SALAAT: The Mode of Divine Proximity And Recognition

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SALAAT: The Mode of Divine Proximity And Recognition Author:
Translator: S. S. H. Razavi
Publisher: Naba Publication (www.nabacultural.org)
Category: Various Books

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SALAAT: The Mode of Divine Proximity And Recognition

SALAAT: The Mode of Divine Proximity And Recognition

Author:
Publisher: Naba Publication (www.nabacultural.org)
English

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


Note:

This book has been published by the name of Mohammad Biabani Oskooei (Mirza Mahdi's suppoter) by the Naba Cultural, but according to our reserch this book is compiled by Ayatullah Mirza Mahdi Isfahani.

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

SALAAT:

The Mode of Divine ProximityAnd Recognition

By:Ayatullah Mirza Mahdi Isfahani

Translator: S. S. H.Razavi

Naba Culturlal

www.alhassanain.org/english

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL

TABLE OF CONTETNS

PREFACE 4

THE IMPORTANCE OF SALAAT AND MEETING ALLAH 5

MEETING ALLAH IN HUMAN MYSTICISM 8

MEETING WITH ALLAH: 11

DIVINE COGNITION VIS-A-VIS HUMAN MYSTICISM 11

PURITY (TAHARAH): AN ESSENTIAL CONDITION 14

AZAAN AND EQAAMAH 15

TAKBEERATUL EHRAAM AND THE INVOCATION OF ATTENTION 20

HUMILITY, MODESTY AND CONCENTRATION IN SALAAT 21

INVOCATIONS IN PRAYERS 24

REALITY OF SALAAT 26

INNATE RECOGNITION OF ALLAH AND ITS ROLE IN SALAAT 30

WORSHIP AND SUBMISSION 36

PREFACE

Ameerul Momineen AliIbn Abi Talib (a.s .) says:

“Had the one who prays known how the majesty of Allah encompasses him, he would never have liked to raise his head from prostration.”

(Khesaal , vol. 2, p. 632)

Respected readers, this booklet in your hands, highlights the reality and importance ofSalaat , which is based on the booklet ofGhaayatul Muna wa Me’raajul Qurb wal leqaa ”, compiled by the great scholar and jurist,Ayatullah al-Uzma Mirza Mahdi Isfahaani (d.1365 A.H.) (Allah’s mercybe on him).

Among the main pillars of theMashshad Religious School(Hauz -e-Ilmiyyah ) atMashshad Muqaddas ,Ayatullah Isfahaani (Allah’s mercy be on him) did a great service to the Islamic society by striving hard to enliven the knowledge and sciences of the Holy Quran andAhle Bait (a.s .) and training highly pious and knowledgeable students. May Allah raise him along with his Prophets (peace be upon them) and the infallible Imams (peace be upon them).

It is worth mentioning that the original Arabic text of this booklet was printed along with some other articles, without any editing and proof reading. Recently, our knowledgeable friend, Mr.Afzal Qahermaani Miyaanji , took the trouble of editing and proof reading the original.

We hope that this humble offering is well received by our readers, and is worthy of acceptance in the service of our beloved master, Imam-e-Zamana (a.t.f.s .).

THE IMPORTANCE OF SALAAT AND MEETING ALLAH

The highest aim and goal of the divine scholars and those who tread the path of worship is the meeting with Allah and vision of the divine, a meeting which can neither be expressed in words nor penned on paper. For, a vision of the divine is the work of Allah Himself. And the work of Allah, like His Being, does not have any method(kaifiyyah ) like other mortals, and therefore it cannot be expressed. He introduced Himself to His servants and manifested His Own Self on their hearts. By setting aside the veils of negligence and forgetfulness, ignorance, disobedience, immorality, evil ethics, etc. a person prepares his heart to receive this divine manifestation. Purity of heart and sincerity in intention illuminates the divine light further and becomes the cause for the servant to achieve great heights in the field of divine recognition and reach his ultimate goal i.e. meeting with Allah.

ImamZainul Aabedeen (a.s .) invokes:

“O Allah! Make us tread the path that leads to Your meeting, and make us travel on the road that is nearest to You… attach us with those servants of Yours who are in haste to reach You. Those who incessantly knock onYour door, and worship only You in the night…You have fulfilled their desire by allowing them Your meeting, and You have filled their hearts with Your love, and have quenched their thirst with Your pure drink. Thus, because ofYou , they enjoyed the taste of Your supplications (munaajaat ) and have achieved their farthest aims (i.e.Allah )… Then only You, O Allah, are my aim. And my being awake and up in the nights is only because ofYou and not for anybody else. Your meeting is my love andYour sight, my desire. Your vision is my only need.”

(Behaarul Anwaar , vol. 94, p. 148)

In another supplication, the same Imam (a.s .) pleads:

Nothing can quench my thirst butYour attachment, and nothing can extinguish my burning desire but Your meeting. And nothing can extinguish my craving for you except seeing Your face (wajh ), and my restlessness cannot be done away with but by gaining proximity to You…and My sorrow cannot be dispelled except by being near to You.”

(Behaarul Anwaar , vol. 94, p. 150)

ImamBaqer (a.s .) declares:

“Then surely the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) is the gate of Allah, without whom He cannot be approached. He (s.a.w.a .) is the path, if somebody walks on it, will lead to Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He).

After him, the same applied forAmeerul Momeneen (a.s .) and the Imams (a.s .) following him, one after the other…”

(Al-Kafi , vol.1, p. 198)

In aHadith -e-Qudsi , Allah the Almighty declares:

“O Ahmad! Piety (wara ’) opens the doors of worship for a worshipper. Then through it, he is honored in the eyes of the people and gains attachment with Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He).”

