Praying idol means to avoid from all excellences and tainting by all obscenities. The idols which were praised and also are praised divide into two groups: 1. Living idol 2. Lifeless idol: Pharaoh, Nimrod, Shaddad, calf, cow, goat and other animals are the examples of living idol. Sun, moon, stars, trees, stone, wood and manmade things like Laat, Hobal, Ozza, money and so on are the examples of lifeless idol.
These idols, whether they are living idols or lifeless idols, are counted among the external idols, but the internal idols are consisting of whim wham, lust, and sexual desire and so on. There is no doubt that mankind will be deprive from all excellences of morality especially worship of God and prayer by being involved in the praising of living and lifeless idols.
This matter shouldn’t be forgotten that the main reason of worshipping external idols is the impurity of inside. If the heart and soul will be expurgated and revived by the divine instructions, it will rescue mankind from the captivity of external and internal idols and convey him to the highest point of perfection, but by the negligence of heart and depression of spirit, mankind will be involved in the wrong worships. In this condition, a captive person shouldn’t be expected to have humanity or to do good actions.
source : Aspacts of prayer/ written by Prof. Hussain Ansarian
