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The effects and blessings of servitude and submission
1. Sense of honor and esteem
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (‘a) says in his litanies {munajat}:
 Åöáٰåöí ßóÝٰì Èöí ÚöÒøÇð Ãóäú Ãóßõæúäó áóßó ÚóÈúÏÇð  .
“O Lord! It is already enough of an honor for me that I am Your servant.”[47][47]
Which honor is more sublime than that man could talk to his Creator and He in turn would listen to the words of man and grant them?!
In this fleeting world, if a person speaks with a scholar or a great man, he feels a sense of honor because of his presence and the opportunity to be in conversation with him, and that a person who was once a student of a certain distinguished professor also gives him self-esteem.
2. Sense of strength
So long as a child is holding the hand of his strong and kind father, he feels a sense of strength, but if he is alone, he experiences fear and apprehension lest others annoyed him.
A person who is linked to God feels a sense of strength vis-à-vis the superpowers, taghuts and arrogant (powers).
3. Sense of dignity
Dignity {‘izzah} means not to come under the influence of others. In the school {maktab} of the prophets {anbiya’} (‘a), all dignity belongs to God just as all power belongs to Him. Thus, the Qur’an criticizes those who incline to other than God, saying: “Do you want dignity from other than God?”[48][48]
It is natural that linking with the Absolute Beloved and Eternal Power gives dignity to man, just as words such as “Allahu akbar” {Allah is greater} humiliate the taghuts in the eyes of man and make him dignified in comparison to them.
So, the Qur’an orders us to seek power and strength from prayer and worship when we face difficulties and adversities:
æóÇáøóáóæٰÉö ÈöÇáøóÈúÑö æóÇÓúÊóÚöíäõæÇ
“And take recourse in patience and prayer.”[49][49]
During critical moments, the saints of God also used to strengthen themselves through prayer. On the afternoon of the ninth day of Muharram in Karbala’, the army of Yazid made an assault on the camp of Imam al-Husayn (‘a). The Imam (‘a) said: “Postpone the battle for one night as I am fond of prayer and I would like to engage in worship tonight till morning.”[50][50]
The righteous servants of God are not only fond of the obligatory {wajib} prayers but also of the recommended {mustahab} prayers. The recommended prayer is a sign of fondness for prayer. There are many people who perform the obligatory prayers due to fear of divine wrath for missing them. With respect to the recommended prayer, however, love rather than fear is not the issue.
Yes, anyone who loves somebody likes to talk with him more and does not want to separate from him. How could man claim that he loves God when he has no enthusiasm for speaking with Him?!
Of course, this distaste for prayer and recommended acts is not without reason. In fact, according to the traditions, sin takes away the opportunity for the night and dawn supererogatory prayers.[51][51]
In any case, the one who does not perform the optional prayers is not worthy of expecting virtues from God, just like someone who is waiting for the advent of the Reformer {muslih} (Imam al-Mahdi (‘a)) while he himself is not reformed or righteous {salih}.
The recommended prayers also compensate for the defects and shortcomings of the obligatory prayers.[52][52] A certain person asked the Imam (‘a): “My heart is not in my prayer and I do not benefit from the blessings of prayer. What should I do?” The Imam (‘a) said: “After the obligatory prayers, perform the optional prayers as they compensate for the shortcomings of the former and lead to the acceptance of the obligatory prayers.”
It is on account of these effects and blessings that the saints of God paid much attention not only to the obligatory prayers but also to the optional prayers, and they used to keep aloof from those things that obstruct and disturb this religious wayfaring and spiritual ascension such as excessive eating, excessive talking, excessive sleeping, eating unlawful or unlawfully earned food, debauchery, and worldly engagements, which keep man away from worship and make prayer heavy for him. As the Qur’an says:
æó ÅöäøóåÇ áóßóÈíÑóÉñ ÅöáÇø Úóáóì ÇáúÎÇÔöÚíäó
“And it (prayer) is indeed hard except for the humble.”[53][53]
4. Training agent
Although prayer is spiritual and religious communion whose aim is the remembrance of God, Islam seeks to implement this spirit (of communion) under the framework of a set of educative programs, and thus, it has set many requirements for it—i.e. requirements for the correctness of the prayer, requirements for its acceptance and requirements for its perfection.