(Behaarul Anwaar , vol. 77, p. 27)

The aforementioned traditions have discussed about meeting, uniting and vision of Allah that leads to the contentment and softening of the heart. According to ImamBaqer (a.s .), treading the path of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) and hisAhle Bait (a.s .) is the cause of this meeting, uniting and vision.

Therefore, this status cannot be achieved but by following the course charted out by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a .) and through the master ship of his infallible progeny (a.s .). Hence, whoever intends to undertake the journey of the levels and stages of recognition and to reach to its highest grade i.e. meeting and seeing the Truth and finding His Lord, he must fasten on to the Holy Prophet(s.a.w.a .) and hisAhle Bait (a.s .). He should see to it that his deed conforms to the divine commands {which are the medium for following the Holy Prophet(s.a.w.a .) andAhle Bait (a.s .)} and should not take a single step without their permission. If he fails to do so, he will never be able to reach to his destination. And if he isteadfast in this path, Allah the Almighty willfulfil His promise and grant him his desire. Evidently, as the manifestation and recognition of Allah increases, humility, modesty, obedience, gratitude, remembrance, attention, glorification, praising, etc. in the service of his Lord and God also increases. His compliance and submission to the divine laws increases and he performs all his actions sincerely and purely in Allah’s way and none else. Obviously, any act that bears thecolour of Allah and is performed only for Him will never be ruined. Allah the Almighty declares:

“Everything will be destroyed save His face.”

(Qasas : 88)

ImamBaqer (a.s .) explains this verse thus:

“Allah is greater than to be described with a face. But it (the word ‘face’) means, ‘Everything will be destroyed except His religion and face is by which a thing is approached.”

(Tauheed , p. 149)

In the traditions of theAhle Bait (a.s .), meeting with Allah has also been implied for death.Allama Majlisi (may Allah be satisfied with him) in his magnum opus,Behaarul Anwaar , volume 6, page 124, has brought traditions explaining the above concept under the chapter, “The Love of Meeting Allah and In condemnation of Fleeing from Death” . In some traditions, ‘meeting with Allah’ has also been interpreted as resurrection and being brought out from the graves on the day ofjudgement for questioning and examination of one’s deeds in this world.

Ameerul Momineen Aliibn Abi Taalib (a.s .) explains:

“And His word, ‘Nay! They are unbelievers in the meeting of theirLord’( Sajdah : 10) implies ‘raising’. Then Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) has named it as His meeting. And He has remembered the believers “those who expect to meet their Lord,” (Baqarah : 46) means ‘they are sure that they will be raised, brought together and rewarded and punished accordingly. Thus, meeting does not suggest physical vision.

Meeting indicatesraising . And whenever the word ‘meeting (with the Lord)’ has come in the Book of Allah, interpret it as ‘raising ’.”

(Tauheed , p. 267)

Hence, from the above, we can draw the following conclusion:

The meeting with the Lord can be achieved both in this world as well as the hereafter. The only difference is that as in the hereafter, all the veils will be set

aside , people will rise from the sleep of negligence and there won’t remain any room for disbelief and hypocrisy. But as this world is the abode of examination and test, veils and negligence act as a barrier in this meeting with Allah. And in order to achieve this unison, as mentioned earlier, man has to bear tremendous pains and act with utmost steadfastness so that he may succeed in setting aside these coverings. Summing it up,Ameerul Momineen (a.s .) says, “Even if the curtain is raised, my certainty will not increase.”

(Behaarul Anwaar , vol. 46, p. 134)

MEETING ALLAH IN HUMAN MYSTICISM

In the school ofsufism and human mysticism, to reach Allah and meet Him is the last and final of the stages that a mystic treads towards the arch of ascension. According to them, at this stage, the wanderer reaches to the level of self-annihilation, joins with the Absolute existence, i.e. the existence of the Truth and loses his own existence. Now, for him, nothing remains except the existence of the Almighty. It is at this level that claims like ‘I am the Truth’ (An al-Haqq ) , ‘There is none in my robe except Allah’(laisa fi jubbati siwallah ) , etc. are achieved.

Abdur Razzaaq Kashaani says:

“Unification (Wasl ) implies returning after going away and ascending after descent. For each one amongst us has descended from the highest of stages and that is the position ofAhadiyyah and unification with the Eternal since eternity to the lowest of positions and that is the world of elements and matter. Then, some of us have fallen to the lowest level and remain in the pits. While others, by treading towards Allah, and in Allah, by attachment to His attributes, and through annihilation in His Being, have returned to the state of unification. Thereby, through this real unison, as it was in eternity, we shall continue to remain so in perpetuity.”

(Istehalaat al-Sufiyyah , p. 52)

Explaining the term ‘sawaad al-wajhe fi al-daarain ’, he says:

“To annihilate ourselves in Allah with all our existence so much so that any form of existence, apparent or concealed, worldly or of the hereafter does not remain for the mystic. This is true poverty and returning to real non-existence. Thus, thesufis say, ‘When poverty reaches to perfection, it is Allah.”

(Istelaahaat al-Sufiyyah , p. 104)

Sayyed SharifJurjaani elucidates the three levels of annihilation as follows:

Mahq is the annihilation of the servant’s existence in the Truth.Mahv is the annihilation of his actions while Tams is the annihilation of his attributes in the Truth.”

(al-Ta’reefaat , p. 89)

Jaami , inLawaaeh , seventhLaaeha , p. 18, writes:

‘In Your Being, make me free of my own existence, So that I become free of my own existence as well as non-existence, For annihilation is the method and poverty the ideology, Neither manifestation, nor certainty, nor recognition nor religion (is right), He went away from everything, and only God remained, That is, ‘When poverty reaches to perfection, it is Allah.’

