the forgotten aspects of prayer

8/7/2019 The Forgotten Aspects of Prayer

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THE FORGOTTEN ASPECTS OF PRAYER

Taken from Inner Dimensions of Islamic worship by Imam Al Ghazali ( Ihya Ulum Al deen) and 33ways to develop Khushu in prayer by Muhammad Salih al MunajidAlhamdullillah we are blessed with being Muslims. Alhamdullillah Allah has put enough noor,enough ENLIGHTENMENT- a radiant enlightenment in our hearts so that we may understand

ourselves if at least ambiguously and then therefore from understanding ourselves make an

attempt to understand Allah. For as Abu Bakr once said, May Allah be pleased with him, the Wayto Understand Allah is to know that you can never understand Allah.Although a Muslims life revolves around understanding that they can never comprehend Allah, this

doesnt deter them from seeking closeness to Him, seeking His Love and fearing His punishment.

One of the ways in which we seek closeness to, and love from Allah is to worship Him. ANDworship him intimately!!

Al-Hasan the Son of Ali May Allah be pleased with them both, was asked one day, How is it that

those who stay up at night have the most attractive faces? His reply was, Because they are onintimate terms with the Merciful and he robes them in some of his light.

Let us reflect on that for a second here. Al-Hasan was referring to the night prayer here but whydid he not say they are the ones who pray at night? Why did he instead choose to say they are on

intimate terms with the Merciful?Because to the Sahaba and to the predecessors, prayer was never a momentary, mechanical

thing. Prayer was Always an intimate communication between the slave and the Master. Thecreated and the CREATOR. Between the human and Allah.

This is the way they viewed prayer. That is why he didnt have to mention prayer, rather hementioned it as being intimacy with the Merciful. And then he goes on to say HE, referring to Allah

robes them in some of his light.What an Amazing concept!

I mean think about it. Imagine Allah, your Lord, Your Creator and Provider robing you in hisinfinite light so that your face then becomes so beautiful in the eyes of people? SubhanAllah!

Glory be to Allah!

Noor is roughly translated as light but that is an unjust translation because noor is a radiant light,its an illuminating light. It is that which blinds the normal eye in a dark place where you had no

hope of seeing light.Therefore imagine the faces of those whom Allah robes in his noor.

Now we can begin talking about prayer.The forgotten aspect of prayer.

What is the forgotten aspect of prayer? Do we ever question ourselves? Do we ever really ponder

and become fearful? Prayer as I mentioned before has become very mechanical and Im sorry tosay but especially so when a New or non Muslim is taught about it.

We throw a prayer kit at them, we give them a tape and say learn Salah. How ignorant we are!This new Muslim or Non Muslim might think to themselves ok fair enough Ive learnt what to say

and the actions but why? Why do I do all these things and what is the purpose of everything I sayand do in prayer.

Inshallah this is what we aim to convey to you today although the real essence behind it all is

never up to us to push onto u but rather for you to develop alone..... to develop a real connectionwith Allah.

Salah is derived from the verb SAL^LA. Salah literally means to make a dua or supplication. But

SALLA means to hallow or deify sanctify make sacred.

To idolize, worship, exalt, glorify or adore. Thats the verb of the word Sal^la. But Salah as wesaid means to make a dua.

Dua as we know is a supplication. Really in Christian terms thats all they do when they claim topray. Its merely a supplication.

The Islamic prayer on the other hand is much more than a supplication.


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Salah is a ritual prayer as opposed to a spontaneous asking of your Lord.

It involves the body in certain movements and the tongue with certain words that other forms ofprayer do not.

These series of movements and verbal pronunciations are not merely the worshippers self directedactions and thoughts as in other traditional religons, rather it has been ordered upon us by our

Lord through the Prophet Muhammad (pbbuh) hence the real essence of it being for your Lord

becomes more apparent.It makes much more sense that if Allah had ordered us to pray then he would tell us how to pray.It doesnt make sense that Allah should order us to do something and then leave us to figure it

out. Alhamdullillah.

Ok so Salah is a ritual form of worship. We all see the bowing and prostrating and raising of handsin prayer. But what does it all mean? Why would Allah ask these things of me? Or why would the

Prophet do them?

This is the point we start getting into the deeper aspects inshallah. The forgotten aspects. Thespiritual aspects.

Salah is a sila between you and your Lord. The word sila and Salah dont have any connection

with each other but funnily enough the word sila means to Connect or a connection. Salah is acommunication between the humble slave and the Great Creator.