Cleanliness of the body and clothing, facing the qiblah, correct recital of the words, permissibility {mubah} of the place and clothing of the performer of prayer are some of the factors necessary for the correctness of prayer, which are related to the body of the performer and not his soul.
However, Islam has framed this prayer in this manner so as to give lessons to the Muslims about hygiene, cleanliness, independence, and the observance of the rights of others.
Just like concentration, complete devotion, acceptance of the leadership of the infallible Imams (‘a) and payment of those financial obligations such as khums[54][54] and zakat are requirements for the acceptance of prayer, so too are the performance of prayer at its earliest time, in the mosque and in congregation, that the performer of the prayer wears clean garments, applies perfume, brushes his teeth, and observes the order of the lines and the like are among the requirements for the perfection of prayer.
A keen scrutiny of these requisites makes it clear that each one of them plays a key role in training human beings.
Whichever direction we stand in prayer is toward God, as the Qur’an states:
ÝóÃóíúäóãÇ ÊõæóáøõæÇ ÝóËóãøó æóÌúåõ Çááøåö
“So whichever way you turn, there is the face of Allah!”[55][55]
However, in order for Muslim society to understand that it must have a single direction and learn the lesson of unity and solidarity, everyone is ordered to face a single direction. But why is that direction toward the Ka‘bah?
It is because the Ka‘bah is the first place to have been selected as a place for the worship of mankind:
Åöäøó Ãóæøóáó ÈóíúÊò æõÖöÚó áöáäøÇÓö áóáøóÐí ÈöÈóßøóÉó ãõÈÇÑóßðÇ æó åõÏðì áöáúÚÇáóãíäó
“Indeed the first house to be set up for mankind is the one at Bakkah,[56][56] blessed and a guidance for all nations.”[57][57]
On one hand, the founder and custodians of the Ka‘bah throughout history have been prophets (‘a). Thus, standing facing the Ka‘bah is a sort of ideological solidarity throughout the ages.
On the other hand, the Ka‘bah is the source of independence. It is because when the Muslims were still facing the Bayt al-Muqaddas, the qiblah of the Jews and Christians, the latter taunted the former, saying: “You are standing while facing our qiblah; why do you have no independence?” The Qur’an thus states with utmost explicitness:
Ýóæóáøþö æóÌúåóßó ÔóØúÑó ÇáúãóÓúÌöÏö ÇáúÍóÑÇãö æó ÍóíúËõ ãÇ ßõäúÊõãú ÝóæóáøõæÇ æõÌõæåóßõãú ÔóØúÑóåõ áöÆóáÇø íóßõæäó áöáäøÇÓö Úóáóíúßõãú ÍõÌøóÉñ
“Turn your face toward the Holy Mosque, and wherever you may be, turn your faces toward it, so that the people may have no argument against you.”[58][58]
In sum, the Ka‘bah is the source of independence, unity and solidarity, and these are the educative lessons of prayer.
5. Summoning up spirits!
The market for hypnotism and summoning up spirits has flourished nowadays in the world, but our point is not those things. Our point is that we have to summon up our runaway soul toward the Creator through prayer and let this truant pupil be present in class. One of the blessings of prayer is the summoning up of the rebellious and runaway soul to the Presence of God.
In the Munajat ash-Shakkin, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (‘a) complains in the Presence of God against his own soul, saying: “O God! I am complaining to You against a soul which is inclined toward carnal desires and is escaping from the truth.”
It is this soul that considers sin to be sweet and light to man, justifying it thus: “You will repent afterward anyway,” or “Others have also done these deeds.” The soul is like a wanton child. If his father is not watchful of him, he will separate from his father and go wherever he wants, and in every moment he is susceptible to every kind of danger.
The best way of controlling this rebellious soul is for man to summon it several times a day to the Presence of God and thereby remove its negligence and save it from drowning in the quagmire of material things.
6. Guardianship {wilayah} over creation!
Among the blessings of prayer and worship is that gradually man acquires dominance over the universe.
