Understanding Salat — Page 103
Ruku’ 103 we say that only He can remove our imperfections, only He can make us worthy of being His servant. Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh IV rta said, When we say “my Lord,” it becomes a hope, not just a responsibility. It is a prayer to a Being who helps us. Holy is my Lord ( ى ِّ سُبْحَان َ رَب ), my Lord is free of every imperfection, and thankfully He is my Lord, and He is the one Who reforms me. ( Tadr ī s Nam ā z , pp. 35-36) With the words “my Lord” ( ى ِّ رَب ), we address Allah Almighty in a uniquely personal way that we have not yet used in S al ā t. Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh IV rta explained that when we addressed Allah Almighty as “Lord of all the worlds” ( ِّ َ رَب ۡن ي ِ الۡعٰلَم ) in S ū ratul F ā ti h ah, we referred to Him in the third person. We have not yet expressed a personal connection with Him because so far, He is the Lord of not just “me” but of all creation. In the words “you alone do we worship and you alone do we implore for help,” we address Allah Almighty in the second person, and a personal connection is expressed. However, since we speak in the plural and say “we worship,” the expression is collective and not as personal as “me. ” In the words of Than ā ’ when we said “holy are you O Allah,” we addressed Allah Almighty in the second person as well, but we have not yet referred to Him as “my” Allah. We are not worthy of calling Allah as “my” Allah so long as From “our Lord” to “my Lord”