The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 211
Prayer 211 verdict of the Holy Qur'an is that prayer comprises a spirituality and that in consequence of prayer a grace descends which bestows the fruit of success in diverse forms. . Thus every just person can understand that as despite the admission of determination, it is the way of Allāh that in hundreds of matters effort and endeavour produce results, in the same way, the effort that is put forth in the form of prayer is not wasted. At one place in the Holy. Qur'an, God Almighty has appointed it as a sign of His recognition that He hears the supplication of distressed ones, as it is said: 61 آمن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرِّ إذا دعاه ) prayer. As God Almighty has appointed the acceptance of as a sign of His existence, how can any sensible person imagine that prayer does not result in visible signs of acceptance and that it is only a formal matter which has no spirituality in it? I consider that no one having true faith can be guilty of such disrespect. God, the Glorious, says that as by the contemplation of the creation of heaven and earth, the true God is recognized; in the same way, by observing the acceptance of prayer, faith in God. Almighty is created. Then if there is no spirituality in prayer and no obvious grace truly and in fact descends in consequence of prayer, how can prayer be such a means of the recognition of God Almighty as are heaven and earth and heavenly bodies? Indeed the Holy Qur'ān shows that the best means of the recognition of God is prayer and that it is only through prayer that the complete and perfect understanding of the existence of God and 61 'Or, Who answers the distressed person when he calls upon. Him?. Al-Naml, 27:63 [Publisher]