Understanding Salat — Page 17
Qiyam 17 would not have carried the same grandeur that comes with the words, ‘the heavens and the earth. ’ When we recite the words ‘the heavens and the earth’ ( َ مٰوٰت ِ وَالَۡرۡض َّ اَلس ), the vastness of the galaxies that Allah Almighty created comes to mind, and our insignificance as just one tiny creation in all of it evokes a unique feeling of smallness. The greatness of Allah as The Creator is expressed here not only in concept but in a way that inspires awe. With the words ‘the heavens and the earth’ ( َ مٰوٰت ِ وَالَۡرۡض َّ اَلس ), everything that exists that could distract us away from Allah is connected back to Allah Almighty. In fact, all of creation is there to remind us of its Creator. Explaining how insight is needed to see The Creator in the creation, Hadrat Mu s le h Mau‘ ū d ra said, In reality, knowledge of the being of God is an encom- passing knowledge and comes after knowledge and understanding of other things. Some things are vis- ible in themselves, and by seeing them, we become aware of them. For example, if we put our finger in front of an infant, he will just think that an object has come in front of him. He isn’t aware that the finger is connected to a hand, and that hand is connected to an arm, and that arm is connected to a shoulder. That shoulder is connected to a head through a neck, and in that head is a mind, and that mind instructed all Link between all of creation and its Creator