First step: The Qur’an says:
Åöäú ÊóÊøóÞõæÇ Çááøåó íóÌúÚóáú áóßõãú ÝõÑúÞÇäðÇ
“If you are wary of Allah, He shall appoint a criterion[59][59] for you.”[60][60]
In another place, it states:
íóÌúÚóáú áóßõãú äõæÑðÇ ÊóãúÔõæäó Èöåö
“And give you a light to walk by.”[61][61]
So, God-wariness {taqwa}—the most important aspect of which is servitude to God and prayer—is a step toward the acquisition of light {nur} and insight {basirah}.
Second step: Those who accept divine guidance and are within the orbit of truth, God will enhance the guidance they possess:
æó ÇáøóÐíäó ÇåúÊóÏóæúÇ ÒÇÏóåõãú åõÏðì
“As for those who are {rightly} guided, He enhances their guidance.”[62][62]
Hence, their light and guidance shall not cease; rather, on account of the submission and servitude, they are always in a state of advancement and proximity {qurb} (to God), and the radiance of their existence shines brighter.
Third step: Since these individuals are exerting effort in the way of God, God will show them many paths leading toward perfection:
æó ÇáøóÐíäó ÌÇåóÏõæÇ ÝíäÇ áóäóåúÏöíóäøóåõãú ÓõÈõáóäÇ
“As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways.”[63][63]
Fourth step: Whenever Satan makes an insinuation to them, they will immediately be reminded and ask forgiveness from Allah:
ÅöÐÇ ãóÓøóåõãú ØÇÆöÝñ ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØÇäö ÊóÐóßøóÑõæÇ
“When those who are God-wary are touched by a visitation (or insinuation) of Satan, they remember {Allah}.”[64][64]
Fifth step: Prayer is the best means for self-building and keeping aloof from indecency and evil:
Åöäøó ÇáøóáÇÉó Êóäúåìþ Úóäö ÇáúÝóÍúÔÇÁö æó ÇáúãõäúßóÑö
“Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs.”[65][65]
After following these steps, man will acquire dominance over his soul. He harnesses it and will not be entangled by insinuations and desires. As a matter of fact, whenever the pressure of inner insinuation {waswasah} and outer taghut is intensified, he will again seek assistance through prayer and patience:
æóÇáøóáóæٰÉö ÈöÇáøóÈúÑö æóÇÓúÊóÚöíäõæÇ
“And take recourse in patience and prayer.”[66][66]
Sixth step: God-wary {muttaqi} individuals, whose existence is illuminated with the divine light move a step forward with every prayer, for prayer is not repetition; it is an ascension. The stairs of a ladder are all similar, but every stair brings man to a higher stage. It is like someone who digs a well. Apparently, he is doing a repetitive task and is always digging, but in reality, with every strike that he makes, his well is becoming deeper.
The rak‘ahs {cycles} of prayer are apparently repetitive, but in reality, they are stairs in climbing the ladder of perfection and for deepening gnosis {ma‘rifah} and faith {iman}.
The performer of prayer does not allow his life to become a grazing land for Satan or to be dominated by him. In the Du‘a’ Makarim al-Akhlaq, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (‘a) asks this from God: “O Lord! If my life is a meadow for Satan, terminate it!”
Satan not only gives illusion and fancy but also crushes the soul of man under his feet and makes man negligent of the truth and the reality.
Yes, the Holy Prophet (S) was awake even when he was asleep whereas we are asleep while awake and even while we are praying our souls are the victims of Satan and the imagination. As Mawlawi says:
ÝÊ íÛãÈÑ ßå ÚóíäÇìó íäÇã áÇ íäÇã ÇáÞáÈ Úä ÑÈø ÇáÇóäÇã
Ôã Êæ ÈíÏÇÑ æ Ïá ÑÝÊå Èå ÎæÇÈ Ôã ãä ÎÝÊå¡ Ïáã ÏÑ ÝÊÍ ÈÇÈ
The Prophet said, “My two eyes are asleep while my heart doesn’t sleep and forget the Lord of the creatures.
Your eyes are awake and the heart fell asleep. My eyes are asleep while my heart is looking for the opening door.”
