Part 3

1.5 Parable in Three Types of People

1.5 Parable in Three Types of People

The example of the first type is like a man who was granted a spacious land to farm and was supplied with all the instruments of need - tools, seeds and water - to help him in his work. After he prepared the land for farming, he planted all the varied types of vegetation, and he then surrounded the land with a big fence and hired guards to protect it. He kept a constant watch on his farm and looked after it; fixing any spoiled parts, replacing dead plants with fresh ones, removing the harmful weeds that grew around. his trees, and spending from the profit he gained from selling its harvest towards its maintenance.

‘The example of the second type is like a man who after he got his hands on the land, made it into a sanctuary for dangerous beasts and animals, a site for dumping corpses and rotten bodies, and a hideout for thieves and every evil and abusive person. Even worse, he put all that he had been given to help him farm the land at the service of the evil ones dwelling in it.

‘The example of the third type is like a man who neglected the land and wasted the water in the desert and became regretful afterward.

‘These examples represent the three types of people: those who ate mindful, the people of treachery, and the heedless ones respectively. The mindful ones are always ready and prepared to fulfill the purpose for which they are created unlike the treacherous ones who betray the trust placed in them and the people of negligence and heedlessness.

The affairs of righteous people, be it in their repose or activity,

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

upon taking a bite of food or a sip of drink, in their words or silences, in a state of sleep or awakening - is always earning them teward and counted in their favour. And their worship and remembrance of Allah draws them nearer to Allah. In contrast, the actions of the people of heedlessness are recorded against them and bring them nothing but failure and loss, not to mention distancing them from Allah.

And the actions of those who betrayed the trust are performed while they are being engulfed by their inadvertency and dominated by their idleness and recklessness.

The grace surrounding the first group is a natural result of their obedience and acts of worship while the misety of the second group is a natural result of their transgression and treachery because Allah did not grant them all that they have in order that they use it in disobeying Him - which is a betrayal of the trust assigned to them by Allah. And, the heedlessness of the third group is a result of their being unmindful, and driven by theit base-desires, therefore their failure and loss are notable as they waste their life-

time serving their own pleasures and overlooking the best of all trades (i.e. trading with Allah).

The wisdom behind Allah calling His believing slaves to the ritual of sa/ah five times a day is to manifest His Metcy upon them; hence he has facilitated for them within it a diverse abundance of actions and rites of worship so that His believing slaves may enjoy the reward of every word, action, silence and movement practiced therein.

1.6 The Secret and Essence of Salab

1.6 The Secret and Essence of Salah

The secret and essence of saldh lies in the inclination of the heart towards Allah alone and focusing attention on Him while praying, Consider the case of a person whose heart is engaged in one’s own thoughts and worldly affairs; he is like a person who visits the King intending to apologise for his own mistakes and shortcomings, beseeching rain from the clouds of His Genetosity and Mercy to nourish his heart enough so it can be at His service. However as soon as he attives at His doorstep and is on the verge of calling upon Him, he turns away from the King and instead starts to busy himself with things that are most disliked and disparaged by the King, Even as his heart is inclined toward trivial matters, he still sends forth his servants (i.e. limbs) to serve Him on his behalf and to excuse and compensate for the absence of his heart. But despite that, the Generosity and the Benevolence of the King refuse to dismiss the servants of his slaves without granting their master (.¢. slave of Allah) a portion of His Mercy. But there is a big difference between the ones who wins and earns the trophy and those given a consolation prize out of Compassion and Mercy - Allah said

rhe doe R ose eh ern ye rapcPees LAE So Ks OAT “And fot all there will be ranks from what they do, that He may pay them for their deeds! and they will

Allah Created mankind solely to worship Him, and He created everything else to be at mankind’s service. It is related in a hadith

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

qudsi that Allah said: “O son of Adam, I created you to worship Me and created everything else for you. So, by My rights upon you, do not indulge in matters other than what | cteated you for.”*

In another nartation: “O son of Adam, I created you to worship Me, so do not play (.e.do not be involved in idle pleasures); I guaranteed your provision in this life so do not tire yourself (i.e. seck your provision but do not make it a concern because provisions are already decreed). O son of Adam, whenever you seek Me, you shall find Me. And, whenever you find Me, you shall find everything. But, if you were to lose Me, you would lose everything, Verily, | ought to be the most beloved One to yout heart.”>

This is why Allah, Most High, made the sa/ah the means through which people can be near Him, invoke Him, earn His love and enjoy His Company.

