When you hear the Call to Prayer given by the Muezzin, let yourself feel the terror of the Summons on Resurrection Day. Prepare yourself inwardly and outwardly to respond, and to do so promptly. Those who are quick to answer this call are the ones who will be summoned gently on the Day of the Great Review. So review your heart now: if you find it full of joy and happiness, eager to respond with alacrity, you can expect the Summons to bring you good news and salvation on the Day of Judgment. That is why the Prophet, on him be peace, used to say: ‘Comfort us, Bilāl!’ For Bilāl was the Muezzin and Prayer was the joy and comfort of the Messenger, on him be peace.
When attending to ritual purity in the things that envelop you in progressively closer layers – your room, then your clothes, then your skin, – do not neglect your inner being, which lies at the heart of all these. Endeavour to purify it with repentance and remorse for your excesses, and a determined resolution not to commit them in future. Cleanse your inner being in this way, for that is the place to be examined by the One you worship.
You cover the private parts, i.e. prevent certain areas of the body from being exposed to human view. But what about the shameful areas of your inner being, those unworthy secrets of your soul, that are scrutinised only by your Lord, Great and Glorious is He? Be conscious of these faults. Be discreet about them, but realise that nothing can be hidden from the sight of God, Glorified is He. Only through repentance, shame and fear, will they be forgiven …
As for facing the Qibla, in doing so, you turn your external face away from all other directions and toward the House of God, Exalted is He.* Do you then suppose you are not also required to turn your heart away from everything else, directing it towards God, Great and Glorious is He? What an absurd notion, since this is the whole object of the exercise! The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘When a man stands up to pray, directing his desire, his face and his heart towards God, Great and Glorious is He, he will come out of that Prayer as on the day his mother gave him birth.’63
As for standing upright, it means holding oneself erect – in body and spirit – in the presence of God, Great and Glorious is He. Your head, which is the highest member of your body, ought to be bowed down as a reminder of the need to keep the heart meek and humble, free of haughtiness and pride …
When forming the intention, resolve to be responsive to God, Great and Glorious is He, by performing the Prayer in obedience to His command, by doing it properly, by avoiding things that invalidate or mar it, and by doing all this sincerely for the sake of God, Great and Glorious is He, in hope of His reward and in fear of His punishment, seeking His grace and favour by His leave…
As for the takbīr,† your heart must not gainsay the words on your tongue. If you feel in your heart that there is something greater than God, Glorified is He, though your words are true, God will attest that you are a liar …
When making the opening invocation,‡ be very wary of disguised polytheism in yourself. It was concerning those whoworship for the sake of human as well as Divine approval that God, Exalted is He, revealed the Verse:
‘Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous work and let no one share in the worship due to his Lord.’ [al-Kahf, 18:110]
(Fa-man kāna yarjū liqā’a rabbihī fa-lya’mal ‘amalan ṣāliḥan wa-lā yushrik bi-’ibādati rabbihī aḥadā.)
When you say: ‘I take refuge with God from accursed Satan’, you should be aware that the devil is your enemy and that he is waiting for an opportunity to alienate you from God, Great and Glorious is He. Satan is envious of your ability to commune with God, and to prostrate yourself before Him…
Where recitation of the Quran is concerned, we can distinguish three types of people: (a) those who move their tongues unconsciously; (b) those who pay conscious attention to the movement of the tongue, understanding the meaning while listening as if to a person outside themselves; this is the degree of ‘those on the right’; (c) those who start from awareness of the meaning, then use the tongue to give expression to this inner consciousness. The tongue may act as interpreter for the inner feeling, or as its teacher. In the case of those nearest to God, the tongue is an interpreter…
According to ‘Ikrima, God, Great and Glorious is He, is referring to the postures of standing, bowing, prostration and sitting, when He says:
‘… Who sees you when you stand up [to pray] and your movements among those who prostrate themselves.’ [al-Shu’arā’, 26:218-219]
(Alladhī yarāka ḥīna taqūmu wa-taqallubaka fī-Isājidīn.)
Bowing (rukū’) and prostration (sujūd) are accompanied by a renewed affirmation of the supreme greatness of God, Glorified is He…
In bowing, you renew your submissiveness and humility striving to refine your inner feeling through a fresh awareness of your own impotence and insignificance before the might and grandeur of your Lord. To confirm this, you seek the aid of your tongue, glorifying your Lord and testifying repeatedly to His supreme majesty, both outwardly and inwardly.
Then you rise from bowing, hopeful that He will be merciful towards you. To emphasise this hope within you, you say: ‘sami’allahu liman hamidah,’ meaning: ‘God hears those who give thanks to Him.’ Acknowledging the need to express gratitude, you immediately add: ‘Rabbanā laka-lḥamd’ – ‘Grateful praise to You, our Lord!’ To show the abundance of this gratitude, you may also say: ‘mil’u-lsamāwāti wa-mil’u-l’arḍ’ – ‘as much as the heavens and earth contain.’
Then you go down in prostration. This is the highest level of submission, for you are bringing the most precious part of your body, namely your face, down to meet the most lowly of all things: the dust of the earth. If possible, you should make your prostration directly on the bare ground, this being more conducive to humility and a surer sign of self-abasement. When you place yourself in this position of lowliness, you should be aware that you belong there. You are restoring the branch to its root, for of dust you were created and to dust you shall return. At the same time you should renew your inner awareness of God’s majesty, saying: ‘Glory to my Lord Most High!’ (Subḥāna rabbiya-l’a’lā.) Repeat this to add confirmation, for saying it only once is not sufficiently emphatic.
When your inner feeling has clearly been refined, be confident in hoping for God’s mercy. For His mercy quickly flows towards weakness and lowliness, not towards arrogance and vanity.
As you raise your head, say ‘Allāhu Akbar!’ and ask for what you need, making the supplication of your choice, e.g. ‘My Lord, forgive and have mercy! Overlook my faults, of which You are well aware!’ (Rabbi-ghfir wa-rḥam wa-tajāwaz ‘ammā ta’lam.)
You then make a second prostration, reinforcing your submissiveness.
When you sit up to make the testimony (tashahhud), sit decorously. Declare that all the prayers and good works you perform are for the sake of God, and that everything belongs to Him. Such is the meaning of al-taḥīyyāt. … Be inwardly aware of the Prophet, on him be peace, and of his noble person, as you say: ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet, as well as God’s mercy and blessings.’ (Salāmun ‘alayka ayyuhā-lnabīyu wa-raḥmatu-llāhi wa-barakātuh.) Be sure that your salutation will reach him, and that he will return an even more perfect greeting to you. Then salute yourself and all God’s righteous servants. Then testify to the Unity of God, Exalted is He, and to the Mission of Muhammad, His Prophet, on him be peace. By repeating this two-fold testimony, you reaffirm the covenant of God, Glorified is He, and assure yourself of its protection.
At the end of your ritual Prayer, you should offer a traditional supplication, imploring and entreating with meekness and humility, confidently hoping to be heard. Let your supplication include your parents and the other believers.
Finally, and with the intention of concluding your Prayer, address your salutation (salām) to the angels and to the others present. Feel a sense of gratitude to God, Glorified is He, for having enabled you to complete this act of worship. Imagine that you are saying farewell to this Prayer of yours, and that you may not live to see another like it…