Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 104
104 Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Conditions for the Acceptance of Prayer sup- However, pay heed with an attentive heart that there are certain preconditions for the acceptance of prayer. Some of them relate to the person making the: plication and some relate to the person for whom supplication is made. It is nec- essary for a person who solicits someone else to pray for them to first fear Allah Almighty themselves; such people must remain in awe of God's Being as He is the Independent and Besought of all; they must make peaceful relations and worship of God a practice of life; they must please Allah with righteousness and piety. When this is the case, the gate of the acceptance of prayer is opened to such a one. If a person displeases God Almighty, ruins his relationship with Him and wars with Him, his mischief and evil deeds become an obstruction or a mountain that stands in the way of prayer. As a result, the door of acceptance is closed to such a person. Save Our Prayers from Being Wasted Hence, our friends must save our prayers from going in vain and must not al- low for their path to be obstructed by any barrier that may be erected as a result of their own unacceptable actions. They ought to adopt a way of righteousness because it is righteousness alone that sums up the shariah. If one were to briefly describe what 'shariah' means, it could be said that its essence is righteousness. There are many ranks and levels of righteousness. However, if a seeker faithfully traverses the elementary ranks and levels of piety with steadfastness and sincerity, they ultimately attain the highest grades due to their virtue and desire to seek the truth. Allah the Exalted states: إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ That is to say, Allah Almighty accepts the prayers of those who are righteous. This is a divine promise and God never fails in His promise. In this context, He states: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيْعَادَ Surely, Allah fails not in His promise. Righteousness is a necessary precondition for the acceptance of prayer. Now al-Ma'idah, 5:28 ar-Ra'd, 13:32