Workshop: Prayer with Faith (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

The Prayer With Faith Parts 1 & 2

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Workshop: **Prayer with Faith** (Part One)

Sunday 17th March 2013 Lecture by Sister Eman al Obaid www.alhudasisters.wordpress.com

The Prayer is one of the Pillars of Islam. Imagine that Islam is a building and one of the most important pillars of this building is the prayer, As Salah. If one pillar is not stable the building will fall.

The First Ibadah The first Ibadah (worship) that Allah subhana wa ta'ala will ask all of us on the Day of Judgment is about our prayer. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will ask you about all the good deeds that you did in the dunya for example charity, learning the knowledge (ilm) etc. but Allah subhana wa ta'ala will first ask us about our prayer. In the dunya sometimes we are busy with other Ibadat (worship) and we forget about salah.

Hadith: Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said “The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his Salah. If it is found to be complete then it will be recorded as complete, and if anything is lacking He will say: ‘Look and see if you can find any voluntary prayers with which to complete what he neglected of his obligatory prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be reckoned in like manner.” (Sahih)

Our prayer it so precious and important, the salah is the first thing that is checked from our book of records. If your obligatory prayer is good then all your other worship will be acceptable. The prayer is a path to the success. If the five obligatory prayers are not good, which means I am not focusing then other good deeds will be nulled, this is how important and essential is the prayer in your life.


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Salat bil Iman We don't want to do the salah as a habit, to get it out of the way. We need to do salat with iman, with faith, the prayer with faith. Is there a prayer without faith? A prayer without faith is when a person is busy doing the actions and the heart is travelling around the world; we are thinking about everything else in the prayer except about the prayer. The prayer with faith will be acceptable, this is a prayer with some belief in the heart. What is the salat? Salat and faith cannot be separated from each other. Secrets of Salat What is the meaning of prayer? When Allah subhana wa ta'ala bestowed upon us Islam, the prayer which Allah subhana wa ta'ala ordained for us is a special blessing, a prayer that will elevate people in rank and will reform the human being.

The Meaning of the Prayer in Islam

The real prayer is what Allah subhana wa ta'ala prescribed, all other prayers are false because they are manmade. The way to pray or the method to pray should not be what we invent but what Allah subhana wa ta'ala prescribed upon you. ‘Salah’ in Arabic has three meanings

As Silah - Connection Silah is a connection with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to connect you with Him and not to just pray with the actions. ‘Silah’ is a connection between you, a Slave of Allah, and the Creator. Think about the connection. The five times prayer is a connection. The prayer was prescribed to us in the Night Journey, Al-'Isrā' wal-Mi'rāj. The salah is the only command that Allah subhana wa ta'ala ordained to Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when the gates of Heaven were opened. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala in order for Allah subhana wa ta'ala to ordain to the Ummah the five daily prayers. The prayer is a connection between you and Allah subhana wa ta'ala when performed with the faith. Any other worship, the zakat, fasting (siyaam) etc. was prescribed on the Earth except the prayer. Don't you think the prayer is a connection with Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

Du’a - Invocation The prayer from the beginning, when you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ until the end, when you say ‘salaam’ is a du’a, it is an invocation. If you know that the entire prayer, the whole prayer is an invocation then you will pray with the faith. Du’a is an invocation, a calling to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Sometimes people don’t understand what they are saying when making du’a. Indirectly you are asking:

may Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgive me for my sins,

may Allah subhana wa ta'ala admit me to Paradise,

may Allah subhana wa ta'ala be pleased with me, The meaning of ‘salat’ is ‘du’a’ - invocation. Sometimes people are underestimating the prayer, they focus on the du’a after the prayer though there is no du’a, except the supplication. The prayer itself is a du’a. By Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s will, we will


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understand when we go through these stages in our journey, at every stage there is a du’a. We need to feel the beauty of each du’a.

Rahma - Mercy Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with the presence of the heart, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will shower you with the mercy in the dunya and the akhirah SubhanAllah. Always pray as if it is your first prayer then you will be excited about it. Make every prayer as if it is the FIRST TIME and also at the same time pray as if it is my LAST PRAYER, maybe this is my last meeting in my dunya with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. If this is my prayer with Allah subhana wa ta'ala then Allah subhana wa ta'ala will shower me with mercy in the dunya by taking care of all my worries and affairs. But the problem is we are thinking of the world even though it should be the opposite. The Salah is a connection, invocation and a mercy.

What is the meaning of iman? Iman is firm belief without doubts. The prayer will change with the faith. Belief is some information I have in my heart but I cannot see it and I have no doubts in it. In order to know what is faith, we should know it has two parts.

Input - Knowledge The place of the faith is in heart. The prayer should have faith meaning having a heart. Without a heart in the prayer you will feel so tired, you will want to finish the prayer quickly or all the thoughts will come into your mind. So something is missing, the faith is missing. The HEART should have input, what is this input? This is the belief, so fill your heart with information, the knowledge about Allah subhana wa ta'ala. You need to constantly fill your heart with knowledge of your Creator, different knowledge about Allah's Beauty, His Magnificence, His Glory, His Greatness, how Allah subhana wa ta'ala is dealing with His Creation. You need to fill your heart with knowledge about the Day of Judgement. One day when we meet Allah subhana wa ta'ala, when the resurrection will happen, the accountability, the balance and crossing the siratt etc. There are so many stages on the Day of Judgement which we need to have in our heart. We need to believe in the messengers, Allah subhana wa ta'ala sent messengers to all human beings to guide them towards Allah subhana wa ta'ala, to believe in the divine books, to believe in the angels with different duties, and also to believe in the decree whether good or bad. These are the six pillars of faith, this is mere knowledge that we need to fill our hearts with. What is the other part of the faith, it is the action.

Output - Action So that my prayer should be with joy and a prayer that Allah subhana wa ta'ala will accept, the prayer should be with faith, we need to have this faith to stand in front of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Value of Prayer Ilm and amal – according to how much I fill my heart with knowledge my heart should be active. The heart should feel love, fear, and magnify Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When my heart is so busy then the prayer will have more value. According to how much your heart is busy thinking about Allah subhana wa ta'ala and

When we perform every prayer we should imagine it is our first prayer and

also as if it is our last prayer.

We should focus in our prayer, this is your success in the dunya and akhirah.


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His Greatness while praying is how much your prayer will have the reward. This is the matter of prayer with faith. Enjoying the Prayer Whenever you pray with faith you will enjoy the prayer. But sometimes we feel we are always in a rush, or we are without the prayer and not enjoying the moments. When we pray with faith then you won't want the prayer to end, why?

