FOREWORD

Are you close enough to Allah, the One Who created you and placed you in this world, endowing you with wisdom and a body? When was the last time you prayed to Him? Do you plead to Allah only when you are in trouble, or do you always keep your mind occupied with His remembrance?

Are you aware that Allah is very close to you, that He knows everything you think about or whisper? Do you think of Him as your Lord, just as He is the Lord of all people? Or that He is your most intimate friend and provider and that you should ask for anything from Him?

Whatever your answer to these questions , you will benefit from reading this book, for it seeks to explain how close Allah is to His servants and the kind of prayer He asks from them. Allah stresses the importance of prayer with the verse, "... Say: 'What has My Lord to do with you if you do not call on Him?'" (Surat al-Furqan: 77). Our Prophet (saas) also reminded Muslims of prayer with the words "There is nothing more dear to Allah than a servant praying to Him." (Tirmidhi) There are no limits to praying to Allah and drawing close to Him, which explains why understanding prayer and being dedicated to it benefits everyone.
Prayer is the bond between Allah and people. Humankind inherently possesses the need to establish a bond with Allah: this is their very nature. Praying is an essential and natural part of a believer's life, though the majority of people only think of praying during times of insurmountable distress. Allah prefers that we pray to Him during times of ease as well as in times of severe hardship. For this reason, the Qur'an gives a detailed account of how to pray to Allah sincerely.

In the Qur'an, 209 verses refer to praying directly or indirectly, which indicates how important prayer is. As one reads these verses, he or she can better understand the essential nature of this form of worship.

 

Prayer Described in the Qur'an 

Prayer means "calling on, addressing, making a fervent request, asking for help." In the Qur'an, prayer is also described as "turning to Allah with all one's soul" or the "acknowledgement of one's weaknesses and limited power before Allah's infinite might, and asking for help from Him."

Anyone who has faith in Allah prays to Him in one way or another. However, the majority of people turn to prayer as a last resort, after having exhausted all possible alternatives during times of trouble or stress. Once the hardship is over, they forget about remembering Allah and imploring Him, until the next time they experience trouble.

There are other people who misunderstand prayer completely. For them, prayer is some incomprehensible ritual taught by the family's elderly members. They do not think about Allah's existence, greatness and might while praying. They scarcely remember that Allah always sees and hears people, and that He answers prayers. They repeat memorized words without giving any thought to them. However, the form of prayer that Allah describes in the Qur'an, which is the subject of this book, is quite different.

According to the Qur'an, praying is the simplest way to reach Allah. Now let's remind ourselves of some of the attributes of Allah. He is the One Who is closer to people than their jugular vein, the One Who knows and hears everything… Not even a single inner thought of human beings remains hidden to Allah. This being the case, only thinking suffices to ask for something from Him. This shows how easy it is to get in contact with Allah.

Allah is pleased as long as people retain the consciousness of being Allah's servant. For this reason, turning to Allah, confessing one's mistakes to Him and asking for help only from Him are essentials of being Allah's servant. A contrary attitude means growing arrogant towards Allah, which, according to the Qur'an, leads to an eternal torment in Hell.

In our day, as is the case with some other forms of worship, prayer is perceived by many as an obsolete tradition. This notion has been reinforced by the idea that the world is self-contained and independent of Allah. Some people assume that they, or the people around them, have control over the events they encounter throughout their lives, so they do not feel the need to pray to Allah until they encounter a disaster or come close to death. This is a delusion, which in some cases drags people to the point of perceiving prayer as a kind of sorcery that has survived to our day. The fact is that prayer is a form of worship that permeates every aspect of one's life.

All people, without exception, are in need of prayer. It is only flawed thinking to assume that a poor person trying to survive under harsh living conditions needs prayer more than a well-off person. It is erroneous to think that someone who has attained everything he or she desired does not need prayer, for such a conviction limits the meaning of prayer to satisfaction of worldly desires. Believers pray both for their life in this world and the next. Prayer is accompanied by putting one's trust in Allah, for which reason a person who prays acquires the consciousness that the Creator and Judge of the universe is in charge of the events they encounter, whether minor or significant. Awareness that all the methods to cope with or prevent a problem rests with Allah, the All-Mighty, and thus putting one's trust in Him and praying to Him alone, instills a sense of relief and security in a believer.

PRAYER IN THE QUR'ANIC SENSE

Do you recall when was the last time you prayed?... Readers' answers may vary, but what is common to all is that most people pray, at one time or another. Indeed, people can pray to Allah, our Lord, at any time and in any place they like, for anything they wish. Allah calls attention to the fact that people can pray and remember Him anywhere they wish:

Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying]: "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. Our Lord, those You cast into the Fire, You have indeed disgraced. The wrongdoers will have no helpers. Our Lord, we heard a caller calling us to faith: "Have faith in your Lord!' and we had faith. Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions, erase our bad actions from us and take us back to You with those who are truly good. Our Lord, give us what You promised us through Your Messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Rising. You do not break Your promise." Their Lord responds to them: "I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female…" (Surah Al Imran: 191-195) 

In the Qur'an, Allah describes the kind of prayer He most likes, which we will explain below.

