MISSING THE PRAYER

One night, Bayazid drifted into a deep sleep and was unable to wake up for the Morning Prayer. When he eventually awoke, he saw that it was daylight outside. This disturbed him immensely. He began to weep, saying, “O Lord! How could I be so negligent? Forgive me!” As the words of the noble Prophet came to his mind (Whoever missed the Prayer, it is as if he has lost his family and all his wealth), Bayazid’s sorrow increased even more. After the sun had risen, he performed the Prayer.

Then as he prostrated and continued to seek God’s forgiveness, he heard a voice: “O Bayazid! You have been granted forgiveness. Due to your remorse and tears of regret, you have also been bestowed with the reward for [having performed] seventy thousand voluntary Prayers.”

These words relieved Bayazid immensely. Then a few months later, the same thing happened again. But on this occasion, a short time before the Prayer ended he was awakened by a voice—it was the devil. The devil addressed him, “Awaken! You will miss the Prayer.”

Bayazid recognized the devil immediately and said, “O accursed one! You always wanted me to miss the Prayer, so why did you come to awaken me for the Prayer?”

The devil replied, “Do you remember a few months ago when you missed the Morning Prayer, you wept with such sorrow and regret that not only were you forgiven, but you were also granted the reward for seventy thousand voluntary Prayers? Well, I came to awaken you today so that you will only be rewarded for the Prescribed Prayer.”

Questions

1) “The religion is the very life of life, its light and its foundation. The revival of this nation is possible only through the ______”

Which of the following should fill the blank?

A) Worldly bliss C) Position

B) Revival of religion D) Salvation and security

2) Who was the Companion who abandoned his wealth and worldly luxuries for the sake of God and His Messenger?

A) Asim ibn Thabit

B) Mus’ab ibn Umayr

C) Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib

D) Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah

3) Which of these chapters is a radiant sample of the Qur’an?

A) Al-Fatiha C) Ya-Sin

B) Al-Baqarah D) An-Nisa

4) Which of the statements below does not define that Prayer contains all the forms of worship?

A) Prayer includes not eating and drinking as in the fast.

B) The Ka’ba is faced during Prayer.

C) Prayer contains all the acts of worship.

D) Working is an act of worship.

5) “And (continue to) ______ your Lord until what is certain (death) comes to you” (al-Hijr 15:99). Fill the blank space with one of the options below.

A) Supplicate B) Repent to C) Worship D) Praise