As you are in front of the Beloved One,

you are talking to Him,

He is listening to you. Taste and Joy in the Prayer When you pray with the faith you can see the joy, and the maximum joy of ibadah someone will feel is during the prayer, but which prayer? The prayer with the heart. The more faith there is in the heart and you pray, then there is a taste and joy in the prayer. This is the maximum delight which is the result of your faith because your heart is somewhere else. This person who has joy in the prayer, when they finish the prayer they are longing for the next prayer and they feel so excited. The more prayer you perform, the more joy you experience. How did Sahabah enjoy the prayer with faith? Story: There were two Sahabi’s radi-Allahu anha who were assigned the job of guarding the Muslims far from Madina by our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. When night fell one of them said ‘I will lie down’ and the other one said ‘I will pray during the night, I don't think any disbeliever will come’, At that moment a disbeliever came and found it was a good chance to scare and attack the Sahabi in prayer. The disbeliever struck the one who was praying with his spear, the mushrik again struck him but the Sahabi continued praying until the third time when he was struck, then he went into the ruku position (bending on his knees). At that moment the other Sahabi woke up, he asked the praying Sahabi why he did not give him a signal to wake him up as this is allowed in Islam. The Sahabi al Ansari said ‘While I was reading I was reciting a surah and I did not want to disrupt or cut my conversation with Allah!’ The Sahabi did not want to be interrupted as it was his meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala! Allahu Akbar! INPUT OF THE HEART

Meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala When in the prayer you are in a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala,

you are in a meeting with Allah the All Mighty and

you are talking to Him and

Allah subhana wa ta'ala is listening to you. As soon as you say ‘Allah Akbar’, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will place His Face infront of the praying person. I can’t see it bit I need to believe it. To believe is to feel it, I believe in it and then I feel it. I feel the presence of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The feeling in the prayer is something not of this world – the feeling is out of this world. A prayer with faith is to pray with your heart. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala guide us and make it easy for us. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make us among those who are praying the way it suits the Majesty of Allah subhana wa ta'ala, to pray with faith. My prayer is my success My prayer is how I will be on the Day of Judgement. Nothing is more important than my prayer. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgive us. We have so many other things which are so more important than the prayer and this is because of a lack of faith. The means will not help you - I want to focus but I cannot focus. I want to concentrate but I cannot concentrate. It is not about the means, it is your faith.


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How to increase my faith? Fill your heart with faith – then your prayer will be different. Throne of Allah subhana wa ta'ala Salat ul bil iman - The prayer with faith is where the body is on the ground but your soul is around the Arsh of Allah. As if the soul is doing tawwaf somewhere else, around the Throne of Allah! Story of another sahaba: A man had to have his leg amputated due to a wound. In-order to conduct this surgery he had to be given medicines to numb the area so that he did not feel the pain but the man said ‘I do not want any drug, instead when I start praying then perform the operation’. When he is in the prayer he cannot feel his body as he is completely involved in his prayer! When we pray, one fly or a single hair will distract us in the prayer. It is said that when the body and the soul are having the maximum pleasure then the body is numb, the body cannot feel SubhanAllah.

Hadith: Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgave Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam all his sins but he would stand for hours in the night prayer until he could not feel his body. Aisha radi-Allahu anha told him his feet are swollen but he sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam never felt it.

Another incident was when one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam got a chance to perform the night prayer with him. The sahabi narrated that Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam read Surah Al Baqarah and then the sahabi thought that now Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would go into ruku, but Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam continued until he finished three juz of the Qur’an and then he went into ruku. SubhanAllah. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is standing and standing and he doesn’t feel anything. Allah subhana wa ta'ala says about the one who prays: Chapter (23) sūrat l-mu'minūn (The Believers)

23:1 Certainly will the believers have succeeded:

23:2 They who are during their prayer humbly submissive Indeed the successful ones are the believers who reach their goal - Al Muminun, The Believers. What is the main characteristic of the Muminun?

Khushoo in the Prayer

khāshiʿūna - (are) humbly submissive, when the faith is high then the khushoo is high. The key for khushoo is the faith. Khushoo in the prayer has to come from the heart – the place of the khushoo is in the heart. So I need to have two things to attain khushoo in the prayer;

1. Hudur al Qalb – Presence of the Heart In order to have khushoo in my prayer I need hudur al qalb, I am alert while in the prayer, my heart is present, not absent. This is the key for khushoo.


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2. The Understanding

I need to be alert and I need to understand what I am saying. The manners are to know what we are saying when we are in the dunya. In the prayer we are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala so deal with Allah subhana wa ta'ala as if He is there. This is a matter of faith, don't deal with Allah subhana wa ta'ala as if He is not there. Deal with Allah subhana wa ta'ala as if He is there and you need to have presence of the heart with faith and understanding. Whatever we say we must know it's meanings, don’t say it just because you have memorised it. Praying is a noble job When Allah subhana wa ta'ala bestowed upon us Islam, the other best gift Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us is the Salah, the prayer. Allah subhana wa ta'ala allowed us to have an appointment with Him five times a day, we choose the time just by saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ and we are with Allah subhana wa ta'ala, connected. How will I make my heart present? The prayer consists of two parts

How to have the presence of the Heart

The Understanding While Praying, How do I prevent my Mind Wandering? The Angels When you fill your heart with certain things you will not struggle to bring you heart and mind into the prayer. To enjoy the khushoo in the salat and to feel that the prayer has a delight and pleasure more than when my heart is absent; the one whose heart is present in prayer, they will enjoy the moments of the heart, then you will live a life like the inhabitants of the heavens, a life like the angels. Ibn al-Qayyim [rahimahullah] said ‘A person when he is in the prayer has a joy in the heart which is ‘Suroor al Qalb’ and no delight of the dunya can even match it. The delights of the dunya are wealth, money, travelling, children etc. but for those doing what Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants from them, Allah subhana wa ta'ala as a reward gives them the satisfaction, the pleasure and the joy in the prayer. I Want to Enjoy the Prayer Do the prayer with faith and then Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you the joy. Ibn al Qayyim said ‘That joy I am feeling in the prayer is because I am meeting Allah subhana wa ta'ala, I wonder how are the people of Paradise, this is one of the cases of the people of Paradise, in paradise they will have this joy. Ibn al-Qayyim felt that in the prayer the joy you felt, was a part of the joy as if being in Jannah. so imagine, ask yourself ‘How is the joy of the people in Paradise?’

How to get the presence of the heart in the prayer Fill your heart with some actions of the faith:

First ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to open the heart - in order to have the presence of the heart in the prayer and the joy, this will come only if you have faith.

Remove from your heart any distractions. Focus Don't you know whom you are talking to in the prayer? Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When we are praying Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us the permission to meet Him, our Lord! No one else is allowed to have this name – Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is perfect in His attributes. When you know Him you will only think about Him. Imagine if I have a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala how will I think of Him. From the word ‘Allah’ when we say it with


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feelings then all the cells of the body are living in peace & harmony, this is the medicine for all the diseases. What did Allah subhana wa ta'ala say about Himself in the Qur’an? Chapter (6) sūrat l-anʿām (The Cattle)

To Allah. He has prescribed Mercy for Himself. (6:12) Allah subhana wa ta'ala made the mercy obligatory on Himself. Who made this obligatory on Him? Nobody can make anything obligatory on Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala never takes revenge from His creation. Do you want to meet Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Before you pray think of the meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. To really appreciate that meeting you need to know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala. This is a matter of faith. Allah's Rahma is so vast, if He wills He will forgive all of the creation, if everyone sins Allah subhana wa ta'ala can forgive the whole of creation. Allah subhana wa ta'ala loves to hear your voice, although millions are praying to Allah subhana wa ta'ala but Allah subhana wa ta'ala will listen to you and give you His complete attention. What did Allah subhana wa ta'ala say about Himself in Qur’an? Chapter (40) sūrat ghāfir (The Forgiver God)

And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). (40:60) This is Allah subhana wa ta'ala whom you are having a meeting with. Your prayer is a du’a. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will answer my du’a when I call to Him. This is Allah subhana wa ta'ala, never will anybody be excluded. Allah subhana wa ta'ala Deserves the Worship Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the only One Whom we pray to. We pray to the One Who deserves the prayer. ‘Prayer’ means worship, the best of the worship. The best of the obedience is within the prayer. ‘You call me, whatever I want, You will give me.’ So of course your mind will be in the prayer as if Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants to hear your voice. We are filling our heart with knowing Allah subhana wa ta'ala, filling different places of the heart in order to go to my prayer with my heart knowing who I am infront of. Deal with Allah subhana wa ta'ala as if he in Front of you We human beings are full of sins, full of mistakes and faults and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is telling you to say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and you are in front of the One Who is Oft Forgiving. The One Who will forgive all your sins but you need to repent to Him, you need to believe in Him. The belief is very important. Don’t deal with Allah subhana wa ta'ala as if He is not there – this is as if you are not having a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The All Forgiving In order to have your heart present in the prayer know that He is All Forgiving. You are infront of someone telling you He will forgive you. Whoever you are, a good doer or even if you are full of sins, even if you are someone who has exceeded the limits with the sins, He will forgive you your sins. Allah subhana wa