Sadruddin Shirazi says,“Till the he-ness (ego) of the servant remains, he will continue to remain in the veil of his existence and being. Perfect unison is not possible for him to reach…But when he annihilates his being and destroys the mountain of his I-ness , only then will herealise the Truth with Truth. For his being immersed in Him, he becomes concealed and unknown from everything including himself, his immersion and his observation. For if he looks at his observation and gives preference to his cognition…his observation will conceal him from the observed one and his cognition will veil him from theRecognised one. Thus, he will not be able to achieve the desired unison.”

(Sharh -e-Usul -e-Kafi , vol. 3, p. 62)

Jaami is of the view that annihilation (fanaa ) implies that nothing is understood except him, through domination of the apparent being of Truth over the concealed. And annihilation of annihilation(fanaa -e-fanaa ) is that even this understanding ceases to exist. It should be known thatfanaa -e-fanaa is withinfanaa . For, if the annihilator understands his own annihilation, then he will no longer be in a state of annihilation because the attribute of annihilation and its described one is other than God, the Glorious. Thus, its comprehension will be contradictory to annihilation.”

(Lawaaeh , 8thLaaeha , p. 19)

To sum up, the Sufis are of the view that there is no existence except that of God and He is the Absolute Existence. The existence of the creatures is a display of non-existence. It is only imagination and in reality, being is onlytheTruth . Apparently, the creatures possess existence but in the concealed form, ‘there is none in the house except the owner of the house’ (laisa fi al-daar ghairohu dayyaar ). These limitations and determinations are sheer imaginary and whimsicalthat have been imposed on the Absolute Being and conceal the mystic from the Truth. When the mystic does away with these illusory and imaginary determinations and limitations, Truth becomes manifest. Therefore, the unawareness of the mystic from theTruth, is due to the veil of I-ness , determinations and limitations. When these veils are dispensed with, unawareness turns to recognition, duality to unity and unison with Truth is achieved. Recognition of Truth is achieved with the Truth itself.

In the book‘Mohr-e-Taabaan , at the end of the interview between the student andAllamah regarding the survival of the stable archetypes(a’yaan-ethaabethah ) in the annihilation of the being, the former opines:

“Annihilation of people in the Truth takes place in two ways. One is that their natural lives and material existence remains and in this very condition, they get the opportunity of annihilation. This type is achieved before death. In this form, the sincere believers, who have tread the path towards Allah, notwithstanding their worldly lives, attain annihilation. Thus, for them annihilation is one of the various conditions which they undergo. We can say thatZaid finds himself in a state of annihilation just as we can say thatZaid does not find himself in a state of annihilation. In this form, annihilation and non-annihilation are two distinct states ofZaid . Of course, as we said thatZaid finds himself, it is known that these states are forZaid and his determinations and limitations. But in this form, the stable archetypes remain. The annihilation of all the creatures from the stones, trees, mountains, skies, earth, stars, etc. in the Truth is from this very category. For, by the survival of the stable archetypes and their own existence, they are in a state of annihilation and of humility and lowliness….

The second type of annihilation is for the one who loses his material life and physical existence. He will inhabit the worlds ofBarzakh andQiyamat after this world, is from the proximate and sincere ones and remains in theBeing of the Truth in a state of annihilation. He has freed his body, exists sans physique, has leftBarzakh andQiyamat , is without any form or spirit, has entered the Essence of the Almighty and has dispensed with all the limitations and determinations. Even his stable archetype does not exist anymore. There is no I-ness , limitation, name or form…The change and transformation to this state of annihilation is like the annihilation of a moth in a flame and the dissolution of sugar into water. Thus, this change and transformation is of essence and existential. It belongs to the being just as a dog is transformed into salt in a salt pan and there remains no sign of his being a dog. Similarly, for the one who treads the path of the Almighty, there remains no sign of his existence whatsoever after his death.”

(Mohr-e-Taabaan , p. 200)

MEETING WITH ALLAH:

DIVINE COGNITION VIS-A-VIS HUMAN MYSTICISM

After understanding the meaning of ‘meeting with Allah’ (leqaaullah ) in the school of divine revelation and human mysticism, we shall proceed to understand the difference between the two. Meeting with Allah in the school of revelation, as stated earlier, is a level higher than divine recognition that is gained by Allah’s introduction and His manifestation on the hearts of His servants. Moreover, this definition is the action of Allah and the servant does not have any role in it except to put himself in the place of this recognition through obedience, obeisance and acting on the obligatory and recommended commands.

Of course, it should be borne in mind that this recognition is gained by preserving the levels of the creature and the Creator (i.e. the creature remains a creature and a distinct entity from the Creator). For, if the creature loses his identity as a creature and merges with the Creator’s existence, there would not remain any duality for which recognition would be called for. Basically, such talks that existence is one and that of the Creator, and the only difference between the Truth and His creatures is that of determination andnondetermination , limitations and absoluteness, etc. do not hold water at all in the school of revelation. The Holy Quran and traditions of the infallible Imams (a.s .) have clearly refuted such concepts and called for a distinction between the Creator and His creatures and that there exists no similarity whatsoever between the two. The school of revelation considers the existence of creatures bonded to the Creator’s Will(masheeyah ) and Intention (iraadah ), both of which are the actions of Allah. By His Intention, He initiates a creation that did not have any prior existence and brings it forth from the realm of nonexistence.

Similarly, whenever He pleases, He destroys this creature which He had granted existence.

But in the school of mysticism, the Creator’s existence has worn the robe of multiplicity. Every moment He takes a form and on losing that form, He returns to His state of Oneness (Ahadeeyah ). That is, first He descends and then He ascends. In reality, Creator and creature, Lord and servant, do not exist. Rather, whatever exists is actually Him. The difference lies in the levels of His Existence which, sometimes is in the level of multiplicity(Kasrat ) and sometimes in the level of unity (Wahdat ). In multiplicity, He is One (Wahdat dar Kasrat ) and in unity, He is many (Kasrat dar Wahdat ).

