Internal conditions for good prayers

The great Fiez has said in the valuable book of Mahjato-al-Bayza: “the essence of prayer depends on six realities:

Presence of heart

Intellection

Solemnity

Obeisance

Expectance

Shyness[1]  

Presence of heart

Presence of heart is a reality that creates a kind of deep concentration and attention in the affairs of prayer in front of God. If one can’t draw his attention and heart’s emotions toward God, the presence won’t happen and the essence of prayer won’t aware of his beloved and he can’t gain spiritual light from divine world.

Intellection

Intellection means tasting the significance of prayer and earning the divine beneficences; the beneficence that its earning leads mankind to be intoxicated from the divine wine and also it creates an strange power for ascent of his spirit.

Solemnity

Solemnity means fright and fear from the great dignity of God that originates from the real divine cognition and one who is ousted from divine cognition and paying attention to the dignity of God doesn’t fascinate his heart, can’t own the solemnity.

Obeisance

It’s possible that one talks to someone else and concentrates his mind to the meaning of his words, but doesn’t care about him. Obeisance means in addition to the presence of heart and paying attention to the meaning of words, prayer should bow for God

Expectance

Maybe one fears from an influential person, but he hopes to his loving kindness and mercifulness. Prayer, in addition to prostrating in front of God and fearing from the dignity of world’s owner, should be hopeful to the Supreme Being and expect the kindness and mercifulness from him.

Shyness

Prayer should pay attention to this fact that he is a tiny particle located at the front of a dear essence that is extremely enormous and great; he should know that he has completely sunken in sins and offenses and his existence is like inexistence and his worship is insignificant. A prayer should be aware of this fact that God is familiar with his inside and outside, and he should practice paying attention to all of these affairs so that he can adorn himself with the shyness in the presence of God.

Azan

When you hear the voice of Muezzin, fill your heart with terrific calling of hereafter and raise your external and internal sleeves in order to responding to the calling of God and hurry up to say your prayer, because the people who exult and rush to do God’s commandment by hearing the voice of Azan, in hereafter, they will be called to be imparted beneficence and mercy and goodness and grace and loving kindness and pleasantness.

Consider the Azan as a criterion for your liberation or your confinement in hereafter: if hearing the voice of Azan gladdens your heart and it makes you cheer and happy, you are among the people who will be released, otherwise try to heal yourself because your heart and entity have been sicken. Pay attention to this quotation that, in the time of Azan, Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say to Belal:   

 "ارحنا یا بلال"[2] Oh my Muezzin! By saying Azan create exultation for our hearts.

Azan starts by the name of God and finishes by his name; it means he is the first and the last. By hearing the phrase of “الله اکبر” that means “God is great”, try to prostrate your heart and know that there isn’t anything greater than him and nothing really exists except him and if you don’t pay attention to these meanings, in fact you haven’t heard and said the Takbeer.

Time

In the time of prayer, be aware of this magnificent time which has been specified by God for you so that you can do your thralldom. It’s the time of grasping to the factors of liberation, so be cheerful and happy because the way which can convey you toward God is ready. Some of Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) wives say:

“Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) used to talk with us and also we talked to him but when the time of prayer came, he used to alter and behaved in a manner as if he didn’t identify us and we’re stranger.”[3]

In the time of prayer, Imam Ali’s (God bless him) body used to shake and writhe. Someone told him: “what’s happen?” he answered: “it’s the time of repaying a trust which was given to the skies and earths and mountains but they didn’t accept it.”[4]

In the time of prayer, Imam Sajjad (God bless him) used to pale and the color of his face turned yellow.[5]

You that cleaned the place of prayer and washed your clothing and body and have prepared the external conditions of prayer, but have you paid attention to your heart and spirit and mind? Don’t they need purification? Purification of entity and sanctification of heart can be possible by repenting and regretting from what you have done in the past and its need a strong will to never do them. Don’t forget the purification of your inside because the mighty God have a special attention to the inside.