ALLAHUMMA SALLE ALA

MUHAMMED WA AALE MUHAMMED

 SEEK YOUR HELP
Say"O my Lord!
expand me my
 ‫صْدِري‬
َ ‫ح ِلي‬ْ َ‫شر‬ْ ‫با‬ ّ َ‫َقاَل ر‬
breast;  ‫سرْ ِلي َأْمِري‬ّ ‫َوَي‬
 ‫ساِني‬
َ ‫عْقَدًة ّمن ّل‬
ُ ‫حُلْل‬
ْ ‫َوا‬
"Ease my task for  ‫َيْفَقُهوا َقْوِلي‬
me;

"And remove the

impediment from my
speech, Qala Rabbi Ishrah Lee Sadree
Wayassir Lee Amree
"So they may Waohlul Aauqdatan Min
Lisanee
understand what I Yafqahoo Qawlee
SALAT - A Journey To A Different WORLD
WE DONT KNOW THE WORTH
 Imam Ali (‘a) says,

‫سُه‬
َ ‫ن َيْرَفَع َرْأ‬
ْ ‫س ّرُه َأ‬
َ ‫ َما‬،‫ل‬
ِ ‫لِل ا‬
َ‫ج‬
َ ‫ن‬
ْ ‫شاُه ِم‬
َ ‫ي َما َيْغ‬
ْ ّ‫ص ل‬
َ ‫ َلْو َيْعَلُم اْلُم‬
.‫جْوِدِه‬
ُ‫س‬ ُ ‫ن‬ ْ ‫ِم‬
 “Had the one who prays known how the Majesty
of Allah encompasses him, he would never have
liked to raise his head from prostration.” (Khisal,
vol. 2, p. 632)
ARE WE Certain / Sure . Yakeen
 Amir al Muminin (‘a) says,
.‫طاُء َما اْزَدْدتُ َيِقينًا‬
َ ‫ف اْلِغ‬
َ ‫ش‬
ِ ‫ َلْو ُك‬
 “Even if the curtain is raised, my certainty
will not increase.” (Bihar ul Anwar, vol. 46, p. 134)
 YAKEEN IN WHAT ???
 WE ARE NOT CREATED FOR THIS WORLD
 THIS WORLD IS A PLACE OF TRANSIT AND WE
CANNOT STAY HERE HOW MUCH EVER WE
TRY AND LOVE
 THIS WORLD IS A FARM FOR THE HEREAFTER
 THIS WORLD CANNOT FULFILL OUR DESIRES
BUT CAN ONLY SEDUCE US
 THERE IS HIGHER BLISS IN GAINING
PROXIMITY OF ALLAH swt
THE REAL BLISS- Imam Sajjad(‘a.s)

Nothing can quench my thirst

but Your attachment,
and nothing can extinguish my burning desire
but Your meeting.
And nothing can extinguish my craving for you except seeing Your
face (wajh),
and my restlessness cannot be done away with but by gaining
proximity to You…
and My sorrow cannot be dispelled
except by being near to You.”
(Bihar ul Anwar, vol. 94, p. 150)
The path that leads to Your meeting,
O Allah! Make us tread the path that leads to Your meeting,
& make us travel on the road that is nearest to You…
Attach us with those servants of Yours who are in haste to reach
You.
Those who incessantly knock on Your door, and worship only You
in the night…
You have fulfilled their desire by allowing them Your meeting, and
You have filled their hearts with Your love,
and have quenched their thirst with Your pure drink.
You, Allah, are my aim.

Thus, because of You,

they enjoyed the taste of Your supplications (munajat) and have
achieved their farthest aims (i.e. Allah)…

Then only You, O Allah, are my aim.

And my being awake and up in the nights is only because of You and
not for anybody else.

Your meeting is my love and Your sight, my desire.

Your vision is my only need.” (Bihar ul Anwar, vol. 94, p. 148)
 Imam Baqir (‘a) declares,

Then surely the Messenger of Allah (‘s) is the gate of

Allah,without whom He (Allah) cannot be approached.

He (‘s) is the path, if somebody walks on it, will lead

to Allah (Mighty and Glorified be He).