Therefore, in the school of revelation, as the recognition of a person increases, herealises even more his own servitude and the Lordship of his Creator.

Consequently, his humility, modesty, feeling of lowliness and worship increase; he becomes engrossed in the remembrance of his Lord with his entire existence, fulfils the duties of servitude with all seriousness and earnest and considers the slightest disobedience of Allah as inappropriate. At this level, he considers leaving the abominable (tark -e-awlaa ) as a capital crime. For, those who become proximate to the Almighty regard Allah’s esteem with such veneration that they strive never to repeat their previous sins and in fact, consider them as highly detestable. ‘Hasanaatul Abraar Sayyeaatul Muqarrebeen ’ (The good deeds of the righteous ones are considered as bad by the proximate ones).

But in human version of mysticism, when a mystic reaches to the state of ‘divine meeting’ and annihilation, for him all existence ceases to occur except the Truth.Neither there is any worshipper nor any worshipped one for worship to take place; duality is removed and there remains no existent save the Lord.

In this regard,Qaisari opines,“A person who reaches to the state of unison observes that only Allah is existent. There is neither the one who treads, nor the one whom towards whom the journey is undertaken nor treading itself. The existence of the worshipper and his I-ness , although present in the abstract self (nafsul amr ), does not observe anything except His existence because the Light of Truth engulfs him. Thus, for him neither the Lord nor the servant holds any meaning. Only the One Lord exists. At this juncture, if the divine illuminations that dominate the intellects and imagination attract the mystic, and this attraction continues, he joins thoseenamoured by the Lord’s beauty. And if this attraction does not continue, he will receive the illuminations proportionate to its duration. Prayers, fasting and all other religious obligations cease to become obligatory on receipt of this illumination.”

(Resaalah al-Tauheed wa al-Naboovah wa al-Vilaayah , p. 32 narrating fromFalsafa -e-Akhlaq , p. 141. Under this discussion, one can refer toSharh -e-Gulshan -e-Raaz , p. 304, the fifthdaftar ofMasnavi -e-Maulvi and Al-Ishaaraat wa al-tanbeehaat , p. 394).

Therefore, the difference between the two schools is basic and fundamental.

Here, this discussion will suffice and leaving the details for some otherplace,we proceed with our main discussion.

The subject of our discussion was the importance, status and significance ofSalaat . And before coming to the main topic, we discussed the importance of meeting with Allah (leqaaullah ) and also stated that for a believer, there is no aim and goal higher and greater than it. Now, let us proceed to the importance and significance ofSalaat .

Salaat which has been made obligatory on His servants by Allah the Almighty and has not allowed them to forsake it in the worst of circumstances is the moment of ‘divine meeting’ and proximity with Allah. It is duringSalaat that a pious and abstentious believer attains great heights of divine recognition.

Salaat is attention towards Allah and His remembrance. He says:

“You remember Me, I will remember you.”

(Surah Baqarah : 52)

In fact, Allah remembers more those who worship Him than they remember Him. Under the verse ‘And Allah’s remembrance is the greatest.’

(Surah Ankaboot : 45),

ImamBaqer (a.s .) says:

“Allah’s remembrance of those who worship Him is greater than their remembrance of Him.”

(Tafseer -e-Qummi , vol. 2, p. 150)

If a worshipper turns towards Allah only once, bows in front of His greatness, feels humble and lowly in His presence, Allah the Almighty will attend to him a number of times with grace, mercy andhonour . How sweet, important andhonourable it is for a lowly, needy and degraded servant that a Lord, High and Mighty that He is, turns to him and casts His merciful glance and also remembers him! Thus, O servants of Allah! Don’t consider yourSalaat as insignificant and do not be negligent in its performance. ForSalaat it is that helps a servant to reach unto his Master and provides satisfaction to him.

Ameerul Momineen , Ali (a.s .) explains the meaning of ‘Indeed the prayers have been established’ (qad qaamat al-Salaat ) thus:

“The moment of visitation, invocation and fulfillment of needs, achievement of desires, and reaching to Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) and His honor, pardon, satisfaction and forgivenesshas indeed arrived.”

(Maanil Akhbaar , p. 41)

The Messenger of Allah (peacebe upon him and his progeny) has said,Salaat is from the fundamentals of religion and the satisfaction of Allah, the Almighty lies therein.Salaat is the method and path of the Prophets (a.s .). The one who prays, for him is the love of the angels, guidance, belief, light of recognition, abundance in sustenance, physical relief, hatred for the devil, conflict against the unbelievers, acceptance of supplications and deeds.Salaat is the provision of a believer from this world for the hereafter and is an intercessor for him in front of the angel of death.Salaat is his companion and mate in the grave and his reply for the questions ofNakeer andMunkar . TheSalaat of every believer is his crown on the day of resurrection, light on his cheeks, robe for his body, a barrier between him and hell, a help to cross the bridge ofsiraat to reach paradise and is his dowry for the fairies (hoor ) and bounties of paradise. It is throughSalaat that a person attains great heights.

For,Salaat is the purification of Allah the Almighty, confessing ‘there is no god but Allah’, praising the Creator, glorifying Him, respecting Him andhonouring Him, conversing with Him and to invoke Him and turn towards Him.”

