WORSHIP: PRAYER

Why Must We Observe the Prescribed Prayer?

The Prescribed Prayer is like the twin of belief. We must observe the prescribed Prayer because it is the greatest pillar of Islam after the Declaration of Faith. It is among the most important elements of religion after God’s unity. It is the last will and advice of God’s Messenger to the believers. The first thing for which a believer will be called to account on the Day of Judgment is the Daily Prayers.

When God’s Messenger was asked, “Which deed or actions are most beloved by Allah?” he replied, “Prayer

At

its proper time.”

The prescribed Prayer is the best of deeds ordained by God. It brings a person closer to God. With the Prayer, a believer gives thanks for the bounties bestowed to them by God. The Daily Prayers protect the believer from sin and wrongdoing. Moreover, they are the means to the forgiveness of sins and shield a person from punishment in the grave.

In short, the prescribed Prayer is the basis of succor, triumph, self-assurance and prosperity in both the world and the Hereafter. Hence, the believer must not neglect his Prayer whatever the circumstances in which he may find himself.

Now we will study certain aspects regarding the basics of Prayer that every believer should be familiar with.

Prayers Performed in Prison

Abdullah ibn Tahir, governor of Khorasan, was very just. One day, his gendarmes reported to the governor that they had caught some thieves. One of the thieves escaped. A blacksmith from Hirat had gone to Nishabur and was arrested as he was going home one night. He was taken together with the thieves, and the governor ordered all of them to be imprisoned.

In the prison, the blacksmith immediately performed ablution and prayed. Holding his hands up towards the heavens, he supplicated, “O Lord! You alone know that I am innocent. You alone can rescue me from this dungeon.” That night the governor dreamt of four strong people who approached him, and just as they were about to turn his throne upside down, he woke up. Immediately he performed ablutions and prayed. Then he went back to sleep. Again he dreamt that the four people were about to overturn his throne, and again he woke up. He realized that he had been unjust to someone, and that person was invoking against him.

That night, the governor called the prison officer and asked if anyone had been unjustly imprisoned that night. The prison officer replied, “I am not sure. But there is somebody who is constantly praying, supplicating and weeping.”

So the governor summoned the blacksmith. When he questioned the man and realized he was innocent, the governor apologized, saying, “Forgive me, and accept these thousand silver coins as a gift from me. Whenever you need anything, whatever it may be, come to see me.”

The blacksmith said, “I have forgiven you and I accept your gift. But I cannot ask you for what I desire.” When he was asked why not, the man replied, “Would it be befitting for me, a mere servant, to abandon my Lord, Who overturned the throne of a sultan like you for the sake of such a poor person as me, and present my wishes to you? He rescued me from many difficulties by virtue of the supplications I made after my Prayers. He granted me my Prayers. So how could I seek refuge in anyone else other

56 than God? How could I turn to another when my Lord opened the gates of eternal mercy, when He laid His boundless spread of benevolence before everybody? Who has ever asked from Him and was rejected? Who came to Him and returned empty-handed? You will not be granted something if you don’t know how to ask. If you do not go before Him in the proper manner, you will be deprived of His compassion.”

Evening Prayer

After praying the Evening Prayer (Maghrib), the noble Prophet returned home to perform the optional Prayers. Some of the congregation remained in the mosque, while others returned to their homes. After a short while the noble Prophet returned in a hurry, breathless. All the Companions turned to him in surprise, and the Messenger of God said, “Be of good cheer, for your Lord has opened one of the gates of heaven and is boasting of you before the angels, saying, “Look at My slaves; they have fulfilled one obligatory duty and are awaiting another.” Then he recited the following verse of the Qur’an:

Your Lord best knows what is in your souls (in respect of all matters, including what you think of your parents). If you are righteous (in your thoughts and deeds), then surely He is AllForgiving to those who turn to Him in humble contrition. (Al-Isra 17:25).

Occasionally We May Neglect Our Duties of Servitude

A doctor explained:

A close friend of mine brought his three- to four-year-old son to me in a state of panic. He told me that his son had a fever and had begun vomiting, and clearly, the man’s love for his son was making him worry even more. After a short examination, thinking that something the child ate had affected him, I asked what it could be, the man replied, “He ate almost a kilo of ice cream from the freezer; we realized after he had ate it.”

So the child’s complaint was clear. However, calming the father down was a great deal more difficult than treating the child. Hoping to show how much the child loved his father, and that ice cream was the cause of his illness, I asked the boy, “Which do you love the most, your father or ice cream?” The little boy replied, “Ice cream.”

