Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 78
78 'O Men! worship Me, so that I may favour you with My meeting, and render thanks for My fa- vours and be not ungrateful. ' 40 This shows that the object of worship is to ren- der thanks and to seek spiritual development. At another place it is said: ' S al a t saves a man from indecency and evil. ' 41 The Holy Prophet sa was once asked why he was so constant in his prayers and he replied, 'Should I not be a grateful servant of the Lord?' Again the Holy Quran says concerning S al a t : 'Verily hearts are comforted through prayer. ' 42 Through S al a t one attains to the certainty of knowledge which dispels all doubt. Hence S al a t is a means of spiritual progress just as there are means for the attainment of different objects in the material world. In short, the institution of S al a t is based on pro- found truths and combines so many excellences that no other religion is in a position to claim the like of them for the acts of worship prescribed by it. It satisfies the objects of worship in every respect and is the only means of attaining righteousness. Those who imagine that they can do without external acts of worship labour under a grievous error. Who can believe that while 40 Al-Baqarah, 2:153 41 Al-‘Ankab u t, 29:46 42 Al-Ra‘d, 13:29