Praying Humbly, Without Loudness of Voice

When you are in distress or feel desperate and thus feel the need to pray to Allah, where would you like to pray? Surely, the solitude of one's own room at night or a very tranquil place that will give you the sense of Allah's nearness would be the place you are looking for.

While worshipping, spiritual integrity can best be attained in a time and place that offers secure undivided attention. A person who feels the need to pray to Allah for the correction of his or her mistakes prefers to be alone and pray in secret. The Prophet Zakariyya's prayers, through which he asked for a descendant, is an example of secret prayer:

When he called on his Lord in secret and said, "My Lord, my bones have lost their strength and my head is crowned with white, but in calling on You, My Lord, I have never been disappointed." (Surah Maryam: 3-4)

As stated above, prayer is "accepting one's weaknesses and limited power before Allah's infinite might and asking for help from Him." For this reason, prayer demands absolute consciousness and acceptance of one's weaknesses and destitution before Allah. In this sense, there is no doubt that one will fail to attain such consciousness if one is insincere. In the Qur'an, Allah recommends believers to pray humbly and secretly:

Call on your Lord humbly and secretly. He does not love those who overstep the limits. (Surat al- A'raf: 55)

Remember your Lord in yourself humbly and with awe, without loudness of voice, morning and evening. Do not be one of the unaware. Those who are in the presence of your Lord do not consider themselves too great to worship Him. They glorify His praise and they prostrate to Him... (Surat al-A'raf: 205-206)

In the Qur'an, Allah calls our attention to solitary prayer that is performed with a deep feeling of dire need. In this sense, the place, the sophistication of the outward performance, the number of participants, or the supplicants' loud voice can by no means be the criteria for a successful prayer.

One must be aware that a loud voice in prayer is not an element that makes it heard by Allah. As already mentioned, Allah, the All-Knowing, knows even our inner thoughts and He is closer to us than our jugular vein. In this sense, it is needless to raise our voice so as to be heard by our Lord Who is close to us. One can either pray secretly or in a tone of voice audible only to oneself.

From the verses below we understand that both while praying or going about our daily business, a person needs to use his or her voice at a moderate level:

Be moderate in your tread and lower your voice. The most hateful of voices is the donkey's bray. (Surah Luqman: 19) 

Say: "Call on Allah or call on the All-Merciful, whichever you call upon, the Most Beautiful Names are His." Do not be too loud in your prayer or too quiet in it, but try to find a way between the two. (Surat al-Isra: 110)

As the verses reveal, the form of worship described in the Qur'an is far from ostentation. It is not performed to impress people: the sole purpose is the due fulfillment of one's duty towards the Creator. The Qur'an emphasizes this point strongly. In verses related to prayer, there are strong references to "calling on Allah, making one's religion sincerely His," which means, performing one's prayer to earn Allah's good pleasure alone and not seeking any other purpose. We can see this from verses such as the following:

He is the Living-there is no god but Him-so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir: 65) 

So call upon Allah, making your religion sincerely His, even though the disbelievers detest it. (Surah Ghafir: 14) 

Say: "My Lord has commanded justice. Stand and face Him in every mosque and call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. As He originated you, so you will return." (Surat al-A'raf: 29) 

The religion belongs to Allah alone. All forms of worship are performed to earn Allah's good pleasure. The only way to attain this goal is to perform our worship in the form Allah describes.

Those who do not make their prayers or any other form of worship sincerely Allah's, that is, those who seek "ostentation," are in great delusion. As Allah says:

So woe to the praying ones, Who are unmindful of their prayers, Who do [good] to be seen. (Surat al-Maun: 4-6) 

Feeling Allah's Existence While Praying 

One of the essentials of prayer is having firm faith in Allah. In situations in which one feels desperate, people feel no doubt about Allah's existence and His help. Yet a person ought also to feel Allah's existence, might and grandeur while praying during times of ease. In fact, not only during prayer, but at every instant of daily life, a believer should retain this awareness. At every moment he must feel Allah's existence and closeness and pray, for only someone who is cognizant of Allah's existence acknowledges the meaning and importance of prayer. Prayer is an intimate and personal bond between people and Allah. Through prayer, people express all their troubles and wishes to Allah and implore Him to assist them. In return, Allah answers His servants' prayer.

As said earlier, prayer in the Qur'anic sense can by no means be limited to a few rituals. As the verse "… remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on your sides." (Surat an-Nisa: 103) maintains, one can bring Allah to mind and pray to Him at any time and under all conditions, without necessarily performing any particular ritual or ceremony. That is because what matters is not the outward performance but one's sincerity.
Misunderstanding this strips prayer of its actual meaning and causes it to be perceived as a form of magic or spell. We can see this by the superstitious practices of some ignorant people such as fastening clothes to trees or blowing into water. It is well to remember that superstition is the opposite of the Qur'anic rationale. Instead of directly turning to Allah and asking for their needs from Him, these ignorant people devise some superstitious rituals or symbols and pray through these means. Meanwhile, they are unaware on whom they call. They attribute supernatural power to those objects they pray to, yet they fail to describe the nature of this power. This includes the superstitious practice of visiting tombs and praying to the dead to ask for help, whereas visiting tombs should be to remind us of death and the power of Allah.

