Understanding Salat — Page 116
Understanding S al A t 116 that no matter how perfect our words may be, they are only words. They do not carry weight until they are supported by a spirit that moves us to action. Allah hears all of our praise, but he does not accept all of it. The words ‘Allah hears’ after Ruk ū ‘ have the meaning of acceptance. ‘ ُ سَمِعَه also means, he accepted it, answered it. ُ سَمِع َ هللا ُ لِمَن ْ حَمِدَه God has accepted the praise of him who has praised Him. ’ ( Dictionary of the Holy Quran, pp. 410) It is a great glad tiding to be told that Allah has accepted our praise, but it has to be earned. When we put our praise into action by bowing down before Allah in obedience, and when the praise of Allah leads us to happily cut off every worldly sup- port and lean on Allah alone, then is the praise of our Ruk ū ‘ exalted to the point of acceptance. Now we rise from Ruk ū ‘ having attained something we did not have before. Our words are only exalted by the action of lowering ourselves in Ruk ū ‘. In commentary of 35:11 of the Holy Quran, Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh IV rta said, “Unto Him ascend good words, and righteous con- duct exalts them. ” (35:11) No matter how good and pure our words appear, if righteous conduct is not working behind it like a motor that keeps lifting it, it is impossible that those words be acceptable to Allah. In a very beautiful way, it has been explained that mere words will not be of any use, it is righteous