Understanding Salat — Page 155
Jilsah 155 place of “holy is my Lord, the Most Great” ( َ ى ِّ ُ سُبْحَان َ رَب الْعَظِيْم ), and “Merciful” ( ۡم ي رَحِ ) stands in the place of “holy is my Lord, the Most High” ( َعْلَى ى َ الْأ ِّ سُبْحَان َ رَب ). ( Khu t b ā te Mahm u d, vol. 39, pp. 283, Dec 5, 1958) ‘The Gracious’ ( ُ حۡمٰن َّ اَلر ) embraces all forms of life, but it does not take them to spiritual heights. ‘The Merciful’ ( ُ ۡم ي حِ َّ اَلر ) applies to only one form of life and, within that, to a small number of people. But it carries those few to limitless spiritual heights. These are the two broad applications of the mercy of Allah. These two applications of the mercy of Allah are connected with the two applications of the power of Allah mentioned in ‘the Most Great’ ( ُ اَلْعَظِيْم ) and ‘the Most High’ ( َعْلَى ْأ اَل ). When we think about how everything in the world is a manifestation of the power of ‘the Most Great’ ( ُ اَلْعَظِيْم ), it is fitting to also reflect on how everything in the world is a descent of His mercy through ‘the Gracious’ ( حۡمٰنُ َّ اَلر ). When we think about how ‘the Most High’ ( َعْلَى اَلْأ ) is lofty beyond our comprehension, it is fitting to also reflect on the unimaginable spiritual heights that Allah’s mercy can take us to through ‘the Merciful’ ( ُ ۡم ي حِ َّ اَلر ). Our understanding of the power of Allah gives us insight to the mercy of Allah, and vice versa. When we say ‘have mercy on me’ ( ْ ارْحَمْنِي ) between our prostrations, we should have in our mind those heights of ‘the Merciful’ ( ُ ۡم ي ِ ح َّ اَلر ) that are shown to us through ‘the Most High’ ( َعْلَى ْأ اَل ). When we see the sky, a childlike curiosity in us