Part 7

16 Muslim ##482 on the authority of Abt Hurayrah.

1.28 Servitude in al-Sujiid

‘The reality of the prostration of the heart is its submission to Allah, and the heart is able to remain in prostration until the Day of Judgment. One of the righteous Salaf was asked: “Does the heart prostrate?” He answered: Indeed it does, by Allah it prostrates such that it does not raise its head even once, and remains in prostration until it mects Allah, Exalted be He.””

1.29 The Salah is built upon five pillars

This points to the worship, humility and submissiveness of the heart to its Lord as a perpetual condition wherever it may be: in constant regard (for Allah), whether in solitude or in the company of others.

As saléh is built upon five pillars; recitation (gird’a), standing (qiyam), bowing down (r#ka’), prostration (saji#d) and remembrance of Allah (dhike), it is tacitly called after these actions i.e. it is called qiyam based on the ayah:

“Arise [to pray] the night, except for a litle” [al-Mazzammil (73): 2]

22. tthe “stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.”

and it is called gira’a based on the aydh:

Shaykh al-Islim Ibn Taymiyyah attributed this statement to Sahl Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Tustati. See Majmit al-Fatawa, [21/287] and (23/138).

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

OG PEE YASS “and [also] the Qur’an [i.e recitation] of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.”

and fe Ate Lecce wet Mealy abl Jab “so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur’an.” [a-Muzzammil (73): 20],

and it is called Ruka‘ based on the ayal:

“and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].”

BEANS “And when it is said to them, ‘Bow [in prayer], they do not bow.”

and it is called Sud based on the ayab,

2 cic EGE oe ween “So glorify the praises of thy Lord, and be of those who make prostration (unto Him).”

1.29 The Salah is built upon five pillars

“But prostrate and draw near [to Allah].”

and it is called dhikr based on the ayat:

Ll sor Aap ilGae ws

“O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu‘ab [Friday], then proceed to the temembrance of Allah”

and Besse SIAK IY

“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah.”

The most honourable action in sa/ah is prosttation and the most honourable dhikr in salah is the recitation of the Qut’An; the first Surah that was tevealed to the Prophet (3) was Surah al-‘Alag, whose first ayah is to,

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

“Recite in the name of your Lord who created.”

and whose last ayah is to,

“But prostrate and draw near [to Allah].”

Thus, the structure of the unit (rak‘ah) in salah is composed accordingly; it starts with recitation and ends in prostration.

1.30 The State of the “bd between the ‘Two Prostrations

Next it is prescribed for the ‘abd (of Allah) to rise from his prostration to assume the sitting pose until his limbs enter a state of repose. Given that this pillar has been placed in the middle of two prostrations earns it great significance. The Messenger of Allah (3%) used to spend about the same amount of time in this pillar as he did during prostration, and during it he used to invoke and beseech Allah for His Forgiveness, Mercy, Guidance and Provision. The experience and effect of this pillar is unique and different from the pillar of prostration: in this posture the slave kneels down before his Lord apologising for all the sins he committed and hoping for His Forgiveness and Mercy, and asking Him to help him against his own self that incites him to commit acts of wrongdoing.

1.31 al-Istigfar between the Tivo Prostrations

1.31 al-Istigfar between the Two Prostrations

The Prophet (g) used to ask for much forgiveness from Allah in this position. He used to say:

“O my Lord, forgive me, O my Lord, forgive me, re) my Lord, forgive me.”'*

O worshipper, be in the sa/ah like a man who agreed to guarantee the debt of a person who turned out to be deceitful and kept delaying the payment of his debt. And because you ate the guarantor of this man you will be called to pay the debt in place of him, so you call for every form of available help to force this man to pay his debt in order to release yourself from this commit-

‘The heart is in partnership with the nafs (inner self) in evil and good, punishment and reward, praise and condemnation. Indeed, the nafris intrinsically rebellious in nature, always secking to break out of its condition of slavery to Allih and inclined to ignore the rights of Allah as well as the rights of mankind. Nevertheless, the heart follows and submits to the nafs whenever it is dominant and strong, and conversely the nafs follows and submits to the heart whenever the latter is dominant and strong,

8 Tn Majah, #897.

This example intends to say that a man should employ all his limbs and every possible means whereby he assures his saléb is complete and perfect.

