Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 72
! ! 72 practices which Muslims follow , but they refused one command, and they were treated as disbelievers. This [incident] highlights the significance of Zakat. Of course, a ny jewelry regularly worn is exempt from Zakat. Allah has provided many means through which people can build a relationship with Him, yet doubts continue to surface in people’s minds. Prayer is a means of saving oneself f rom such doubts. The example of prayer is like that of a treasure trove which one discovers, that has the ability to fulfill all your desires at any time. There is an old folk tale which relates the story of a giant, who gave a boy a ce r tain token , which fulfilled all his wishe s. Ye t , this is just a fable. Certainly, there does exist such a treasure which will fulfill all your wishes if you choose to dip your hand inside. That treasure is God Almighty and the door to o btaining it is P rayer. It is possible to acquire everything through prayer. Prayer is a mighty tool which even wind and water cannot halt. W e have witnessed these phenomen a with our own eyes. The Acceptan ce o f Prayer Once a person wrote to me that he had been trying to get married for the last six years, but to no avail. He asked me to pray for him. I prayed for him and was told that the prayer was accepted. I wrote to him [of this] and he replied that the moment he received my le tter, a wealthy man from the area arrived at his home and proposed the marriage of his daughter. This shows that God listens to prayers in such a manner , that those people who know not of such things , are dumbfounded. If we need provisions, God is the Provider. If we hope that our faults remain hidden , then God’s name is Satta a r [ the O ne who C overs ]. If we need honor, one of God’s names is Al - Mu ’i zz [ the Bestower of Honor ]. Ther e is nothing in this world which can not be found in God ’s attributes. Since all worthy attributes belong to God, we should pray to Him by invoking the attribute which corresponds to our need. Now , I shall present some methods for acceptance of prayer. 1. A person whose income is earned unlawful ly will not have his prayers accepted. Therefore, one should always maintain an honest occupation.