A believer who complies with Allah's command which says, "Remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him completely." (Surat al-Muzzammil: 8) turns to Allah alone, and submits and pleads to Him.

Striking a Balance between Hope and Fear While Praying

In the Qur'an, Allah refers to Himself as,"... the Most Merciful of the merciful..." (Surat al-Anbiya': 83). It is also stated that, provided that one asks for repentance, anyone who does evil will find Allah forgiving. (Surat an-Nisa: 110) For this reason, people must reflect upon this attribute of Allah and pray with hope. No matter how serious an error a person may have committed, and is in deep remorse over it, it is not a reason for him or her to despair of Allah's forgiveness. Thus, the state of mind caused by erring and committing a sin must never become an impediment for a prayer of hope for forgiveness, for Allah states in the Qur'an that only disbelievers lose hope in Allah's mercy:

"... Do not despair of solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except for people who disbelieve." (Surah Yusuf: 87)

In addition, no one is immune to punishment in Hell. Indeed Allah warns people against this, saying, "No one is safe from the punishment of his Lord." (Surat al-Ma'arij: 28) For this reason, everyone must fear Allah as much as he or she can. Human beings, whose life is a test, are always vulnerable to Satan's cunning deceptions and are thus very likely to go astray and turn away from the righteous path. Nobody is guaranteed a place in Paradise. This makes a person fear failing to attain Allah's good pleasure, while hoping for Allah's mercy.

Indeed, one of the attributes of a true believer that distinguishes him from all others is his fear of Allah, since a disbeliever doubts even the existence of Hell. Believers, however, are fully cognizant of Hell's existence, and they see it as a very serious threat. Having an unswerving faith in the Day of Judgment, they feel the greatest fear. Only a person who has faith in Allah and avoids arrogance is influenced in her conduct by this fear: she feels no doubt about the existence and severity of the torment of Hell, and never assumes an attitude or behavior that may involve the risk of being thrown into it. She only aspires to the life in the hereafter that abounds with infinite beauty and makes every effort to distance herself from torment. The fear a believer feels for the hereafter manifests itself in his or her prayer.

That is why we find the concepts of fear and hope side by side in the Qur'an. If a person fails to fear the torment of Hell while praying, this is due to an essential failure of thinking and comprehension. Just as how eagerly a person prays to attain Paradise, so must he, for avoidance of Hell. In other words, through fear of Hell, he hopes to attain Paradise. Some of the verses that mention this are as follows:

Do not corrupt the earth after it has been put right. Call on Him fearfully and eagerly. Allah's mercy is close to the good-doers. (Surat al-A'raf: 56) 

Their sides eschew their beds as they call on their Lord in fear and ardent hope. And they give of what We have provided for them. (Surat as-Sajda: 16) 

As is seen, fear and hope are the two essential feelings that are proper to prayer as described in the Qur'an. In fact, a careful scrutiny of the Qur'an reveals the vital importance these two concepts represent for all forms of worship and in every instant of one's life.

We must remember that prayer is both an important duty towards Allah and a means that will help us attain our next lives, for in the Qur'an Allah states that the end of those who fail to offer prayers to Allah will be the eternal torment in Hell.

Your Lord says, "Call on Me and I will answer you. Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell abject." (Surah Ghafir: 60)

Remembering the Names of Allah While Praying 

It is Allah's names that introduce Him to us. Allah is ar-Rahim, All-Merciful. He is al-Haqim, the One Who holds everything under His control. He is al-Razzaq, the One Who provides for people… Human beings acknowledge better Allah's greatness, nearness and might, by addressing Him by these names. For instance, when asking for provision, one can address Allah by His name al-Razzaq. Indeed, in the Qur'an, Allah states that we can pray to Him by any of His names:

Say: "Call on Allah or call on the All-Merciful, whichever you call upon, the Most Beautiful Names are His." (Surat al-Isra: 110) 

To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call on Him by them and abandon those who desecrate His Names. They will be repaid for what they did. (Surat al-A'raf: 180) 

A person who is knowledgeable about Allah's attributes does not attempt to conceal his mistakes from Allah, aware that He knows everything whether he conceals them or not. Aware that hiding one's wrongdoings brings a believer nothing but harm, she repents and seeks His forgiveness for all her sins. Indeed, the Prophet Ibrahim's prayer begins as follows:

Our Lord! You know what we keep hidden and what we divulge. Nothing is hidden from Allah either on the earth or in heaven. (Surah Ibrahim: 38) 

A believer knows that, no matter what his or her wish may be, everything is under Allah's control and that He needs only to command "Be" and it is. With this in mind, he feels no insurmountable barrier to attaining Allah's blessings, and overcomes any hardship and obstacle through prayer.

Aside from asking for help from Allah and expressing one's needs, prayer is a means to remember and exalt Allah. The Qur'an gives us examples of exalting Allah by uttering His names in the prophets' prayers. Some of these prayers are as follows:

He (Sulayman) said, "My Lord, forgive me and give me a kingdom the like of which will never be granted to anyone after me. Truly You are the Ever-Giving." (Surah Sad: 35) 

"Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us. And give us mercy from You. You are the Ever-Giving." (Surah Al Imran: 8) 

He [Musa] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy. You are the Most Merciful of the merciful." (Surat al-A'raf: 151)

Then and there Zakariyya called on his Lord and said, "O Lord, grant me by Your favor an upright child. You are the Hearer of Prayer." (Surah Al Imran: 38) 

Avoiding Standard Expressions While Praying 

Prayer is remembering Allah, confessing one's wrongdoings to Him and expressing one's needs. A heartfelt sincerity is essential for prayer to be meaningful in these ways.

