stage of knowledge about the potentiality of the fire is through the word of mouth. We are told that fire is that which will burn anything it comes in contact with. Similarly, the knowledge about the Existence of the Creator is through the word f mouth. One hears from others that there is Allah, and he believes. This is the Faith through Emulation (Taqleed) .

The second stage of knowledge about the fire is that when a person notices the smoke, he believes there is some fire in the neighborhood. Similarly, the second stage of the Knowledge of Existence of Allah is through the signs one gets to confirm the Belief.

The third stage of knowledge about fire is when someone personally experiences nearness to the source of the fire. This Third Stage of the Knowledge about the Existence of the Creator is the privilege of those pious persons who derive contentment from the Light in their hearts about the Knowledge of the Existence of the Almighty Allah. They wonder at experiencing the Lord’s creations around them and rivet their attention on Him.

The fourth stage of understanding about the fire is that a person dares to come in personal contact with the fire. This stage of Understanding Allah is when the pious persons whose dedication has reached such heights that they are ready to sacrifice themselves (fanafillah) in the way of the Creator. This stage is reached after achieving highest degree of Devotion.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrates the following tradition of the Holy Prophet (S):

“When a person offers optional Sunna prayers (Nawafil and Awaqib ) after the Mandatory (Faraed) prayers, Allah says that He makes him such a friend that whosoever is the friend of that person will in turn be Allah’s friend. Then the eyes of the person through which he sees will not remain his own, but they will be Allah’s eyes. Similarly the ears through which he hears, will be Allah’s ears. His tongue which he uses to express his thoughts will be Allah’s tongue.”

Hearing this Holy Tradition, the Sufis have drawn wrong conclusions and thus sprang up several orders of these groups. If they had heard the interpretation of the Tradition from the Perfect in Knowledge (Rasiqoon fil Ilm ) this confusion would not have resulted. The true purport of this Tradition is that when a pious person gets deeply engrossed in the thought and love of Allah, the Almighty becomes his tongue. He sees and hears what Allah approves of.

The Ranks Of The Knowledge Of The Creator

Perhaps the meaning of this Divine Tradition (Hadith al-Qudsi ) is that when a devout person attains a high degree of piety, Allah becomes his eye. It would mean that whatever his eye sees, the person visualizes the attributes of Allah in that. The person doesn’t focus his eye s on anything that Allah forbids to be seen. He doesn’t hear anything that Allah does not want him to hear. The Tradition can also have the meaning that every person, by nature, prefers to use his limbs and senses as per his own wish, but a pious person subjects all his actions to the express wish of Allah. The love of Allah dominates all other thoughts in his psyche.

There is another very appropriate meaning of the Tradition. May Allah make those who have gone astray accept this interpretation and mend their ways.

Allah has created many instincts and faculties in the human beings. He, the Creator, has exhorted the people to use them the way He wants them to use. And then Allah promises:

﴿وَمَا أَنفَقْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ.﴾

“Whatever you spend in the Way of Allah- He gives you more in return” (34:39)

Or, He will give you such bounties that might not be similar to those given earlier. Therefore, wealth or property that might be lost by way of fire or theft, or is spent in charity or for a good cause, a person would get immense benefits in the Hereafter. These rewards would be unimaginably more than the satisfaction one would derive from acquiring and hoarding the transitory material things of this world. Here, a verse from the Holy Qur’an is quoted:

﴿ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ.﴾

“They strive to spend in the way of Allah and are not afraid of taunts.” (5:54)

One must spend in the way of Allah. Those who are not worried about the concerns of the worldly people and boldly act in the way of Allah, shall be rewarded handsomely in the Hereafter.

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen and his companions used to spend their energies in the Obedience and Prayer of Allah. Allah endowed them with such energy that their strength was far more than usual for the humans. Therefore Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) has said, “I have not broken and lifted the gate of the fort of Khaiber with my human strength. It was the Divine Strength that helped me achieve the impossible.” This is such a strength that can bring together the earth and the sky without moving a hand. This strength or faculty does not vanish with the demise of the persons. Because they don’t do anything without the wish of Allah, they become subservient to the Wishes of Allah.,Who infuses His wishes in their hearts and all their actions are according to the plans of Allah.

There is an oft- repeated tradition that says, “The heart of a pious person is held in the two fingers of Allah.” It means that the heart of the person is in the control of Allah and He turns the subject whichever way He wants. The verse ofAd-dahr, “Wa ma tashaoona illa ainyasha Allah, which has

been revealed in the praise of theAhl al-Bayt also means that they don’t intend to do anything unless Allah wishes them to do it.

Therefore, the pious cry for long hours in fear of Allah and spend the whole nights in prayers without any concern of losing their eyesight with such heavy stress. They care only for their subservience to their Friend, that is, Almighty Allah. Therefore, Allah endows them with a special light that never fades and they are able to witness things that are beyond the ken of the mortal eyes!

Here we quote another Tradition, “Be aware of the intellect of theMu’min that he sees with the light provided by Allah. Allah opens the springs of eloquence to him without his knowledge. He benefits others from these springs as he derives benefit for himself. The springs have no end.”

“Reaching this stage, he hears, sees, moves and speaks only with My strength.”

It is evident therefore that this august status is reserved for those who are the Closest to Allah and not for all and sundry. The meaning of the TraditionTaqlaqu baqlaq Allah too means that one should endeavor to acquire manners like those of Allah Almighty. It will be like tempering the iron in the fire. The iron becomes red hot like the fire, although it is not fire itself but has acquired the colour and effect of the fire.

Similarly Allah endows some of His attributes to men in lesser or higher degree. But the knowledge of men is infinitesimal when compared to the Knowledge of Allah. When one acquires this meagre knowledge, he becomes vainglorious. When Allah bestows some power to an individual and he becomes a king, he proudly proclaims,lemanil malak al youm!- ‘who is the king today!! There are two sides to the human excellence. One is positive and the other is negative. The positive excellence of a person is from and with the Consent of Allah and the negative excellence is an aberration of the person’s own thinking process.

May Allah protect theShi’as of Muhammad’s Progeny from the machinations of Jinn and men and they keep steadfast on the Right Path.

When one becomes a true bondsman of Allah, his heart will be the Abode of Allah, then all machinations of the evil against him will go in vain. A true lover of Allah like Abu Dharr shall always be remembered with respect. However much Yazid felt that he had subdued Husayn; Husayn will be eulogized from the pulpits and Yazid cursed till the end of this world.

The Fourth Fundamental: Transitory Nature Of The World

The previous tradition also is indicative of the fact that this material world is transitory and only Allah the Creator is Immortal. He was there when there was nothing, He shall always be there when nothing will remain of the world. The people of all the faiths who believe in the coming of the Prophets, subscribe to the belief that everything in this world is transitory and only God (Allah) is immortal.

