The power of prayer

The Promised Messiah (as) wrote that the exercise of reason can only take man as far as concluding that the perfection of creation ought to have a creator and living sustainer. But in order for a person to come to know that God exists with certainty, he must come to that part of Islam that will liberate him from the chains of doubt. He must seek God through prayer. 

Prayer in Islam, is the foremost duty of the believer after his attestation of faith.

It actually is an offshoot of the attestation itself. 

When a person prays, he is physically acting out his declaration of faith by using his time in humble worship; proving that he doesn't hold anything worthy of his worship except God. The result? An unshakable certainty that God exists.

A person usually comes to God for two reasons: 1) after a calamity or trauma in his life seeking answers. Or 2) a person, out of sheer reverence of the world around him finds him compelled to rationally question religion and seek answers from the Source.

But what benefit does prayer give to those who practise it? And how does true certainty really enter the heart?

For this, it is important to know that unless one is sincere, he can never attain certainty. The very least that can be expected of a human is for him to be true to himself- and when one is, the doors of divine gnosis are accessible to him. There are many benefits of prayer. Enough to make a whole new article on. But for certainty to enter ones heart, prayer is beneficial because it acts as a catalyst between our questions and their respective answers.

True certainty enters the heart when we become a part of the conversation between man and God. Many utter the words of prayer but are bereft of true union because they lack the willingness to learn its meaning. It is like being in an amazing conversation with two of your friends and both of them speaking a different language. The Promised Messiah (as) said that the reason why people slack in prayer is because they do not ascribe that level of importance to God as they do other needs. And that, in my opinion, is because they haven't come to God through one of the two avenues previously mentioned.

Once we find that compelling reason to worship God, we make efforts to learn the language and partake if the heavenly conversation that is prayer.

Through prayer one can establish and strengthen ones relationship with the One living God.

Before I close, I would like to quote a Hadith Qudsi which summarises how we should think of God.

"I am to My servant as he thinks Me to be, so he may think what he likes."

It is of utmost importance to know that the God you beseech is All-Hearing so that he can listen to your prayers. What use is there in praying to a god who you believe has not the capacity to listen to or respond?! Our God has marvellous powers and is alive today as he was alive before. He can do today what He did before. The Promised Messiah (as) highlighted the relationship between Rasulullah (saw) and Allah through the power of prayer in the following excerpt-  

‘A strange and phenomenal event took place in the deserts of Arabia, when hundreds of thousands of dead become alive within a few days, and those who had been corrupted through generations took on Divine colour. The blind began to see and the tongues of the foolish began to flow with Divine wisdom. Such a revolution took place in the world as no eye had seen or no ear had heard of before. Do you realise what this was? All this was brought about by prayers during the darkness of the night of one who had been wholly lost in God. This created uproar in the world and manifested such wonders as seemed impossible at the hand of the unlettered helpless person.'

May Allah enable us to strive to establish a genuine desire in our hearts to seek God and may he facilitate for our spiritual   advancement at every stage, amin.

Love of Allah

The love of Allah is something which is mentioned many times in the Holy Qur'an. But how to acquire it is something which is on the minds of every true seeker of Truth.

The Promised Messiah (as) has written such a beautiful discourse on how we can attain his love that it does not do justice to paraphrase or shorten it. I have reproduced it below...

The degrees of nearness to God and love of God from the point of view of spiritual rank are of three types. The lowest degree, and even that is very high, is that the fire of Divine love should warm the heart possibly to such a degree that the warmed heart might acquire the qualities of fire, but that it should lack the brightness of the fire. When the flame of God's love falls upon this degree of love the warmth generated by that flame in the soul is described as contentment and satisfaction and is sometimes named an angel.

The second degree of love is where the fire of Divine love, which is generated by the union of two loves, warms the heart to such a degree that it produces a brightness which is not inflammatory. It is described as Ruh-ul-Qudus—the Holy Spirit.

The third degree of love is where a burning flame of Divine love falls on the eager ribbon of human love and sets it afire and, assuming control of all its particles, makes it a complete and perfect manifestation of itself. In this condition the fire of Divine love not only bestows a brightness upon the human heart, but simultaneously the whole being is set on fire and its flames illumine the surroundings like the bright day, and no darkness is left and the whole of the being is converted into fire with all its full qualities. This condition which is created by the union of the two loves like a laming fire is known as Ruhul-Amin, the Spirit of Security,for it bestows security against every darkness and is free from every opaqueness. It is also called the strong faculty, for it is the most powerful revelation, stronger than which cannot be imagined. It is also called the high horizon, inasmuch as it is the manifestation of the highest form of revelation. It is also described as: He saw what he saw; for an appreciation of this condition is beyond the imagination or thinking of the whole of creation. This condition has been bestowed upon only one human being who is the perfect man with whom the whole human system has come to an end and the circle of human capacities has been perfected. In truth, he is the highest point of the extended line of God's creation which is the ultimate of all grades of exaltation.