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ta'ala will never forsake anyone so we must have faith in Him. Faith means trusting Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Even if you are full of sins, the prayer is an invitation for everyone. Some people think that the prayer is only for certain people like the righteous scholars etc. but SubhanAllah our religion teaches us that the prayer is for everyone! What did Allah subhana wa ta'ala say about Himself in Qur’an? Chapter (39) sūrat l-zumar (The Groups)

39:53 Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." This is what we need to fill our hearts with – belief in Allah subhana wa ta'ala. No matter how much we are in debt with sins Allah subhana wa ta'ala made the prayer for everybody, this will make you to enjoy your prayer but you need to go to the prayer. Never despair from the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. People bring you down by saying that you are not good because you do little sins but this is wrong! The prayer is more so for those who sin. Prayer is for everybody, never despair, it is also for the sinners. Only Allah subhana wa ta'ala can talk to His creation like this. For example no one welcomes a criminal in the dunya, people avoid him but with the prayer he will meet Allah subhana wa ta'ala. So now you know who you are standing in front of in your prayer. Somebody Who forgives your sins. Chapter (7) sūrat l-aʿrāf (The Heights)

7:156 but My mercy encompasses all things When you know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala you will want to be in front of him, you will not get bored.

Hadith; The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim]

All the mercy that we see around us in this life, for example a mothers love for her child, friends who love each other, animals love etc. this is just one part of the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. So is it right I am standing in front of my All Mighty Who is filled with mercy and my heart is not there. We are underestimating Allah subhana wa ta'ala so what should we have in our heart? It is rajaa, hope.


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OUTPUT OF THE HEART

Rajaa - Hope The output will be hoping from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, our heart will be full of hope. Faith is input which is knowledge about Allah subhana wa ta'ala and the outcome is the action, hope in Allah subhana wa ta'ala. We need to hope only from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, that Allah subhana wa ta'ala will elevate our ranks, forgive our sins, give you all the mercy. In this life we are living under the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta'ala – meaning I need to have hope. But sadly we are so distracted today in life. The input today for example is that we are hoping that the doctor will give me a cure. Having hope from this doctor is filling your heart – everybody is telling you he is a good doctor. The problem is I am hoping only from the doctor. Going to the doctor is one thing, believing in the doctor is something else. I shouldn’t believe in anybody except Allah subhana wa ta'ala because everybody else is full of faults. If you believe in someone with defects, they will fail you. The only One Who deserves to be believed is Allah subhana wa ta'ala. For you Allah subhana wa ta'ala is how you think of Him. Why don't we have the presence of the heart in the prayer? This is because we are hoping from different things from different people, the cure from the doctor, the success from this thing / person, hoping for happiness from that person, so in my prayer I am thinking of different people, if this person will cure me, if that person is good to me. Close the doors to everybody, only think about Allah subhana wa ta'ala and then you will see you will only hope from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. This is the hope, this is the first thing for the presence of heart in worship. Hoping from Allah subhana wa ta'ala alone is not enough.

Khawf with Magnifying Allah subhana wa ta'ala Hope is the first component. Fear is also an important component for the heart to be present in the prayer. Chapter (35) sūrat fāṭir (The Originator)

35:28 Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge.

al-ʿulamāu - those who have knowledge. Allah subhana wa ta'ala said in the Qur’an ‘Who is the one who will fear Allah subhana wa ta'ala?’ It is the ‘ulema’, the religious scholars as they are people with knowledge, the people with faith. Knowledge is faith. The more faith you have the more khawf you will have. Amanah - Trust It is said that whenever it would be the time to pray the people would notice that Ali ibn Talib’s facial expression would change. His face would change and the people would ask him ‘Why has your face changed?’ He would reply ‘That now is the time to fulfil the amanah that Allah subhana wa ta'ala has ordained upon me to do.’ So Ali ibn Talib considered the prayer as a trust, an amanah which needs to be fulfilled rightfully, You need to fulfil this amanah and to do your best in this amanah. Don’t underestimate the components of the prayer.

You are infront of the One so Merciful

You are infront of the One so Forgiving

You are infront of someone Who is severe in punishment


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Allah subhana wa ta'ala, His mercy is so vast but at the same time He is severe in punishment. For example a lady said as a child she was scared of her grandfather and even after he died she would fear him, or for example students always fear the principal or get nervous when they have been summoned to the principles office! This is infront of a human being. So when we are standing in front of Allah subhana wa ta'ala in the prayer we should know Allah is Al Adheem, the Most Great, Allah huwa al Qadir, the Most Big. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is so great so you do not feel like you are standing in front of just anyone.

Hadith: The Heavens and the Earth are all like a mustard seed in the Hand of Allah.

Mustard Seed Think of the tiny mustard you put in your hand. The Seventh Heavens with all the creation are so tiny in the Hands of Allah. Imagine this tiny small human being who is not praying, or when praying is not magnifying Allah subhana wa ta'ala, how big is this sin. Permission to Have a Meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala The mustard seed is the Heavens and the Earth in Allah’s Hands so imagine what is one small human being like in this mustard seed. And yet Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you permission to have a meeting with Him, permission only to human beings and the jinn. You need to know about the Greatness of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. We are not in front of anybody, not a leader or a ruler, it is Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Hadith: Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The universe compared to Allah’s kursi (footrest) is like a ring in a desert. And Allah’s kursi compared to His ursh (throne) is like a ring in a desert.” [Ibn Hibban, Ibn Abi Hatim]

The Face of Allah subhana wa ta'ala We are nothing in this ring compared to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. So when you stand to pray, you are standing infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. As soon as you start to pray then Allah subhana wa ta'ala will put His face in front of you, this is the faith – you believe but you do not see. When you have this in your heart, as soon as you turn, turn your face away the heart is not present. Omar radi-Allahu anha considered that if he saw any person with many movements in his prayer, that this would mean that such a person’s heart is not present What will make you to be present?

HOPE – I know I am standing infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala

FEAR with magnification – as there may not be much fear How did Jibril alaihi as-salaam magnify Allah subhana wa ta'ala? The absence of the heart in the prayer is caused by the absence of magnifying Allah subhana wa ta'ala. We magnify so many other things but we don’t magnify Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Jibril alaihi as-salaam, the huge creation who had six hundred wings, if he stretches one wing then it will cover the whole of the horizon. This is a huge, huge creation of Allah subhana wa ta'ala, but he is never proud, he is always afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Compare yourself to Jibril alaihi as-salaam, we are so tiny. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw Jibril alaihi as-salaam during the night journey and Jibril alaihi as-salaam was like an old cloth, humiliated in the corner. Fear Allah’s Punishment The more you know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s greatness the more you will magnify Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The more you fear Allah subhana wa ta'ala, Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the only One when you


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are afraid (so Big and so Great), when you are afraid of His punishment, will you disobey Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Chapter (89) sūrat l-fajr (The Dawn)

89:25 So on that Day, none will punish [as severely] as His punishment,

89:26 And none will bind [as severely] as His binding [of the evildoers]. When you know Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s punishment is so severe, this will make you to never underestimate Allah subhana wa ta'ala's Greatness. Justice For example you see exhibitions of the torture of prisoners of war in the dunya. This is human beings punishing human beings unfairly or to take revenge. Allah subhana wa ta'ala punishment is severe, not like the punishment of human beings. Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s punishment is Hellfire Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s punishment is so severe but at the same time His punishment is only for those who deserve it. When Allah subhana wa ta'ala puts people in Hellfire Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not unjust, they deserve it, this is the justice. When you pray, to pray with faith think about Allah subhana wa ta'ala, then you know who you are standing in front of. You are not standing infront of anyone.