But some philosophers, who hold the view that all the living things will perish and the universe with the land and the skies shall remain forever, are unbelievers in the eyes of the Faith of Islam. All the Revealed Books have asserted again and again about the Day of Reckoning when the earth, the sky, the mountains and the stars would break into smithereens and fly

around like shreds of paper. Barring God (Allah) nothing will remain in the universe.

The Fifth Fundamental: About The Individuality Of The Creator

Faradiat or the Individuality of Allah means that He is One, Incomparable and Unique. He isWahdahu la Shareek, that is, He is Alone and Has no Equals. If there was any other god, he would certainly have introduced himself, and would send his laws and assertions through messengers. Further there would have been conflict in the Universe. One god would order something and the other god would ask for the contrary. If both the gods issued the same edicts then what would be the need for having more than one!

“He has always been there and shall always be there.” This expression does not mean that Allah is there ever since the Universe has come about. But it means that even when the Universe was not there, Allah was there and He will be there even after the Universe is destroyed.

There are several traditions of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as), which can be summarized as follows:

“The beginning of Faith consists in knowledge about Allah and its height is in the belief that Allah is incomparable. The claim of incomparability of Allah is at its height when the person accepts the Attributes and the Individuality of Allah as one. Because if the Individuality and the Attributes are different, then there can be a doubt of duality and it is impossible that the Creator will have an equal.”

The Attributes Of Allah

Reliable traditions indicate that on the ninth day of the demise of the Holy Prophet (S), Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) delivered a sermon, the initial part of it was as follows:

“Praise be to Allah who has rendered the wisdom incapable of finding about His Individuality and Attributes. Allah is One, Is not of many and Is Incomparable. He is away from everything. This distance is not because of location but is because of Excellence and Purity. He is Omnipotent and in Control. These Attributes are not such that they are there in the things but with His own Knowledge and Potentiality, He knows about everything. He does not have to physically look at anything. It is believed that He has always been there. But this doesn’t mean that His always having been there is time bound. He is in fact since the beginning and shall always be there. His not being there is impossible.”

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) says, “Allah is Ancient (Qadeem ), One (Wahed ) and Eternal (Samad ). His Attributes are Unique and there cannot be another equal of His.”

The narrator asked the Imam (as), “In Iraq there is a sect of people who believe that the Attribute with which Allah listens and that with which He sees are different.”

The Imam (as) replied, “They are liars and apostates that they compare the Attributes of Allah with human attributes. Allah has His own way of hearing and looking at things.”

It is said that Imam Ar-Ridha’ observed that one who has such beliefs is a polytheist and not our Shi’a. Allah is Omniscient and Omnipotent; He sees and He hears.

Explanation of A Point

It is said that during the battle of the Camel (jamal ), an Arab approached Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and asked him, “What is the meaning of Allah being One?”

The companions of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) chided him for coming to ask a question when they were in the midst of a battle.

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) calmed them down and said that the very purpose of the conflict was on the point of accepting the Unity of Allah.

Then he addressed the questioner thus, “O person! You have said that Allah is one. It has four meanings. Out of those four meanings, two are impossible for the Individuality of Allah and the other two are definite. The first two that are impossible are that we call Allah the First because if we call Him the First then there must be another like Him and that would be heresy; as the Christians say that God is the third of the three gods.

The meaning of the second impossibility is considering Allah as an object. For example Zaid is called one of the men. If anyone calls Allah as one of several gods, it would be heresy. The other two meanings are definite. The first is that He is Unique in His Excellence and there is none other equal to Him or His partner. The other definite meaning is that Allah has no definite physical personality.”

Here it is worth mentioning that philosophers and thinkers deliberated for thousands of years to arrive at the truth but our Imams (as) have provided much clearer explanation of the facts in their traditions. However people don’t give serious thought to this matter.

The Sixth Fundamental: The Immortality Or Eternity Of Allah

Allah is Immortal and Eternal. Some people think that since Heaven and Hell shall always be there, therefore immortality does not remain the Unique Attribute of Allah because the inmates of the Heaven and the Hell too will remain there eternally. This is not true, because the Immortality of Allah is attributed to His own wish while the longevity of the inmates of the Heaven and the Hell is not of their own choosing. The Immortality of Allah is His Attribute and cannot be changed and the common creatures have had different shapes at different times- they had been dust, water, flesh, bones etc. They never remained in one physical condition, while Allah is the same for ever, as ever!

The Seventh Fundamental: The Creator Of The Universe

This tradition also points towards the fact that Allah is the Creator of the land and the sky and everything that is found on them. Some philosophers believe that theUqool al-Ashara are the creators of these. SomeGhaali (exagerrating) Shi’as too believe that the creators of the land and the sky are the Holy Infallibles. But according to the traditions of the Imams (as), such belief is absolutely wrong.

Yasir asked Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as), “O son of the Prophet! What is your opinion aboutTafweed (delegation)?” The Imam replied, “Follow the precepts communicated by Allah through the Prophet. The other attributes of Creation and Sustenance, He has not delegated to anyone.”

Abu Hashim Jafferi narrates that Imam ‘Ali ar Ar-Ridha’ (as) was asked by the people his opinion about the belief of theGhillat (the exaggerators) and theUquool al-Ashara. The Imam replied, “Believing anyone other than Allah as capable of creating the land and the sky is sheer heresy. Friendship with such persons, eating with them and having marital relations with them is strictly forbidden.”

In the book,Ehtejajaat, ‘Ali bin Ahmed Qummi writes that some Shi’as had a difference of opinion that some said that Allah has given to the Imam the power to create and provide sustenance. Others were denying this. Muhammad bin Othman Umri, who was a deputy of the Twelfth Imam (as), wrote a submission (Areeza) seeking the Imam’s clarification. The Imam’s reply was that it is only Allah who creates and provides sustenance. It is another matter that in response to the supplications of the Holy Imams he creates and provides sustenance as per their wishes.”

The Eighth Fundamental: Creation of The Firmament

Reliable traditions indicate that the skies are not close to each other and the distance between two skies could be the equivalent to travelling for a period of five hundred years. All the skies are replete with angels. The angels possess light bodies. Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) has said that if an angel descends to the earth, there won’t be any space left there for anything else. The number of the angels is more than all the living creatures put together, and in size there is no creature larger than some them.

Some angels are so huge that the distance between their ears and the shoulders is equivalent to the distance that can be traveled in seven hundred years. It is mentioned in the Traditions that there are seven skies and also there are seven earths in the firmament. There are so many creations in these skies and the earths that it would be impossible to have a count of them.

About The Angels

The philosophers say that the angels are the figment of imagination of the present level of intellect and the psychic condition of the humans. But endorsing this opinion of the philosophers would be tantamount to denying the phenomenon supported by Divine Revelations and would go in the realm ofKufr.