Divine Wisdom having started the creation from the lowest point carried it to this highest point, the name of which is Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and the meaning of which is greatly praised, that is to say, the manifestation of perfect excellencies. As by his nature the station of this Prophet was at the highest, so externally also he was bestowed revelation and love at the highest level...

[Taudih-e-Maram, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 3, pp. 62-64]

May God enable each of us to strive to attain and promote these beautiful excellencies and paths of divine love. May Allah enable us to fully understand the significance of running to Allah in times when the world is running away, amin.

A meandering on purpose

Through my childhood and adolescence, I have come to truly love and pursue three disciplines all of which have bought a unique perspective to my outlook on life.

The first is my current understanding of religion and its role in the world.

The second is my passion for sports and physical health.

The third, is my inherent longing to enhance the former and latter, without of which no true progress can be made.

There is no doubt that we are beings who have evolved for the sole purpose of the development of our physical, moral and spiritual faculties. 

This is a trend we see across the entire observable universe from the formation of galaxies to the spindling of a spiders web. All of creation is never stagnant but forever moving forwards towards a higher purpose.

Even a reader pursuing knowledge has to traverse an intellectual length in order to arrive to a more perfect gnosis.

The question thus arises, with all the complexities of creation can one define a universal purpose in one word or even phrase that would unify the purpose of life?

The answer is written in the Holy Qur'an in verse 22 of Al-Baqarah: "I have not created the Jinn and Man but that they worship me."

This is a common translation however it doesn't do justice to what Islam says about the purpose of creation. To find that answer we must divulge into the etymology of the verse itself and specifically the word translated as "worship"

In Arabic lexicon the root verb used here to describe mans purpose is a-ba-da which means to become a slave, a servant, or to become resigned to the will of another. However this verb has much deeper meanings, pondering of which will bring a great depth to this verse. And in such translation we can begin to see a number of things that we must do as human beings of intellect:

1) An acceptance that we are resigned to natural law... Such as gravity etc. which are unchanging

2) An understanding that we are influenced by our surroundings, however imperceptible they may be.

3) A realisation that we have the inherent capacity to live out what we were biologically, mentally and spiritually capable of and also that we can influence our surroundings through the correct channels.  

The verb a-ba-da is also translated as "to love" 

In essence love can be described as the coming together of two things. The law of attraction exists at every level of the chemistry of the universe. From two atoms coming together to form bonds, to the cohesion of a community to the collective attraction between man and woman.

The way the Holy Qur'an has so concisely given such a comprehensive analogy through the use of the Arabic language is a great sign for me for the existence of an intelligent creator.

In my disciplines of religion and sport, I have found that as long as I keep on pursuing a better understanding or performance, I will increase in every way. The key is extolled throughout nature and the wisdom of it we must learn to comprehend. Only then when we walk outside  we can see the world as we never have seen it before and start to use our vision in a different way so we see a reflection of our creator wherever we look.

The universe is full of divine footprints and while we make our own in this world, we must always remember to strive towards our natural goal which is never  stagnant.

May the forces that be drive us on to develop a deeper understanding of the meaning of words and the wisdoms contained therein, amin.

A single step

Lao Tzu is a major figure in Chinese philosophy. He is widely recognised as the founding father of Taoism.
One of his most famous quotes is:

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

The impact of this marvelous quote arises from the fact that it is applicable to a wide range of different types of situations where something needs to be done. It is not restricted to physically travelling. There are many other examples of proverbs in which there is an inherent stress on taking the first step towards a goal. This first step is manifested in many ways; it could also be the letter 'L' on a blog!
The force of this quote lies in its final word.

What I find most inspirational in this quote is that it holds so much meaning in such little words. This alone is something which sets one on a journey of intellect and meaning.
One can find meaning in the most insignificant things, but when one does find meaning within them, do they remain insignificant?

Recently, in my journey I have learnt something which puts life into perspective. Just as a staircase constitutes of many sequences of steps in order for one floor to be connected to another. if one wants to climb the entire building, he must traverse each floor and the multiple steps between each one to do so.
Our journey of a thousand miles also has many stops and starts, each containing withing it a plethora of miniature journeys. Sometimes we think we have reached a climax where we feel spiritually resigned and put life on cruise control. We seldom remember the whole building of life and hence our journey through it.

Anne Frank said: 
"How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Those who want to change the world can do so while those who look on will one day be inspired, perhaps by a random blog, to take the first step and begin their own journey of a thousand miles.

The longest path may prove to be the shortest, in the end.

On Patience

Patience is a virtue

I can recall myself having often cited this adage when doing simple things like waiting in a queue at a petrol pump or shop. However there is a deep wisdom behind these four words that stems in the realm of the acquisition of moral qualities.