Unlike the kings and rulers of this World Allah is far above their imperfections and greed. Allah is

always ready for you to converse with him intimately without barriers or intercession of men orwomen. Unlike the Kings who only accept you when it is to their benefit. Quite the opposite Allah

actually gets angry when you DONT ask of him and ask of humans instead. Where as the humangets angry of you if you ask them.

So Salah is the perfect time to ask Allah.

Obviously the first thing one does before Salah is make sure they have physical purity. i.e. they

have performed their wudduh which is translated as ablution.

Im not going to get into the hows and whats of ablution but rather get straight into the prayer.However I will mention the beautiful story. It is said that Ali ibn Al-Husayn the son of Ali theCaliph (may Allah be pleased with them all) used to turn pale when he made his ablution.

When his family would ask what came over him during his ablution, he would say: DO YOUREALISE BEFORE WHOM I WISH TO STAND IN PRAYER?

Ali ( may Allah be pleased with him) used to Quake, shake and shiver and change colour. They

asked him: What is the matter with you, commander of the believers? To this he would reply:The time has come for a trust which God offered the heavens and the earth and the mountains,

but they refused to carry it; and they were wary of it but I have taken it on.

This is the mentality these great men had when entering into prayer! And this is the first thing wewant to discuss.

Do you see how they all of a sudden became so conscious of what they were about to do? See

how their mentality changed, their hearts changed and it showed immediately on their externalappearance? Why? Because they knew that once the Initial Takbir was made that they left the

presence of the Dunya and entered what?....... the Presence of ALLAH ALONE.Because we do not worship anyone BUT ALLAH!

Making that initial Takbir saying Allahu Akbar one has to understand what they are saying. Allahu

Akbar when translated means God is greater or God is Greatest. Either way, think about it. Whenyou say Allahu Akbar then know that the real meaning of the word is everything else is Asghar,


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Allahu Akbar! Imagine that! Such a conversation with Allah we all get to have.

Once we complete this opening chapter we are allowed to recite any part of the Quran after it. Orimmediately go into bowing or rukku as known in Arabic.

But before you do you are reminded about Allahs greatness by saying Allahu Akbar. Meaning if

you were starting to ward off in your concentration then saying Allahu Akbar should remind youthat Allah is greater than any thought you had or any heedlessness in your heart.

The Purpose of rukku is to renew your submissiveness and humility. It is to acknowledge how

insignificant you are in the sight of the Significant one: Allah.So you bow your heads while at the same time you seek the aid of your tongue and your heart by

saying Subhana rabi-al Atheem, meaning How Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme! You say that 3times acknowledging your own imperfection in your heart as you complete it and rise up.

When you rise up its as though you are seeking a recognition from your Lord for your humble act.As you raise up you say Sami Allah liman hamidah and then repeat Rabbana wa lakal Hamd.

Meaning Allah listens to those that praise him. ( sami Allah liman hamidah) and the you followwith Rabana wa lakal Hamd. An immediate praisal in the hope that Allah listens to your praisal.

Once the Prophet was praying and as he came up from bowing he said: sami Allah liman

hamidah. To Which a man repeated Rabanna wa lakal hamdau hamdan katheeran tayiibanmubarakan fih which means our Lord to you be much good and much blessed praise. When the

Prophet finished the prayer he asked who is the one who spoke? The man said, Me. And theProphet said, I saw thirty Odd angels rushing to see who would write it down first.

Meaning the angels flocked to write down the blessings that this man had earnt just from thatsmall saying.

Then immediately from understanding that nothing is enough to show Our Lord our humility or

our appreciation of his greatness, or to praise him enough, you fall to the floor into prostration.

But not before you again reaffirm your firm belief and clear your heart and mind of any worldlymatters by saying Allahu Akbar, God once again is Greater!

In Prostrating to the floor this is seen as the ultimate act of obedience to Allah and having

humility before him. In your heart once again remember your worthlessness in the sight of Allahand repeat the words with your tongue to further give you that conviction Subhana rabi al Aala.Meaning how perfect is my Lord the most high. This indirectly implies how imperfect everything

else is. Why? Because humans are constantly obsessed with thinking that they or other things canattain a state of perfect ness. NO! rather only Allah is perfect so say it with true knowledge in

your heart of why youre saying it.Also the Prophet peace be upon him said that one is closest to their Lord while in sujjod or

prostration, so ask of your Lord and he shall grant you what you wish.