There is no other creation in the universe larger in number than the angels and their bodies too are larger than those of any other creatures excepting the souls (Rooh ).Bin Babawiya narrates through reliable sources that Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) was asked about the Omnipotence of Allah.

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), after praising the Beneficent and Merciful Allah, said that Allah has created an angel who, when it descended on the earth, would find the entire area of the planet insufficient for itself. Certain other angels are so large that they occupy the entire space of the sky. There

are also angels that are so large that the sky comes up to their waist. Some others are standing in the atmosphere and the earth is near their ankles.

Then the people asked Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) about the curtains that are over the skies. He replied that the First Curtain (Hijab al-Awwal) has seven strata. Every curtain has the width equivalent to the distance traveled in 500 years and the intermediate distance between any two curtains is the same as mentioned above. In the space between any two curtains there are 70,000 angels and the strength of every individual angel is more than that of all the men andJinns put together.

Above the curtains there isSirr al-Awqat al-Jalal. These are seventy thousand curtains and each curtain has 70,000 angels and there is a distance of 500 years of travel time between any two curtains. Then there is theSaradaq al-Izzat, Saradaq al-Kibria, Saradaq al-Azmat, Saradaq al-Quds andSaradaq al-Jabroot. After these there are theSaradaqs of Noor al-Abyad, Saradaq al-Wahdaniyat. After all these, there isHijab al-Aala, the Superior Curtain.

‘Ali bin Ibrahim narrates from Jafer al-As-Sadiq (as) that the Imam has said that Allah has created the angels differently. The Prophet of Allah has seen that the Angel Gabriel had six hundred arms and on his calf there are pearls as if they were drops of moisture on the green verdure. When the Prophet saw Gabriel he found him positioned between the sky and the earth. When Allah orders the Angel Mekail to come to the earth, he will have one of his feet on the Seventh Sky and the other he puts on the earth.

Then Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, Allah has created such angels that half their bodies are made of ice and the other half of fire. The supplication of these angels is, ‘O Almighty Allah, Who has created compatibility between the fire and the ice! Keep us steadfast in our prayer!’

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) also said, “The angels do not eat or drink nor do they mate for procreation. Their lives are like the breeze of the Firmament. There are certain angels who will remain in the position ofRuku (Obe’Isance) for ever. Some others are in the state ofSajda (Prostration).

Every night 70,000 angels descend to the earth and circumambulate theKaaba , offer their respects to the Prophet (S), to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and then visit the Mausoleum of Imam Husayn (as) and circumambulate there. Early in the morning they ascend into the Firmament. Thus every morning a fresh batch of angels descends to the earth and this practice goes on an on.

There is a reliable tradition that someone asked Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as), “Are the angels more in numbers than the humans?”

The Imam replied, “By Allah who has the authority over my life, only the angels that are on the sky are more in number than the particles of dust on the earth. There is no place in the sky where there are no angels. They are all engrossed in the worship of Allah. There is no plant or a clod on the land where the angels are not there who have been appointed as guardian angels (Muwakkil) for that spot. They report to Allah every day about the goings on there. It is true that Allah knows everything but the angels, through the love for theAhl alBayt, wish to have the opportunity of going closer to the Almighty.

Bin Babawiyah narrates through a reliable source that Zainab Attarah went one day to the Holy Prophet (S) and inquired about the excellence of Allah’s creations.

The Prophet (S) replied, “The earth, with all its contents, and in relation to the one below it, is like a ring or a bangle lying in a forest. These two, in relation to the third, are also looking the same way. The situation is similar till the seventh earth”

Then the Prophet (S) recited the following verse:

﴿اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنْ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ.﴾

“Allah created seven skies and similarly the earths.” (65:12)

These seven strata of the earth, on the back of a fowl, with their contents look like the rings lying in the forest. One side of the fowl is in the east and the other in the west. This fowl is located over a wide rock that in relation to the earths, with all their contents, appear like rings lying in a forest. The wide rock is lying on back of a fish, and in relation to its width, all the things lying on it look like rings in a forest. The fish is located in a dark sea and in relation to its width, the things lying on it seem like rings in a forest. And below this sea is theSara (The Nether Region). In relation to the Nether Region all other things look like rings lying on the floor of a forest.

The Holy Qur’an says:

﴿لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى.﴾

“It is for Him what all is in the skies and on the earth and what all is in between them and what is in the Nether Region.” (20:6)

All these things, in relation to the first sky, are like circles or rings that are lying in a forest. This sequence repeates itself till the seventh sky.And all these earths and skies, in relation to theDariya al-Makfoof , are like circles and theDariya al-Makfoof in relation toKoh al-Tagrak too is like a circular ring. Then all these strata, in relation to theHijab al-Noor are also like rings. There are seventyHijab al-Noor that are so bright that one cannot look at them with the eyes. All these things are like circles in front of theKursi (The Chair).

The Qur’an says:

﴿وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ.﴾

“His Chair is more extensive than the skies and the earth.”(2:255)

The Ninth Fundamental: The Meanings Of Tender And Omniscient

The wordlateef (tender) is used in four contexts:

Lateef could be a thing that is very thin and not visible to the eyes. This word can be an attribute for Allah that the human eyes cannot see Him.

The art’Isan who manufactures delicate things too is referred to in the Arabic lexicon aslateef. Because Allah is the Creator of all the things, the smallest like the mosquito and the largest like the mountains, and is not visible to the humans, He is referred to asLateef.

The one who has profuse knowledge oflateef (delicate) anddaqeeq (minute) things is calledlateef.

The wordlateef has its root in the wordlutf that means kindness. Therefore, one who is kind is referred to asLateef.

The wordKhabeer is used in two contexts:

1.Khabeer, the pronoun,that means one who is aware of everything.

2.Khabeer, in the sense of one who informs or gives information.

The attributes of Allah, including those ofLateef and Khabeer, are not ancient that they existed before Allah. Otherwise Allah would not be the Creator of all these attributes. All these Attributes are specifically His and He has selected them at His own pleasure. His creatures, in times of need, call Him with his Attributes, like,Sami (One Who Hears), Baseer (One Who Sees), Qadir (One Who is Empowered), Hai O Qayyum (One Who is and shall Be), Lateef O Khabeer (The Delicate and the Omniscient) etc.

Some misguided critics say that the human beings too use these names, and therefore they become sharers in these attributes with Allah. This is a misnomer, because despite men being called with these names, the meaning and context is absolutely different. For example, Allah is addressed with the nameAalim (meaning the learned).

In the case of Allah the learning is not acquired learning. In the case of humans, learning is acquired. When a man is calledaalim, he would have gone through the hard process of acquiring knowledge starting from the stage when he wasjaahil (unlettered) to the stage when he is accepted as a learned person (the aalim). And, if for some reason he loses his learning, he might revert to the status of being called aJaahil.