People repeat standard expressions while praying because, rather than being a sincere act of worship, people consider prayer as a sort of ritual, habit or custom. One who grasps Allah's greatness, fears His punishment, and desires to earn His good pleasure, will turn to Him with heartfelt sincerity and honesty. Similarly, one who submits himself to Allah, and takes Him as his only friend and helper, will admit his troubles and distress to Him. As in the case of the Prophet Ya'qub (as), who said "… I make complaint about my grief and sorrow to Allah alone…" (Surah Yusuf: 86), he will admit his sufferings and requests to Allah, and ask for help and good from Him alone.

In a prayer that lacks such sincerity-and thus is perceived as an obligatory ritual or magic spell-the use of stock expressions are unavoidable. In such a case, the prayer is performed by uttering some standard phrases without thinking about their meaning. Prayer, however, is a person's sincere bond with Allah. Every one has their own problems, requirements, wishes and state of mind. In this sense, what matters during prayer is not the words but the state of mind.

Indeed, the prayers referred to by the Qur'an possess an unaffected style. When we look at the prophets's prayers in general, we come across frank and heartfelt expressions reflecting their genuine state of mind.

Avoiding Hastiness While Praying

Man is impetuous by nature, a fact which is also stressed in the verse, "Man is a creature of haste. I will show you My Signs so do not impatiently urge me." (Surat al-Anbiya': 37). When this hastiness surfaces, a person may well behave without considering the consequences of their behavior. Indeed, this hastiness usually reveals itself in the desire to attain worldly blessings.

People feel an inner desire for Paradise and Allah's blessings. One of the reasons why these blessings have their counterparts in this life is to ensure a better grasp of Paradise and thereby the desire for it. However, people, out of their hastiness and desire to attain these blessings, want their wishes to be granted immediately. This hastiness may sometimes reveal itself in prayer too. People expect an immediate answer to their prayers. When a person feels their prayer is not answered, they may wrongly conclude that it is not accepted. In time, impatience turns to hopelessness, even to the point of abandoning prayer. Our Prophet (saas) also drew attention to this point saying, "Your supplications will be answered as long as you are not impatient by saying, 'Ihave supplicated to my Lord but He has not answered.'" (Al-Bukhari)

We must bear in mind that it is Allah Who knows best what is good for us. The Qur'an states this with the verse, "… It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know." (Surat al-Baqara: 216) This is why, when the servant asks for something from our Lord, he must be pleased with Him, whatever the outcome, aware that the decision rests with Allah alone. Not everything we wish for may be good for us. Therefore, Allah answers the prayer, not in the way we necessarily expect, but in the way deemed by Him to be most just. It may well be that, in order for a believer to grow in wisdom, Allah may not answer his prayer in the way he wishes, or until He prepares his character so he is ready for it. It may also be that Allah will replace his wish with something that is better, meanwhile, testing his patience and loyalty. Indeed, Allah recommends us to be steadfast in prayer:

Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. But that is a very hard thing, except for the humble. (Surat al-Baqara: 45)

In the Qur'an, Allah advises us to be resolute in prayer. Prayer is an act of worship and patience in prayer is important for the supplicant. A resolute prayer during times of adversity is a sign that one sorely needs an answer for that prayer, and more importantly, it draws one closer to Allah. It makes a believer grow in wisdom, will and character. A believer persevering in prayer receives an answer to his prayer in the form of a soul that is close to Allah, and this is an answer much more precious than many of the things one may ask for.
In some cases, many prophets prayed to Allah persistently for long years and their prayers were ultimately answered: the Prophet Ya'qub's (as) meeting his son (the Prophet Yusuf (as)) after years; the Prophet Yusuf's release from the prison where he was held for years and his being made the head of the Treasury and the way Allah eventually removed the severe afflictions from the Prophet Ayyub (as) who had suffered uncomplainingly, are all significant examples of patience.

Allah responded to these noble people's prayers only after some time for a specific purpose: He made them grow in wisdom; grow strong in character, patience and sincerity; and made them servants worthy of Paradise.

For this reason, being hasty in receiving an answer to one's prayer is not becoming to a believer. The sole responsibility of a Muslim is to be Allah's servant and be pleased with what has been ordained for him. In this sense, a true believer must perform his prayer as a part of this responsibility.

One Does Not Pray Only for Worldly Blessings

While praying, should we ask for mundane blessings, or turn solely to the life of the hereafter?