After him, the same applied for Amir al Muminin

(‘a) and the Imams (‘a) following him, one after the
other…” (Usul al Kafi, vol.1, p. 198)
Hearts find rest!
 ِ‫ن ُقُلوُبُهم ِبِذْكر‬ّ ‫طَمِئ‬
ْ ‫ن آَمُنوْا َوَت‬َ ‫اّلِذي‬
ُ ‫ن اْلُقُلو‬
‫ب‬ ّ ‫طَمِئ‬ْ ‫ل َت‬
ّ ‫ل َأَل ِبِذْكِر ا‬ّ ‫ا‬
 Who have believed and
whose hearts have rest in
the remembrance of Allah.
Verily in the remembrance
of Allah do hearts find rest!
(13:28)
IDENTIFY THESE FACTS
 Real pleasure is in gaining access to Allah swt rehmat
 Nothing can quench our thirst
 Reaching Allah is sole aim
 Feeling presence of Allah and MASOOMEEN is the key
 There is a path , if we walk on and knock his door he allows his
meeting and his pure drink
 Its in our body that Allahs Haram can be made
 Its our body that can become executor of Shaitans order
Reminder for him; Who has a Heart
 Holy Quran says:

‫شهيٌد‬
َ ‫ب أْو أْلقى السّْمَع وُهَو‬
ٌ ‫ن َلُه َقْل‬
َ ‫ن َكا‬
ْ ‫ك َلِذْكرى لَِم‬
َ ‫ن في ذِل‬
ّ ‫ِإ‬.

“Most surely, there is a reminder in this for him who

has a heart or he gives ear and is a witness.
(50:38)”
IMAM HUSAIN A.S

Aye Khuda ,
Jisne tujhe paya
usne kya khoya
Aur
Jisne tujhe kho diya
Usne kya paaya
SALAT IS THAT MEETING WITH ALLAH

Lets first identify FACTS Which help us to comprehend Salat

Questions
• What is the relationship between

• The one Who is Praying

• AND To whom its Prayed

• Why its Necessary

• What is Salat
 RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Master and
I am the Slave,
and who else can be merciful
to the slave except the
Master?
 RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Owner and
I am the one Owned by You,

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Mighty
and I am the low,
RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Creator and
I am the creature,
You are the Glorious and
I am the Miserable ,
RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Powerful
and I am the weak,

You are the Wealthy

and I am the Poor,
RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Bestower
and I am the Beggar,

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Eternal
and I am the transient,
RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Provider
and I am the blessed

You are the Generous

and I am the miser,

You are the Free

and I am the afflicted,
 RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI,

My Lord, O my Lord,
You are the Great and I am
the insignificant,

You are the Leading

and I am the straying,
 RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

You are the Merciful and I am the one shown mercy,

You are the Authority and I am the Tried,
You are the Guide and I am the Confused,
You are the Forgiver and I am the Sinner,
You are the Victor and I am the Defeated,
You are the Nourisher and I am the Nourished,
You are the High-handed and I am the Humble ,
You are the Generous and I am the miser,
You are the Free and I am the afflicted,
 RELATIONSHIP MAN AND GOD
MUNAJAT OF IMAM ALI

My Lord, O my Lord,
have mercy on me by Your kindness,
and be pleased with me by Your Generosity &
Your Magnanimity and Your Grace,
O the Generous, and Beneficent,
O the Almighty and the Benefactor,
by your Mercy, O the most Kind.
KNOW OUR REALITY , WHEN YOU PREPARE
FOR SALAT

ALLAH I
Master Slave

Owner Owned

Mighty Low

Creator Creature

Glorious Miserable

Powerful Weak

Wealthy Poor

Bestower Beggar

Living Dead

Eternal Transient
KNOW OUR REALITY , WHEN YOU PREPARE FOR
SALAT

Permanent Short-lived
Provider Blessed
Generous Miser
Free Afflicted
Great Insignificant

Leading Straying
Merciful One shown
mercy
Authority Tried
Guide Confused
Forgiver Sinner
Victor Defeated
Nourisher Nourished
High-handed Humble
 WHAT CAN I GET BY PRAYING

.‫ ُاْذُكُروِني َأْذُكْرُكْم‬
 “You remember Me, I will remember you.” (Quran,
2:52)

 Imam Baqir (‘a) says,

.‫ن ِذْكِرِهْم ِإّياه‬
ْ ‫صلِة َأْكَبُر ِم‬
ّ ‫ل َِلْهِل ال‬
ِ ‫ ِذْكُر ا‬
 “Allah’s remembrance of those who worship Him is
GREATER than their remembrance of Him.”
(Tafsir, al Qummi, vol. 2, p. 150)
THE GREATEST WILL REMEMBER THE
INSIGNIFICANT

