According to Professor Hossein Ansarian, What keeps human being protected, in the vicissitudes of life, from chaos and makes him attain a prosperous life and pass God’s trials with flying colors is prayer. This text is a part of his writings by the title of “Divine and Satanic Prayer, 12th part”.
The principles that have been explained by the holy Quran, if a human being inculcate and implant them, in his own being, to their complete and standard state and makes reality to its actual reality; without doubt, by perfecting the realities and completing them to their actual level, he certainly attains the mercy of the holy God.
I’m going to tell you two examples of these realities that are being explained by the holy Quran. I believe you will certainly admit that without perfecting the realities, or completing the reality, accessing and attaining Lord’s mercy is surely impossible. At the beginning of my speech, I’ll explain a reality that is explained as one of the commandments of God’s Shari’a.
Prayer, in the holy Quran, in almost one hundred and one verses, and from the beginning to the last part (Juz) of it has been discussed; and with certainty, it is a means of attaining Allah’s mercy, but you will, in the holy Quran, observe that God doesn’t explain the prayer of those who pray as a reality; and doesn’t look at all types of prayers. The sign of approval that is a sign of his acceptance and agreement is not meant for all types of prayers. In the holy Quran, you will see some extremely attacking words are used against the praying ones. The extremity of these attacking words of disapproval is understood from the word that is used against them of “wail”, which means “woe”; where the Quran is saying: So woe to the praying ones.
It can be understood that the person praying doesn’t perfect the prayer in his inner self and as a result of this, he has not presented a complete and perfect reality to the holy God, rather he came with a body of prayer that actually doesn’t have beauty, soul, spiritual shape and nature, i.e. doesn’t have concentration. In real sense, it is just a means for him to achieve his desires, evil goals and intentions. Certainly, this type of prayer will not be a means of attaining Allah’s mercy. This kind of prayer is incomplete and has defects; this is a prayer that has only one form, but is totally lewd. It is a body that has no soul. The reason is that the person praying is either a feudist, a polytheist, a hypocrite or, according to the holy Quran, “heedless of their prayers”. For this reason, he hasn’t paved the way that will enable him to make (perform) a complete and perfect prayer. What he made is a mere monster, an ugly creature. It is an unattractive thing that Allah’s attention is not attracted by this monster and by this disliked being that is full of defects and also defective and incomplete. The problem is from the person praying, because God is not saying “woe to the prayer”, but is rather saying “woe to the praying ones”.
The holy God is saying: I have given you some ingredients and components such as Takbiratul Ihram, Hamd, Surah (chapter), Ruku’u (genuflection), Sujud (prostration), Tashahhud, and Raka’ats; and for Allah to accept that as a prayer, you must turn must these components into a complete and moral form by having knowledge (on what you do), pure and good intentions, love of worship, love of the Lord, and having the love for attracting His contentment and approval. But if an adult had a defect, he would be a victim of polytheism; he would be a victim of dissension; he would be affected by hypocrisy; in his acts, would be a victim of desires and wealth. Eventually, he will not have the pen that will complete the morality and form of the prayer. And it can’t be presented to Allah as a prayer; (that will be like) a person that doesn’t know how to draw attempting to draw (pray) a prayer, and instead him of drawing a beautiful drawing, he ended in drawing a monster, a bogey and named it prayer.
In Mashhad, one person was saying; naturally, he was even crying and saying; and I hate quoting that: One night, in my dream, I saw a teenager that was relatively handsome. But there were two horns, like that of a cow, on his head that really astounded me. Why are there two horns on this whole beauty and effervescence and perfect organization of organs? In the long run, having horn is not related to the human being, but is rather related to the horned animals. I told him that it’s a disaster that this beauty has horns. The teenager said: I swear to God these horns are not related to me; it’s related to you that put it on my head. I am your prayer; and tonight, in the Magrib prayer, you had this defect, and this horn is the defect you are seeing now with your eyes. With these two horns (defects), how much do you think God will buy me? It’s obvious that with nothing.
