Salat is an illumination Saturday, 06 August 2011 02:40

By Ramzi Al Saeed

A Muslim who complies with the call of Almighty Allah knows rightly that he was created in this world only to worship Him, and therefore he feels the pleasure of intimate discourse when praying humbly to his Lord, he knows surely with no doubt that the prayer leads him to a state of communion with his Lord.

Prayer in Islam, is worship of Allah the Almighty, Praising and Thanking Him, acknowledging His Sovereignty and committing oneself to obey and remember Him at all times. It is the central part of a way of life, which is based on submission to the Owner of all.

We are in the centre of a halo of light created by Allah in this holy month. This is the month of fasting, the holy Quran and prayer, so the month of Ramadan becomes the holy month filled with the light of the fast and the light of Quran and the light of prayer: so the prayer is a link between the human being and his Lord. Allah leaves positive effects in the soul of Muslim that distinguishes him from others, and prayer stops him from atrocity and evil, and familiarizes him with discipline and perfection. It is a gift of Allah for His creation, and His generosity to them that He organized and imposed on them five prayers during the day and night to establish the link with Him, and urged them to perform prayers more than is required in the night and day, so they can be close to Him by performing them, which are the ways to protect themselves from dangers and they are ships of safety and success that carry them to the safe place. Allah is pointing out this in the Holy Hadith through His prophet’s tongue, peace be upon him, that “there is nothing more beloved to Me then what I imposed on them, and My servant (the human) continues to approach Me with supererogatory performances until I love him, then when I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears and his foot with which he walks and if he asks me I give him and if he seeks refuge with Me, I protect him.

As the greatness of Islam, it manifests itself as a practical, realistic and dynamic religion, so it shows a Muslim as a perfect man, as he helps others and goes up with Islam. Islam refines his behaviour and changes his habits, according to what a Muslim meets of the religious or secular attitudes through the acts of worship imposed by Allah. Islam is the religion that does not neglect any position or attitude that can be a useful source of development. This is the religion that makes acts of worship a key factor in raising self-sponsorship, purifying, repairing and refining it.

Prayer is also an educational tool and has the greatest positive effects, and refines and repairs the soul of human being and changes their behavior, more than other worships, and all these things are due to its good dignity in souls and longing in hearts, and the eagerness and affection that squeezes hearts of the faithful people. The splendor of this religion is that it made prayer and fasting an integrated training method for the refinement of the soul and body. It is the virtue of human being that he strips his heart of all temptations and passions, and undertakes the worship completely as required by Shariah relating his heart to the love of his Lord, Allah, and His obedience, so lives of the faithful people are never in conflict between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance.

The Muslim must seek to remember Allah at all times. He must be mindful that everything he is, everything he does, everything he knows and understands, is due to the Mercy of Allah. In acknowledging this, he remembers the fact that death lies in wait and he does not know when he will depart from this worldly life.

The Muslim realizes that the Angel of death could be behind him at any time, that Jannah (Paradise) lies on his right and the fire of hell is on his left. The truth of his actions and their consequences are unknown to him and as he prayers, his heart is moved by sincere intent to strive harder, work more, study more, forgive more and share more.

The Peninsula