Malfuzat - Volume VIII — Page 413
Undated 413 is arrested in a frightening case and a verdict for imprisonment or execution is about to be issued for him. What is the condition of such a person in front of the ruler? One should stand before Allah the Exalted with such a fear- ful heart. The Prayer in which the heart is somewhere and the thoughts are somewhere else, and the mouth is uttering some- thing else altogether, is a curse thrown back upon a person’s face and is not accepted. God Almighty says: 1 ٌلْيَوَف َنْيِّلَصُمْلِّل۰۰۠ َنْيِذَّلا ْمُه ْنَع ْمِهِتاَلَص َنْوُهاَس۰۰ ٌلْيَوَف َنْيِّلَصُمْلِّل۰۰۠ َنْيِذَّلا ْمُه ْنَع ْمِهِتاَلَص َنْوُهاَس۰۰ Cursed are those who are ignorant of the reality of their Prayers. The real Prayer is that in which one experiences joy. It is only through such Prayer that hatred of sin is generated, and this is the Prayer that has been praised as the believer’s mi‘r a j [spiritual ascension]. Prayer is a means of progress for the believer. 2 َّنِا ِتٰنَسَحْلا َنْبِهْذُي ِتٰاِّيَّسلا َّنِا ِتٰنَسَحْلا َنْبِهْذُي ِتٰاِّيَّسلا Good deeds drive away bad deeds. Look! If a person keeps begging, even from a miser, he will also give something at one time or another and show mercy. God Almighty Himself com- mands: Ask Me, and I will give to you. Whenever there was a need for supplication for some matter, the method of the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was that he would perform ablution and stand in Prayer and supplicate within the Prayer. In the matter of prayer, Jesus as has given a good example. He says there was a judge who did not discharge his duty of dispensing justice at all and was busy, day and night, living his 1. S u rah al-M a‘u n, 107:5–6 [Publisher} 2. S u rah H u d, 11:115 [Publisher]