Indeed, the little boy was only three or four years old. He was incapable of understanding that something he was so fond of could cause him harm, that he should love his father who protects and cares for him, and that there is no comparison between the love for a father and fondness for ice cream. The boy was simply acting upon the instincts of a child.

While it is our duty to display gratitude towards God, love Him foremost and turn to Him in praise and worship, a majority of the time adults can also act like a small child who bears no perception or consideration. Is it not the case that most of us show more affection for the worldly blessings that are granted to us by His favor? Are we ever so engrossed in worldly life that we forget or neglect our duty of servitude? With complete awareness that excessive indulgence in this mortal world causes us nothing but loss and destruction, we stumble on.

A Short Story Is There An Age Limit for Worship?

He was an extremely good tailor. He made excellent garments and strived to make these garments to perfection. The man worked all hours to achieve this, and spent many nights in his shop trying to finish his work on time. He never neglected his Prayers. A majority of the time he would perform his Prayers in congregation at the mosque, occasionally remaining in his shop to pray.

One day the call to Prayer began to echo from the mosque. He was rushing to close the shop to reach the mosque in time for the Prayer. Just then, the carpenter from the shop opposite called out to him and walked over to the tailor’s shop. The carpenter wanted to buy the tailor a cup of tea from the teashop nearby, but the tailor never drank tea from outside; he always made his own tea. The tailor politely rejected the man’s offer, then turned to the carpenter and said, “I am in a hurry, I have to go.”

But the carpenter began asking questions of no particular importance. “How is work going? Do you have many customers?” as if he were really interested in the tailor’s work.

Once again, the tailor headed towards the shop door. This time the carpenter remarked, “I always see you going to the mosque to pray. You are still young. Shouldn’t you be enjoying your life? There is plenty of time to pray when we get old.”

The tailor thought for a while about this unexpected question, then asked, “What if we do not reach old age; have you never heard of people dying at a young age?”

The carpenter replied, “Stop talking like those ignorant people. Only one in a thousand, in fact, one in a hundred thousand people die young. It is better to do all this when you are older. These acts of worship are for older people, not young people like us.”

Realizing that his words would be in vain, the tailor politely asked the man to excuse him because he had to go, and left the shop.

When the tailor arrived at his shop the next morning, he noticed a crowd gathered around the carpenter’s workshop. Assuming that that shop had been burgled, out of curiosity he began to make his way through the crowd. Everyone appeared to be so sad that he could not ask anyone what had happened. There seemed to be no signs of force or violence. As he approached the shop, the crowd was even greater. Then when he heard a man from the crowd say, “What a shame, he was still so young.” At that moment the tailor realized what had happened.

A Short Story

Two Youths and the Two Paths They Encountered

Once upon a time, two youths named Sencer and Kaya lived in a faraway land. One day, these two young men, who lived in a tiny village overshadowed by high, snowy mountains, joined the sultan’s army, and on command of the sultan were sent to a city far away. After making preparations, the two young men set out on the long journey. After a while, they noticed that the path split in two, but they could not decide which of the paths they should take. They asked a man standing by the path, “Where do these paths lead to?”

The man replied, “Both of the paths lead to the same city.”

So they asked him, “Which of the paths is shorter?”

He answered, “Both of the paths are the same in distance.”

The two young men looked at one another in astonishment. This time they asked the strange man, who was obviously familiar with the area, “Which is the best path to take?”

The man replied, “The first is extremely safe and reliable. Nine out of ten people who chose this path have a comfortable journey and benefit from taking this path. The second path is of no benefit, and furthermore, nine out of ten people who chose this path face various dangers and suffer devastation.”

After the man’s remarks, their astonishment increased even more. They thought to themselves, If that is the case, why would anyone chose the second path?

As if reading their minds, the strange man continued, “That is not all. The first path is the one used by the sultan’s soldiers. Those who chose this path are compelled to carry weapons and the necessary equipment for their service. The second path is the one used by those not devoted to the sultan. There is no compulsion for its travelers to carry weapons or materials. Therefore, those who use the second path appear to have an easy journey.” Sencer thanked the man, threw his rucksack over his shoulder, placed his gun in his belt and headed for the first path. Because he was sure that he had everything a soldier needed with him, he bore not even a tiny trace of unease in his heart or in his soul. However, Kaya, who assumed that living under the command of someone and carrying the heavy rucksack would be tiring, believed that the second path would be more suitable for him. So saying farewell to Sencer, Kaya cast his weapon and rucksack to one side and set off on the second path to enjoy his freedom. After a long journey, Sencer arrived at the city. On fulfilling the duty given to him, Sencer found his commander. Pleased with his accomplishment, Sencer’s commander rewarded him with various gifts.