I, when I want to pray, I pray with my whole being. It’s not my single body that pray, but rather, along with it are blood, self, and soul; and it must be facing the Kiblah, not that the body is facing the Kiblah while the soul is facing otherwise, or my body is facing God while my heart is turning away from Him. I started prayer, but there’re waves of envy, pride, conceit, misery and hypocrisy, that are inferior to animalism and that can’t be purified with any type of ocean, are billowing in my inner self.
I will then present this prayer to the holy God. I, the structure of this prayer, there are different types of animals. There is impure soul; there’s unlawful wealth in my blood; and whole of these will be transferred to my action. This action cannot be a means of gaining Allah’s mercy. Would you, that is looking for a competent drawer, be able to give a pen to an illiterate person, that has never seen a drawing pen and ask him to, in an expensive page, draw a good looking view, that will be a source of pleasure and pain-reliever for you? Do you expect him to draw such a view for you? You will certainly say no. Therefore, we will support and trust Allah that, in the holy Quran, used attacking words against the praying ones, not the prayer (itself), that why have you spoiled the prayer: (But there came after them an evil generation, who neglected prayers and followed the sensual desires).
The components of the prayer, themselves, that are pure and that are revealed by the holy Allah are “Allah is great”, that’s Allah himself, “Hamd”, the first chapter of the Quran_ is also Allah himself, “Zikr”, recitation of genuflection, which is also Allah’s (name) itself, and few “Raka’ats”, which is Allah’s (name) as well. These components, that are of different colors, and whose pen is “I”, are given to me and I’m asked to come and fix these components into their perfect positions that will form a perfect and accepted prayer, there by observing knowledge (on the action), sincerity, love (of Allah) and hardworking.
There are also some amazing traditions about this, apart from that of the holy Quran that some prayers don’t pass through the first step, some through the second step, while others reach up to the fourth step, (from there), the angel responsible of taking the prayer to (the holy God) will be asked to go back and hit the head of the owner of the prayer with the prayer. Some prayers will not pass through the fifth step. Some prayers jumpily pass through all the steps and reaches Allah’s acceptance; and after that, God will say to the angels that you once asked me not to create this being (human being), but you now see (how he’s); I’m proud of this servant of mine and I’m proudly telling you that I come to have these kind of friends and servants, in spite of the world’s corruption and desires.
The attack is not on the prayer itself. Note this is point well again, ((Woe to the praying ones)). The attack is on those praying. It’s obvious that the prayer itself doesn’t have any attack upon it. Its components, as well, don’t have any attack; that are its “Allahu Akbar”, its “Hamd”, its “Ruku’u”, its “Sujadah”, and its “Tashahhud”_ don’t have any attack (facing them) as well. God attacks that (person) that has incompletely started his drawing (praying)_ that why is he drawing (praying), while he is yet to become a real drawer (praying one). Why are you praying ignorantly? Why do you pray drowsily (weakly)? ((And they come not to worship save as idlers)). These words of Allah that explains God’s malignity upon praying idly, means that: You shouldn’t worship me when you are tired, lethargic and uninterested. And I don’t want you to attempt praying in this mood, because this mood spoils it (prayer) and makes it smelling, and actually, I don’t want it to come in front of me in that state.
THE STATUS OF A COMPLETE PRAYER, EXCLUSIVE OF HUMAN BEING
The status of prayer is an angelic status. This status is a status of the heaven. This status is a great status that the leader of the believers, Ali (AS) is saying about it that it is only human being that is allowed to prayer this type of prayer. None of the angels has this whole prayer. The leader of the believers, Ali (AS) is says that some angels, from the time of their creation to date, are in the state of standing, and they will remain in that state forever. Another group of them are, right from their creation, in the state of genuflection, and they will remain in that state forever; and they will not stand up (forever) because they lack the quality (of standing up). But God reserved this comprehensive and complete body in His locker for Him to give it to the human being.