An interesting scientific fact is that that Allah says in the Quran in regards to a non muslim whowas bent on denying the Prophet to pray at the Ka'ba in verse 96: 15-16 Nay! if he desist not,

We would certainly smite his forehead, A lying, sinful forehead. Why would Allah choose to

say such? I will let Proffessor Keith Moore answer this and this is taken from the website www.it-

is-truth.org/AboutHumanbody.shtml

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The Qur'aan On The CerebrumAllah said in the Qur'aan about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad

(sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) from praying at the Ka'abah: Let him beware! If he does notstop, We will take him by the naasiyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naasiyah!

[Qur'aan 96 :15-16]Why did the Qur'aan describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn't theQur'aan say that the person was lying and sinful? Is there a relationship between the front of the

head and lying and sinfulness?


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If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum.

What does physiology tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled, Essentials ofAnatomy & Physiology, says about this area: "The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate

movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a regionof the association cortex... The book also says: In relation to its involvement in motivation, the

prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression..."

So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinfulbehavior, and is responsible for telling lies and speaking the truth. Thus, it is proper to describe

the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Qur'aan said:"...a lying, sinful naasiyyah (front of the head)!" Scientists have only discovered these functions of

the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith Moore.-----------------------------------------------------------

This is primarily one of the reasons why Muslims also place that part of the head ( All revealed tous through Allahs wisdom) on the floor in prostration. think about that..... this is also one of the

reasons some scholars have said, when one feels they are about to commit a sin, they shouldprostrate or offer two rakkats and seek refuge in Allah. That is, placing that part that will initiate

the sin in the most humble position..... the ground.

Once you begin to feel content in your humility before your Lord raise up knowing that he flowseasily to the weak and humble not to the proud and arrogant and call Allah once again the

Greatest, ALLAHU AKBAR. Forgetting everything in this world but Allah.

In your kneeling position ask Allah to forgive you and have mercy upon you for you are but ahumble slave and Again Call Allah the greatest and fall to your face as all Prophets did to reinforce

your submissiveness.You then stand up to converse with your Lord again in the manner in which he chose for you.

After Again calling Allah the Greatest.

You repeat everything for the second time but this time you remain kneeling instead of getting up

As you come back to kneeling and making the first tashahud then do so with this in

rememberance. Remember that the way this came about is that it was a conversation betweenAllah and his messenger and the Angel Gabriel.

On the night of power and ascention where the Prophet miraculously passed through the heavenshe came to the last heaven where Gabriel would not go forth anymore. SO the Prophet entered

the Presence of Allah. Once in his presence he couldnt say Asalamu a3laykoum because Allah isthe Salam so instead he said At-Tahiy-yatu lil-lahi was-salawatu wat-tay yibatu meaning All

compliments, all physical prayer , and all monetary worship are for Allah.

Then Allah replied Asalamu a3layka ayuhal nabi wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh, meaning : Peacebe upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be on us and on all righteous

slaves of Allah . Then the Prophet replied As salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadil-la his-saliheen whichmeans Peace be on us and on all righteous slaves of Allah . Upon hearing this Jibreel was blown

away by the conversation between Allahs beloved Prophet and Allah and Proclaimed : Ash hadu alla ilaha illal lahu, wa ash hadu an-na Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh. I bear witness that no

one is worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is hisslave and Messenger.

When you make this tashahud, then always remember of the beauty of that night that the Prophet

came to Allah and had this magnificent conversation.

When you say the second part of it in either in your second raka in fajr prayer or fourth raka induhur asr and isha prayer or third raka in maghrib prayer you then finish off with saying


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Allah humma sal-li 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aali Muhammadin, Kama sal-layta 'ala Ibraheema wa

'ala aali ibraheema innaka hameedum majeed, wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala aaliMuhammadin, Kama barakta 'ala Ibraheema wa 'ala aali ibraheema innaka hameedum majeed.

Meaning : O Allah, send Grace and Honour on Muhammad (peace be upon him) and on the family

and true followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) just as you sent Grace and Honour onIbrahim (peace be upon him) and on the family and true followers of Ibrahim (peace be upon

him). Surely, you are praiseworthy, The Great . O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad (peace be

upon him) and on the family and true followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) just as yousent blessings on Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and on the family and true followers of Ibrahim(peace be upon him). Surely, you are praiseworthy, The Great .