On the other hand, Kaya continued on his journey in a state of pleasure, singing songs as if he were strolling through the countryside, but still enduring many difficulties on that path. When he began to feel hungry, Kaya wanted to sit in the shade of a tree to rest, but there was no food to eat or water to drink. He remembered that he left his bag at the beginning of the path. He had no other choice but to eat some tree branches. Then suddenly something happened—a black panther came out from nowhere and began to chase him. Kaya, who realized he had no weapon, began to run between the trees trying to escape the panther. When he ran out of breath and was unable to run any further, he fell to his knees and looked around. He saw nothing. Believing he had escaped the black panther, Kaya took a deep breath of relief. However, his joy was to be short-lived. He realized that he had lost his way amidst the forest overshadowed by tall trees. He walked for hours without even knowing which direction he was heading. Kaya sat beneath a tree and fell into a deep sleep. After a very cold night, the light from the rising sun beamed down upon him. He opened his eyes and saw unfamiliar people standing around him. Assuming that he had reached safety, Kaya rose to his feet, but when he noticed the swords these men were holding in their hands, he realized that they were soldiers of the enemy who had passed over the border. Following months of captivity in the steep, rugged mountains, Kaya found the opportunity to escape and eventually reached the city in a state of devastation. He did not have the courage to go before his commander. Trembling with fear and hunger, he sat in a corner begging. The soldiers on patrol questioned this suspicious-looking man, and when they learned what had happened, he was charged with dereliction of duty and sent to prison. As one of the soldiers offered him a bowl of soup, Kaya realized that he deserved to be imprisoned. A short while later, the prison door opened. Kaya recognized the soldier who entered his cell—it was Sencer. After the two friends embraced Sencer told him, “I heard what happened to you, and I spoke to the commander on your behalf. If you tell the court that you regret what you did and ask forgiveness, you will be freed.”

Kaya was delighted when he was released a few days later and immediately went to find Sencer. Eventually Kaya found his friend Sencer in a corner praying. Kay observed, “As always, you never neglect your worldly duties or your Prayers.”

Sencer replied, “This is our duty to God.”

Then he asked Kaya, “Do the scenes we experienced on the journey correspond to the life we are experiencing now?”

Kaya looked at him in surprise and asked, “What do you mean?”

Sencer looked into his eyes and continued, “Consider this: the journey we endured was the journey of life. This journey continues through the realm of spirits, passes through the grave and leads to the world beyond. Our worship was the rucksack and weapons we carried on this journey. Although worship may appear to be difficult; in reality it provides us with such ease and contentment.”

Kaya inquired, “What kind of ease and contentment?”

Sencer replied, “A person who worships is fully aware that there is no other deity than God, that everything is in His power, and He never does anything without reason. Furthermore, His benevolence and compassion is plentiful. Therefore, when such a person experiences difficulties, he takes refuge in God, and his faith and worship give him security and confidence. When he departs from this world and reaches the world beyond, this person is rewarded like a soldier who performs his duties to perfection.”

Kaya replied, “I understand now. The heedless ones like me live their lives in a state of doubt and unease. However, they still forget that their own desires and ambitions are boundless, while their power and abilities are restricted; and then they abandon worshipping their Creator. Sometimes they are servants to servants and sometimes become beggars, asking for their needs and desires from these poor individuals. When such a person reaches the Hereafter, he is punished like a soldier who neglected his duty!” Then looking into Sencer’s eyes, Kaya asked him, “What do you think, have I understood correctly?”

Questions

1) Which of the following is not one of the obligatory acts of performing ablution?

A) Washing the face

B) Washing the arms up to the elbows

C) Wiping over the head

D) Wiping over the neck

2) “______ is the pillar of Islamic faith.” Which of the following should fill the blank?

A) Fasting C) Prayer

B) Hajj D) Charity

3) Which of the acts below was defined by Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as being the act that Muslims will first be questioned about on the Day of Judgment?

A) Fasting C) Hajj

B) Prayer D) Giving charity

4) When the noble Prophet was asked which act was most favorable to God, what was his reply?

A) Performing the Prayer on time

B) Giving charity to the poor

C) Fasting

D) Performing the Hajj

5) “Prayer is like the twin brother of ______. It is difficult to separate the two.” Which of the following should fill the blank?

A) Fasting C) Charity

B) Hajj D) Belief