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Prayer

 

This concept of science is so common now that even if a student of early years is asked, he will at once reply: Everything, each action, each trait, even the sound of our voice, and each word uttered by our tongue, remain afloat, in the form of waves in the environment.

 

If we are somehow able to increase the wavelength of sound above 1600 or decrease it below 400, we will be able to listen to the voices of our ancestors who passed away hundreds of thousands of years ago, and will be able to convey our desires and wishes to them.

 

Prayers is also a desire and a wish. Its aim is to reach that Holy and Greatest being who holds the reins of everything. He is Omnipotent — He can, whenever He wishes, and however He can, whenever alter the system of operation of this universe. Some 1400 years ago, when Muslims were famous for the greatness of this universe. Some of their character, devotees of Islam were gaining dominance over the world of non-believing oppressors. Such was their awe and majesty that the guards of Bait-al-Magdis ['The Dome of the Rock] presented to them the keys of the Holy House of Allah, on their own accord. Then a time came when this nation which once stood strong as an indestructible wall, fragmented into different sects. The purity in the character of the Muslims eclipsed and the Muslims began to recoil. 'They recoiled so much that the fabric of their organization disintegrated.

 

From the time we gained awareness of life, as far back as we can remember, our eyes and ears have witnessed only one thing, whether it be in mosques, or personal gatherings, or on pulpits, or in crowds of hundreds of thousands, a single prayer is being repeated that, 'O, Allah give us victory over the enemy!' Another thing which we have heard since childhood is that, 'Oppressors are maghdhoob ['under wrath of Allah']; they will never be able to rule.' This is the commentary usually presented for:

 

[' ...those who have not incurred Thy displeasure,

And those who have not gone astray.'] [The Holy Quran, Chapter 1: verse 07]

 

Friends, what a travesty it is that strangers are constantly trampling our identity by means of violence, cruelty and injustice, while we are moving along a path of constant degradation and turning into the living image of the verse:

 

['Then, if he does evil deeds, we degrade him as the lowest of the low.']

[Holy Quran, Chapter 95: verse 05]

 

Miles away from practice, we have made mere verbal utterance of prayer our sole means of support and reliance.

 

Just as sounds are left echoing in the environment, prayer unaccompanied by action, character, and sincerity, is also unable to escape the confines of this earth. According to the laws of Allah the Exalted, only that prayer is given acceptance in His court which is congruent with continuous and unending actions of the supplicant. The pure and holy life of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stands before us. The reason for the creation of the universe, the beloved Prophet of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not teach us mere verbal calculations. He presented the elevated and exalted model of life with continuous action and struggle. We are ever ready to make verbal claims, but when it comes time for action, we air as good as thorns on a plant, not its fruits and flowers. Who does not know that lying, nepotism, unlawful hoarding, backbiting, causing disputes to break relationships, looking down on others, and surrendering to the enticements of material gain in one's life, all result in agonizing misery. Yet we are running towards this hell. The heavenly caller is beckoning us, warning that the direction we are headed leads to hardship, but alas, even though we know and understand everything, we have turned our lives into a hell.

 

The divine guide, the king of prophets, the all- merciful, benefactor of humanity, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had told of a person who after completing a long journey, reaches for the pilgrimage of holy places. Wrapped in layers of dust and dirt, he raises both his hands towards the heavens and says:

 

'0, my Lord!"0, my Lord!'

 

Even though his food is haraam ['forbidden' or 'acquired by forbidden means'], his drink is haraam, his clothes are haraam, and it was with haraam means that his body became nourished and grew, so how can the prayer of such a person he accepted?

 

In today's society, the way we earn a living, our style of living, our standard of living, and our words and deeds are all too clearly at great discrepancy with the life of the Prophet of Allah”. 


Journey Towards Insight

KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI

Science has made immense progress, yet many believe that, even with all of the modern tools at our disposal, human beings function at no more than 10% of their mental capacity. This leads to the question of what exactly it is that comprises the remaining 90%. Yet another question that arises is this: If it has taken man four and a half billion years to be able to apply only 10% of his ability, how long will it take for him to make use of the remaining 90%?