Spiritual Development Worship and its Fruits

Prayer Decides the Judgment Prayer Decides the Judgment إذا كان يوم القيامة يدعى بالعبد ، فأوّل شيء يسأل عنه : الصلاة ، فإذا جاء بها تامّة وإلاّ زجّ في النار. Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Take care of your daily prayers, for, on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah the Exalted, will bring His servant to account, the first thing that He will ask him about will be the daily prayers. If one brings it completely, he will be of the people of salvation, otherwise, he will be thrown into Fire." Wasailul Shia, n. 4430

Prayer Cleanses the Soul "If there was a stream at your house, and you washed yourself in this stream five times a day, will there remain any dirt on your body? Surely, prayer is like such a stream. The person who upholds prayer clears out his sins with it, except for the sins that take him out of the faith he believes in” Imam al-Sadiq (as), Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 82, p. 236

Prayer Shields from Sin اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ “Recite what is revealed to you of the Book, and establish prayer: for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and the remembrance of Allah is surely greatest. And Allah knows the (deeds) that you do.” The Holy Qur’an, 29:45

Prayer puts out the Fire of Sins "At the (appointed) time of every prayer (salat), I hear a caller who calls out and says: "O children of Adam! Keep up prayers in order to extinguish the fire you have lit against yourselves (by committing sins)." Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Mustadrak-ul-Wasa'il, vol. 3, p. 102

Prayer Protects from Satan قال رسول الله صلى‌الله‌عليه‌وآله : لا يزال الشيطان ذعراً من المؤمن ما حافظ على الصلوات الخمس لوقتهنّ ، فإذا ضيّعهنّ تجرّأ عليه فأدخله في العظائم. Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Satan remains afraid of a believer as long as the believer maintains his five prayers during their stipulated times. If the believer then ignores the prayers, Satan becomes daring towards him and causes him to commit major sins.” Wasailul Shia, n. 4426

Establishing Prayer “When a person maintains his prayer and offers it at its stipulated time, it ascends in the form of a pure white light and calls out to him: “You have guarded me, may Allah protect you.” But if he does not maintain his prayer and does not offer it at its decreed time, it ascends as a dark and gloomy form and says to him: You have destroyed me, may Allah destroy you.” Imam As-Sadiq (as), Al-Mahajjatul Baidha, Volume 1, Page 340

Taking Prayer Seriously قال أبو عبدالله عليه‌السلام : والله ، إنّه ليأتي على الرجل خمسون سنة وما قبل الله منه صلاة واحدة ، فأي شيء أشدّ من هذا ، والله إنّكم لتعرفون من جيرانكم وأصحابكم من لو كان يصلّي لبعضكم ما قبلها منه لا ستخفانه بها ، إنّ الله لا يقبل إلاّ الحسن ، فكيف يقبل ما يستخفّ به؟ !

Taking Prayer Seriously Imam al-Sadiq (as): “By Allah, fifty years of a person’s life may pass while Allah has not accepted a single prayer from him. What is worse than this? You know yourselves that you would not accept the prayer of some your neighbours or friends if they were praying on your behalf because they take the prayer lightly. While Allah accepts only that which is good, so how would He accept that which has been taken lightly?” Wasailul Shia, n. 4414

Giving Prayer its Due Time عن أبي جعفرعليه‌السلام قال : بينا رسول الله صلى‌الله‌عليه ‌وآله جالس في المسجد إذ دخل فقام يصلّي ، فلم يتمّ ركوعه ولا سجوده ، فقال صلى‌الله‌عليه‌وآله : فقر كنقر الغراب ، لئن مات هذا وهكذا صلاته ليموتنّ على غير ديني. Imam al-Baqir (as): “A man came into the mosque while the Prophet was sitting there. He began to pray, but he did not perform his ruku’ or sujud properly. The Prophet (saw) said: ‘he is pecking like a crow, if he dies and his prayer is like this, he will die on a religion other than mine.’” Wasailul Shia, n. 4434

Giving Prayer its Due Time عن أبي عبدالله عليه‌السلام قال : إذا قام العبد في الصلاة فخفّف صلاته ، قال الله تبارك وتعالى لملائكته : أما ترون إلى عبدي كأنّه يرى أنّ قضاء حوائجه بيد غيري ، أما يعلم أن قضاء حوائجه بيدي. Imam al-Sadiq (as): “If a servant prays quickly and leaves the place of prayer, Allah, the Exalted and Blessed, says to his angels: ‘Look at my slave, it is as if he sees that the fulfilment of his needs is in the hands of other than Me, does he not know that the fulfilment of all his needs is in My hands?’” Wasailul Shia, n. 4447

Poise during Prayer إيّاكم أن يستخفّ أحدكم بصلاته ، فلا هو إذا كان شابّاً أتمّها ، ولا هو إذا كان شيخاً قوي عليها ، وما أشدّ من سرقة الصلاة ، فإذا قام أحدكم فليعتدل ، وإذا ركع فليتمكّن ، وإذا رفع رأسه فليعتدل ، وإذا سجد فلينفرج ويتمكّن ، وإذا رفع رأسه فليلبث حتى يسكن.