Allah considers both kinds of supplications good for sincere believers. No doubt, the life of this world is a short one that is doomed to end. Allah gives each blessing to human beings so that they can feel grateful to Him and draw nearer to Him. A blessing brings Paradise to mind, and makes a believer remember Allah's names and glorify Him. For these reasons, Allah recommends that believers pray both for this life and the next. Meanwhile, He warns them against turning all their attention to the temporary lure of this life. As the Qur'an says:

… There are some people who say, "Our Lord, give us good in the world." They will have no share in the hereafter. And there are others who say, "Our Lord, give us good in the world, and good in the hereafter, and safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." They will have a good share from what they have earned. Allah is swift at reckoning. (Surat al-Baqara: 200-202)

A person asks for things that concern his own world. His pursuits and interests in life determine the way he prays. In addition, those devoted to Allah also reflect in their prayers their desire to fulfill His obligations.
One's wishes pertaining to this life may come true. Yet, as is said earlier, these may not turn out to be good for him. He asks for money, but that money may lead him astray, for in an environment where material values are idolized, almost everyone surrounding him will behave in a manner opposite to the tenets of religion.
The wish in question is a mundane one and it may well be granted in this world. But in the hereafter, what he encounters may not meet his expectations. Some of the lures of this world are related in the following verse :

To mankind the love of worldly appetites is painted in glowing colors: women and children, and heaped-up mounds of gold and silver, and horses with fine markings, and livestock and fertile farmland. All that is merely the enjoyment of the life of the world. The best homecoming is in the presence of Allah. (Surah Al Imran: 14)

Of course there is some benefit to attaining these goals in this life, but each one of these mundane benefits may ultimately turn out to be a loss in the hereafter. However, as the examples of prophets show us, when asked for with the right intention, worldly benefits can also be a gain in the hereafter.

These noble people asked for the temporary gains of this world such as material goods, children and an enviable status in society only to earn Allah's good pleasure. None of the prophets asked for children to enjoy the privilege of the continuance of their names: they only wanted children so that their children could become leaders to people of faith after them.

Meanwhile, if someone desires many children as a way to show off, to satisfy his or her ambitions or for feelings of superiority, Allah may grant this wish. But because of the ostentation and arrogance of this wish, a person will be distanced from Allah, and will have no reward in the hereafter for this desire.

So, a prayer that is oriented solely to mundane blessings is not only unbecoming to a believer, but also a form of insincerity on his behalf. A believer's main goal is Paradise. In their prayers, believers must not forget their real abode and devote all their attention to the life of the hereafter. They must ask for things for the sake of both this world and beyond.

Rather Than Being Personal, Prayers Must be For all Believers 

In societies of ignorance, people crave the best of everything: they want to have the best car, the best house, lots of money, a beautiful spouse and so on. It is not uncommon to see them quarrelling jealously with their close friends or relatives.

Those who live by the Qur'an's values, however, share what they have with others. Believers understand that they do not really "own" their blessings in this world, rather that they are from Allah, so when they can, they share them with others. Indeed in the Qur'an, Allah calls our attention to this point while making mention of believers' attributes:

... [Those who] do not find in their hearts any need for what they have been given and prefer others over themselves even if they themselves are needy. It is the people who are safe-guarded from the avarice of their own selves who are successful. (Surat al-Hashr: 9) 

This fondness believers feel for one another, and the significance of their striving for one another's good is mentioned in many other verses:

The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer and pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 71) 

The community of believers also manifests itself in their prayers, as is demonstrated by the fact that while addressing Allah, believers often say "we" rather than "I". That is, while asking for anything from Allah, a believer asks not only for him or herself, but also for all other believers. No doubt, one may also call on Allah for personal reasons. One may ask for Allah's help in attaining all sorts of blessings, in repentance or in avoiding the torment in Hell or being degraded on the Day of Judgment. However, asking for these things also for other believers is an attribute praised in the Qur'an. As the following verses relate :

… Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a load like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a load we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Master, so help us against the disbelieving people. (Surat al-Baqara: 286) 

Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us. And give us mercy from You. You are the Ever-Giving. Our Lord, You are the Gatherer of mankind to a Day of which there is no doubt. Allah will not break His promise. (Surah Al Imran: 8-9) 

Our Lord, we have faith in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses. (Surah Al Imran: 53)

TIME AND PLACE FOR PRAYER

One who prays as it is described in the Qur'an, prays with the acknowledgement of his or her status as Allah's servant. He feels profoundly his submissiveness before Allah's might and feels certain that Allah sees and hears him.

According to the Qur'an, prayer cannot be confined to any particular time and place. Because the wishes and needs of people never abate, their prayers never end. That is, prayer has no time limitations.

However the Qur'an mentions when are the best times to pray, such as the nighttime and the morning prayers, when one distances himself from daily tasks in order to concentrate on prayer. One verse stresses the importance of the dawn prayer: "... those who seek forgiveness before dawn." (Surah Al Imran: 17) Other verses highlight how praying at nighttime offers the best time for reflection, reading the Qur'an and prayer:

Certainly rising at night has a stronger effect and is more conducive to concentration. In the daytime much of your time is taken up by business matters. Remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him completely. (Surat al-Muzzammil: 6-8)

Although there are no time limitations for prayer, there are reasons that the Qur'an calls attention to the dawn and nighttime prayers. A believer who starts a new day with a sincere prayer, and thus establishes a close bond with Allah, is strongly reminded of the main purpose of attaining Allah's approval or observing His limits. One who starts her day with prayers conducts herself with the awareness that Allah sees her at every moment.