Please when you say this then remember Muhammad and Ibrahim and Allah the way they shouldbe remembered for if you dont its a mere utterance of the lips and not really what Allah wants to

see in your prayer

Allah says in the Quran in Surat Al Haj verse 37 It is not their flesh nor their blood that

reaches God : it is your devotion that reaches him.Neither your movements nor your sayings are what reach Allah rather it is what is in your heart as

u give to Allah.Upon finishing the tashahud one may make a small dua but this is between you and your Lord.

Once the prayer has been completed you say Asalamu A3laykoum wa rahmat Allah to the angelon your right shoulder and then the Angel on your left shoulder. Why do we do this? Obviously as

a sign of respect to those two angels that one was recording the great deed of prayer you just

performed and to the other which was erasing sins you may have performed. Also some say thatit is a type of acknowledgement that you are leaving the Presence of Allah and entering back into

the Dunya so you bid farewell to your two companions by making salams.

This is the way in which a Muslim should pray and remember their Lord. Imagine all hearts were

as active as this? Where would the ummah be now?

To the Prophet (pbbuh) he ha no dearer thing to him than prayer. He used to tell Bilal the Mu-adthen, the caller to Prayer Let us find comfort in Prayer Bilal.

I was reflecting a little on the meaning of this and realized something about myself. I work in abusy environment in the City. Noise, people, rushing and worldly things are in my face the wholeday. It gets to a point where I cant wait to close the shop doors go to the back make wudduh

slowly and feel the cold water on my skin. Its something I really look forward to, but it doesntreally hit me until I'm about to begin my prayer. For those 5 minutes I feel the world came to a

standstill and being in the Presence of Allah I am at total peace for once throughout the day.Totally comfortable as the Prophet says.

That prayer is so dear to me because I really feel the presence of Allah.

But then I thought to myself, why shouldnt I feel this all the time regardless of prayer and then

my prayer might become even deeper. As

Muslims prayer shouldnt be the only time we remember Allah deeply rather it should be as thegreat sahaba were. Where one had to put rocks under his tongue before entering the toiletfacilities because remembrance of Allah was on his tongue so much.

Ibn Masud had a friend by Al Rabi ibn khaytham. Rabi was a man with so much humility towards

Allah that he barely raised his eyes in his whole lifetime. His head was always lowered in shameand humility. Ibn Masuds maid would often say upon Rabis knocking at the door, Your blind

friend is here, to which Ibn Masud would roar in laughter.One day they were walking together and walked past a blacksmith. Upon setting eyes on the

crackling fire at the blacksmith workplace Rabi fainted and failed to get up. So ibn Maud carriedhim home. But Rabi didnt come to conciousness until a whole day later. This is the amount of fear


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of the fire this humble man had. This is how much he remembered Allah.

Then you also have the sahaba who had a gangrous Leg. The Sahaba knew they had to amputateit yet they didnt know how they would do it. So the Wife made a suggestion of removing it in his

prayer since he gets so involved in his prayer he sees nothing else but Allah. So they waited for

him to pray and then cut of his leg without a single flinch from the man.Let Us also not forget The hadith Qudsi where Allah says, Whoever loves to meet me I love to

meet him.

Prayer is a meeting with your Lord its a relationship you develop so concentrate on it.It is said that Rabia el adawiya could be heard calling out through the nights ya Habibi ya houbiand calling him by all these beautiful names. The people thought she was calling out to her lover

but were then told that she was conversing to none other than her Lord. Her beloved was Allahand therefore one should reflect on Allahs words to Muhammad where he tells him in another

Hadith Qudsi that we will be reunited with ones we love. Make Allah your Beloved.Remember Also the Prophet Ibrahims heart throbbing could be heard two miles away when it

came time to pray.When Allah sent The angel of Death to take Ibrahims soul, Ibrahim was frightened and said to the

Angel of death, I have never heard of a friend take another friends soul. So the Angel went backto Allah and told him so. Then Allah told the Angel to tell Ibrahim that he has never known of a

friend that didnt want to meet with another friend. Upon which Ibrahim said in that case take mysoul!

This is how much we should want to meet with Allah both in the hereafter and in this life.This has been a very summarized talk on the forgotten aspects of Prayer. The deeper spiritual

aspects. May Allah remove the act of heedlessness from our hearts and allow his remembrance topenetrate into our every limb.

Allah says and perform the prayer in REMEMBERANCE OF ME!Surat taha verse 14

Allah Also says Do not be one of those who are neglectfulSurat Al araf verse205

Whatever that I've said that is correct is from Allah and what ever Ive said that is incorrect isfrom myself and may Allah forgive me and not hold me account.

Wesam Eldahabi

Asalamu a3laykoum

the forgotten aspects of prayer

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