The Tenth Fundamental: The Omnipotent

Every thing in the Universe, small, big, elementary or complex owes its existence to Allah. There is nothing about which Allah has no knowledge. All the philosophers and thinkers agree on one point that Allah has knowledge of and control over everything. He has control over the Universe and Has the Power to create any number of such entities.

But, because he is the Ultimate Philosopher-Thinker, He, perhaps, thought to create the only existing Universe. He could have created the human being with more than two arms, but His Expedience was that provision of only two arms to man was sufficient for his physical existence. In any of Allah’s creations there is no pronounced defect. Allah, Who has created the Universe with the utterance of the monosyllable,Kun (let there be!), and the Universe came about.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrated that when prophet Musa (as) went to the Mount of Toor he requested Allah to show to him His treasures.

Allah said, “O Musa! My treasure is in the fact that I ask for anything to happen, sayingKun, and that thing happens instantaneously.

Doubting Allah’s Omnipotence is heresy for a believer. The Prophet of Allah (S) has said,

“O Abu Dharr! After understanding Allah and acquiring Faith in His Attributes, one has to bear witness that I am the Prophet of Allah (S) sent by Him to give to the people the Message about the Bounties in store for the believers and extreme retribution for the unbelievers and heretics.

“Allah has given to me the beacon with which I guide people away from the darkness of ungodly ways and heresy.”

One of the most important pillars of Islamic Faith is bearing witness that Muhammad Sal Allaho wa Alaihi wa Sallam is the Prophet of Allah. This shall be discussed at some length in the next chapter.

Chapter 1: The Steps

Step 1: The Meaning Of The Sighting Of The Exalted Creator

In the tradition sighted at the end of the previous chapter there has been stress on the sighting of the Exalted Creator. We must know that the sighting is of two types, namely, 1) sighting with the eyes and 2) sighting with the heart. In the view of the devout persons sighting through the heart is more important than sighting with the eyes. It must be your experience that many a time the eye can make a mistake about the object sighted. For example from a fast moving carriage one gets the illusion that the trees are fast running in the opposite direction. This, as you know, is contrary to the fact. But, in the case of sighting through the heart there will not be any element of error.

Someone asked Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) if he has sighted Allah whom he worshipped. He replied, “If I had not seen Him, I would never have worshipped Him. But I have not seen Allah with these eyes because they have no such faculty. I have witnessed Allah with the eyes of my heart and the firmness of my Faith in Him.”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) was asked by someone, “O son of the Prophet! How to createkhudu wa khushu (humility and fear of Allah) in prayer?”

The Imam (as) replied, “During prayer keep your eyes focused on the point where you prostrate with your forehead.”

Again someone asked the Imam (as) the same question and he told him that during the prayer he should have the thought in his mind that he might die immediately after the prayer.

After some more days another person asked the Imam the same question. The Imam said that during the prayer the person should concentrate on the thought that he is witnessing Allah; but since Allah does not have any physical appearance, He cannot be seen with the eyes. The thought must be there during the prayer that Allah is looking at the worshipper.

A thought comes to the mind that the Holy Imam (as), instead of giving three different replies, could have given only one reply, which he thought was the best. But this thinking is wrong. As a matter of fact, the Imam was replying to every individual keeping his capability in mind. The reply given to the third and the last person is for the knowledgeable, and the most knowledgeable are the Infallible members of the Prophet’s progeny. They are on record praying to Allah thus, “We have not been able to justify Your Mystic knowledge.

Step 2: The Reason For Creation Of The Universe

There are numerous verses of the Holy Qur’an and several traditions of the Prophet (S) and the Imams that illustrate that the purpose of the creation of the universe, and all the creatures living in it, is for the sole purpose of worshipping the Creator, Allah. We should know that prayer and knowledge of Allah have to be compulsorily together. Without knowledge of Allah

prayer is futile and without prayer any claims of knowledge of Allah are not of any use.

There are certain conditions that are the very spirit of prayer, for example humility, fear of Allah and dedication of the heart. If these things are not there then the prayer is not of much use. These things prevent the worshipper from undesirable acts. If the prayer is not implicitly in accordance with the established norms, then it can, at best, be termed as praying just out of habit.

For the acceptance of our prayers we have to consider whether it is preventing us from the undesirable acts of the daily life. If this is not the case, we are not fulfilling the very purpose of the Creator prescribing prayer for the human kind. The prayer of such persons will be hypocritical, tantamount to going through the ritual for making a show in the social environment.

Step 3: The Conditions For Prayer

Going into the details of the steps of prayer is not in the purpose of this book. But briefly, the most important aspect of prayer is the intent of the worshipper who offers prayer. The Prophet (S) has said,

إنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ.

“The actions of a person depend on his intentions.”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) has said, “the intent of a pious person is better than his actions.” The intent in which there is no desire for nearness is useless and the nearness without intent too is not of much use. Here the nearness is not meant to be the physical nearness but the nearness of spirit. One should know that physical nearness with Allah is impossible because He is devoid of any physical existence. However pure the intent for prayer there is no other intent in the act than the nearness to the Creator. For example the people in the community start considering a pretender very pious because a rich person got impressed with his prayers and gave him material benefits.

The translator here recalls the story of a thief who planned to burgle the palace of the king. He climbed the roof of the palace and sat looking for a chance to get into the boudoir of the queen. He was waiting for the king and the queen to fall asleep. During this time he heard the queen and the king converse. The queen said to the king that Allah has granted to them a pretty daughter who has now reached the age of the marriage.

The king said that he too was looking for a pious person to be the consort for his daughter. The queen said it might not be a difficult task to find such a person. She suggested that the vizier should go to the mosque early morning and the first young person who arrived there should be the best choice. She said that they should get their daughter married to that person because they didn’t need to search a person with riches. The king liked this idea very much and issued suitable instructions to the vizier.

The thief heard all this and saw a wonderful opportunity for himself. He quietly descended from the roof of the palace and reached the mosque carefully to be the first person entering there. The vizier brought him to the court. The king ordered the young man to be given a shower and robed in

royal finery. The king also declared that the princess will be married to him and he would get half the kingdom as a dowry. The king asked the young man if he was willing to accept the proposal.

At this juncture the young man got the idea that for falsely assuming piety he was getting half of the kingdom. If he became a true worshipper of Allah the bounties could be unimaginable. Therefore the young man refused the offer of the king. He told him that Allah, who has given him half the kingdom, might give him much more. The king hugged the young man and said, “Alright! I have given you the entire kingdom”

Therefore, it is imperative that there has to be honesty of purpose in prayer. Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) has said, “The people who pray with the desire of entering the Heaven, their devotion is commercial; and those who offer prayers with the fear of going to Hell, their attitude is slavish. The third category is of persons, who offer prayers to Allah with the awareness that they owe devotion to Him and are the selfless worshippers. I too offer prayers to Allah because He is the true Lord deserving of worship. His blessings and gifts are of such magnitude that offering Him thanks would not be possible even if every cell gets a tongue.”

