The Benefit of the Worshipper's Standing Before His Lord

The Prayer is a sanctified and holy moment (mauqif) for the worshipper
in the presence of his Lord and Deity in truth. He fulfils (by its
performance) his covenants, obligations and statements of confession
which are contained within and arerequired by the testimony that:
"There is nothing which has the right to be worshipped except Allah
and that Muhammed is His Messenger" and by whose attestation one
becomes a muslim.
These covenants, obligations and resolutions: among them are those of
belief, those of speech and those of action; and the explanation of
that is as follows:
Firstly: The Takbeer: This is a compulsory acknowledgement for the
worshipper, both in belief and speech, that Allah is the greatest,
greater than everything in His Essence, Attributes and in the rights
(owed to Him). Among His rights are the obeying of His commands and
refraining from His prohibitions in regard to beliefs, acts of
worship, characteristics and manners; in all moments and situations.
This acknowledgement penetrates into the various postures of the
worshipper during his prayer, from the qiyaam to the rukoo', to the
sujood, the verbal confessions he makes and after that into the
submissiveness in action; so there does not remain any moment of
heedlessness or inattentiveness and theredoes not remain in his heart
that which pushes out the (awareness of theresponsibility of
fulfilling) the rights of Allah upon His servant; whether it is
persons, property, money, family or progeny and among His rights are
(His) Magnification, Love (for Him greater than for all else), Fear
(of His displeasure and punishment), Hope (in HisMercy) and Obedience.
Secondly: The Rukoo': This is an obligation in action. The worshipper
bends his back and (bows) his head during itout of obedience,
lowliness and humility to his Deity. So by this he fulfils his
covenants of being constant in his obedience, carrying out the orders
of his Deity, refraining from His prohibitions, ruling by His
Sharee'ah in happiness, adversity and every other situation.
Theworshipper returns (to fulfill) these covenants and obligations
every time he performs the rukoo' both in the obligatory prayers or
the supererogatory. Whoeverbends his back in the prayer in obedience
to Allah and after that rebels from some of His commands or shows
boldness towards some of His prohibitions due tothe calling of his
desire or whim, then he has contradicted his fulfillment of this
obligation to the extent of the evil of his action.
Thirdly: The Tasbeeh: Thisis the statement which the worshipper makes
during his rukoo' "How free from every imperfection is my Lord, the
Mighty" (Subhaana-rabbiyal-adheem) and in his sujood "How free from
every imperfection is my Lord, the Highest"
(Subhaan-rabbiyal-a'laa).This is an obligation in speech by which the
worshipper declares his Deity free from every defect and shortcoming
in His attributes, actions and His rights (over the creation). Among
His rights are the declarationof His mightiness in everysituation, the
placing of obedience to Him before obedience to ones soul or parents,
leaders and others besides them. Whoever declares Allah to be free
from all imperfections during his rukoo' and sujood and then shows
boldness towards His disobediencewhen he departed from the prayer, he
has reduced/diminished his glorification of his Deity to the extent of
his disobedience to Him.
Fourthly: The Sujood: Thisis the extremity in, or the end result of
humility; when the worshipper places his noble limbs upon the dust or
the earth. The sujood is a covenant in action. It is an obligation due
to the absolute obedience owed to the Deity in truth in all
situations. There is no exception in this absolute obedience for
moments of desire or moments of the whims ofthe soul (this absolute
obedience incorporates all moments and situations). Whoever covers his
face with dust (due to the performance of sujood) out of
extremehumility, then departs from his prayer and returns to the
obedience of the soul in disobedience to Allah, obedience to the
creation in disobedience to Allah and the following of whims in
disobedience to Allah, then he has been false to himself to the extent
of his disobedience (or sin). But whoever does that, then he must
repent hastily as the Messenger of Allah has said: "All theprogeny of
Aadam (constantly) errs and the best of those who constantly err are
those who (constantly) repent" [1]
Fifthly: Folding of the hands during the Qiyaam: This is a
manifestation from among the manifestations of humility and defeat in
front of the Deity in Truth. Among its implications are subservience
to the divine commandments inthat one does not move except when
commanded and one is not at ease or quiescenceexcept when commanded.
Whoever sought this position of worship for a few moments and after
that lets loose the reigns of his soul then he wanders/trespasses
(while ignorant of Allah's rulings) into the greatest of matters (i.e.
sins) and he has fallen into a type of deception.
Sixthly: Khushoo': This is aposition of total and extreme
submissiveness and humility in front of the Deity in Truth and
thequiescence/tranquility of the heart and the limbs. One does not
move except where commanded and is not atease except where commanded.
It is an obligation in action due to the necessity of obedience and
the abandonment of disobedience to the Deityin Truth. Whoever
discharges this obligation during the prayer then contradicts
it(behaves otherwise) upon departing from the prayer he has caused
diminution/annulment of(his Khushoo') to the extent of his
disobedience.
Seventhly: Whatever is repeated in every raka' from among the
obligations and covenants in speech such as the repetition of his
praises, requesting of guidance to the straight path, the path of
those who have blessings bestowed upon them, not of those upon whom is
anger and they are the Jews and whoever is like them, nor of those who
are astray and they are the Christians and whoever resembles them,and
the likes of what is said in the tashahhud and the meanings of the
various verses and supplications that are repeated in the prayer:
insummary, every movement, every moment of ease, every statement and
every action during the prayer, be it an obligation, covenant,
resolution or confession from the worshipper in front of his Master
and Deity in Truth, which he repeats in every raka', whether itis in
the obligatory or supererogatory, makes free his heart, tongue, limbs
and feelings from associating partners withAllah. He is a muslim, in
submission to Him. He gives for His sake, takes for his sake, acts for
His sake, abandons for His sake. He loves for his sakeand hates for
His sake. The proof for this truth is the saying of Allah (Azzawajall)
{And establish the prayer.Verily the prayer prevents the obscene
andevil deeds}[2]
and the saying of the Messenger (sallallahu-alaihi-wasallam}:
"The example of the five prayers is as the example of an abundant
flowing river by the side of the door of one of you. He washes every
day from it five times." [3]
Therefore know - brother/sister reader - the position and importance
of your prayer and establish as it should be truly established and
gain happiness from it as Allahdesires for you. I ask Allah that he
assists us all and has mercy upon us, verily He is the All Hearer, the
Responder.
1. Reported by [At-Tirmidhi] no. 2501 and [Ibn Majah] no. 4251 and
[Ad- Daarimee] 2/303and [Ahmad] 3/198 with a hasan sanad from Anas bin
Malik.
2. Surah Ankabut 29:45
3. Reported by [Muslim] no. 667 from Jaabir.