Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 69
! ! 69 before someone, standing or bowing before someone with folded hands, prostrating or kneeling before someone. These are considered gestures of homage among all nations. If we perform the se same gestures of homage be for e others, how will we pay homage to God? As God is the most supreme , the respect towards Him should be the greatest. Thus, e ach of these postures of respect should be reserved exclusively for God. If we bow down or stand before someone with clasped hands , it is S hirk and an enormousl y sinful act. T he aforementioned behaviors express the utmost reverence and if performed be for e anyone other than God, it is S hirk and is forbidden. Therefore , all such acts are forbidden. The second type of S hirk is to attribute Divine powers to people. Examples of this sort of S hirk include believing that a certain person can heal the sick, lighting oil lamps at graves ites , or loving someone to a degree which should be reserved only for God. Observe Salāt Observe Salāt , for one who is not regular in offering Salāt cannot attain faith. Ha z rat Muhammad sa said, “God states , ‘ When a servant of mine seeks to approach Me w hile steadfastly observing Salāt , m y servant arrives so near to me , that I begin to love him. When I love him, I become his ears by which he hears, and his eyes with which he sees, and his hands with which he grasps, and his feet with which he walks. However he uses them, i t is as if it is done by Me , not by him. ’ ” Thus, Salāt is such an excellent d eed, which helps attain nearness to God. Whoever wishes to see God o n the Day of Judgment should never abandon Salāt and should offer it in congregation. Those women who are unable to offer [ Salāt ] in congregation, should supplicate with such concentration and fervor that it should be as though they are stand ing before God and He is observing them. Their full attention should be towards God. A Holy Person’s Story Once, a very pious elder began to read Salāt behind a certain Imam [ a person who lead s the prayers / leader ]. As the prayer began, i t occurred to the Imam that he c ould buy a bull with the two hundred