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

1.32 The Wisdom behind the Second Prostration

Itis therefore prescribed for the ‘abd to sit down in the presence of Allah with humility, admitting his mistakes and repenting from sins, hoping for His Mercy and asking for His Forgiveness, Guidance, Provision and Protection.” These five things that the ‘abd beseeches His Lord for include the good of this life as well as the good of the Hereafter. This is because the ‘abd (of Allah) is in dire need of protecting himself against all harm, as well as attaining what benefits him in this life and the Hereafter. His share of Allih’s provision covers the provision intended for his body, heart and soul, and Allah is the best Provider. Protection and safety keep away the harm, guidance brings forth the benefits of the hereafter, forgiveness protects him from harm both in this life and the Hereafter. Mercy covers all the aforementioned and guidance covets its details.

Then it is prescribed for the abd to fall in prostration once more, because one prostration is not enough as the case was with bowing down. This is due to the virtue and honour of prostration, not to mention it being the position in which the ‘abd is closest to his Lord. It also takes into account that prostration is more prominently recognized as a mark of servitude compared to the other actions of salah. Thus it is the culmination of the rak wh in telation to which the preceding actions serve as a preamble that lead up to it. From this point of view it is like the fawdf of xiyarah (the Jawaf of visit):just as how the closest an ‘ahd comes to his Lord in hajj is during fawaf, likewise the closest an ‘abd comes to his Lord in salah is in prostration. It is reported that the man who asked for the hand of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umat’s (radiyAllahu ‘anhumé) daughter

” Aba Dawiid, #850.

1.32 The Wisdom behind the Second Prostration

called out to him while he was circulating around the Ka‘bah but “Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyAllahu ‘anhuma) ignored him and did not reply to him. After he finished his /amdf, he approached him and said to him: ‘How can it be that you think of a matter related to this worldly life when we are standing in the Sight of Allah in tawap!’ It would appear that the reason Allah made the action of bowing down to precede prostration is that the slave should move gradually from one act to another that is higher than the preceding one in rank.

The wisdom behind prescribing the actions and the statements of salah to be performed several times in succession during salah is because they ate the sustenance of the heart and the soul without which they cannot survive. It is like the example of man whose hunger and thirst cannot be quelled by a single morsel of food or a single sip of drink, unless he eats or drinks more and more until he teaches the point of satiation. Eating one bite can never satisfy the hunger of a person; in fact, it may make him even hungrier. One of the righteous Salaf said: “The example of the man who prays without achieving calmness and tranquility in his sa/ab is like a person who is hungry, but when food is served he takes only one or two handfuls! What then will it do for himl?”

Performing each pillar and reciting each statement multiple times intensifies the perception of servitude and nearness to Allah, as performing them a second time is an expression of one’s gratitude to Allah for guiding him to do these acts the first time round. Furthermore, it leads to a cumulative increase in the iman, goodness, knowledge and attentiveness of the heart and the feeling of ease in the breast, not to mention aiding the ‘bd in getting rid of the traces of dirt from the heart just like a garment is washed over and over until it becomes clean. It is fascinating wisdom that as-

INNER DIMENSIONS OF THE PRAYER

tounds the mind and points to His Perfection, Mercy and Compassion. And it may be asserted that all we have mentioned above (of the virtues of sa/dh) is just a little bit in comparison to the vast knowledge we are unaware of, which is greater and superior.

1.33 Servitude in a/-Tashahhud and the meaning of al-labiyyat

As the slave is about to conclude his salah, it is prescribed for him to sit down before his Lord, to glorify Him and praise Him with all that befits Him; hence it is dictated for him to proclaim gteetings (a/-Tahiyyat) which befit Allah alone. It is the custom of kings to have people greeting them with different types of greetings, be it in words or actions, as a token of their deference and humility to them. You would find some people praise them by words, some would prostrate to them, some would compliment them, some would supplicate for their kingship to abide forever, and some people would do all the aforementioned; they prostrate to the king, then extol his praises, and then supplicate that his kingship last forever. However, as Allah is the true King whose Face is the only everlasting while everything else shall come to an end, it befits Him alone to teceive the Supreme and Perfect Greetings embodied by a/-Tahiyydt. And it is for this reason that some scholars interpreted a/-Tapiyyat to refer to His reign while other scholars interpreted it to affirm His everlasting kingship. The reality is as I have mentioned, it is an all-encompassing greeting that embraces all these aspects: His Reign, Ownership and Sovereignty. All these Attributes are ascribed to Allah (in the most perfect sense) and it befits Him even more because every greeting given to any king, be it a prostration or praise or a supplication for theit lasting kinship, in fact, belongs to Allah. That is why the word a/-tahyyatis