Prophet Musa (as) was told by Allah, “O Musa! Create My love in the hearts of your people!”

Prophet Musa (as) replied, “O Creator! I love you profoundly, but how can I create Your love in others’ hearts?”

The reply was, “Mention to them the Blessings showered by Me on them. They will automatically develop love for Me!”

The Holy Prophet (S) said, “O people! Love Allah for His countless bounties, Love me because of Allah and because of me, love myAhl-ul-Bayt !”

The purpose ofInnamal aamaal bil niyaat (Actions are in accordance to the intents) is that the actions should purely be for the sake of Allah. The ‘intent’ which is from the depth of the heart is better than the action. Some people wrongly assume that when they utter their desire to perform ablution or the bath of purification, they have expressed their intent to do so.

What is important is the sincerity in the action. The following example shall illustrate the point. There is a person who habitually misses his mandatory prayers. But an occasion comes when he accompanies a rich person, from whom he expects a favor, to a mosque. To please the rich man he performs ablution and joins the congregation. Although his intent was to pray, his prayer is not right, because his intention was to receive the largesse and not to get Allah’s Pleasure!

There are two distinct types of intents. The one is an easy intent and the other is difficult.

The first easy intent is one which comes to mind but the person does not perform the act purposely. For example, a person enters the washroom with the intent of performing the ritual purification bath, forgets about it and takes a shower without going through the steps of the ritual bath. The person thus would not have purified himself, although the intent was there.

The difficult intent is one where a person is fully aware of the purpose and need for the action. He knows the dictates of the wisdom and religious

norms for the act. For example,: a person is first asked as to where he is going. He says that he intends to go to the bazaar. This will be his first intention. Then he is asked as to why he is going to the bazaar. He mentions about the things he intends to buy. That will be his second intention.

There are a few stages of intent:

In this world every individual has certain wishes and desires. Some are after hoarding wealth under the influence of the Satan, others face any amount of hardship to get their beloved. These hardships are pleasurable for them. Even if they are told that prayer would bring to them Bounties in the Hereafter, they would not pay any heed. For the person who is running after acquiring wealth, his deity is the wealth. Similarly a person who wants to have name and fame, limits his prayers to craving for these things.

During the time of the Prophet there was a good mix of godliness and worldliness in the people. But soon after the Prophet, a clear demarcation came about between the godly and the worldly-wise people. The worldly-wise joined hands with the rulers of the day and the pious were few and far between.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrates that the Prophet (S) said, “abstain from hypocrisy, because hypocrisy is like polytheism (Shirk) .The hypocrite will be addressed with four names on the Day of Reckoning: unbeliever, characterless, deceit, adulterer. He will be told that his actions will earn him retribution and all his prayers would have gone in vain. He will be asked to seek the wages and return for his efforts from the one he was working for (the Satan) ”

Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as) narrates that the Prophet of Islam (S) said that on the Day of Reckoning Allah would order consigning of one group of people to the Hell. The Keeper of the Hell will instruct the Hell Fire not to burn the feet of the people because they used to enter the Mosque using them. He will caution the fire not to scorch their faces that they used to do the ablution of their faces for the prayers. He would also ask the fire to spare their hands that they used to raise them in supplication to Allah. He would not have their tongues burnt that they used to recite the Holy Book with their help!.

Then the Keeper of the Hell would ask the sinners, “O cruel ones! What sins you have committed that despite everything you have been judged deserving of punishment in the Hell?”

The group would respond saying, “All our actions were to please others than Allah. This is the reason that we are asked today to seek succor from those in whose service we spent our lives.”

Luqman (as) advised his son that hypocrites can be recognized with three characteristics: while alone, they are tardy about prayers: when in congregation they pretend to be ardently keen on offering prayers and in every activity they seek more and more approbation from others.

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) narrates from the Prophet (S) He said, “The person who offers prayers to show-off to others is a polytheist (mushrik) . The person who performs Hajj to impress others is amushrik and one who fasts to attract others’ attention too is amushrik. One who pays the tithe ( the Zakat) to impress others and pretends to follow all the

Commandments of Allah hypocritically too is amushrik. Allah doesn’t accept any acts of the hypocrites.”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) said, “Every hypocrisy is polytheism. Whatever deed is done with the purpose of showing to others is hypocrisy. The wages for the deeds too will be disbursed by the one for whom the deed was performed.”

The Imam (as) further said, “The good deed done by a pious person, however small, Allah will manifest it to others in greater measure. However much the perpetrator of evil tries to hide his deed from others, Allah will disclose it to others sooner or later.”

The cure for hypocrisy and cunning is the banishing of evil thoughts from the mind and controlling the desires for undue worldly benefits. The person should think that this world is transitory and nothing is permanent here. He has only to pray for and seek the goodwill and nearness of the Immortal and Infallible Allah.

It is said that a person was squatting near a tree remembering Allah. He wished to do his meditation with complete peace of mind when a group of birds perched on the tree and started chirping. The peace of mind of the person was disturbed and he scared the birds away. After a while of peace the birds again gathered on the canopy of the tree and started making noise. He scared them away once again.

But the birds were coming back again and again. Another person was passing by and he observed the activity of the first person. He said, “Brother! As long as the tree is there, the birds would perch on it and chirp! Why don’t you cut away the tree?” The man did accordingly. He got rid of the chirping birds.

Similarly, as long as there are present in the hearts of humans the trees of the love of worldly gains, the birds of desire will be there to chirp and there will not be peace of mind for prayer and supplication. Therefore, one should shun the worldly desires, concentrate on the bounties that Allah has given him. The bounties of Allah are uncountable and there won’t be an end thanking Him for His Grace.

The biggest Divine Blessing is the existence of the human being. Allah has blessed man with limbs, sense and strength. He has created the land, the skies, the sun, the moon, the stars, the animals and birds for the benefit of man. He has created different climates, flora and fauna for the good of man. Allah has not deprived even the unbelievers from the benefits of His bounties in this world. But man continues to give the proof of his ungratefulness. He bows down shamelessly and thoughtlessly to his own self-created gods.

Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) says, “If Allah had not promised Heaven and had not created the fear of the Hell, even then prayer would have been obligatory on humankind. Because Allah is the provider of all the Bounties before and after the creation of man in this world.”

There are stages of prayer: In the grade of sincere worshippers there is a group of people who offer prayer in their modesty. These are the people whose hearts are shining with the light of Faith. They believe that Allah is Omniscient and keeps track of all our actions. Therefore, they never commit

any act contrary to His Dictates. They are shy of committing the smallest act tantamount to His Disobedience. They firmly believe that Allah is Omnipresent.

Luqman told to his son, “If you wish to be disobedient to Allah, search a place where He isn’t there!”