You are standing infront of the One Who is the Most Great,

The whole dominion is in His hands like a mustard seed,

The One whose punishment is so severe. When you are afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala what will that fear make you do? Anyone except Allah subhana wa ta'ala, if you are afraid of them, for example in the dunya if we are afraid from somebody then we try our best to avoid them, except if we are afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Fear of Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not the fear of any human being where you don’t want them. Flee to Allah subhana wa ta'ala When you are afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala you will flee to Him to protect you from Himself. We need to have this feeling in the prayer otherwise our mind will wander.

Is something else more important than Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Think about it.

Are you more afraid of other things except Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Think about it. So when I put my heart and my faith in Allah subhana wa ta'ala, who am I standing in front of? The One Who is so Great. You are afraid of Him but at the same time you need to flee to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Du’a

La Malja' wa la manja minka illa ilaika. There is no flee from Allah except to run to Allah.


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Narrated / Authority Of: Al-Bara bin Azib The Prophet said to me, "Whenever you go to bed perform ablution like that for the prayer, lie or your right side and say, "Allahumma aslamtu wajhi ilaika, wa fauwadtu amri ilaika, wa alja'tu Zahri ilaika raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika. La Malja' wa la manja minka illa ilaika. Allahumma amantu bikitabika-l-ladhi anzalta wa bina-biyika-l ladhi arsalta" (O Allah! I surrender to You and entrust all my affairs to You and depend upon You for Your Blessings both with hope and fear of You. There is no fleeing from You, and there is no place of protection and safety except with You O Allah! I believe in Your Book (the Qur'an) which You have revealed and in Your Prophet (Muhammad) whom You have sent). Then if you die on that very night, you will die with faith (i.e. or the religion of Islam). Let the aforesaid words be your last utterance (before sleep)."

I am afraid, afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala but can you run to your mother or your father or your husband? They can’t do anything because Allah is the Most Great.

flee to Allah subhana wa ta'ala,

you are afraid from Allah subhana wa ta'ala,

you need to run to Him We need to run to Allah subhana wa ta'ala to protect you from Himself. People are bad to each other, people are missing the prayer, people are not thinking about what they need to do in life. Where is the problem? They are underestimating Allah subhana wa ta'ala. They are not afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Chapter (71) sūrat nūḥ

71:13 What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allah [due] grandeur Allah subhana wa ta'ala is telling you in the Qur’an why your heart is not present. Time In a 24hour day how many minutes do you pray? Minimum twenty five minutes to one hour a day. During the other 23 hours we do so many other things. Only in these 25mins do I need to focus but I think about other things. In our dunya we are underestimating Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The prayer with faith is:

to pray and at the same time

know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Chapter (3) sūrat āl ʿim'rān (The Family of Imrān)

3:28 And Allah warns you of Himself Allah subhana wa ta'ala warns you from Himself, from His punishment. When you know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala's greatness then you are not standing infront of just anybody. We are so small and we need to magnify Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


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Chapter (35) sūrat fāṭir (The Originator)

35:15 O mankind, you are those in need of Allah , while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. All of us need Allah subhana wa ta'ala, all of us are poor to Allah subhana wa ta'ala so why are you not present in the prayer? You are present on the outside but not present on the inside. We will take the reward of the prayer depending upon how much we are present in the prayer. How much our heart is present, this is the reward of our prayer. When we see these ayat in the Qur’an this is the faith. We are poor and in need, we are not self-sufficient – we need food, oxygen, shelter etc. so why, only during this short time you are not present? Don’t be deceived by the dunya. Aren’t you afraid when standing in front of Allah subhana wa ta'ala? TWO STANDINGS Every human being has two standings. If we care about the first standing then the second standing will be easy. Your first standing is in the prayer. In your prayer when standing you need to care about your standing. Stand in your prayer with your faith - you are not seeing Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Imagine if everybody could see Allah subhana wa ta'ala then how would everyone pray? They would pray with HOPE and FEAR. Are you not afraid of Allah subhana wa ta'ala? We have two components for a prayer with faith,

a prayer with faith where the heart is present and

to have understanding. This is the minimum information you need to pray correctly.

Delight of Loving Allah subhana wa ta'ala

Don’t you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Everyone will say yes. Love is not words. You are feeling that you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala. For example it's very easy to love someone who is in front of us. Ask yourself why you love those infront of you who are beloved to you? Maybe due to some qualities etc. which makes the earthly relationship easy. What will make your prayer to have value and Allah subhana wa ta'ala will appreciate your prayer? When praying, you are enjoying your prayer when you are in front of the Most Beloved One. No one can see Allah subhana wa ta'ala in the dunya, even Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, except after death if you go to Paradise. In life we do not see Allah subhana wa ta'ala but you need to believe in Him and you need to know Him more to love Him. In the dunya when you love someone don’t you give them your time? Even if you talk the whole day and night you don't get bored, and this is merely a human being. Think about the One Who is The Creator. Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you the permission to have a meeting

The matter of faith is that you don’t see Allah subhana wa ta'ala but you need to know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala and

to pray as if you are seeing Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


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with Him. Allah subhana wa ta'ala should be for all of us the Most Beloved One. When you feel the delight of loving Allah subhana wa ta'ala this by itself is like having joy. Life will be dry if there is no love. When you love your sister for the Sake of Allah you feel happy. When loving Allah subhana wa ta'ala put everyone aside and think about The Creator. When you have that love this gives you so much energy, love is essential in life. If you want the best love, pure love, the joy of love, love Allah subhana wa ta'ala. How will I love Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

Love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala, this is the food for the soul.

The love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the Coolness of the Eyes.

The prayer is the Coolness of the Eyes.

You will get the delight because you are in front of the Most Beloved One in your life. What makes me to want to NOT stop praying? When your love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala in the heart reaches the maximum. Your example is Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. You love Allah subhana wa ta'ala so much you will not be busy thinking of someone else. When you know about the love of people you know what we are talking about. The love of people is easy because they are infront of us. We don't see Allah subhana wa ta'ala but we need to believe in Him, you need fill your heart with knowledge about Him and the output is love. We mentioned hope is output, fear is output, the heart moves. Love will make the heart move. Love will make a person in the prayer be involved in the prayer as you are talking to Him and He is listening to you, This will make you forget about all the sorrows in life. Whenever Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam felt sorrow he would call Bilal and ask him to call for the prayer as he would find joy in the prayer. Two Way Relationship If you love anyone else, you need to explain to them your love, you need to tell them otherwise they will not know. If you have just a little love for Allah subhana wa ta'ala,

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will appreciate this love so much,

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will appreciate what you have in your heart.

