Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 22
22 the ‘Ish a Prayer which is offered after the twilight has faded away. Thus, not only different periods of the day but the two ends of the night, too, are dedicated to the glorification and worship of God and for prayers addressed to Him. The object of Prayer is to establish personal communion with God, keep His remembrance ever- fresh in the heart and cleanse one’s inner self of all evil and evil inclinations and seek His aid in all difficulties. According to another saying of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him), perfect Prayer is one during which the worshipper has the immediate and sure feeling that he is seeing God or, at least, that God is seeing him. The timings of Prayers, too, are a subtle hint about the various periods of human life. It is not without purpose, therefore, that the intervals between Prayers are shortened during the latter part of the day when the darkness of night is drawing near. The idea is to remind us that, with the increase in age, the pace of preparation for the next world should be accelerated. Salat is the kind of worship which in reality is the very soul of spiritual life, and therefore, it has been termed the mi‘r a j [the acme of spiritual exaltation] of the faithful. The extent of the Holy Prophet’s (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) attachment to and enjoyment of Prayer is shown by the following words of his: “The coolness [delight]of my eyes lies in Prayer”. 2. The second item of practical worship enjoined by Islam, is Zakat, which means “purification of property and increase of