Self Building - Prayer (Salah) Part 2 - (26) — Transcript

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1. 0:05The prayer begins with the first takbir.
2. 0:08When the servant raises his hands and
3. 0:10says Allahu Akbar, he declares that
4. 0:12Allah is greater than anything that can
5. 0:15be described or imagined. The wisdom of
6. 0:18beginning with the takbir is that prayer
7. 0:20starts by recognizing Allah's greatness.
8. 0:24When the servant realizes that Allah is
9. 0:25greater than anything he can conceive,
10. 0:28his heart becomes humble and attentive.
11. 0:32So, the prayer begins by elevating Allah
12. 0:34beyond all description and by lowering
13. 0:37the servant into humility before him.
14. 0:40After the opening takbir, the servant
15. 0:42remains standing in qiyam before his
16. 0:45Lord.
17. 0:47When a person stands before someone of
18. 0:49great authority,
19. 0:50he becomes careful in his words and
20. 0:53attentive in his presence. Prayer trains
21. 0:56the servant to stand before Allah with
22. 0:58that same awareness. If this reality
23. 1:01distant, reflect on something simpler.
24. 1:05Imagine standing before a powerful ruler
25. 1:08in this world.
26. 1:09Your posture would change. Your speech
27. 1:12would become measured. Now, ask
28. 1:14yourself,
29. 1:15do you stand before Allah with less
30. 1:17attentiveness than you would before a
31. 1:19human being?
32. 1:21If your focus sharpens when you imagine
33. 1:23someone watching you, yet weakens when
34. 1:26you remember that Allah sees you,
35. 1:28that reveals a deficiency in
36. 1:30recognition. The limbs follow the heart.
37. 1:34When the heart becomes humble and
38. 1:35attentive, the body becomes still.
39. 1:39When the heart wanders, the body
40. 1:41reflects that distraction. During qiyam,
41. 1:44the servant begins reciting Bismillahir
42. 1:47Rahmanir Raheem.
43. 1:50The servant first begins with the name
44. 1:52of Allah, as it reminds the servant that
45. 1:55every action begins through him and is
46. 1:58completed only through his assistance.
47. 2:01Mentioning Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem at
48. 2:04the very beginning fills the heart with
49. 2:06hope. The servant stands aware of his
50. 2:09shortcomings, yet hopeful because he
51. 2:11approaches the one whose mercy
52. 2:13encompasses everything. Then you say,
53. 2:16"Alhamdulillah
54. 2:18Rabbil Alameen."
55. 2:20Here, the servant recognizes that all
56. 2:22blessings come from Allah alone. Nothing
57. 2:25you possess, life, strength, faith,
58. 2:29guidance, originates from yourself.
59. 2:32Everything that deserves praise and
60. 2:34thanks ultimately belongs to him. Then
61. 2:38you repeat, "Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem." After
62. 2:42praise, the heart is reminded again of
63. 2:44his rahmah.
64. 2:46It reassures the heart that the one
65. 2:48before whom you stand is compassionate
66. 2:51towards those who return to him.
67. 2:53Then you say, "Maliki Yawmid Deen."
68. 2:57Here, the heart turns to humility. The
69. 3:00servant remembers the day when every
70. 3:02deed will be revealed and every soul
71. 3:05will stand for reckoning. The
72. 3:08remembrance of that day deepens humility
73. 3:10and seriousness within the prayer. Then
74. 3:13comes the central declaration, "Iyyaka
75. 3:16Na'budu wa Iyyaka Nasta'een."
76. 3:20The servant declares exclusive worship
77. 3:23for Allah, yet at the same time admits
78. 3:26that even worship cannot be performed
79. 3:28without his help. Then the servant asks,
80. 3:32"Ihdina Siratal Mustaqeem."
81. 3:35Guidance is not something gained once
82. 3:38and secured forever.
83. 3:40The servant must ask for it constantly.
84. 3:43Then the Quran classifies what the path
85. 3:46is,
86. 3:47"Siratallazina
87. 3:48An'amta Alaihim."
88. 3:51The servant asks Allah to place him
89. 3:53among the people who received divine
90. 3:55favor.
91. 3:57Those who were guided and remained firm
92. 3:59upon the truth. Finally, the servant
93. 4:03says,
94. 4:04Ghayril Maghdubi Alayhim Walad Daalleen.
95. 4:09He asks to be protected from the two
96. 4:11roads that destroy people.
97. 4:14Those who recognize the truth but reject
98. 4:16it.
99. 4:17And those who wander away from it
100. 4:19through confusion or neglect. After
101. 4:22reciting the words of Allah, the servant
102. 4:25moves into bowing.
103. 4:27Ruku is a physical lowering of the body,
104. 4:30but its real purpose is the lowering of
105. 4:33the self.
106. 4:34The servant declares, Subhana Rabbiyal
107. 4:37Azeem Wa Bihamdi.
108. 4:40He acknowledges that Allah is the one
109. 4:42whose greatness is beyond comparison.
110. 4:45When a person truly recognizes this
111. 4:47greatness, pride cannot remain in his
112. 4:50heart. Then the servant moves into
113. 4:52prostration.
114. 4:54This is the lowest physical position a
115. 4:56human being can take. The face, the most
116. 4:59honored part of the body, is placed upon
117. 5:02the ground.
118. 5:03By doing this, the servant reminds
119. 5:05himself of his origin. He was created
120. 5:08from earth. He walked upon it throughout
121. 5:11his life. And one day he will return to
122. 5:14it. While in this position, the servant
123. 5:17says, Subhana Rabbiyal A'la Wa Bihamdi.
124. 5:22The meaning he is deliberate. The
125. 5:25servant lowers himself to the ground
126. 5:27while declaring the absolute elevation
127. 5:30of Allah.
128. 5:31No position humbles the self like
129. 5:33placing the face upon the earth. During
130. 5:36the prayer, the servant sits and renews
131. 5:38the testimony of faith. He bears witness
132. 5:41that there is no god except Allah, and
133. 5:44that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
134. 5:46him, is his servant and messenger.
135. 5:48This declaration reminds him who he
136. 5:51worships and through whom this worship
137. 5:53was taught.
138. 5:55He then sends blessings upon the prophet
139. 5:57and his family, recognizing that the
140. 5:59path of prayer and guidance reached the
141. 6:02believers through them. The prayer ends
142. 6:04with the salam, a greeting that carries
143. 6:07the meaning of safety and protection.
144. 6:10It is first directed to the prophet,
145. 6:12then to the righteous servants of Allah,
146. 6:15and finally to those around you.
147. 6:17Throughout the prayer, the servant was
148. 6:19absorbed in remembrance before his Lord.
149. 6:22With the salam, he returns from that
150. 6:25state and turns back towards creation.
151. 6:29But he does not return as he entered. He
152. 6:31returns with a heart softened by
153. 6:34humility, trained by remembrance, and
154. 6:37mindful of Allah.
155. 6:40So, the prayer concludes by teaching the
156. 6:42servant how to re-enter the world, not
157. 6:45with pride or heedlessness,
158. 6:48but with goodwill and concern for
159. 6:50others.