The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 96
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 96 Then, in a Ḥadīth, the Holy Prophet sa states: ِ اَلدُّعَاء ُ مُخ ُّ الْعِبَادَة “Prayer is to worship as marrow is to the bone, which is as if the essence of the bone. ” 1 Hence, worship which does not contain the element of prayer is nothing more than a dead corpse. The Prayer of a Believer can Even Alter Divine Decree The Holy Prophet sa states: ُ لَا یَرُد ُّ الْقَضَاء َ اِلَّا الدُّعَاء “O Ye People! Listen hither! Prayer possesses such power that it can even change Divine destiny and decree. In other words, under the normal law and decree, if a person or people are to receive an affliction, with prayer, by His special command, Allāh the Exalted can hold back this affliction. ” 2 At this point, those people who consider prayer to be merely worship, should reflect. Three Probable Cases of the Acceptance of Prayer Then, the Holy Prophet sa states: َأعْطَاه ُ اللَّه ُ بِهَا اِحْدَى ا مَا مِن ْ مُسْلِم ٍ يَدْعُو بِدَعْوَة ٍ لَيْس َ فِيهَا اِثْم ٌ وَلَا قَطِيعَة ُ رَحِم ٍ اِلَّا ْ َأن ْ يَصْرِف َ عَنْه ُ مِن ا خِرَة ِ وَاِمَّا ٓ ا ْ َأن ْ يَدَّخِرَهَا لَه ُ فِي ال ا َأن ْ تُعَجَّل َ لَه ُ دَعْوَتُه ُ وَاِمَّا ا ثَلَاث ٍ اِمَّا ُ السُّوء ِ مِثْلَهَا قَالُوا اِذًا نُكْثِر ُ قَال َ اللَّه ُ اَكْثَر 1 Sunanut-Tirmidhī, Kitābud-Da‘awāt, Ḥadīth No 3371 2 Sunanut-Tirmidhī, Kitābul-Qadr, Bābu Mā Jā’a Lā Yaruddul-Qadara Illad-Du‘ā’u, Ḥadīth No 2139