Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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.