(Al-Khesaal , p. 522)

Explaining the reason for imposingSalaat as an obligation, Imam Reza (a.s .) said toIbn Sinaan ,Salaat is the confession of Allah’s Lordship and purifying Him from any similarity or likeness.Salaat implies standing before Allah, the Powerful, with a feeling of lowliness, poverty, confessing and seeking forgiveness for the past sins. A worshipper places his forehead five times a day on earth in front of his Lord to express his respect for his Lord so that he does not forget his Master and his Creator lest he becomes ungrateful and unmindful. Moreover, while praying, a servant keeps away from sins and vices and continues with the remembrance of Allah day and night. For, being engrossed in the remembrance of his Lord and standing before Him, keeps him away from the various types of sins and indecencies.”

(Elalush Sharaa’e , p. 317)

PURITY (TAHARAH): AN ESSENTIAL CONDITION

AsSalaat means to stand before the Almighty, seeking closeness by the pious servants towards their Lord and the ascension of the believers, there are some essential conditions in it that should not be ignored or overlooked by the praying one.

One of these conditions, when the slave is beinghonoured by being in the presence of His Master, is that he should purify himself from all sorts of filth and presents himself before His Lord with clean clothes and pure body. More importantly, he should perform either of the ritual cleanliness, viz.Wuzu orGhusl . If neither of them is possible, then he must doTayammum . And as there have been special orders from divinity for these three forms of purity, it is obligatory that we perform them by keeping all their essentialities into consideration and apart from the divine orders, we must not include anything from our will in their performance.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a .) says:

“There are two things for which I do not like to include anybody in their performance.Wuzu for it is from my prayers and my charity.”

(Khesaal , p. 33)

Ameerul Momineen (a.s .) while performingwuzu , did not permit anybody to pour water for him. Somebody questioned him regarding this, he(a.s .) replied, “I do not like to include anybody in my worship (of Allah). Allah the Almighty says:

‘Then whosoever desires to meet his Lord, then he must act righteously and not include anybody in the worship of his Lord.”

(Kahf : 110) (Wasaaelush Shia , vol. 1, p. 477)

Imam Reza(a.s .) says:

“Here, I am performingwuzu forsalaat . And it is worship which I do not like to share with anybody.”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 1, p. 21)

We shall talk about worship and sincerity later. Here, we shall suffice to state that by itself,wuzu is not obligatory. Therefore, if somebody performswuzu with the intention of its being obligatory, without keeping in mind any of the desired acts to be performed with it, then such awuzu is void and an innovation. But becausewuzu is recommended and an act loved by Allah, therefore, if somebody performs it for gaining nearness to Allah (without the intention of any action), then such awuzu is correct. Consequently, he can performsalaat and all other actions of worship for whichwuzu is a must.

AZAAN AND EQAAMAH

BothAzaan andEqaamah are considered to be highly recommended and emphasized acts insalaat . Numerous traditions have underlined their significance and importance.Azaan andEqaamah , with their profound meanings and concepts, prepare a worshipper to acquire proximity to the Almighty in the way of worship and ascend to great heights. The Holy Prophet(peacebe uon him and his progeny) advisedAbuzar (Allah be satisfied with him) thus:

“Allah always takes pride and boasts about three individuals to his angels: (Among them is the) One who gets up in the desert without food and water but says hisAzaan andEqaamah and only then performs hissalaat . Your Lord says to the angels, “Look at My slave how he is worshippingMe when he cannot see anybody other than Me.”

Thereafter, seventy thousand angels come forward and performsalaat behind him and seek forgiveness for him till the morrow. OAbuzar ! When a person is hungry and thirsty on the earth, and doeswuzu ortayammum and performssalaat after reading theAzaan andEqaamah , Allah orders the angels to pray behind him in rows in such a way that he cannot be spotted. They bow when he bows and prostrate when he prostrates and say ‘Aameen ’ when he invokes.

OAbuzar ! If somebody says only theEqaamah but forsakes theAzaan , only two angels perform thesalaat with him.”

(Wasaaleush Shia , vol.5, p. 383)

Imam Husain (a.s .) narrates:

“We were sitting in the mosque when the caller for prayers (moazzin ) went on the minaret and cried, ‘Allahu AkbarAllahu Akbar’. On hearing this call,Ameerul Momineen (a.s .) wept profusely due to which even we began weeping. When themoazzin completed hisAzaan , Ali (a.s .) said, ‘Do you know what did themoazzin say?’ We said, ‘Allah, His Messenger and his successor know the best.’

He said:

‘If you knew what he said, certainly you would have laughed less and cried more. The call ofAllahu Akbar bears a few meanings:

One meaning ofAllahu Akbar denotes the eternity,everlastingness,knowledge , power, strength, benevolence, endowment, greatness and honor of Allah the Almighty. By sayingAllahu Akbar, themoazzin implies, ‘Allah is He to whom belong the creation and the command. He brings everything into creation by His Will. All that the creation possesses is due to Him. Also, its return is unto Him. He is the First, before everything, from eternity. He is the Last, after everything, and is Everlasting. He is Evident, more than anything else, but cannot be comprehended. He is the Hidden, more than anything else, but is sans limits. (In other words, His being apparent is more evident than the manifestation of anything else and His concealment is more hidden than anything else).

The second meaning ofAllahu Akbar is:

He is the All Knowing and All Aware. That is, He knows what has occurred and what will occur before its occurrence.

The third meaning ofAllahu Akbar is:

He is the All Powerful and commands authority over everything. His dominion extends over whatever He wishes. He is Strong means that He has power over His creation and rules them. His Strength is His Own and His Power is dominant and established over all things. When He desires to bring something into existence, He just commands ‘Be’ and it is.

The fourth meaning ofAllahu Akbar connotes His Forbearance and Honor. He is soForbearing as if He does not know (our mistakes) at all. His is soForgiving as if He has not seen (our sins) at all. He conceals our transgression as if there had been no obedience.

He does not hasten to punish or reprimand because of the aforementioned attributes.