The Prophet of Allah (S) said, “Have fear of Allah the best you could!”

Some of the companions asked, “How could we have the fear of Allah?”

The Prophet (S) replied, “If you wish to have fear of Allah, always keep your death in mind and keep all your senses free of sins against Allah. Take care to eat legitimate (Halal) food and tell the truth. Also you must remember that your destiny is to go to the grave and the dust.”

The people who have comprehended the pleasure of prayer, their minds and consciences will be pure and bright and all the worldly desires would have vanished from the mirror of their hearts. They don’t give priority to any desires over their duties of obedience and worship of Allah. For them there is no pain more than the pain of committing sin against Allah.

They have totally comprehended the harm accompanying sin. They associate Heaven with prayer and supplication and Hell with sin. They get so much pleasure from prayers that they become unmindful of the worldly pleasures! Every drop of tear that issues forth from their eyes in prayer, gives immense pleasure to their hearts. The tears that come from their eyes in fear of Allah, give them the pleasure of having Allah’s Fear.

The Prophet (S) has said, “The noblest person is one who loves to pray. His heart is full of Allah’s love. His limbs and other parts are obedient to the Will of Allah. For prayer he would abandon worldly activities and he would be oblivious of the comforts of life. He would be totally dedicated to prayer of Allah without giving any thought to earning a place in the Heaven.”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrates that Allah says, “O my worshippers! Derive benefit from prayers in the world, as you would in the Hereafter. As there are the five senses in the bodies of humans, with whose help they feel things, their spirits too have faculties of senses. The spirits derive the truths and meanings through their use. As the bodily senses keep them away from wrong- doing, so do the spiritual senses prevent them from committing sins.

People with good taste distinguish between good taste or otherwise. But when a person falls ill, even sweet things taste bitter to him. In such a condition the person loses his confidence on his faculty of taste. Similarly, as long as the spiritual senses of a person are not dominated by carnal desires, he will be busy in prayer and supplication. But once the negative desires gain ascendance over him, he starts feeling that good deeds are bitter for him. He refrains from prayer and starts indulging in sinful acts. In his eyes, now, the evil appear good and the good appear evil.”

Allah observes about the Infallible of the Family of the Prophet (the Ahl-ul-Bayt) thus, “Allah is friendly towards them, and they are friendly towards Allah.” They are such worshippers of Allah that even if they are in the Heaven and they don’t have the Pleasure of Allah, then the Heaven would be worse than the Hell for them. And if they are in the Hell and have the love of Allah, then the fire of the Hell will be like flowers for them.

Therefore prophet Ibrahim (as) thought that the fire of Nimrod, to which the tyrant consigned him, was a bed of flowers. If Allah had not thought it fit to change the fire into flowers, prophet Ibrahim (as) would have accepted it without a whimper of complaint.

Let’s take the example of an ordinary mortal. In his worldly love for the beloved he would go to any extent to please. He would undergo any amount of hardship willingly for the sake of the loved one. Wherever he goes, whatever he does, the sole aim is to please the beloved. But when a person gets to love Allah, he rises above the concept of the Heaven and the Hell. The biggest thing in his eyes now will be to have the pleasure of Allah. He likes the Heaven because he thinks that Allah likes it and wishes to be away from the Hell that he thinks Allah doesn't like the Hell.

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen (as) has said, “O Allah! If You consign me to Hell and separate me from my friends, I might bear the harsh hardships of the Hell with forbearance. But how could I withstand separation from You!” One who has reached such heights in his love for the Creator can’t be disobedient to the Omnipotent Allah.

Allah exhorts the Prophet (S) thus, “O Muhammad! Tell the people. If you wish to have Allah’s friendship, then follow me that Allah will be friendly with you.” Again Allah says, “One who is friendly with Allah, Allah is friendly with him. And those who have Allah’s friendship are in safety.” Such a person will be safe from the machinations of the Satan in this world.

And prophet Musa bin Imran (as) received the Revelation thus, “O Musa! Liar is a person who claims that he is friendly with Allah but sleeps away when the night comes. A friend seeks to converse with his beloved in loneliness! In the loneliness of nights Our friends converse with Us in a manner, as if, they are in Our presence! This status is achieved by amu’min ( pious person) when he thinks of Our countless Blessings and accepts their greatness.”

The Prophet of Allah (S) said to his companions, “Tell me which of Allah’s Bounties is the first one?” Everyone made his guess about the bounties. Some said dainty food is the best Blessing, another said that the children, and more particularly the male child, are Allah’s best Bounty. Alas, when the Prophet (S) was not satisfied with any of the replies, he asked Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), “O ‘Ali! Tell me. Of the countless Bounties of Allah, which one is the best?!”

The Prophet’s Vicegerent said, “O Prophet of Allah! You know better than me and whatever I know has been taught to me by you! But since you are ordering me to respond to your question, I am complying.

Of the Bounties of Allah, the best is the capability of invention. When there was nothing, He gave us the faculty of existence and observation.” The Prophet (S) said, “O ‘Ali! You are right. Now, What is the next best Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The second Bounty is that Allah has not created us like the flora and the minerals (mountains, rocks, trees etc) but He has endowed us with spirit and animation.” The Prophet (S) said, “Verily! You are right. Tell me what is the third Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The third Bounty is that Allah has bestowed to the human-kind the best features of face and body” The Prophet (S) said, “You are right. What is the fourth Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The fourth Bounty is that Allah has gifted the human beings with the external and spiritual senses.” The Prophet (S) rejoined, “True. What is the fifth Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The fifth Bounty is that Allah has given intellect and wisdom to the human beings.” The Prophet (S) said, “You are right. O ‘Ali! What is the sixth Bounty?

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) replied, “The sixth Bounty is that Allah has gifted to us the wealth of the True Faith and has not created us in ignorance.” The Prophet (S) said, “This too is true. What is the seventh Bounty?

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The seventh Bounty is that Allah has bestowed us with immortal life in the Hereafter. The Prophet (S) said, “True! What is the eighth Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “Allah has created us free and not slave to anyone.” The Prophet (S) said, “You are right. What is the ninth Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “The ninth Bounty is that Allah has created the earth and the sky and all they contain for our benefit and gave us full control of these elements.” The Prophet (S) assented and asked, “What is the tenth Bounty?”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) replied, “The tenth Bounty is that Allah has created us men and superior to women.” The Prophet (S) asked, “O ‘Ali! Tell about more Bounties of Allah!”

Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “O Allah’s choicest of creations! The Bounties of Allah are uncountable. My entire life shall be insufficient to enumerate them.” The Prophet (S) said, “O ‘Ali! Truly, you are the inheritor of the knowledge! Whosoever follows you will be on the Right Path. Your friends shall find Deliverance! Your enemies and adversaries shall be deprived of the rewards on the Day of Judgment!” Then he (S) said, “the way to achieve nearness of the Creator is to talk more of Him. The best prayer is the supplication of the pious person!” Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said,

مَا عَبَدْتُكَ خَوْفاً مِنْ نَارِكَ وَلا طَمَعاً فِي جَنَّتِكَ، وَلَكِنْ وَجَدْتُكَ أهْلاً لِلْعِبادَةِ فَعَبَدْتُكَ.