ُ‫ل َأْكَبر‬
ِ ‫ َوَلِذْكُر ا‬
 ‘And Allah’s remembrance is the greatest.’
(Quran, 29: 45),
SO WE HAVE IDENTIFIED

 OUR REALITY
 WHAT GREATER HIEGHTS CAN WE
REACH BY PRAYING
 HOW MERCIFUL IS ALLAH
 BUTTTTT
BUTTTTTT THE GOLDEN QUESTION
 WE PRAY BUT WE DON’T FEEL IT
 HOW DO WE INCREASE OUR LEVEL
TO GET CLOSE
 HOW DO I FEEL ALLAHS PRESENCE
 HOW CAN MY SALAT BE EFFECTIVE
LET US *UNDERSTAND* SALAT

 SALAT HAS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR

 Know that for the salat, beside its form, there is a meaning, and
apart from its exterior it has an Interior; And as the Exterior has
its disciplines, neglecting which would render the outer form of
the salat invalid or incomplete
 likewise its interior has cordial spiritual disciplines, neglecting
which would render the spiritual salat invalid or incomplete;
whereas observing them would inspire the salat with a heavenly
spirit.- Ayatullah Khomaini In Adabus Salat ..
IF WE LOOSE THE INTERIOR
 THEN WE CAN NOT ENJOY SALAT AS
STATED BY IMAM SAJJAD a.s
 THEN THE MEETING IS NOT POSSIBLE
 WE CANNOT DRINK THE PURE DRINK OF
LOVE OF ALLAH
 OUR HEART CANNOT FEEL ALLAHS
PRESENCE IN IT
IS ALL THIS POSSBLE – “YES”
 SHAITAAN WILL ALWAYS MAGNIFY
AND WHISPER IN OUR EARS SAYING
THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR US
 BUT REMEMBER ALLAHS HELP IS
PROMISED AND THOSE WHO WANT
TO TRAVEL – HELP IS ASSURED
 THE DESIRE IS NEEDED WITH
KHULOOS – PURE INTENTION
IMAM Al-Baqir and Al-Sadiq (AS)

 Nothing of your Prayer is yours, except that

which you did with an attentive heart.
 So, if one performed it completely erroneously,
or neglected its disciplines, it would be folded
and thrown back at its owner’s face.
(Wasa’ilush-Shi’ah, Volume 4, Page 687,
Chapter 3, Tradition 1)
* SALAT IS A JOURNEY *
 Allah, the Most High, says: "And whoever
Leaves his house Migrating to Allah and His
Messenger, and then death overtakes him, his
reward is, indeed, with Allah,"

 "The Salat is the Mi'raj of the believer",

I'tiqadat, by the late ‘Allamah al-Majlisi, p. 29.
TO ATTAIN MI’RAJ
 THE PRAYER IS MUSALLI (TRAVLLER)
 Man Is in a Journey and he is carrying his soul to his
Beloved Lord
 Man is nothing but an Intermediary for his soul..
 FOR ANY TRAVELLER , The first condition for
travelling (to Allah) is to leave this house (his body).
Migration
 The formal migration, or the form of
migration, is the corporeal migration from
the formal house to the ka'bah or to the
shrines of the holy men [awliya'] (AS),
 The spiritual migration is the going out of
the house of the soul and the house of this
world to Allah and His Messenger.
STRENGTH OF SALAT
 ATTENTION TO THE INNER SELF
 PRESENCE OF HEART
 REALISATION OF OUR HUMILITY AND
ATTAINING THE BLISS IN THIS WORLD
 WHICH CAN HELP US REACH THE
MIRAJ IN THIS WORLD
WHO ?????
WHO STOPS US TO
ACHIEVE SUCH HEIGHTS
OF PROXIMITY TO THE
BELOVED
 Kill this I
Our Own
Created
Mr.“ I ”

“ The mother
of the idols is
the idol of
Your self ”
STEP 1 : REMOVE “ I ” FROM PRAYERS
GOLDEN RULE
 The one who travels on the foot of
servitude, and burns his forehead with
the brand of the humility of serfdom, will
reach the Glory of (His) Lordship.
 and What is lost of servitude because of
egoism and egotism, can be recovered
under the shadow of the Lordship's
patronage,

*Servitude - Absolute Ownership Of Lord On Very

Inch Of Our Existence
*Serfdom -A state of subjugation to an owner or
master
Kill
Mr.I
 GOLDEN RULE
 ATTNETION & CONCENTRATION ON
INNERSELF AND LORD
 No one can have any share of Glory and
Majesty,
 while the humility of servitude and poverty
is engraved on the forehead of every body,
and is registered in the innermost part of
their truth.
REMOVE “ I ” FROM PRAYERS

 And so long as there are residues of I-ness

in the salik's eyes,
 And as long as the walls of his own town
and the adhan announcing selfishness
have not yet disappeared,
 He is regarded present, not a traveler or an
emigrant.