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you more love. Dealing with Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not a one sided relationship. The more you know about Him,

the more the reward,

the more you love Him,

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will love you more, This is the Greatest Delight, our hearts will be occupied and busy. Story: In a masjid there are two people, one is praying and the other one is sleeping. Then one them noticed a strange looking man standing outside the masjid and looking at them in the masjid. One of the men in the masjid asked the man standing outside ‘Who are you?’ It was Shaytan. The man asked Shaytan ‘Why are you not entering the masjid, are you scared of the man who is praying? Shaytan replied ‘No, I am scared of the man who is sleeping.’ The man asked shaytan why he was afraid of the man sleeping. Shaytan replied ‘The person who is sleeping, his heart is full of love for Allah subhana wa ta'ala.’ For Shaytan the outer appearance or actions are not as important as the heart of the believer who is:

loving Allah subhana wa ta'ala,

hoping from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, and

fearing Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


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Sweetness of the Faith The heart never stops, when you are awake you heart is only thinking about Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s love. In the dunya we love so many different things, but if we try loving Allah subhana wa ta'ala, this is the sweetness of the heart, the sweetness of the faith. All these three components are needed before starting the prayer. We need so much motivation and preparation like you would for any race. The best march is towards Allah subhana wa ta'ala, even before starting the prayer fill your heart with the components. In your prayer if you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala and the Messenger the most, then you feel the sweetness of the faith. The Ulemas said that the love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala cannot be like the love of anything, just like surah Ikhlaas which states the tawheed is the oneness of Allah subhana wa ta'ala The things I need to fill my heart with is with knowledge of Allah subhana wa ta'ala as nas (man) cannot see Allah subhana wa ta'ala. What makes you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala? 1. The blessings and bounties Allah subhana wa ta'ala has bestowed upon us. Love Allah subhana wa ta'ala, love the bounties upon us, anything that you see, your family, your husband, everything is a gift from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Imagine if a friend gives you a gift everyday how much you would thank her, love her, we would be full of gratitude, even if she was to give me a gift only once. To Allah subhana wa ta'ala belongs the best example. Allah subhana wa ta'ala out of his bounties blessed us with countless things. It is our homework to look around us and think about these countless gifts He has given us. For example He has blessed us with a good family, smart children, good homes, eyes and ears to see and hear, a secure city, friendly neighbours etc. Each of us should reflect and think about the bounties we have been blessed with. Blessing of Security If you are not secure can you do the best in life, this is the output. To be continued InshAllah.

One of the biggest blessings Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us is the faith and Islam as this means that Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave us Paradise, imagine this is such a big gift.


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Workshop: **Prayer with Faith** (Part Two) Tuesday 19

th March 2013

Lecture by Sister Eman al Obaid www.alhudasisters.wordpress.com

As Salat bil Iman Don’t you want to pray a prayer pleasing Allah subhana wa ta'ala, accepted by Allah subhana wa ta'ala? When the belief in Allah subhana wa ta'ala is stronger the prayer will be different. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make every prayer better than the previous prayer. We want to pray with faith.

Hadith: Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said ‘The prayer will be written for you according

to how much your heart is in the prayer.

How much your mind and your heart and your focus is in the prayer, this is the reward in the prayer. How can I make my heart present? Isti’anah billah – Seeking Help Chapter (1) sūrat l-fātiḥah (The Opening)

1:5 It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Tawakkul Allah - Rely on Allah subhana wa ta'ala Allah subhana wa ta'ala did not want us to struggle to get the ibadah from our own might and power. Your test is your reliance on Allah subhana wa ta'ala. With your Tawakkul, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will make you to reach. People don’t reach Paradise with their own power and strength. They reach Paradise relying on Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to help you to give you the faith. Prayer with faith is like a body without a soul, a land without water in a barren desert. Presence of the heart and understanding Presence of the heart – fill your heart with information to produce the actions of the heart.

Hoping for the mercy from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. How can I pray without hoping from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, without hoping for the mercy from Allah subhana wa ta'ala and without hoping for the forgiveness from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Without this hope, without knowing Allah subhana wa ta'ala from Whom I need this hope, how can I expect my mind to be present in the prayer. Know Allah subhana wa ta'ala so that you only hope from Him.

Fear. I need to know about Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s majesty and greatness so that I fear Him. I am infront of somebody so great. When you fear Him and His punishment You have no one to accommodate you and accept you except Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When you fear Allah subhana wa ta'ala you will flee to him. In the prayer you feel as if you have no one to flee to except Allah

http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=1&verse=5


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subhana wa ta'ala. You are so scared of Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s Greatness but at the same time I have no one to go to or to run to except Him.

How will you stand?

With humbleness With total submission to Allah subhana wa ta'ala

Love Everything around you, this is a matter of faith, need lots of information to bring that love hope and fear. The love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala – if a person knows Allah subhana wa ta'ala is giving to them, until the last day Allah subhana wa ta'ala is showering them with gifts, imagine someone is gifting you so you need to build that relationship with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When your heart is filled with this love, how will you stand? You will not want to finish the prayer because you are standing infront

of the Beloved One. The matter of faith is to love Allah subhana wa ta'ala even if you don’t love. If we could see Allah subhana wa ta'ala we cannot do anything else except pray. Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants to test your faith. We love Allah subhana wa ta'ala because of His bounties and blessings and what He gave us from the blessings and bounties. 2 main blessing;

Islam

Security Why do you need to love Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

2. Because Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the most Beautiful – Al Jamil You love Allah subhana wa ta'ala because Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the most beautiful by Himself. Everything you see around you, if you compare all the beauty in the world to Allah subhana wa ta'ala it would not even be less than one percent of Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s beauty. Like the sun compared to the small candle – there is no comparison. Sometimes there is beauty which you don’t know

about – in the ocean, above the heavens. All this beauty collected together is nothring compared to the beauty of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala has all the beautiful Names and Attributes. In life you see a character you like in someone, an akhlaq you like, a behaviour which you like, this is from Allah subhana wa ta'ala the Most Beautiful. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is giving a little of the beauty to his creation and spreading it among His creation. The beauty belongs to Allah subhana wa ta'ala When someone is beautiful, it is not themselves who are beautiful, it is Allah subhana wa ta'ala giving them the beauty. In life if a person is beautiful, imagine how beautiful is Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


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The beauty of people and places is from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When you are praying you are infront of the Creator of the beauty.

You love Allah subhana wa ta'ala because of His beauty and perfection.

You love Allah subhana wa ta'ala because of how Allah subhana wa ta'ala is dealing with you. How Allah subhana wa ta'ala is dealing with you depends on you

A Good doer. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is dealing with you with blessings and bounties. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will multiply your hasanat by 10 times.

A Sinner – Allah subhana wa ta'ala will deal with you with justice. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is never unjust to His creation.

Chapter (6) sūrat l-anʿām (The Cattle)

6:12 He has decreed upon Himself mercy. Chapter (18) sūrat l-kahf (The Cave)

18:49 And your Lord does injustice to no one.

Hadith: Allah subhana wa ta'ala said ‘The son of Adam insulted me and he shouldn’t insult Me. The son of Adam bellied me and he shouldn’t belie Me.’

How will someone insult and belie Allah subhana wa ta'ala? By saying Allah subhana wa ta'ala has a son or Allah subhana wa ta'ala needs people, needs a partner. Allah is Al Ahad Samad, The Self Sufficient Master. Worshipping someone other than Allah subhana wa ta'ala is insulting Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is not like anyone. People need other people around them. Even though people are insulting Allah subhana wa ta'ala, Allah subhana wa ta'ala is giving and giving them, Allah subhana wa ta'ala never deprives them of anything. Still Allah subhana wa ta'ala gives them time in order to repent. If after a different belief you repent, Allah subhana wa ta'ala will expiate all your sins as if you are new born with no sins.

Hadith: Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said; ‘No one is more patient of a harm he hears than Allah subhana wa ta'ala.’

If someone insults you or your family you don’t accept. It is very difficult for you to forgive and pardon or even see that person even though you are all Slaves of Allah, you are all the same. If someone says something against the Creator still Allah subhana wa ta'ala never takes revenge, still Allah subhana wa ta'ala gives to them and provides for them.