In another place, he says:
ÝÊ íÛãÈÑ ßå Ïá¡ åãæä Ñì ÇÓÊ ÏÑ ÈíÇÈÇäì ÇÓíÑ óÑÑì ÇÓÊ
ÈÇÏ¡ óÑ ÑÇ åÑ ØÑÝ ÑÇäóÏ ÒÇÝ å æ å ÑÇÓÊ ÈÇ Ï ÇÎÊáÇÝ
The Prophet said that the heart is like a feather, which is captured in a desert by a wind.
The wind shoots away the feather to every corner vainly. Sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right with a hundred difference.
If this soul is not bridled, every moment it can draw man toward corruption:
Åöäøó ÇáäøóÝúÓó óáÃóãøÇÑóÉñ ÈöÇáÓøõæÁö ÅöáÇø ãÇ ÑóÍöãó ÑóÈøí
“For the {carnal} soul indeed prompts {men} to evil, except inasmuch as my Lord has mercy.”[67][67]
For this reason, the Qur’an regards paradise as exclusive for those who have no desire for dominance and corruption not only in words but also in the heart.[68][68] And for those who prevent their souls from following their desires, paradise shall be their abode.[69][69]
The saints of God are the rulers {hukama’} over their minds and thoughts and not condemned {mahkumin} by them. As a result of their servitude to God, they have such guardianship {wilayah} and dominance {sultah} over their souls that they do not allow even an insinuation {waswasah} to enter their hearts.
ãä æ ãÑÛ ÇæÌã¡ ÇäÏíÔå ãÓ ßì ÈæÏ ÈÑ ãä ãÓ ÑÇ ÏÓÊÑÓ
I am like a bird, He is like Jamshid, and the thought over the fly.
When can I have access over the fly?
After man attains light, cognition and awareness; controls the soul through gnostic, zealous and conscious prayers; sets his soul toward the pleasure of God; and acquires guardianship and dominance over his soul, he will also acquire dominance over creation. His supplications will be effective and he can perform divine works.
The miracles of the prophets (‘a) are the same authority over creation and mastery over nature, which they performed with divine permission.
They are thus saying:
ÇáÚõÈæÏíøÉõ ÌõæåöÑÉ ßõäååÇ ÇáÑøÈæÈíøÉ .
“Servitude {‘ubudiyyah} is a gem that brings about lordship {rububiyyah}.”
It refers to the dominance over the creation which results from servitude to God.
It is recorded in the hadith that God says: “Through optional and recommended acts, man gets nearer to Me step by step until such a time that he becomes My beloved {mahbub} and once he attains this station, I will become his eyes, ears, tongue, and hand, and all his actions will become divine and purposeful. He will reach a point where like Hadrat Ibrahim (Abraham) (‘a), he will say:
Åöäøó óáÇÊí æó äõÓõßí æó ãóÍúíÇíó æó ãóãÇÊí áöáøåö ÑóÈøþö ÇáúÚÇáóãíäó
“Indeed my prayer and my worship, my life and my death are for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.”[70][70]
The visage of prayer
Whatever can be said and written about prayer would still not be enough to fully describe it. How could it be possible to express in a few words the pillar of religion, the banner of Islam, the reminiscence of religions and prophets, and the pivot of the acceptance of all deeds?
? Prayer is the program for every morning and evening. In the morning the first obligatory word is prayer and in the evening the last obligation is prayer. So, the beginning and the conduct of every day is through remembrance and for the sake of God.
? Prayer is the secret of the one who—wherever he is and whoever he is, whether traveling or not, on the ground or in the air, whether in poverty or in affluence—is subservient to Him and not to other than Him.
? Prayer is the practical ideology of the Muslim in which he expresses his beliefs, ideas, aspirations, and models.
? Prayer means strengthening values and preventing the disintegration of the personality of individuals and members of the society in the same way that if the materials of a building are weak, the building will collapse.
? The call to prayer {adhan} is the clarion of monotheism {tawhid}, which summons the scattered soldiers of Islam in a single line and under a single banner, and places them behind a just leader {imam}.
? The imam of the congregation {jama‘ah} is one person so as to serve as a clue that the imam of the society {jami‘ah} should also be one person so as to have centralization in the conduct of affairs.