Now, one came and spoiled it (the prayer); is he not supposed to be criticized as ((woe to the praying ones))? But if this prayer were a complete drawing (prayer), one comprehensive and beautiful drawing of ((in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful)), God would admire the prayer, because the inner being of the prayer is known by Allah. God is saying that I know the inner and outer parts of your acts. ((Surely Allah is aware of what you do)). For Allah, the inner part of this prayer is beautiful. ((Successful indeed are the believers. Who are humble in their prayers)) and is immediately saying ((And who keep aloof from what is vain)). These believers pray sagely; they pray consistently; their prayer is not vanity and is composed of stoop (and humbleness), that is body, soul, heart, muscles, skin, blood and bone are all participating in the prayer and are drawing (praying) as well.
Stoop is a very top and valuable state that if I want my prayer to have it, I swear to God, it is unattainable by eating unlawful (food). How will I go to an unclean place and say that I want to have stoop (Khoshu’u)? Do you think stoop can be achieved with an unclean body, muscles, blood and stomach? This is certainly impossible. Stoop is one of the beautiful things; it is among the pure things; it is also among the good things; thus it cannot be obtained in this state of dirtiness. What a beautiful explanation the leader of the believers has! The holy Imam say: What value does the plant growing in an unclean environment have? What is the basis of this prayer? With which body (was it prayed)? What is the root of this prayer? With which heart (was it prayed)? What is the real nature of this prayer? With which intellect (was it prayed)? It is obvious that the origin (of this prayer) is word. That which is revealed by Allah is word. One must come and write these words with the pen of sincere intention, with a clean and pure spirit, with clean body, with the clean soul, with the clean thought and with a clean soul.
All these must be joined and combined together for the formation of a complete prayer, otherwise, if a prayer is to be given (for drawing), to a pure (and) good hand writer and said to him that: Sir, I’m going to, additionally, add one hundred thousand dollars for you to write (pray) a very beautiful prayer that you haven’t prayed such yet. Also, he later writes Hamd, Zikr Ruku’u (recitation of genuflection), and Zikr Sujud (prostration recitation) on a flowerily colored page and also draw a floral design around that. We then submit the prayer to the Lord and say we bring this prayer for you. Is this a prayer? The praying one must bring (submit) the actions of the prayer to the holy God not the writings and words (recitation) of the prayer. Note that this is the way of achieving (Allah’s) mercy: ((Those that are humble in their prayers)). Here, Quran is not saying the praying one anymore, but is rather saying both the prayer and the praying one, because the prayer is now the same with the praying one in the perspective of purity, correctness, wisdom, and consistency. Have we ever experienced this mood (in our prayers)?
Oh my brothers! Concentrate well in your prayers. Oh my brothers! In every corner of the holy Quran, there is no place where Zuhr, Asr, Magrib and Issha’I prayers are recommended better than the Subh prayer; that is, in the Quran, those fifteen raka’ats are on one side and these two raka’ats are on the other side; and you should look at the way this Subh prayer is neglected in our country. These fifteen forms of raka’ats are at one side and the two forms of raka’ats are at the other side. The (recommendation) word that is used for the Subh prayer is: ((and (the recital of) the Quran at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Quran at dawn is ever witnessed)). But He doesn’t say (witnessed) in the case of Zuhr, Asr, Magrib, and Issha’I prayers. Although this is not a place to explain the meaning of the verse: ((and (the recital of) the Quran at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Quran at dawn is ever witnessed)), and I’m only saying that the prayer’s road is very narrow.
What a good prayer is this saying to its doer: ((Successful indeed are the believers)), it’s saying ((are indeed successful)), and is not saying (they will succeed). It is not using present continuous tense in the statement. It (Quran) is not saying that this prayer will later be successful, but is rather saying it has indeed become successful; is stamped and approved; it has been signed and stamped that in the day of resurrection, this prayer will be with the prophets, saints, martyrs, and the righteous ones; it has been approved. Had it been that the present continuous tense was used instead, its meaning would have been that you are doing works and you will, Gods willing, in future, attain success. It is saying success has been attained. What amount of prayer? Imam (AS) is saying: In the whole of his life, just one and two raka’ats of a complete prayer is enough.
Refrence: divine and satanic prayer by professor Hossein Ansarian
source : divine and satanic prayer by professor Hossein Ansarian
