A Letter to a Dear One — Page 72
72 Letter to a Dear One from this court is thus accountable for that. An obligatory sal ā t is, as it were, attendance of the court. One should wait for the time of sal ā t , and when the time arrives, should prepare for the ‘attendance to the court’ with ardor and fervor—make one’s ablutions, have clean clothes on and in keeping with the etiquette of the court, present oneself on time and with full respect. One should stay present until a leave is granted, making all one’s pleas; take advantage of this chance of tête-à-tête and try and attain Divine nearness. Once a leave is granted, then attend to one’s other businesses, however, one should keep one’s mind afresh with the pleasure of the attendance one has just had and anticipate the next such attendance with fervor and zeal. In this way, remembrance of Allah continues in between sal ā t times. As © a ñ rat Khal ī fatul-Mas ī h II said: Inculcate the practice of remembering Him, for it is not possible To have the beloved’s adoration in the heart and not utter his name! One should reflect on the Divine attributes, and repeatedly remember His favors. The Holy Qur’ ā n should be read in the early morning and it should be reflected upon. When there is a chance, one should pray to Allah. If sal ā t is like attending a court on a regulated time, then praying to God, compared to sal ā t, is like knocking on Allah’s door in between those ‘attendance’ times, to plead and to supplicate. Allah says that He is always near His servants and listens to them at all times. If one starts one’s day in such a manner and spends and finishes the day likewise, and indeed during the night remembers Allah, and offers optional sal ā t in the late hours then one’s whole life, as if, becomes a continuous worship. In actual fact this is how a true believer’s life should be. May Allah grant us such a life. Ā m ī n. Let’s talk about how to prepare for sal ā t. The first part of this preparation is the apparent cleanliness. One should try and have clean clothes on. In the eyes of Allah everyone is equal, and only those are honored most whose hearts are filled with the love of God. When attending Allah’s ‘court,’ there is no ostentatious formality; however, a few rules need to be observed, and among them the first factor is that of cleanliness. Along with the cleanliness of one’s attire, one should pay attention to keeping one’s body clean. The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) laid great emphasis on oral hygiene. He said that had