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FROM time immemorial, humankind has felt the urge to pray to its Creator. Prayer has taken several forms, such as worship of the Almighty, expression of subservience, praying for deliverance from hardships and asking for His blessings.
The rituals of prayer have been established and historical evidence shows that prostration, bowing and clasping of the hands were the most commonly used forms.
Prayer and its timings have been a core element of all religions. The prayer of the Jews and the Christians is mentioned in the Bible.
When Hazrat Ibrahim set up his son, Hazrat Ismail, in a place near Makkah, he prayed: “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer. ...” (14:37). All prophets have prayed and called their people to prayer. The Quran mentions prayer frequently.
Prayer becomes for the soul what food is for the human body.
Since the revelation of the Quran, Surah-i-Fateha, which is said to be as valuable as one fourth of the Quran, was made compulsory. When prayer was made the most important tenet of Islam, it was no stranger to anyone, including the mushrikin, or polytheists.
Prayer in Islam is meant to offer several gains to humankind. Prayer rids one of depression, anxiety, irritation and insecurity, in fact, all the negative emotions.
This means developing a peaceful inner self, one that is able to deal with one’s own problems and the external world with tranquillity. A Muslim is in complete submission to the Creator while in prayer.
The prayer connects one directly with God and should create feelings of connectedness too, with His other creations. This, in turn, should produce piety and purification of the soul, aversion to lewd acts, wrong temptations and a strong sense of ethics and moral behaviour towards others.
In the holy Quran it is stated: “Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.” (29:45).
And, of course, it is a means of invoking Allah at times of pain and trouble: “O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient” (2:153).
Many people question the need for such prayers, suggesting that silent meditation would be much more useful in developing links with God: why the five daily prayers; why the rituals and some of the words to be spoken in Arabic?
The answer lies in logic and reasoning. The times coincide with movements within the universe: at dawn; midday; early evening; dusk and when the night falls. Each of these implies a certain type of activity for humans, during which the latter must spend time in remembering God.
The rituals are simple but effective forms of worship implying submission and the giving up of one’s ego to one’s Creator and Master.
They are also a great unifying factor: wherever Muslims live, they pray in the same form, with minor differences.
The verses from the Quran, too, create this uniformity and emphasise the significance of the book in prayer.
The rest of the prayer may be performed in one’s own language. The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you” (Bukhari; Muslim).
Although formal prayer is five times daily, both the Quran and ahadith are replete with supplications for almost every occasion of one’s life. Praying to God does not need a specific event to occur. One can pray while sitting, standing, walking, driving, in any language.
The Muslim prayer — if performed with devotion and continuity — becomes for the soul what food is for the human body. One feels an urge for the prayer time to come and gives attention and love to its preparation through performing ablutions. The latter is symbolic of both the physical and spiritual cleanliness that is required when appearing before Him. Prayer is the only form of worship for which there is no alternative.
God answers all prayers performed with sincerity and devotion, but the timings and format of the answer could be different. Sometimes, the answer is kept in abeyance, to be addressed in the next life.
Even if one feels one’s calls to the Almighty are going unaddressed, one should continue to pray, increasing supplications and concentration and by improving one’s deeds in life.
It is only by depth, continuity and focus that the power of prayer may be unleashed.
The writer is a freelance contributor with an interest in religion.
Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2016
