Understanding Salat — Page 164
Understanding S al A t 164 we will readily undergo whatever treatment is needed, no matter how painful it is. We don’t leave a broken bone as it is, we brace ourselves for what we know needs to be done. We don’t go to the doctor and say that we will only accept a treatment that does not involve pain. We go with a willing- ness to accept whatever he says. Similarly, when we go to our Lord seeking to save our spiritual life, we have to summon the courage to bear whatever treatment is needed. There is a science to spiritual illnesses. When we say ‘make good for me my shortcomings’ ( ْ اجْبُرْنِي ), we accept that reality, and we put ourselves in the hands of our Lord, ready for any pro- cedure that is needed to preserve our spiritual life. To ask this prayer requires great courage and trust. This prayer is between two prostrations, which are symbols of submission to Allah Almighty. It is fitting that the prayer of ‘make good for me my shortcomings’ ( ْ اجْبُرْنِي ) also be said in that spirit of complete submission to the wisdom of Allah Almighty. The Promised Messiah as said, There are two types of ordeals in the path of religion. One type is the ordeal suffered as a result of following the Shar ī ‘ah [religious law], such as the performance of worship, fasting, the Pilgrimage, and Zakat. . . These are all Shar ī ‘ah related ordeals, and they carry a reward with them. They make a person move towards God, but there is within them a freedom for the per- son. In performing these duties, he can find a way