Understanding Salat — Page 221
Qa‘dah 221 This assumption is false because prayers don’t do anything in and of themselves; they are nothing more than a plea. Allah Almighty accepts or rejects as He wills. This assumption sti- fles our relationship with the living God because such prayer ceases to be an interaction; such prayer is nothing more than inputting formulas into a machine. To attribute automatic reaction to our prayers assumes that they are an independ- ent means to an end, not the desperate plea that they are. We have to let go of the misconception that our prayers will save us; we have to give up on everything except the grace of Allah. When we stop thinking we are in control and submit to Allah Almighty, then we will be able to observe prayer with true desperation. When we pray, ِ ل ۡ دُعَآء َّ وَتَقَب (Do accept my prayer), we acknowledge that our prayer is worthless in and of itself; it only has worth if it is accepted by Allah Almighty. At the end of S alāt , we reflect on the effort that we made in offering S alāt , and then we pray that Allah Almighty give it worth by blessing it with His acceptance. Also, our S alāt is not a favour that we do to Allah Almighty; it is Allah Almighty who has favoured us by teaching us S alāt. ‘They think they have done you a favour by their embracing Islam. Say, “Deem not your embracing Islam a favour unto me. On the contrary, Allah has bestowed a favour upon you in that He has guided you to the true Faith, if you are truthful. ”’ (49:18). When we observe S alāt , we do not offer Allah Almighty a favour; we offer Him a gift.