Another meaning ofAllahu Akbar is:

He is Generous and Munificent. His endowments are plenty and His actions honorable.

The fifth meaning ofAllahu Akbar is:

He can neither be described nor does He possessany how -ness (kaifiyyah ). When somebody saysAllahu Akbar it is as if he is confessing that Allah is too Great than to be comprehended by the attributes ascribed unto Him by the describers. These so-called describers of attributes do so according to their own whims and imaginations and not in correspondence with His Greatness. Allah is muchHigher than that the describers comprehend His attributes.

Yet another connotation ofAllahu Akbar is that Allah is the Greatest and Highest. He is Needless and can dispense with the actions (or existence) of His creatures.

The statement ‘I witness that there is no god but Allah’ is an announcement that testimony without recognition from the heart is impossible. The announcer confesses:

I know that there is no god but Allah and every deity besides Him is false. I hereby make a verbal admission and acknowledge from the depth of my heart that there is no god except Him. I also witness that no other god can provide refuge but Him and there is no asylum from evils, mischief and corruption except in His Holy Being.

And the testimony, ‘I witness that there is no god but Allah’ for the second time suggests:

I testify that there is no guide except Allah and none can acquire guidance in religion except through Him. I take Allah as Witness that there is no deity but Him. I take the inhabitants of the skies and the earth and everything in between them, among the angels, mankind, mountains, trees, wild animals, reptiles, in short, all existents of the world of creation, as witnesses, that I bear testimony that there is no creator except Allah. Also, there is no sustainer, no deity, none who can harm, none who can benefit, none who canstraiten things, none who can grant salvation, nobestower , no restrainer, no adviser, none who can cure, none who can advance matters or postpone them, except Allah the Almighty. Creation and command is only in His authority. All the goodness is only in His hands. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

And the announcement, ‘I witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is the messenger of Allah’, means:

I bear witness that certainly there is no god but Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is His slave, His messenger and His chosen one. He has sent him (peace be upon him and his progeny) for the guidance of the entire mankind and conveyed him the true religion. He will make his religion dominate all ideologies even if the polytheists detest it. And I take all the messengers and prophets (peacebe upon them) as witnesses, so also the angels and the entire mankind, residing in the heavens and the earth, that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is the master of the first and the last.

And the announcement, ‘I witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is the messenger of Allah’, for the second time implies: I testify that everybody needs Allah, the One, theSubduer , and the Needless from His servants, creatures and entire mankind. I witness that Allah the Almighty sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) as a giver of glad tidings, a Warner, to invite them towards Allah with His permission and be a shining lamp for them. So, whoever denies or refutes him or does not believe in him (peace be upon him and his progeny), Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) will throw him in hell fire, which shall be his eternal abode as he will never get respite from it.

The call, ‘Hasten for prayers’, indicates:

Hurry for your best deed, to the invitation of your Lord, towards forgiveness and pardon of your God, to extinguish the fire that you have kindled and to free your neck from the shackles that you have cast around it. So that Allah may erase your evil deeds, forgive your sins, convert your misdeeds to good actions, for He is the Master, the Honorable, Possessor of the great obligation. And indeed He has permitted us, the Muslim society, to enter in His service and to be in His presence.

And the call, ‘Hasten for prayers’ for the second time, implies:

Stand up to invoke Allah, your Lord. Present your needs to your Lord, seek from Him through His words, and ask for His intercession through them. Increase your remembrance (dhikr ), yourqunoot (the supplication in the second unit of prayers), your bowing, your prostration, your humility, your submissiveness; raise your hands to ask Him, for certainly, He has permitted us for all these.

And the call ‘Hasten to success’, connotes:

Perform and hasten to the act that will last forever and will never be destroyed, a safety that will never be annihilated, a life whose clue can never be found by death, a bounty that will never end, a kingdom that will never finish, a happiness that will never turn to grief, an acquaintance that will never be a stranger, a light that will never see darkness, a salvation that knows no bounds, a ceaseless splendor,selfsufficiency that will never see want, a health that will never know disease, a honor that will never witness disgrace, a strength that will never turn into weakness, a glory that will remain unsurpassed, and hasten to the joys of both this world as well as the hereafter.

And the call, ‘Hasten to success’, for the second time indicates:

Hasten to all the aforementioned bounties i.e. a great honor, a huge obligation, a lofty bounty, an enormous deliverance, an eternal munificence in the neighborhood of the Holy Prophet (peacebe upon him and his progeny) in the abode of truth and righteousness near the All Powerful King[1] .

Again, the announcement,Allahu Akbar, suggests:

Allah the Almighty is Greater andHigher than that anyone among His creatures can understand the bounties available with Him for His obedient servant. A servant who possessed the following traits- obeyed His commands, worshipped Him, heeded His warnings, was engrossed in His remembrance, loved Him, was contented and satisfied with Him, relied on Him, feared Him, pinned his hopes on Him, and fully submitted and surrendered completely to His decree and destiny.

The announcement,Allahu Akbar for the second time indicates:

Allah is Greater, Higher and Majestic than that anybody can fathom the extent of His honor towards His servants. Or understand His chastisement for His enemies, the level of His pardon, forgiveness and bounties to the one who answers His call and that of His messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny), and the level of His punishment, wrath and reprimand for those who deny and refute Him.

Then the call ‘There is no god except Allah’ means:

For Allah is the clear proof against the people through His messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny), His message, His explanation and His call. And He is Majestic than for anybody to possess any argument against Him. So whoever answers Him, for him is light and honor. And one who denies Him, then indeed Allah is Needless of the universe and He is the quickest in accounting.

And the call, ‘Indeed the prayer has been established’, in theEqaamah , suggests:

The time for visitation, whispering, fulfillment of needs, reaching the desire, uniting with Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) and His honor, forgiveness, satisfaction and forgiveness, has indeed arrived.”