If they are sick Allah subhana wa ta'ala will cure them.

If they are poor Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give to them.

If they are in distress Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give to them and never deprive His servants.


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Sweetness of Faith With all of this don’t you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala, your Creator deserves the pure and the best of the love because all the gifts are from Him. Look at how gently Allah subhana wa ta'ala is dealing with you, look at His beauty. If you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala more than anyone, even more than yourself, you will taste the Sweetness of the Faith. This is the pleasure and the delights of the faith when your heart is filled with the love of the Creator. Hope, Fear & Love – these are your emotions. Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you these emotions to attach to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, use them for good, to be closer to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. And Allah subhana wa ta'ala loves for His creation to be closer to Him. Allah subhana wa ta'ala draws Himself closer to you, the start is from Himself. If your sins are like the foam of the sea, if your sins cover the horizon, nobody forgives except your Creator. If you make a mistake and go to anybody they forsake a person who sins. Allah subhana wa ta'ala said ‘Even if your sins are like the foam of the sea I will forgive you all your sins’, but you need to go to Allah subhana wa ta'ala with your emotions, especially when you are in the best place, which is in your prayer. Everything is Around the Prayer For some the prayer is something additional, the main thing is their work. It should be the opposite. Everything should go around the prayer. Everything else, you working, your shopping etc. will finish when you die. What will remain? Your prayer! Everything else will be around the prayer. From morning till night you are waiting to pray like when you love someone, you are waiting for that time when you will meet them. Your day should be around the five daily prayers. People love to be with their children, husbands etc. but they will sometimes get hurt by them. But where are we from the muhabbat Allah, don’t you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

Love – Allah subhana wa ta'ala is giving to you and you are getting closer. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will descend in the last 3

rd of the night when everyone

wants to sleep. Just you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be infront of you in way which suits His majesty. Don’t you feel shy from Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

We Need Allah subhana wa ta'ala Allah subhana wa ta'ala is showering us with all these blessings, showering you with blessing to make you closer to Him. Though Allah subhana wa ta'ala doesn’t need us. We need Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Don’t you feel ashamed from Allah subhana wa ta'ala, this is the faith, the faith we need to have. The prayer with faith – you have hope, fear, love and you are feeling shy from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. You don’t need to take an appointment to meet the Lord of the Lords.

At a time you want, just say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and you will be present between Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s Hands. You can start the meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. What is the most beautiful ‘occasional prayer’ you will remember? The prayer in Ramadhan. During the night of the 27

th Laylat

al Qadr, people get so emotional and don’t want to stop praying.


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Why do the people get so emotional in the du’a? They feel that they are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is listening to them. Our prayer should be like this. The khushoo in the prayer is when you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and you are actually close to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, talk to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala When you say anything in the prayer it is not one sided, it is not just you saying something. You are talking and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is listening to you and responding to you. This is the secret key to get the presence of the heart during your prayer. You are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is listening to you. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said ‘If one of you starts the prayer, you are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala.’ When you feel like this you will feel emotional. Story: A boy during the time of Ahmed bin Hanbal had memorised the whole Qur’an. The boy went to the teacher and told him ‘Last night I prayed with the whole Qur’an’ – he read the whole Qur’an in the prayer. Hanbal said ‘when you pray tomorrow imagine I am infront of you’. The next day the boy said he couldn’t finish the Qur’an. Hanbal said ‘When you pray again imagine you are reciting the Qur’an and praying in front of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The boy said he couldn’t even finish one Juz because ‘I was crying because Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was infront of me.’ Hanbal said ‘Don’t pray as if I am infront you or Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is infront of you, pray as if Allah the All Mighty is in front you.’ The next day the boy told the sheikh ‘I couldn’t complete the prayer‘. Al HamduliLlahi Rabbil Alameen’. When you feel you are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala you get so emotional, the prayer is a du’a, when you know what you are saying in the prayer it is sufficient for you. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is Listening When you feel this is a conversation from both sides you will have the khushoo and the delights of the prayer. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the All Hearer, Allah subhana wa ta'ala hears what you say even if you are whispering in the prayer or when you recite the Qur’an. Care that ‘I am really saying it infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Allah subhana wa ta'ala hears me more than anybody else’, even when praying alone. Allah subhana wa ta'ala The All Knower of Your Worries Allah subhana wa ta'ala is hearing you and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the All Knower of what you have. When you are praying your heart may have so many worries, when you are standing infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala;

you are talking to Allah subhana wa ta'ala and

Allah subhana wa ta'ala is hearing you and

Allah subhana wa ta'ala knows what you are going through. Allah subhana wa ta'ala knows if you are sad, happy and all your feelings. When you feel the presence of Allah subhana wa ta'ala infront of you even though Allah subhana wa ta'ala rose over the throne, Allah subhana wa ta'ala is infront of you in a way that suits His majesty. You only have Allah subhana wa ta'ala When you stand infront of Him you need to feel ‘Ya Rabb I don’t have anybody except you’ everyone else will leave you at the end of the day. When a person dies nobody will be with you except you and how close you are to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. ‘Ya Rabbi I don’t have anybody except you, don’t forsake me’ if Allah subhana wa ta'ala forsakes anyone no one can take them, no one can accept them.


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‘O Allah, I will remain standing infront of your door’. When you know Allah subhana wa ta'ala, when you know His majesty, when you know His beauty you will not prefer anybody except Him. You will not think about anyone while you are in Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s presence. Is there anyone better than Allah subhana wa ta'ala, is there anyone having more rights upon them other than Allah subhana wa ta'ala? This is Allah Al Kareem, the Most Generous. These are the feeling we have while praying.

How to Pray with Faith Step by Step To pray with faith starts before the prayer with the adhan. When you have the preparation in the heart then you have the preparation before the prayer itself. The Adhan has many beautiful secrets.

The Adhan You will not have the full delights and pleasure of the prayer unless you start with the adhan. The connection between the prayer and the Adhan Hearing the adhan helps you to have presence of the heart and is a preparation for the prayer. The adhan will make the shaytan run away from you.

Hadith: When the shaytan hears the adhan he will run as far as he can. When you repeat the adhan after the iman it is as if you are saying to the shaytan ‘go far away from me’. The shaytan is what disturbs you in the prayer.

Hearing the adhan it is a chance for you to have a multiple prayer. You not praying for one but you are praying for so many. Hadith: The one calling the prayer, if he calls the people to pray Allah subhana wa ta'ala will forgive him his sins as far as is voice extends. Also the mu’aththin will have the reward of whoever prays behind him. Imagine how it is in the Haram.


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The sahabah asked Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ‘What will we get?’ Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said ‘To share the reward of the mu’aththin you will repeat after him. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you the reward as the mu’aththin gets. All the du’a after adhan will be accepted.’ The doors of the heaven will be opened after the adhan. To get the ajar you need to understand the words of the adhan.

Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar

Allah is Most Great. Allah is Most Great.

Allah subhana wa ta'ala is calling you. The khushoo of the prayer will start when you hear the adhan and repeat after the mu’aththin. Allah is the Greatest and greater from everything. Leave everything and go to the prayer.

Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill-Allah.

I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.

What makes you to finish your work and your heart wants to pray? Because you love Allah subhana wa ta'ala, you only hope from Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is inviting you to pray. The adhan is an invitation from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. La illaaha illa Allah will make you want to stand up and go to pray.


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Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasoolullah

I bear witness that Muhammad is the

Apostle of Allah.

Who is the one you are following in order to pray the best of the prayer? Nabi sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. You are renewing your testimony of faith in preparation to pray.