Kill Mr.I
ATTENTION IS THE KEY
 The strength of everybody's suluk
(journey) is in proportion to the strength of
this attention,
 or rather the perfection or the imperfection
of humanity is connected to the perfection
or imperfection of this matter.
Self-conceit and Egotism
 The veil of self-conceit and egotism is thicker and
darker than all other veils.
 To tear open this veil is more difficult than tearing
all other veils, and tearing it is a preparatory step
to tearing other veils.
 In fact, tearing off this veil is the master key
for the invisible, the visible and the great door
of the ascent to the perfect spirituality.

Kill Mr.I
2: KHUSHU – SUBMISIVENESS
 “Successful, indeed, are the believers
who are submissive in their salats,"
Surah al-Mu'minun: 1-2.

 The degrees of submission are

according to the degrees of
understanding the Greatness, Majesty
and Beauty.
KHUSHU – SUBMISIVENESS
 Submission in the salat is regarded as a sign of faith
[iman].
 So, whoever is not submissive in his salat, will,
according to Allah's saying, be excluded from the
faithful [ahl-i iman].
 Salats which are not accompanied with submission
are caused by a deficiency of faith or by lacking it.

 KNOWING IS NOT FAITH – IMAN eg Shaitan

 KHUSHU – SUBMISIVENESS
 WE may say that, having comprehended the
Greatness, the Beauty, and the Majesty of
Allah,
 either by means of reasoning and proofs, or
through the explanations of the Prophets
and IMAMS (AS),
 one must remind his heart of it,
KHUSHU – SUBMISIVENESS
 And then, by
 Gradual remindings,
 Cordial attention and
 Continual remembering Allah's Greatness
and Majesty,
 He has to bring about the state of
submission in his heart, so as to attain to
the required result
Conflict of Heart and Mind
 Not every man of knowledge is a man of
faith. Therefore, after acquiring knowledge,
 one has to join the believers, and to convey
the Greatness, Majesty, Brightness and
Beauty of Allah, the Most Exalted and High,
to his heart,
 so that it may become submissive, since
mere knowledge does not result in
submission.
TRAINING THE HEART
 At Times Your Reasoning (MIND) might accept
the reality
 But the heart may not accept it fully
 THEN the Mind needs to train his Heart
regarding the HAQQ ( truth )
 Every moment the MIND should train like a
mother trains his child to speak till the moment
the heart automatically submits to the reality
MOMEENS HEART IS THE HARAM OF ALLAH

 It’s the heart of a Momeen which should

be filled with Allahs presence
 A stage has to be reached where the
momeen submits his heart to ALLAH
 AND THE OWNER (ALLAH) takes his
place – HEART
 AND THEN THE MOMEEN BECOMES….
MOMEENS HEART IS THE HARAM OF ALLAH

 ...He (Allah's servant) keeps trying to get closer

to Me by means of the nafilah
 until I love him. Loving him,
 I will become his ears with which he hears, his
eyes with which he sees, his tongue with which
he speaks and his hand with which he strikes.
 When he asks Me I answer him, and if he
demands from Me 1 will give him ..."
'Usul ul Kafi, vol. 4, p. 53, the book of "Faith and Infidelity",
THE STRUGGLE SHOULD CONTINUE TILL OUR HEART

My God, grant me the utmost

absorption in You and illuminate
the vision of our hearts with the
light of Your Vision,
vision of our hearts
Until the sight of the hearts can
penetrate the curtains of light and
reach the source of Greatness and

Until our spirits get anchored to the

threshold of Your Sanctity.
(Munajat-e Sha'baniyyah - Mafatih al-Jinaan
 REFERENCE BOOKS
 Adabus Salat
The Disciplines of the Prayer
By Ayatullah Khomaini
http://www.al-islam.org/adab/
 Salat (Prayer)
The Mode of Divine Proximity and
Recognition
By Ayatullah Mirza Mahdi Isfahani
http://www.al-islam.org/salaat/