? The imam of the congregation is supposed to attend to the weakest among the people, and this is a lesson that in decision-making, the deprived class of the society must be attended to. While praying, when the Messenger of Allah (S) heard the cry of a child, he hurriedly performed the prayer so that in case the mother of the child had ever participated in prayer, she could quickly attend to the needs of her child![71][71]
? The first command after the creation of man was the command for prostration addressed to the angels: “Prostrate before Adam (Adam)!”[72][72]
? The first place on earth that surfaced and became dry was the site of worship (Mecca and the Ka‘bah).[73][73]
? The first task done by the Messenger of Allah (S) after his emigration {hijrah} to Medina was the construction of a mosque.
? Prayer is both the enjoinment of what is good {amr bi’l-ma‘ruf} and the forbiddance of what is evil {nahyi ‘ani’l-munkar}. We say everyday in the adhan and iqamah: “Come to prayer; come to (the means of) success; come to the best of deeds.” That is, of all affairs, the best deed is prayer. Also, prayer keeps man away from corruption and indecency:
Åöäøó ÇáøóáÇÉó Êóäúåìþ Úóäö ÇáúÝóÍúÔÇÁö æó ÇáúãõäúßóÑö
“Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs.”[74][74]
? Prayer consists of movements which have emanated from consciousness and cognition. It is through the cognition of God that by His order, for His sake and because of zeal for Him, we stand in prayer, and thus, the Qur’an has prohibited us from praying while in a state of drunkenness[75][75] and indolence[76][76] so that whatever we recite in prayer must be with consciousness and attention.
? Prayer gives awareness. The Jum‘ah prayer is held every Friday of the week and prior to it two sermons {khutbahs} are delivered. These two sermons are made in lieu of two rak‘ahs of prayer, and in a sense, are part of the prayer. According to Imam ar-Rida (‘a), the sermons must inform the people of all the issues in the world.[77][77] Listening to the sermons and then praying means being informed and then praying.
? Prayer means exit from one’s self and soaring toward God. The Qur’an says in this regard:
æó ãóäú íóÎúÑõÌú ãöäú ÈóíúÊöåö ãõåÇÌöÑðÇ Åöáóì Çááøåö æó ÑóÓõæáöåö Ëõãøó íõÏúÑößúåõ ÇáúãóæúÊõ ÝóÞóÏú æóÞóÚó ÃóÌúÑõåõ Úóáóì Çááøåö
“And whoever leaves his home migrating toward Allah and His Apostle, and is then overtaken by death, his reward shall certainly fall on Allah.”[78][78]
Imam Khomeini says: Migration {hijrah} from the abode of the heart to God is one of the manifestations of this verse. Migration from self-admiration, self-centeredness and self-conceit toward worship of God, love of God and God-wariness is the greatest of migrations.[79][79]
? Prayer is in the rank {manzilah} of the Greatest Name of Allah {ism al-a‘zam}, nay it is the Great Name of Allah itself!
? In prayer, the honor {‘izzah} of the Lord {rabb} and the lowliness {dhillah} of the servant {‘abd} is manifested, and this station is already sublime.
? Prayer is the banner of Islam.
Just as a banner is a symbol, prayer is the symbol and the emblem of Islam. Just as a flag is respected, and insulting it is tantamount to insulting a nation and country, insulting and neglecting prayer also means insulting and neglecting the religion as a whole. Just as hoisting the flag is a sign of political vitality and military prowess, performance of prayer is also the same.
Prayer and the Qur’an
In many cases, the Qur’an and prayer have been mentioned together such as in this verse:
íóÊúáõæäó ßöÊÇÈó Çááøåö æó ÃóÞÇãõæÇ ÇáøóáÇÉó
“Indeed those who recite the Book of Allah and maintain the prayer.”[80][80]
And in another place, it states:
æó ÇáøóÐíäó íõãóÓøößõæäó ÈöÇáúßöÊÇÈö æó ÃóÞÇãõæÇ ÇáøóáÇÉó
“As for those who hold fast to the Book and maintain the prayer.”[81][81]
Sometimes, one attribute has been mentioned for prayer and the Qur’an, just as the word ‘remembrance’ {dhikr} has also been mentioned for the Qur’an:
ÅöäøóÇ äóÍúäõ äóÒøóáúäóÇ ÇáÐöøßúÑó æóÅöäøóÇ áóåõ áóÍóÇÝöÙõæäó
“Indeed We have sent down the Reminder and indeed We will preserve it.”[82][82]
In addition, the philosophy of prayer has also been mentioned as ‘remembrance’:
æóÃóÞöãö ÇáøóáóÇÉó áöÐößúÑöí
“And maintain the prayer for My remembrance.”[83][83]
What is interesting is that sometimes instead of the word ‘prayer’ {salah}, the word ‘recital’ {qur’an} has been mentioned, such as in this verse:
Åöäøó ÞõÑúÂäó ÇáúÝóÌúÑö ßÇäó ãóÔúåõæÏðÇ
“Indeed the dawn recital is attended {by angels}.”[84][84]
It is said that what is meant by the ‘dawn recital’ {qur’an al-fajr} is the dawn prayer {salah as-subh}.