Poise during Prayer Imam al-Sadiq (as): “…be wary to never take your prayer lightly. Do not be like the one who when he is young does not pray properly, and when he is old he does not have the ability to pray well. What is worse than stealing (from) the prayer? So if you stand up to pray, stand upright, and if you go into ruku, be stable in that position, and when you raise your head, stand upright again, and when you go into sujud, spread your limbs and be stable in that position, and when you raise your head from sujud, sit till your body is stable.” Wasailul Shia, n. 4446

Solemnity in Prayer “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and submissiveness” (23:1-2)

Solemnity in Prayer The Prophet (saw): “A person will pray but only a sixth or a tenth of it will be written (as reward) for him. Only that which he was conscious of will be written for him.” The Scale of Wisdom, n. 3626

The Rewards of Prayer قال رسول الله صلى‌الله‌عليه‌وآله : إذا قام العبد المؤمن في صلاته نظر الله عزّ وجلّ إليه ، أو قال : أقبل الله عليه حتى ينصرف ، وأظلّته الرحمة ، من فوق رأسه إلى أُفق السماء ، والملائكة تحفّه من حوله إلى أًفق السماء ، ووكّل الله به ملكاً قائماً على رأسه يقول له : أيّها المصلّي ، لو تعلم من ينظر إليك ومن تناجي ما التفتّ ولا زلت من موضعك أبداً.

The Rewards of Prayer Prophet Muhammad (saw): “If a believing servant stands to pray, Allah (SWT), the Exalted, looks at him, or gives him His attention, for as long as he continues to pray. He will be covered by the Mercy of God, from above his head up to the heavens. The angels will surround him, from his sides up to the heavens. Allah (SWT) will appoint an angel who stands at his head and says: ‘O you who is praying, if you knew who is looking at you and who you are speaking to, you would never turn away and would remain in this place of yours forever.” Wasailul Shia, n. 4437

Abandoning Prayer “There is nothing between a Muslim and a kafir except that he abandons an obligatory prayer deliberately or takes it so lightly that he does not pray it.” The Scale of Wisdom, n. 3642

Abandoning Prayer جاء رجل إلى النبي صلى‌الله‌عليه‌وآله فقال : يا رسول الله أوصني ، فقال : لا تدع الصلاة متعمّداً ، فإنّ من تركها متعمّداً فقد برئت منه ملّة الإسلام. Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Do not abandon your prayer deliberately, for one who abandons prayer deliberately is disowned by the community of Islam.” Wasailul Shia, n. 4466

Never Cease Prayer Never Cease Prayer The Prophet (saw) said: “As long as you are praying, [know that] surely you are knocking at the door of the Almighty King, and the King’s door opens for whoever knocks persistently thereat.” [Makarim al-Akhlaq, v. 2, p. 366, no. 2661]

The Night Prayer “When a servant stands alone before His Master in the middle of the dark night and speaks to Him, Allah will establish light in his heart…Then Allah (SWT) will say to His angels: ‘My angels, look at My servant, He is standing alone before Me in the middle of the dark knight, while the oblivious are sleeping and occupied. Be my witnesses that I have forgiven him.” The Scale of Wisdom, n. 3654

Supplication وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ “Your Lord has said: ‘Call me and I will answer You. Surely those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell in humiliation” (40:60)

Supplication “The best worship is supplication, for when Allah gives permission for His servant to supplicate, He has opened a door of Mercy for him. Surely, the one who supplicated will never be destroyed” The Scale of Wisdom, n. 2087

Supplication “Do not belittle the smallest of your needs, for the most beloved of the believers to Allah is the one who asks him the most.” The Scale of Wisdom, n. 2107

Supplication: A Constant Connection Supplication: A Constant Connection Allah, the Exalted, says to Prophet Musa (as): “...ask Me even for the salt of your food and the laces of your shoes...” It is narrated that Allah revealed to Prophet David (as): “Remember me in the good days so that I may answer [and assist] you in the bad [and difficult] days.” [Bihar al-Anwar, v. 93, p. 303, no. 39]

Persistence is fruitful "Ask (Allah) for your needs and insist on demanding because Allah likes the persistence of the believers among His servants” Imam al-Sadiq (as), Wasa'il-ush-Shi'ah,voI. 7, p. 60 "Treat your ailments with charity and repel varieties of affliction by invocation.” Imam al-Sadiq (as), At-Tahthib, vol. 4, p.112

Fruits of Worship Submission  Real Freedom Freedom from social and political pressures Tranquillity: freedom from stress and anxiety about small issues Healthy Life: freedom from a sinful and self- destructive lifestyle

Success from Allah “...When the servant says: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, Allah, Great is His Glory, says: "My servant has started with My name, and it is incumbent upon Me that I should complete his works for him and bless him in his affairs...”

Love for Allah إلهِي ما أَلَذَّ خَواطِرَ الإِلْهامِ بِذِكْرِكَ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ، وَما أَحْلَى الْمَسِيرَ إلَيْكَ بِالأَوْهامِ فِي مَسالِكِ الْغُيُوبِ، وَما أَطْيَبَ طَعْمَ حُبِّكَ، وَما أَعْذَبَ شِرْبَ قُرْبِكَ “My Lord, how pleasurable for hearts are the thoughts inspiring Your remembrance, and how sweet is the journey to You through the imagination across the paths of the unseen worlds, how pleasant is the taste of Your love, how delightful is the drink of Your proximity…” Munajatul Muhibbeen