Hayya 'alas-Salah. Hayya 'alas-Salah.

Come to prayer. Come to prayer.

You will say ‘Laa hawla waa laa qawwata ‘illaa billaah.’ Allah subhana wa ta'ala is inviting you to pray. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is calling me to pray, “O Allah I do not have the might or the power to pray and to stand infront of you except by your power. You are the One Who can give me the power and the strength to pray.”

Hayya 'alal-falah. Hayya 'alal-falah.

Come to Success. Come to Success.

‘Falah’ is the best success, which is Paradise. Your prayer is a way to go to Paradise. You will say ‘Laa hawla waa laa qawwata ‘illaa billaah.’ How can I go to the success? You can’t go to the success except by the will and help from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is inviting you to pray and you need to feel you need Allah subhana wa ta'ala to help you to do the best prayer.


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Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.

Allah is Most Great. Allah is Most Great.

Towards the end you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ again - leave the dunya and go to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala invites you to have a meeting with the Most Beloved One – Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the One Who you are longing to meet. Finish your work and in your heart you want to go and pray. Enjoy hearing the adhan, enjoying reciting and saying the adhan, and this is how you are slowly preparing your heart to meet the Most Beloved One, Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

La ilaha ill-Allah.

There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.

After the adhan you say the dua;

O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the intercession and favour,

and raise him to the honoured station You have promised him. When you say this du’a after the adhan you will get the intercession of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on the Day of Judgement to go to Paradise, to cross the siratt. Then you say your own du’a – any du’a you say Allah subhana wa ta'ala will never reject it. Emotionally you need to prepare yourself to pray infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The quicker you go to pray after the adhan the better.

Purification How to purify ourselves before we will stand infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala? 2 types of purification;

Wudhu Ghusl

"


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Wudhu Before the salat it is recommended to renew your wudhu. What is the relationship between the wudhu and to pray with faith? When you make wudhu and you enjoy making wudhu, don’t lose this moment, you are purifying yourself for the meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala and you are washing away your sins. The wudhu is cleaning you from the outside and cleaning away your sins. Our sins distract us in the prayer.

The preparation to pray with the faith is the wudhu. The intention is to be clean yourself from the outside and at the same time purifying yourself from your sins. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: If a person has ‘Ihsan’ in the wudhu, when he washes his hands all his sins will be removed from his hand. When he washes his face, washes his feet, it is as if all the sins go away from the body. You need to believe, this is a matter of faith. You can’t see the doors of heaven being opened for your du’a, you can’t see the sins be washed away in your wudhu but you need to believe. Everything is a matter of faith. Wudhu in the best manner. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will NOT accept the prayer without the wudhu.

Niyat

Niyat in the heart, not with the utterance. I want to make wudhu because

Allah subhana wa ta'ala loves the wudhu,

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will expiate my sins

Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be pleased if I am making wudhu I want to prepare myself from the inside and outside to have a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. This is an introduction to the prayer. When you have this intention you will make a good wudhu. According to how much is your intention, you will get the reward for your intention;

From your wudhu if you want the love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala you will get the love of Allah subhana wa ta'ala

From your wudhu if you want the expiation of your sins you get the expiation of your sins.

Change you ibadhat from being a habit to your heart, you will enjoy your ibadhat when you go through your heart with the faith

Say ‘Bismillah’

Hands

Wash your hands up to the wrist – right hand first and then left. The water should go through your fingers. Wash once, twice or the best is three.

Mouth & nose.

Rinse your mouth - sniff your nose and let the water leave from the left nostril. 3 times Alternatively wash the mouth 3 times and then clean the nose 3 times.

Face

Wash your face 3 times. First remove all makeup and creams and nail polish.

Arms

Wash your arms from the hands up to the elbow three times rubbing. Start with the right arm.

Hair

Wipe the hair. With wet hands wipe back and the then forward.

Ears

Clean the ears from the inside with the index finger and on the outside with the thumb.

A believer always wants to be in a state of purification.

Feet Wash the right foot and then the left foot taking care to wash between the toes.

While making wudhu enjoy making wudhu and all your sins will be washed away.


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Du’a

I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner; and I bear

witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. All the eight gates of Paradise will be open for you and will call you on the Day of Judgement. Look at how much reward you will get when making wudhu and saying this du’a after the wudhu. What Nullifies the Wudhu

Answering the call of nature

Deep sleep – a short nap does not nullify the wudhu

Touching the private parts without the barrier

Being unconscious

Ghusl Minor purification – wudhu required to start the prayer Major purification – ghusl

After menstruation After post natal After intercourse

If your ghusl is not correct your prayer will not be acceptable. Purification is the key to the correct prayer.

Niyat In the heart

Say ‘Bismillah’

Hands Wash the hands 3 times.

Private parts Wash

Wudhu Perform the wudhu

Bath

Wash your head / hair. Minimum washing with water is sufficient. With long hair it is sufficient to pour water over the head after intercourse. After menses you should wash the hair properly.

Body

Wash the right side three times making sure the water goes everywhere. Wash the left side three times making sure the water goes everywhere.

Feet

Wash the feet.

After Ghusl you do not need to perform wudhu until you nullify the wudhu in your ghusl. This is the purification needed before you stand infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

"."


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Sitral Awrah You need to wear garments that will cover your ‘awrah’ in the prayer. For the men the minimum covering is between the navel and the knees. What you wear should please Allah subhana wa ta'ala. You cannot pray wearing tight clothes, the clothes should please Allah subhana wa ta'ala, not to please you. You cannot wear pants or skirts. The feet should be covered. The hands can show. The hair, neck or elbows cannot be shown. The clothes should not be transparent. Allah subhana wa ta'ala covers your sins so you need to cover your outside. The people of Paradise are covered.

The naked are poor because they have no money. The more rank you have the more you wear – this is the respect and honour. In paradise women have veils over veils. Your clothes indicate your faith, the more faith you have, you will have hayah, shyness. Try to avoid wearing something very old or worn out, wear something nice and clean. This is a meeting with the Most Beloved One. Take care of your prayer gown. You can wear perfume if praying at home. Clean surroundings will also help you to focus. Everything being nice, clean and beautiful will help you. If possible have a comfortable temperature. Make your meeting a special meeting with The King. You will do extra if you enjoy the prayer. When men go to the masjid to pray they take the adornment as they are meeting Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Enjoy the adhan, enjoy the wudhu and enjoy your clothing when you pray.

Qiblah - Direction of prayer You are facing the Qiblah, the Kaaba. No matter where in the world you are you need to direct your face towards the Kaaba. But you are not worshipping this house. You have this direction because it is a command from Allah subhana wa ta'ala to unite everyone praying.

One religion, one Lord, one Messenger, one Qiblah.

Different backgrounds, different languages, as soon as they hear ‘Allahu Akbar’ the people are organised – every electron in the universe is doing tawwaf around the Kaaba because they are submitting to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, this is the religion. One Lord accepts One Way – when Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants the people to take the religion of Nur alaihi as-salaam, Musa alaihi as-salaam, Ibrahaim alaihi as-salaam, Isa alaihi as-salaam, And Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They all came for Islam. The unity is when all the muslimeen are facing the Qiblah.