“I don’t worship Allah with the desire for the Heaven nor for the fear of the Hell! I Worship Him because I found Him deserving of Worship!”

This is the stage of Divine Understanding when even if the supplicant is sent to the Hell, he will continue with his supplication unmindful of the Hell Fire!

If someone questions that when at the height of piety Heaven and Hell have no relevance for the pious, then how is it that the prophets and the Infallible persons always expressed wish for the Heaven and deliverance from the Hell in their supplications?

The fact is that Heaven has different connotations in its intrinsic and apparent aspects. Its fruits, for example, have different tastes for different

individuals to suit every individual palate. For some the taste might be just good and for the others because of their profound faith, there will be the feeling of spiritual happiness.

For example: If a king serves food to a commoner from his royal table, the person would relish the delicacies doubly because he is getting the honor of having food on the royal table and the food that is out of the ordinary for him. When the same food is served to a nobleman, he too would enjoy eating it. But it would not be anything out of the ordinary for him that he gets the same food every day on his own table. However he cherishes the honor of sharing the table with his monarch!

The prophets too pray for the Heaven that it would enhance their status in the eyes of the Creator and not for any physical comfort! When they crave safety from the Hell, it is not from the fear of the Fire but to prevent themselves from the displeasure of Allah! Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) has said in one of his supplications, “O Creator! I can have forbearance when You punish me but how could I bear separation from You. The heat of the Fire of the Hell can be bearable for me but how could I bear the heat of the fire of separation from you!

Step 4: Total Devotion Of Mind And Heart

Among the conditions for prayer, one most important condition is the total dedication and devotion of the heart. If there is no humility and fear of Allah (Khudu wa Khushu) in prayer, then it remains ineffective. Even, such prayer might bring the person punishment. If a person is conversing with the king and his mind is elsewhere and the king notices that his subject is not giving his full attention, he might punish the person for his lack of attention.

Humility of heart means that the heart is in full attention towards his Creator while in prayer. The person makes his body and mind totally submissive to the heart. If this state is achieved in prayer, then even the lonely (furada) prayer offered by a person will be highly rated. It would be quite possible that he might get the reward of congregational prayer because the heart in this case functions as the leader (Imam) of the congregation and the different parts of the body of the devotee as the followers.

As the faith increases, the humility of heart too increases in the same proportion. Therefore the humility of the hearts of the Infallible persons of the prophet’s Family (the Masoomeen) is of the highest order. The limbs and body of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) used to shiver when going for the prayer. Somebody asked him, “O ‘Ali! Is it not the same body that captured the fort of Khaibar and single handedly rent away the invincible gate of the fort!” Amir’ul-Mu’mineen (as) replied, “No doubt! This is the same body but you must know that at this moment I am on my way carrying the important charge which even the land, the skies and the mountains refused to carry!”

It is said that one day Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) was engrossed in his prayer and Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as), still a child, fell in the well of their house. His mother started shouting, “O Son of the Prophet (S)! Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) has fallen into the well.” But Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) continued with his prayer. The mother of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) was running between the parapet of the well and the place

where the Imam was praying. Alas, when Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) finished his prayer, he went to the well and rescued his son who was hail? and hearty.

The Imam told to his wife, “you know that I was standing in prayer before my Creator. If He was displeased, the consequence would be grave. Our purpose is only to get the goodwill of our Lord and the biggest personal loss is inconsequential. There was no reason for me to fear about the safety of my son. I was present in front of my Master with total dedication of my heart and was not attending to the household matters!”

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) said that some devotees offered prayers with one-third dedication of heart, some others with one-fourth dedication and others with one-fifth dedication of the heart. The Angels will record the prayers for reward only to the extent of the dedication of the heart of the supplicant. Therefore it is advised that people should offer as many supplementary prayers as possible besides their mandatory prayers.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) said, “the heart in which there is the desire for reward and fear of retribution on the Day of Judgment will become eligible for entry to the Heaven.”

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) has said, “when a person prepares to offer prayer, Allah’s kindness and blessings shadow him and the Angel of Beneficence proclaims,’ O Creation of Allah! If you know how much your Creator is kind on you, you will not raise your head from your prostration!’”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) has said, “when the attention of a person is diverted from his prayer, then Allah says, ‘O My Creation! Is there any god greater than Me towards whom your attention is diverted.’ Then Allah observes the lack of attention of the person thrice and finally He gives to him no more attention.

The dedication of the heart during prayers is dependent very much on the circumstances of the person. The more the person is perfect in his Faith and Belief, the more dedication of heart he will manifest. Ja’far bin Ahmed narrates that when the Prophet (S) used to stand up for offering prayer the color of his face used to change and from his chest a sound used to emanate which used to indicate enthusiasm.

When Imam Hasan (as) used to do the ablutions for offering prayer, his body used to shiver and the color of his face used to turn yellow. People asked him the reason for this change in him. He said, “It is necessary for every worshipper that when he prepares to go to the presence of his Creator, he keeps in mind His Greatness and Omnipotence. Because of this feeling the person’s face will turn yellow and his body will shiver.”

It is said that after completing the ablution for prayer Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) used to have shivering in his body and the face used to turn yellow. On being asked by people, he used to reply, “don’t you know the Greatest Creator before whom I am going to offer my supplications.”

It is narrated that Fatima bin Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali once called Jabir Ansari and told him, “you are a companion of the Holy Prophet (S). I am requesting you to advice Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) not to prolong his prayers that his forehead, thighs and back are injured and swollen.” Jabir

Ansari went to the presence of the Imam (as) and found him busy in his prayer and the weakness of his body and visage was evident.

The Imam (as) gave some place to Jabir to sit beside him and inquired about his health in feeble voice. Jabir said, “O Son of the Prophet (S)! Allah has created the Heaven for you and your friends and the Hell for your enemies and adversaries. Then why are you taking so much hardship on yourself?” the Imam (as) said, “O companion of the Prophet (S)! My ancestor, the Prophet (S) of Allah, who has a great status in the eyes of the Creator, and also Allah has forgiven all possible acts of omission and commission of his past and present, kept himself so much busy in prayer that his feet used to develop inflammation. The companions used to tell the Prophet (S) that Allah has been so kind to him that He promised to forgive his mistakes.(tark al-aula) Then they wondered why the Prophet (S) was inflicting so much hardship on himself.

The Prophet (S) used to say, “O my companions! When God is showering so much kindness on man, is it not his duty to thank Allah for the bounties He has granted.”