(Maanil Akhbaar , p. 38-41)

If one pays a little attention to the above tradition and deliberates over its various aspects, he will understand the importance and significance ofsalaat , to a considerable extent, the pillar of religion. Whoever utters the sentences of theAzaan andEqaamah in the light of their aforementioned interpretation, will find his heart full of divine grace andhonour and Allah’s manifestation in his heart will intensify with every passing moment. Saying theAzaan andEqaamah is in fact the remembrance of Allah. And we have already stated that Allah the Almighty assures,“You remember Me, I will rememberYou .” It is evident that when the Almighty remembers His servant, His Power, Greatness and Kingdom encompass him. Consequently, all his thoughts arefocussed only on Him, and for the sake of his heart’s contentment, he prepares himself forsalaat , quiet conversation with his Lord, and thefulfilment of his needs.

“Know! Only with the remembrance of Allah do the hearts gain contentment.”

(Surah Ra’d : 28)

TAKBEERATUL EHRAAM AND THE INVOCATION OF ATTENTION

When the worshipper finishes with his purification,Azaan andEqaamah and prepares himself for the adoration of his Lord, by saying “Allahu Akbar ”- an element ofsalaat , he imposes on himself its prohibitions. That is, till he does not terminate his prayers with the salaam, he prohibits certain things for himself, among them being turning away his attention from Allah the Almighty. And asTakbeeratul Ehraam marks the commencement of prayers, the worshipper while reciting it, should at least intend that whatever he will do during the performance of this action, will be only and only for the obedience of Allah.

Insofar as he continues with this intention in his prayers and does not divert his concentration from it, he will find the reality of prayers andrealise the worship of Allah the Almighty in himself. In fact, this only is the spirit and substance of prayers. Before uttering theTakbeeratul Ehraam , it is worthy that he recites the invocation of attention(doa -e-tawajjoh ) which, in the narration of AbdullahIbn Jafar Himyari (received in thetawqee of Imam-e-Zamana (a.t.f.s .) is as follows:

“I turn my face towards the OneWho has created the heavens and the earth, being upright and submissive, on the nation of Ibrahim and the nation of Muhammad and the guidance ofAmeerul Momineen . And I am not of the polytheists. Surely, my prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death are (only) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. There is no partner unto Him. And thus have I been commanded. And I am from those who submit. O Allah! Make me from those who submit.”

(Al-Ehtejaaj , vol. 2, p.7;Wasaaelush Shia , vol. 6, p.25)

How great it is if somebody utters these words, synchronizes his heart with his tongue, and gives his words a practical shape in its truest sense, really turns his heart towards Allah, and removes all other thoughts from his mind. Yes! How good indeed is the servant who, at any given moment of his life, does not do anything or commit any deed against the wishes of his Master and Lord and even goes to the extent of dying in His cause. If at all he does commit some sin or transgression, he immediately begs Him for forgiveness and seeks His refuge. May Allah make us, and all the friends of theAhle Bait (a.s .), from those who submit to His wishes and may He not turn His attention away from us even for a moment.

HUMILITY, MODESTY AND CONCENTRATION IN SALAAT

After reading theTakbeeratul Ehraam andDoa -e-Tawajjoh and turning your attention towards Allah, if you so desire, continue thesalaat by reciting theIsteaazah َ seek refuge in Allah from the accursedShaitan ) that you may seek protection from the whisperings of the devil in Allah and dominate him through His grace. Thereafter, you can proceed with the recitation ofSurah Hamd , the secondsurah , bowing, prostration,qunoot ,tasbeehaat ,tashahod andsalaam , in the order prescribed. While performing the aforementioned actions, strive to synchronize your limbs with your heart so that just as the latter has become humble and modest, each part of the body feels lowly, meek and submissive in the presence of the Almighty Creator.

Therefore, it is necessary that you gather all your attention, do not pay attention to what is going around you, and distance yourself from anything that diverts your attention. To achieve success in this,endeavour to find a lonely, simple and unattractive place. Fix such a time for yoursalaat when your thoughts are soothed and relaxed, and there remains no room for laziness, physically as well as psychologically. It is also necessary that you obey the instructions of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) concerning the methods ofqiyaam , bowing, prostration,tashahhod andsalaam . For, these instructions are indeed very effective for concentration and humility. Moreover, recite the wordings slowly and try to pay utmost attention to their meanings and concepts unfailingly. Allah the Almighty says:

“Surely the believers are successful; those who are humble in their prayers.”

(Surah Mominoon : 1,2 )

“O ye who believe! Do not go near prayers while you are in an intoxicated condition till you know what you are saying.”

(Surah Nisa : 43)

ImamBaqer (a.s .) explains:

“Do not stand for prayers lazily, yawning or feeling heavy (i.e.considering it to be a burden). For all these are from the traits of hypocrisy. Allah has prohibited the believers from standing for prayers while they are intoxicated i.e. (intoxicated) from sleep.”

(Tafseer -e-Ayyashi , vol. 1, p. 242)

ImamSadeq (a.s .) elaborates:

“When you are in your prayers, then it is obligatory for you to be humble and welcome your prayers. For Allah the Almighty (while describing the believers) says, ‘those who are humble in their prayers.”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 3, p. 300)

The same Imam (a.s .) says:

“Certainly, I love the believer among you who while standing for the obligatory prayers, turns his full attention towards Allah and cleanses his heart from all worldly inclinations. His turns his face with his entire heart towards Allah, Who in turn, turns towards him and makes his heart overflow with His love and affection and Himself loves him tremendously.”