The nighttime prayer mentioned in the Qur'an is an opportunity for someone who has engaged in the mundane tasks of life throughout day to reconsider and reorient his or her deeds and attitudes; reflecting at the end of the day gives hindsight that enables a person consciously to see the divine wisdom in seemingly negative events that happened and that appeared random at the time .

Devoting some time to prayer at nighttime helps people reflect over the wrongdoings they committed during that day, seek repentance and forgiveness for them, and clear their head from the possible negative emotions that might be clouding their mind.

This aside, a particular place does not necessarily need to be assigned for prayer. One can pray in the shopping mall, on the street, in the car, at school, or at work, that is, anywhere. What matters is to remember that, wherever a person may be, Allah is near to them than their own jugular vein. In the Qur'an, Allah states that prophets called on Him at any time and any place. One verse reads:

So he [Musa] drew water for them and then withdrew into the shade and said, "My Lord, I am truly in need of any good You have in store for me." (Surat al-Qasas: 24)

BEING CONCERNED THAT A PRAYER WILL NOT BE ANSWERED

As a result of the inculcations we are subjected to throughout our lives, we come to disregard the incredible miracles taking place in the flow of life. In time, many people come to believe that events on earth occur coincidentally or randomly. In actuality, most of these people do not deny Allah's existence or at least, renounce it outright. Yet they assume that the universe operates in a fashion independent of Allah, that Allah does not intervene in the course of mundane affairs, or that He intervenes once in a while through "miracles." This person, who fails to regard Allah in a manner due Him, also fails to grasp that Allah answers prayers. Even if he prays, he harbors doubts that Allah will answer.

However, a believer is certain that Allah hears her when she prays and answers her in one way or another, for she is aware that events take place not casually but in compliance with a destiny preordained by Allah. For this reason, she never feels concerned that her prayer will remain unanswered. Allah answers heartfelt prayers. As Allah states:

If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided. (Surat al-Baqara: 186) 

Other verses read, "... He Who responds to the oppressed when they call on Him..." (Surat an-Naml: 61). This verse reinforces the fact that Allah answers all sincere prayers.

Consequently, one must supplicate with a firm assurance of Allah's help. The contrary, that is, having doubts about whether Allah will answer one's call, is from the outset an attitude converse to the Qur'anic rationale. Our Prophet's (saas) hadith "one should beg one's Lord with a will and full devotion, for there is nothing in the eye of Allah which He cannot grant." (Muslim) also points to that fact.

For this reason, the two basic attributes of a supplicant are sincerity and trust in Allah. Allah wants His servants to be near to Him; He answers those calls His servants make with a sincere heart. For Allah, Who created humankind from a single drop of water, and the universe from nothing, it is very easy to answer prayer. One needs only to turn to Allah with an unswerving faith and patience.

The greatest mistake people make about prayers is to cease praying because of the concern that the prayer won't be answered. This is, in many ways, a flawed, and even ignorant, attitude. We must first make it clear that the answer of a prayer is not necessarily the "exact answer" one expects. As stated above, one may ask for something that is detrimental. This verse makes this point clear: "Man prays for evil just as he prays for good. Man is prone to be impetuous." (Surat al-Isra: 11) 

The reason a person may not receive an answer straight after their prayers or may receive an answer in a different form, is a test from Allah. Allah may well give those blessings at the end of a certain period for a particular purpose, to put His servants' patience to test, for instance, or to make them attain a more perfected faith.

VERBAL PRAYER AND PRAYER IN ACTION

As well as verbal prayer, Allah expects His servants to demonstrate how important they consider a prayer that asks for something to be, by their endeavor. This endeavor is called "prayer in action."

Prayer in action expresses one's exhausting all means to attain a desired end. In order to take the university exams, for instance, one needs to fill in the related forms, take courses and study. All these actions are prayers in action. Meanwhile, asking for success from Allah while accomplishing all these is also a prayer. The prayer in action is a basic act of worship that must be performed together with verbal prayer. Another example that clarifies verbal prayer and prayer in action is repentance. Asking for repentance and forgiveness for a sin is a verbal prayer. However, one's responsibility does not end here: one who prays to Allah to protect him from evil must also make some effort in this regard, and employ his will-power in situations where he has to choose between right and wrong. That is, he must truly repent and never return to his former ways after he has quit them. This would be his prayer in action.

Just as it is wrong for a person who only prays without involving himself in any kind of prayer in action, it is also wrong to say "I have accomplished this task," failing to pray verbally after completing the prayer in action.

PRAYERS ARE OFFERED TO ALLAH ALONE

Ascribing partners to Allah, that is, idolatry (shirk), is the gravest crime that can be committed against Allah. Allah stresses the seriousness of this crime in the Qur'an as follows:

Allah does not forgive anything being associated with Him but He forgives whoever He wills for anything other than that. Anyone who associates something with Allah has committed a terrible crime. (Surat an-Nisa: 48) 

Idolatry has always been prevalent historically, and is also widespread in our time. Many people may consider it a remote possibility for them to be idolatrous, even as they immerse themselves in idolatry, for idolatry is ascribing Allah's attributes to other beings. For this reason, if a person's purpose in life is to earn the approval of beings other than Allah and please them, then they are ascribing partners to Allah.