Jabir said to Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as), “O my master! Have kindness on your followers. Because of your existence Allah is kind on the Muslims and no curse is falling on them from the skies.”

The Imam (as) replied, “O Jabir! I wish to be like my ancestors in prayer that I am able to meet them!”

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) says that one day his father went to the presence of his own father and found him busy in his prayer. He noticed that the face of the Imam (as) had turned yellow and his forehead was bruised and the feet were swollen. The cheeks of the Imam (as) were injured because of excessive crying. When he saw the condition of his father, he cried out aloud. The Imam’s attention was diverted towards his son and finding him crying he asked him to fetch the book of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen (as) in which he had discussed about the subject of prayer. He fetched the book. The Imam (as) cried the more after reading the book and said, “Who has the strength to pray like the Amir’ul-Mu’mineen (as) did!

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) says that when Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) used to stand up with the intention of the prayer, his face used to turn yellow and while in prostration, his eyes used to get wet.

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) says that Imam Zain-ul-’Abidin (as) used to offer one thousandrakaat of prayer in a period of one day and night. When he used to stand up for the prayer, the color of his face used to change and it used to appear as if he was standing like a hapless person in the presence of a great king. His entire body used to shiver and it used to give the impression as if he was offering his last prayer. When asked about his condition during the prayer, he used to retort that one should suitably present himself to the Great Creator.

It is said that one of the Imam’s child fell from a height and fractured his hand. There was commotion in the house and a bonesetter was called. The bone of the child was set; but all this while the Imam (as) was busy in his prayer. The next morning when he saw the arm of his son in a sling, he inquired about the reason of the injury.

One day the Imam’s house caught fire and the neighbors put it out. The Imam (as) was totally oblivious of the incident. When the people asked him the reason, he replied, “I was busy putting out another big fire!

Abu Ayoob narrates from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) that when Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) used to stand up for prayers, the color of his red face used to turn yellow and it always gave an impression that he was face to face with Allah, busy conversing with Him.

The Creator of the Universe has ordered man to offer prayer in the morning, evening and noon, five times in a day to renew his dedication and obedience to Him.

Prayer is the height of devotion that lifts a human being from the ground to the unimaginable heights. It is the medium for achieving nearness to the Almighty Allah. Prayer awakens the believers from their slumber of negligence and reminds them of the Hereafter. Islam has set clearly defined schedules for the prayers and it keeps the believers reminded to come for the congregations. The first call comes in the early morning to raise the people from their slumber. This call, which is termed theadhaan, is made in loud tones in which the name of the Great Allah (Allah ho Akbar) is repeated four times to break the slumber of the proud and the negligent. Then follows the witness there is no god but Allah.

Man should not worship other humans, animals, plants and other elements of nature like the mountains and the rivers. You must reiterate that He, Allah, is One and Only Creator and Has made arrangements for the benefit of man in this world and the hereafter. He has sent His Messenger, His Friend and Prophet (S), with clear messages for the believers to listen to and act on them implicitly.

Then the worshippers are exhorted to make haste to come for the prayer, which is to their own advantage. They are told that the prayer is the best of acts and they must hurry to join it. At the end of the call to the believers it is repeated that Allah is Great.

There are people in this world who, even after hearing the loud call to prayer, continue with their mundane activities. But there are others who willingly pay heed to the call, keep away their worldly tasks for the time, and proceed to join the prayer.

It is said that when the time for the prayer comes, one angel calls on behalf of Allah, “O believers! Proceed towards prayer and extinguish the fire of your sins with the light of the prayer.” When a pious person decides to go for prayer, he is required to cleanse himself of the apparent dirt. He should also cleanse his mind of any negative thoughts that might be there. When he is ready for the prayer, first he must wash his face. At this time he must say, “O Allah! You have said that on the Day of Judgment some faces will turn black and others will be white and shiny. Please make my face shiny and prevent it from going black.” While cleansing the right hand, he should remember that on the Day of Judgment, the pious would carry their record of actions in the right hands and the sinners would carry their records in the left hands.

Therefore he must pray that his record of actions is held in the right hand on the Day of Judgment. While anointing (masah) his forehead, he should

pray, “O Allah! Please be kind on me.” While anointing the feet, he should pray that the feet do not falter on the Bridge ofSirat on the Day of Judgment.

It has been mentioned in the traditions that a house which has dogs, where intoxicants are stored, where pictures and paintings are kept, the Angels of blessings do not come. These things should be kept away from the living quarters and even the thoughts of these forbidden things should be banished from the minds of the believers. At the threshold of the mosque, he should say, “O Allah! You have opened this door to me, please open the doors to Your nearness too for me!” While standing at the place of prayer, he should sayiqamah and in his mind recall the words of theadhaan and their meanings because prayer is the height of piety and the Prophet (S), while he was inMe’raj , reiterated the wordsAllah O Akbar while entering every stage. Therefore before every prayer the wordsAllah O Akbar are repeated seven times.

Now the person is ready for the conversation, that is, for offering his prayer to Allah. At this stage, he should say

أعُوذُ بِاللهِ السَّمِيعِ العَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطانِ الرَّجِيمِ.

“I seek refuge in Allah the all-hearing all-knowing from the cursed devil?” to ward off the Satan. Now that the time to go to the presence of the Almighty Allah has come, the worshipper should say Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.

These words are reiterated before any work is commenced and particularly so when one starts to offer his prayer. Even in our mundane lives we have to praise the important persons when we approach them. When we stand in the Presence of Allah, the Beneficent and Merciful, it is natural that we must praise Him and acknowledge that He is the Lord of The Day of Judgment (Youm iddeen) . Then the worshipper says, “Iyyaka nabudo (We worship only You)”

Therefore, the Prophet of Allah (S) has said, “Whilst praying think that you are seeing Him (Allah ) and in humility submit,waiiaka nastaeen (O Sustainer! We ask for your succor for our failings and shortcomings!). Thereafter a request is made to Allah to include the prayers of the supplicant with the prayers of the persons on whom Allah has showered his Blessings and Bounties and not of those on whom Allah’s wrath has fallen!”

Now we quote Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali’s (as) eloquent saying,

واعْلَمْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَ عِبادَةِ اللهِ المَعْرِفَةُ بِهِ، أنَّهُ الأَوَّلُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَلا شَيْءَ قَبْلَهُ، وَالفَرْدُ فَلاَ ثَانِيَ لَهُ، وَالبَاقِي لاَ إلَى غَايَةٍ، فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا فِيهِمَا وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ، وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الخَبِيرُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ.

“The best prayer is Knowledge of Allah (Ma’rifa) and Identification that He is ahead of everything and nothing was there before Him. He is the only One and has none like Him. He is Immortal and has no end. He is the Creator of the Universe and everything that is found on the earth and in the sky. He is Omniscient (Khabeer ) and Gentle (Lateef) and he isOmnipotent; that He has control over all things!”