(Sawaabul A’maal : 163)

Again, ImamSadeq (a.s .) says:

“One who prays two units (rak’ats ) of prayers knowing fully what he is saying in it, he does not turn away from it (after completion), but there remains no sin between him and Allah, that He does not forgive.”

(Sawaabul A’maal , p. 67)

ImamBaqer (a.s .) says:

“Indeed, from the prayers of the believers, 1/2 or 1/3rd or 1/4th or 1/5th only is accepted. Thus, only that part of the prayers is admitted which is performed with complete attention. And we have ordered the recommended prayers (naafilah ) only to cover the deficiencies of the obligatory (prayers).”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 3, p. 363)

ImamSadeq (a.s .) exhorts:

“When you perform your obligatory prayers, pray in its time as if itisyour last prayers and is never going to return to you ever again.Thenlook at the place of your prostration. If you knew who is on your right and left, you would have performed your prayers well. And know that you are in front of the OneWho sees you although you cannot see Him.”

(Sawaabul A’maal , p. 57)

In his famous treatise of rights, ImamZainul Abedeen (a.s .) discusses the rights of the prayers thus:

“As for the rights of the prayers, you should know that it is a means of reaching towards Allah. And you are standing before Allah when you are praying. When you are aware of this, then it is desirous that you stand during prayers like the one who is disgraced, desirous (of rewards), fearful, scared, hopeful, pauper, crying, respectful of the One Who is before Him. Maintain a dignified calm, head down, limbs humble, tender heart, praying with the best of invocations within yourself, seeking the freedom of your neck from Him, an imprisonment caused on account of your sins and a destruction caused by your misdeeds. There is no strength except Allah’s.”

(Tohoful Oqool , p. 258)

Therefore, it is necessary that one who prays, considering the position and status ofsalaat , should pay full attention towards it with his heart and soul, which is worthy of the praying ones. He should derive benefits of both this world as well as the hereafter, from it and the greatest reward of them all, which is, meeting with Allah, comes his way. It does not befit him to become heedless of Allah, his creator, during his prayers, and instead become engaged in him. Although apparently this may seem difficult, rather impossible – which is why it is accompanied with such great rewards and compensation - but one should never despair of it. Perhaps, with Allah’s grace, and our efforts, belief and piety, the difficulties will become easy and problems will be solved. For, if you take one step towards Allah, He will pull you a hundred paces towards Himself. Then, turn towards Him with your entire heart and soul. Don’t allow laziness and indolence to dominate you and keepShaitan away from you.

Abstain from ignorance and heedlessness that the path is paved and the goal is near.

INVOCATIONS IN PRAYERS

Previously, we have quoted on the authority ofAmeerul Momineen (a.s .) thatsalaat is the occasion of fulfilling the desires and achieving one’s aims. Thequnoot insalaat has been ordained to enable the worshipper to place his desires and needs in front of his Lord. Also, for prostration, specific supplications have been recommended. Moreover, after the prayers, great emphasis has been laid to invoke and express our needs in front of the Almighty. ImamSadeq (a.s .) exhorts:

“It is obligatory for you to supplicate aftersalaat , for such supplications are answered.”

(Khesaal , p. 488)

Therefore, invocation is the expression of the need and paucity of our own selves as well as of others along with the confession of the self-sufficiency, generosity,honour , grace, affection and benevolence of the Almighty. Anyone who desires something from others turns and pays attention towards him. As he finds himself in need and impoverished, he strives to present his wants through pleas and persistence, thereby attempting to attract the attention of the invoked one. Traditions have stated that Allah loves importunity and persistence in invocations. Imam MuhammadBaqer (a.s .) assures:

“By Allah, no believer persists with Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) in his needs but that He fulfils it.”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 2, p. 475)

ImamSadeq (a.s .) informs:

“Surely Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) detests that people should be importune and persistent while asking each other for some need but loves the same for Himself. Certainly Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) likes that He is asked and sought for what is with Him.”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 2, p. 475)

On the other hand, anyone who refuses to invoke Allah or express his needs before Him, subjects himself to His wrath. For, he has considered himself to be needless, great and haughty. Allah the Almighty warns, “Surely those who are arrogant regarding My worship (invoking Me),will soon enter hell in a degraded state.”

(Surah Momin : 60)

ImamBaqer (a.s .) interprets the word ‘worship’ in this verse as ‘supplication’

and then proceeds to say:

“And supplication is the most superior form of worship.”

(Al-Kafi , vol.2, p. 466)

Hannan BinSudair relates from his father, who asked ImamBaqer (a.s .), ‘What is the best form of worship?” Imam (a.s .) replied:

“There is nothing better near Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He) than that He is asked and sought for what is with Him. And the most hateful and detestable person for Allah is he who is arrogant in His worship and does not ask Him for what is with Him.”

(Al-Kafi , vol. 2, p. 466)

Hence, we should not claim that Allah the Almighty knows our needs and wants and thus there is no need for us to ask Him further, if as He deems it proper, He will grant it. For, invocation and supplication is this very attention towards Allah and reaching out to His wealth, generosity, and grant. At the same time, it is an expression of our being in His slavery and bondage and confessing to His Lordship and Mastership . And this will be the best form of Allah’s worship. Therefore, we must implore and beseech Allah. Since apparent pleas without heartily attention is fruitless, we must make efforts to ask Him from the depth of our hearts, even if we don’t utter our demands orally.

So, invocation is loved and desirable in all states and at all times but that invocation is more acceptable which is accompanied with its etiquette and conditions of time and place. As said earlier, one of the best times for supplications, is during prayers and after it, because it is that time when a believer rises to converse with his Lord, attains the elevated position of divine recognition and proximity, and his focus and concentration towards his Master is increased. We hope that Allah the Almighty makes our prayers as a channel towards His nearness a means for the acceptance of our supplications and needs.


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