1.7 Experiencing detachment [from Allah] during the intervals between the five daily prayers

The ‘abd (of Allah) experiences times of heedlessness, detachment (from Allah), hardening of the heart, disregarding mistakes, and disposes towards sinning during the intervals between the five daily prayers, This deplorable change takes him away from his Lord and prevents him from being near to Him and alienates him from his position as the (true) ‘abd of Allah. Even worse, he may willingly deliver himself to his enemy (i.e. Satan) who cap-

* Ibn Qayyim mentioned his narration in his ‘Tarig al-Hijratayn’. Itis recorded

by al-Manawi in his Fayd al-Qadir. However its source is not found in any of the books of hadith and likely to be related from the People of the Book.

1.7 Experiencing detachment [from Allah] during the intervals...

tures him, puts him in chains and locks him in the prison of his base-desires, causing him to experience nothing but anxiety, grief, sorrow and regret while being unaware of the reason behind his wretched condition. It is through the Mercy of his Lord, the Most Compassionate, who decreed upon him a comprehensive act of worship made up of diverse phases and formats; each phase and format corresponds to the different actions he committed and conditions he experienced outside the salah, Mote 80, itis designed so that the goodness and benefit he acquires from each phase is in a measure proportionate to his needs, as this act of worship (.e. salah) is presctibed to demonstrate his servitude to Allah.

1.8 Discussion on Wadi’

Wada’ is the prescribed ritual wheteby dirt and filth are cleansed and removed so Allah’s believing slave may stand pure in His presence. The effect of wudii’ that manifests itself outwardly is the cleansing of the body and the limbs used in the act of worship (ie. salah). The inward effect on the other hand, is subtle, as it has to do with the purification of the heart from its sins through repentance. The two aspects of wudi’ are inscribed in the statement of Allah, Most High,

“Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repent-

ant and loves those who purify themselves.” [al-Bagarah (2): 222]

wherein He links repentance with purity, and the statement of the Prophet (38):

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

wherein he prescribed for us to supplicate to be among the cleansed and among the repentant ones.

Allah therefore, perfected for His believing ‘abd degree and layets of purity and servitude (to Him); inwardly and outwardly at every stratum; bearing witness that there is no ah worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger purifies him from disbelief and polytheism, turning to Him in repentance purifies him from sins, and using water in wud’ purifies him from visible filth.

1.9 Perfecting one’s servitude in attending the Masjid

In particular, Allah prescribed that His ‘abd be in the most perfect level of purity (Le. wads’) prior to entering upon Him and standing before Him (i.e. in sa/éh) as only then does He, Exalted be He, grant permission for His “hd to stand in His presence - after he has become pure both from the outside and the inside, thus signifying that he is not a rebellious ‘abd. And when he enters His house (i.e. ~ayid), the place where he evinces his setvitude to Allah, he becomes one of His slaves. This explains the reason why attending the mayjid to pray the compulsory sa/dh in congregation -which some scholars consider obligatory to do and others

1.10 Servitude in al-Takbir

consider highly commendable to do - is deemed from the aspects of perfection of one’s servitude to Allah.

The example of a heedless person is like a rebellious ‘abd disobeying his master; he ceases to put his limbs and heart at the service of his Master, which is the sole purpose for which he is created. But, as soon as he comes back to his master, he effectively nullifies his state of disobedience and restores his state of obedience. And when he stands before Him in humility and submission (in salah), the Compassion and Kindness of his Master overwhelms and engulfs him and accepts him after having rejected him before.

1.10 Servitude in a/-Takbir

The ‘abd (of Allah) is then ordered to stand with his face in the direction of the giblah all the while having his heart facing Him as well (being fully attentive to Him) so as to renounce his previous state of rebellion and to stop turning away (from his Lord). The slave (of Allah) should therefore stand up before his Master in humility and submission calling for His Compassion with his hands thrown at his sides and his head low, while at the same time his heart is fully attentive to Him in a state of humility, as he devotes all his senses to His service and glorification by declaring with his tongue and proclaiming in his heart that He is the Greatest, which is to express that Allah is greater than anything he may have in his heart. And he affirms this statement by dismissing everything except Allah from his heart so his heart is completely occupied with Allah and nothing else. This is because occupying himself with anything else would connote that he finds what he is busy with is of more importance or greater than Allah. Indeed, a person whose heart is busied with what distracts him from Allah (in