Apart from the fact that the recital of the Qur’an in the form of Surah al-Fatihah and another surah is one of the obligatory parts of the prayer, prayer is discussed in most surahs {suwar} of the Qur’an including both the longest surah (Surah al-Baqarah, n. 2) and the shortest surah (Surah al-Kawthar, n. 108).
Prayer and qisas!
The law on qisas[85][85] is discussed not only in Islam but in all divine religions according to which the punishment for a person who cuts somebody’s ear is to cut his ear and the penalty of one who breaks somebody’s tooth is to break his tooth as well, in order to implement justice. One of the cases of qisas is that the hand of a thief must be amputated. But only four fingers are to be amputated and the palm of his hand should not be included; for, the Qur’an says:
æóÃóäøó ÇáúãóÓóÇÌöÏó áöáøóåö ÝóáÇ ÊóÏúÚõæÇ ãóÚó Çááøóåö ÃóÍóÏðÇ
“The places of worship belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah.”[86][86]
This is because at the time of prostration {sujud} in prayer, he has to put the palm of his hand on the ground. Thus, concerning the penalty for theft, the issue of prayer and prostration must be taken into account and the palm of his hand should not be amputated, so even a thief’s right of worship is respected!
Worship {‘ibadah} and guardianship {wilayah}
Worship {‘ibadah} has value when it is not superficial. In fact, it should be associated with cognizance of the heavenly leader and his guardianship {wilayah} and associated with humility and its particular disciplines.
Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a) was encumbered by a group of holier-than-thou prayer performers who were known in history under the labels, Mariqun and Khawarij.[87][87] They were those whose foreheads were calloused on account of long and frequent prostrations in prayer. Yet, they revolted against ‘Ali (‘a) and unsheathed their swords against him. We also read in the hadiths that when the Imam of the Time (‘a) would appear, a group of mosques will act against him.
Do not imagine that those who had gone to Karbala’ to kill Imam al-Husayn (‘a) were all neglectors of prayer {tarik as-salah}. In fact, they used to even attend congregational prayers! Mu‘awiyah and Yazid themselves were mosque-goers!
Yes, worship, which is associated with ignorance {jahalah}, regards killing the most devoted worshipper {‘abid} among mankind as the greatest form of worship, and goes to kill ‘Ali (‘a) on the Night of Power {laylah al-qadr} with the aim of seeking nearness to Allah!
Not only prayer but in fact all other forms of worship should be associated with cognizance of the leader of truth and obedience to him. It has been stated in the traditions that God has made Hajj obligatory so that the people could gather around His House and establish communication with the infallible Imams (‘a) at this center of gathering.
Nowadays, however, millions of people gather around the Ka‘bah but because they have no divine leader they have been splintered, and in spite of having this center of unity and economic leverage, they sill suffer setbacks from a handful of Jews!
Yes, Islam is a totality which is indivisible. Prayer without the acknowledgment of guardianship {wilayah} is unacceptable. Prayer without the payment of zakah is invalid. In the same manner, alms-giving without the performance of prayer is nullified.
The precepts of Islam are like limbs of a body none of which can replace the other. The eye can neither assume the function of the ear nor can the ear assume the function of the hand. In Islam also, the performance of prayer cannot replace the payment of zakat. In the same manner, neither of the two can be substituted for jihad and struggle in the way of God. Rather, the aggregate of them is Islam.
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