Understanding Salat — Page 124
Understanding S al A t 124 When the disbelievers threw Hadrat Ibrāhīm as into the fire, the angels came to him and asked him if he needed anything. He replied, “Yes I am in need, but I am in no need of putting my needs before you. ” The angels said, “Then at least pray to God Almighty. ” Hadrat Ibrāhīm as replied, “He is so aware of my con- dition that I am in no need of asking. ” ( Malf uzā t (10 volume edition), vol. 2, pp. 209-210) The reality of every prayer is not in its words but in its sen- timent. The words are optional; they are only an attempt to convey the sentiment of that prayer. When we say the words ‘Our Lord!’ ( نَا َّ رَب ) after coming up from Ruk ū ‘ , we should ask ourselves what our sentiment is. We stand before our Lord and present our condition to Him. When we say ‘Our Lord!’ ( نَا َّ رَب ), we use our condition as the words of our prayer. It is our state that begs our Lord for His mercy, not our words. Summarizing this sentiment, Hadrat Nawāb Mubārakah Begum ra wrote in a couplet, ‘What prayer can I ask, I am an embodied prayer. I am not a person who prays, from head to toe I am a prayer. ’ ( Durre ‘Adan, pp. 86) The same use of ‘Our Lord!’ ( نَا َّ رَب ) is also found in one of the prayers we offer at the end of S al ā t , My Lord, make me observe Prayer, and my children too. Our Lord! and accept my prayer. (14:41)