Praying is one of the most important ways to protect oneself against idolatry, since while praying, the supplicant acknowledges Allah's existence and unity deep inside and recognizes that there is no one to turn to other than Him. For this reason, supplication protects a believer against idolatry. Supplication is also an acknowledgement of one's weaknesses before Allah and that He is the only One who can help him. For this reason, prayer protects a believer against idolatry.

As the verse "O Prophet! Allah is enough for you, and for the believers who follow you." (Surat al-Anfal: 64) maintains, Muslims know that the only being from whom help is sought is Allah. He is the One Who is superior in every way, the Owner of infinite power, and the One who sees and hears everything. He is Allah, Who is exalted above anything. He holds all the power in the entire universe. This being the case, help and forgiveness must be sought from no one but Allah, the One Who is Rich Beyond Need, Praiseworthy. In the Qur'an, Allah states the gravity of the error of praying to someone other than Allah:

So do not call on any other god along with Allah or you will be among those who will be punished. (Surat ash-Shuara: 213) 

In other verses, Allah describes the situation of those who pray to others than Allah:

Those you call on besides Allah do not create anything. They are themselves created. They are dead, not alive, and they are not aware of when they will be raised. (Surat an-Nahl: 20-21) 

Consequently, a sincere believer never prays to someone other than Allah. He implores only Him and asks for His help alone. In Surat al-Fatiha, the first surah of the Qur'an, Allah advises believers to pray in the following way:

You alone we ask for help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those You have blessed, not of those with anger on them, nor of the misguided. (Surah al-Fatiha: 4-7) 

What befits Muslims is to ponder over and grasp Allah's infinite might, submit themselves wholeheartedly to this might and ask for help only from Him. A contrary attitude brings grief both in this world and beyond. This is Allah's promise.

IGNORANT UNDERSTANDING OF PRAYER

Those who take beings other than Allah to be their god, in other words, idolaters, also pray to Allah from time to time. However, idolaters' prayers are quite different from that of believers'. Idolaters remember that they are in need of Allah only in times of trouble and only pray to be saved from it.

However, at every moment of one's life, people are in need of Allah. The difference between the prayer of a believer and an idolater emerges right at this point. Believers turn to Allah under all circumstances and at all times. For them to turn to Allah in prayer, believers do not wait for hard times. Because they feel the need to draw near to Allah, they pray at every moment.

Idolaters' telling attribute is their ingratitude and hypocrisy towards Allah. In times of trouble and distress, they turn purely to Allah and pray. When the distress is removed, they totally forget Allah, as if it were not they who had called on Him. This is because they assume that some beings other than Allah hold control over the occurrence of events. They are not aware that everything on earth happens by Allah's Will. Due to this shallow outlook, they forget that whatever they hope for is already under Allah's control. When they get sick, for instance, they think it is the doctors, medicine or the advanced technology employed by the hospital that will cure them. They fail to think that it is Allah Who heals every disease, and Who creates the medicine and the doctors. When the doctors and medicine on which they rely so much fail, only then do they think about taking refuge in Allah, something they had never thought of before. The fact is, it is Allah alone Who heals a person. The people of ignorance, however, can never grasp this fact. They show ungratefulness. One verse explains this ingratitude as follows:

When harm touches man, he calls on Us, lying on his side or sitting down or standing up. Then when We remove the harm from him he carries on as if he had never called on Us when the harm first touched him. In that way We make what they have done appear good to the profligate. (Surah Yunus: 12) 

The fact that a person remembers Allah at his most difficult times indicates a certain fact: he already knows that Allah is the only One in whom he can take refuge. When faced with distress, this fact that has been disregarded until then-since it challenged his personal interests-is recalled. However, when saved from it, he again returns to ingratitude. The Qur'an relates this situation with an example:

It is He Who conveys you on both land and sea so that when some of you are on a boat, running before a fair wind, rejoicing at it, and then a violent squall comes upon them and the waves come at them from every side and they realize there is no way of escape, they call on Allah, making their religion sincerely His: "If You rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thankful."

But then, when He does rescue them, they become rebellious in the earth without any right to do so. Mankind, your rebelliousness is only against yourselves. There is the enjoyment of the life of the world and then you will return to Us and We will inform you about what you did. (Surah Yunus: 22-23)

It is quite hard to be saved from a ship that is about to sink in the midst of an ocean. In such a situation, a person faces certain death and none of the non-godly ideas upon which they relied until then are of any help. Only the One Who holds control over the sea, storm, ship and darkness can help them …and this is Allah, the Lord of Superior Might.

This simply means that all the agents one thinks they can turn to for help are powerless. This is an utterly desperate situation indeed. So a person on a sinking ship will suddenly start to pray, assured of Allah's existence and the fact that no one but Allah can save them. While praying, they humble themselves and turn to Allah in prayer. They fully comprehend that only Allah can save them from the desperate situation they are in and that they will never be saved unless Allah wills it.