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The preparation to pray is: The Adhan The Wudhu The Dress The Qiblah

Everyone is the same and equal, the rich and poor, the one with the rank and the one with no rank, young and old, men and women. Among these people only the Mutaqeen will reach Allah subhana wa ta'ala, the one who is praying for Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The one whose prayer will reach Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

The believer in the prayer is like a fish who doesn’t want to leave the sea. A person whose prayer is a habit, they just want to finish the prayer, they are like a bird in a cage

who wants to escape. If you don’t have khushoo in the prayer, you will want to finish the prayer quickly. So do you want to be like a fish or like a bird? You want to be like a fish swimming in the prayer. Starting the prayer

Takbeer al ahram

Saying ‘Allahu Akbar’

This is a great meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala, the

beginning of the meeting

Just saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ will take you to a different world, your soul should be in a different world. Something around you will change but you don’t see it. Why do we say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and not SubhanAllah? ‘Allahu Akbar’ is essential in the prayer and between all the actions of the prayer you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ except once. ‘Allahu Akbar’ – Allah is the Greatest. Greater from what? Allah subhana wa ta'ala did not say what He is greater from. I want my heart to be present so to bring your heart into the


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prayer nothing is greater than Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ it is reminding you nobody is more greater than Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Why do you think of something else in your prayer? Allah huwa Al Kabir – Allah is Great, so can you think of something else while in the prayer. Al Takbeer means to magnify and to exalt Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala is so great,

greater than your job, so don’t think about your job

greater than you children, so don’t think about your children

greater than anybody, don’t think about anybody else except Allah subhana wa ta'ala because He is the Greatest.

You start the prayer with ‘Allahu Akbar’, you need to understand what you are saying and not to rely on yourself. Is there anything else more important than Allah subhana wa ta'ala or not?

When you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ you are declaring a total submission to Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

When you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ automatically your hands will be raised surrendering to Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Now I am infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala Now I am infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala in a place where I don’t know exactly where I am. You are in a place, in your house, but when you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ straight away you are present, you are infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Your hands will be raised with the fingers closed. This action shows total surrendering, showing your submission because Allah subhana wa ta'ala is greater than anything and you are pushing back all the walls, pushing back the life behind you. Transfer all the actions of the prayer into something practical. Don’t do the prayer as a job which you want to finish. This is a meeting with the Most Beloved One in your life and you are reminding yourself there is no one more important than Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Faith is very important

Allah subhana wa ta'ala is Infront of You Imagine you are being broadcast live on TV, you have a mike, lights but there is no audience infront of you but you believe there is an audience of thousands of people watching you, especially during a live broadcast. You will be scared but you will do your best believing that someone is watching you.

Forget this life and as soon as you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ you are infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala, live in front of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be infront of you in a manner which suits His majesty. So you need to have the Yaqin that Allah subhana wa ta'ala is infront of you. Nobody is like Allah subhana wa ta'ala, when you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ Allah subhana wa ta'ala by His Greatness, by His Majesty, He will be infront of your face but you don’t see Him. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be infront of your face, infront of your friend, infront of the person in China etc. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will be infront of the face of everybody in a manner that suits His Majesty and no one can imagine how. You need mixed emotions to focus when Allah subhana wa ta'ala is infront of you.


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As soon as you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ your sins which you can’t see will be lifted until they are on your shoulders. As soon as you go into ruku or the sujood, as you go up and down in the prayer, the sins will fall like the leaves fall from a tree in the wind. Whenever Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was stressed he would ask Bilal to call the adhan because he wanted to find the delight in the prayer to remove the stress.

What makes us stressed in life? Our sins. You need this so much, for the sins to be removed. Shaytan As soon as you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ the shaytan (Khunzub) assigned for the prayer will come. This shaytans job is to distract a praying person. This is a matter of faith. For example sometimes you feel itchy, or as soon as you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ the children start crying or singing. This is the shaytan Khunzub distracting you. People will call you, the telephone will ring, shaytan will remind you of things you forgot, remind you of your memories, things, people, stories etc.

You are now in a meeting with Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When you say ‘Allahu Akbar’ certain things are haram;

Eating & drinking. In meeting Allah subhana wa ta'ala there are manners.

No Laughing Lower your eyes to the place of sujood. Don’t look

left or right or look up. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said if a person looks up in the prayer they should be scared of their eyesight being snatched away. In previous times a man was asked to describe his father but he couldn’t because his eyes were always down infront of his father. To show respect to elders one would

lower their eyes infront of them. You need to behave in the prayer as if you really are a Slave of Allah. We need lots and lots of training to be a slave of Allah. Now in the prayer you are alive, you infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala, you need to correct your behaviour infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala as how can you expect to be infront of Allah subhana wa ta'ala on the Day of Judgement. How will you see Allah subhana wa ta'ala on the Day of Judgement? A person needs to feel they are a Slave of Allah in the dunya, especially in the prayer. You place your hands as if you are poor to Allah subhana wa ta'ala, a slave who needs Allah subhana wa ta'ala is humble.


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No one can know how to pray, the prayer should be divine, Allah subhana wa ta'ala is teaching us otherwise:

How you will pray a prayer which is suiting Allah subhana wa ta'ala

How you will pray a prayer which suits Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s Majesty Think about

‘Allahu Akbar’ – pushing the life behind you Surrendering to Allah subhana wa ta'ala You are a Slave of Allah Your eyes are looking at the place of sujood.

InshAllah to be continued. Ya Rabbi, increase me in guidance and keep me on the way of guidance until the last moment of my life. This is a transcript of a lecture given by Sister Eman al Obaid. We ask Allah subhana wa ta’ala for His forgiveness and His Mercy. Anything that is good from these notes is from Allah subhana wa ta’ala. Any mistakes & misrepresentations are my own. I ask Allah subhana wa ta’ala for His forgiveness and to put forgiveness in the hearts of those who read them. JazakAllah Khairan.


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Salat bil Imaan

Mean

ing

Salat

Silah - Connection

Du’a - Invocation

Rahma - Mercy

Iman Ilm – Fill your heart with knowledge

Amal – A Joyful & Acceptable Prayer

Input

Meeting With Allah

You are talking to Allah

Allah is listening to you

Your soul is doing tawwaf around the Arsh of Allah

Khushoo in the Prayer

1. Hudur al Qalb – Presence of the Heart 2. Understanding – know what I am saying

Presence of the Heart in the Prayer

Know Allah

6:12 To Allah. He has prescribed Mercy for Himself.

40:60 "Call upon Me; I will respond to you."

39:53 Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful

7:156 but My mercy encompasses all things

Outp

ut

Rajaa - Hope Allah subhana wa ta'ala will elevate our ranks, forgive our sins, give you all the mercy

Khawf - Fear 35:28 Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge.

Amanah – trust

You are standing infront of the One Who is the Most Great,

The whole dominion in His hands like a mustard seed,

The One whose punishment is so severe.

Allah’s Face is in front of you

Flee to Allah to protect yourself – this stops your mind wandering o In something else more important than Allah? o Are you more afraid of something less important than Allah

Why is heart not present? o 71:13 What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to

Allah [due] grandeur

This is the 1st Standing infront of Allah

Loving Allah Love of Allah is the food of the soul

Coolness of the Eyes

Delight of being infront of the Beloved One

Sweetness of Faith

What makes you to love Allah? o Blessing and Bounties of Allah

Faith & Islam Security

o Allah Al Jamil – The Most Beautiful Beautiful Names and Attributes The beauty belongs to Allah

o Love how Allah is dealing with you Decree Justice

You will feel ‘SHY’ from Allah

Just Say ‘Allahu Akbar’

You are talking to Allah

Allah is Listening to You

Allah knows all you your worries

Workshop: Prayer with Faith (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

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Transcript of Workshop: Prayer with Faith (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

Workshop: **Prayer with Faith** (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

Documents

Transcript of Workshop: **Prayer with Faith** (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

Workshop: Prayer with Faith (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...

Transcript of Workshop: Prayer with Faith (Part One) · Salah also means mercy. If you pray with faith, with...