You propose to the maidens of Paradise while playing with pebbles!' It is related that al-Hasan noticed a man playing with pebbles as he prayed: 'O God, marry me to the maidens of Paradise!.' Al-Hasan said 'A poor suitor you are. God's Messenger once saw a man playing with his beard during the Prayer, so he said: 'If this man's heart was submissive, every part of his body would also act with humility.' (al-Tirmidi - daif)
When Said al-Tanukhi (Muslim jurist 776/854 CE) was praying, tears used to flow incessantly down his cheeks and onto his beard. It is said that when Abraham, God's special friend, got up to pray, the throbbing of his heart could be heard from a distance.
'God has no regard for a Prayer in which a man's heart is not present as well as his body.' 'God's Mes senger would talk to us and we to him, but when it was time for Prayer it seemed as though he did not know us, nor we him.' (Azdi - mursal) This was because they were completely in awe of God the most Great and Glorious. There you are! You have entered your Lord's presence without permission and may now speak to Him without an interpreter.' 'You do your ablution correctly and enter your prayer-niche. When someone asked him how this could be he said: 'O believers, if you wish to enter the presence of your Lord without permission, and to speak with Him without an interpreter, you have only to enter!' Since Prayer is intimate communion, how can it go with heedlessness? Bakr ibn Abdullah said: Prophet Muhammad reminds us: 'If a man's Prayer does not deter him from indecency and mischief, he gains nothing from God but remoteness.' (al-Tabarani) 'Be aware of God, and know that you are going to meet Him.' 'Be aware of God, for it is God who teaches you.' 'O Man, you labor towards your Lord laboriously, and you shall meet Him.' saying farewell to himself, to his passions and to his life, before setting off on the journey to his Lord.Īgain God Almighty reminds us in the Quran: This advice was given to someone by the Prophet, on him be peace: 'When you pray, pray like a person who is saying farewell,' (Ibn Maja/al-Hakim/al-Baihaqi) i.e. If your heart is devoid of awe and reverence for the One Remembered, who is the aim and the goal, what is your remembrance worth?' (Abu Daud/al-Tirmidi) 'Ritual Prayer was made obligatory, Pilgrimage and circumambulation were ordained, and the rites of sacrifice were instituted, all for the purpose of ensuring remembrance of God, Exalted is He. I accept the Prayers of none but those who are humble before My Majesty, who are not arrogant towards My servants, and who feed the poor and hungry for My sake.'
In the earlier scriptures, we find these words attributed to God, Glorified is He: 'I do not accept the Prayers of everyone who prays. 'Prayer is nothing but submissiveness, humility, supplication, sighing and remorse, holding out your hands and saying: "O God! O God!" Otherwise it is fruitless.' (al-Tirmidi/al-Nasai) ' If a man performs two cycles of Prayer without the distraction of any worldly thought, all his previous sins will be forgiven.' (al-Bukhari/Muslim)
Many are those who pray without having drunk wine, yet do not know what they are saying in their Prayers! Some say that ' intoxicated' means inebriated by many anxieties, while others say it means drunk on the love of this world According to Wahb, the meaning is obviously a caution against worldly attachment, since the words ' until you know what you are saying' explain the underlying reason. 'Do not approach the Prayer when you are intoxicated, until you know what you are saying.' 'Do not be one of those who are neglectful.' 'And perform the Prayer in remembrance of Me.' In an environment with increasing distractions how do we make our prayers more beneficial for our selves? Following is an excerpt from "Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship", a compilation of Imam Ghazali's works that can inspire us to develop humility and become closer to God through prayer.