People who don't normally pray to Allah, or even have denied His existence and who suddenly find themselves in this dire situation have, most probably, never thought about encountering death in this way before. They usually think of death as a distant possibility and thus remain indifferent towards life after death, and rely on their worldly supporters. Yet when faced with this dire situation of which they never before contemplated, the existence of these supporters become meaningless. Now, they do not falter in praying to Allah. At that moment they turn to Him in prayer, even if before they had always doubted the efficacy of asking for help from Him. No one reminds them now to pray to Allah, and indeed there is no need for this, for they know deep down, that it is Allah alone Who can help them.

Being so close to death, people will quickly review their life and imminent doom and suddenly start thinking about life after death; they will see that they have not engaged in deeds that are worthy of Paradise and suddenly this will be their greatest fear. They will think about how they spent their time in this life. They cannot now be arrogant nor any longer remain negligent or reckless towards issues concerning religion. They act as though they were not the ones who rejected Allah. Meanwhile, they are truly aware of their ungratefulness: that they feel the need to pray now that they are in a desperate situation indicates that, in actuality, they knew all along how they should be behaving. However, surprisingly, as the Qur'an informs us, a disbeliever who turns to Allah in these kinds of dire circumstances, acknowledging that Allah is the All-Mighty, all of a sudden loses his sincerity once the threat is over. In an amazing manner, they return to their former idolatrous ways. Their regret and relying on Allah is all of a sudden replaced by disbelief and ingratitude. They lapse back into their former state of heedlessness. The enlightenment they experienced in the face of danger suddenly disappears. With the security instilled by relief and the disappearance of danger, they never feel the need again to pray.

This abnormal psychology of the people of ignorance and their ingratitude is described in the Qur'an as follows:

Man never tires of praying for the good and if evil touches him, he despairs and loses hope. But if We let him taste mercy from Us after he has suffered hardship, then he says, "This is my due. I do not think that the Hour is going to come. And if am returned to my Lord, I will definitely find the best reward with Him." But We will inform those who disbelieve of what they did and make them suffer a ruthless punishment. When We grant blessing to a man, he turns away and draws aside but when any evil touches him, he is full of endless prayers! (Surah Fussilat: 49-51)

All these verses make mention of people who turn to Allah in trouble yet grow ungrateful when relieved. As said earlier, this is an attitude peculiar to idolaters, since the telling character trait of believers is their turning to Allah under all circumstances. Not only in times of difficulty, but also during times of ease and welfare, do they turn to Allah in prayer and glorify Him. They have assured faith in the fact that only Allah can help them.
Being ungrateful, as in the case of the one who prays to Allah in the ship but then becomes forgetful when relieved, is every soul's inclination. One of the purposes of this Qur'anic story about the ship is surely to condemn idolaters. However, everyone needs to take lessons from it and avoid assuming a similar attitude. That is to say, everyone needs to ponder this example, reconsider their own situation and sincerely correct their outlook.

Do you, for instance, ever consider your own situation?

Do you pray more strongly when you encounter a hardship, as in the case of the people in the ocean caught by a storm? Do you turn to Allah in prayer only when you encounter trouble? Do your prayers become more sincere in times of trouble? Are you prone barely to remembering Allah and paying less attention to prayer, when you are happy and relieved?

If this is the case, then you need to ponder your own situation. You need to draw lessons from this incident in the Qur'an, and strive not to be like the idolaters who prayed in the ship but then became ungrateful once relieved. You need to ask for forgiveness and repentance, for the duty of every person of faith is to avoid the character traits of disbelievers and idolaters and strive to assume the believers' character traits. One of these is their constant remembrance that they are Allah's servants, whether they are at ease or in trouble. They always turn to Allah in prayer and remain grateful.

We need to remember that praying only in times of trouble and hardship is an insincere attitude. Indeed, the Qur'an relates that even the most insolent people who revolted against Allah and His messenger prayed to Allah at very difficult times.

Pharaoh is the prototype of such a character. Pharaoh, who presented himself as a god in ancient Egypt and grew arrogant, treated the Prophet Musa (as) and his people cruelly and denied Allah, despite the many miracles he witnessed and the Prophet Musa's communication of Allah's message. Moreover, Pharaoh's denial and arrogance persisted until he met his death. Yet, once he realized that death was very near and that he had no hope for salvation, he started to pray desperately and claimed that he was also a Muslim-one who has submitted himself to Allah. This is related in the Qur'an as follows:

We brought the tribe of Israel across the sea and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he said, "I believe that there is no god but Him in Whom the tribe of Israel believe. I am one of the Muslims." "What, now! When previously you rebelled and were one of the corrupters? Today we will preserve your body so you can be a Sign for people who come after you. Surely many people are heedless of Our Signs." (Surah Yunus: 90-92) 

Believers must also pay heed to this distorted understanding of prayer as related in the Qur'an. All believers who read the Qur'an are held responsible for its commandments, and with these verses, Allah warns believers and makes it clear that He expects His servants to include prayer in every aspect of their lives. This demonstrates a striking difference between the believers' understanding of prayer, and that of ignorant people. Believers are submissive to our Lord, the One Who grants infinite blessings. They are aware that their true friend and protector is Allah. For this reason, under all circumstances, they pray and ask for help only from Him. The people of ignorance remember to pray only when they are in a dire need. Otherwise, they ascribe partners to Allah and expect help from these partners. They will surely receive a painful treatment in return for this ignorance, both in this world and beyond.