Our brains are naturally finely tuned to develop habitual responses and programs, and where one is determined to harness the potential of our minds; patience plays a great role and seems like a good place to start.

I believe The Holy Qur’an, among many things, to be a book of neurology. I believe that The Holy Qur’an presents the perfect way to nurture one’s mind both physically and spiritually from birth until ripe old age.

The Holy Qur’an speaks of steadfastness and patience as being one of the hallmarks of belief and that one must go through a period of suffering and if he is patient, God will reward him.

The Holy Qur’an speaks of Prophet Job (Ayyub) as being adversely affected by suffering but he never lost his faith in God. God consequently rewarded him on account of his patience and bestowed upon him increased spirituality and divine favors.

I would like to share a small incident which is related to patience. I am currently in the middle of filming a theological documentary series. About a month ago my brand new Sony digital camera decided to stop working. I was unable to even connect it to my computer to retrieve my files! Now I was stuck in a dilemma. Do I send it back to the manufacturers and lose my precious files or do I wait it out to or do I try to open it up and see if I can fix it?

After contemplating, I decided that my video footage was too precious to lose so I busied myself in prayer and life in general. I tried on the odd occasion to switch it on but to no avail. Two days ago I had the feeling that I need to do something about it otherwise my project will be stuck in limbo for donkeys years. As I tried once more to switch it on, to my astonishment it worked and I breathed a sigh of relief!

For me, having faith throughout this time enabled me to grow in my belief and conviction of God. Whether or not my camera was going to switch on anyway is a different issue. What is important is that I tried to exercise true patience and on account of it I feel that God allowed my camera to work and in doing so drew me closer to Him.

Sometimes at the stroke of a calamity ones faith can be put into a menacing trial but we must always remember that God doesn't give us what we can not handle, however, patience and perseverance withholds the test of time and eventually comes out on top.

In Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad’s, the worldwide spiritual head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, most recent Friday Sermon he emphasised the virtue of patience and instructed all the community members to acquire this moral gem. Hence, members of the Ahmadiyya Community in particular strive to attain this fundamental aspect of our moral character and try to reflect the light of the moral excellence shown by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He is described in The Holy Qur’an as one who possesses the highest moral character.

The Holy Qur’an couldn’t have said it more concisely…

"O ye who believe! be steadfast and strive to excel in steadfastness" [Holy Qur'an, 3:201]

On Repentance

Allah Almighty says in The Holy Qur’an:

“O ye who believe! turn to Allah a sincere turning; maybe your Lord will remove from you your evil and cause you to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, on the day on which Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him; their light shall run on before them and on their right hands; they shall say: Our Lord! make perfect for us our light, and grant us protection, surely Thou hast power over all things.”

In this verse, God Almighty refers to the act of repentance as something we are required to do for our own good. Allah mentions that the type of repentance would have to be sincere and true. I find it interesting that Allah has mentioned it this way because so many a time have I sought forgiveness simply by saying ‘sorry’ without actually divulging into a detailed thought on it. Here, I will try to present my understanding of the term “Taubatun-Nusuuh”- or True Repentance.

In Arabic, Taubah (repentance) means 'returning', and that is why in the Holy Quran God's name is also Al-Tawwab, which means, He Who is Oft-Returning with compassion. This means that when a person discarding sin turns to God with a sincere heart, God Almighty turns even more to him. 

In a well-known Hadith Qudsi, related also by Bukhari it is written, “The Holy Prophet said: Allah said: If the servant draws near to Me a hand span, I draw near to him an arm’s length; and if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.”

This shows how God is receptive to the effort of His servant. This is also in accord with the law of nature. God Almighty has made it part of human nature that when a person turns to another with a sincere heart, the latter's heart is also softened for him. This is what we all experience when we are asked for something from a dear friend; our hearts begin to experience a sense of warming in the direction of the subjects intentions. Then, how can reason accept that when a servant turns towards God Almighty with a true heart God should not turn to him?

It should be borne in mind that there are three conditions for repentance, without fulfilment of which true repentance is not achieved.

The first condition is to get rid of wicked desires which arouse evil propensities. Desires have great influence. Every action is preceded by a desire. This is something which the verse “And every man has a goal which dominates him” (2:149) alludes to. Thus the first condition for repentance is that evil thoughts and desires should be discarded. For instance, if a person has an illicit relationship with a woman and desires to repent, it is necessary that he should conceive of her as ugly and should call to mind all her low qualities. As desires and fancies exercise a powerful influence; the practice of conception is elemental to the success of true repentance.

The second condition is remorse. Everyone's conscience admonishes him over every evil, but an unfortunate person leaves his conscience suspended. Indeed we read in a hadith (from Tirmadhi No 1311) that a sin is that which pricks at your conscience.This is true as we all know that we have an inherent system of right and wrong embedded with our very nature. We know when we have done wrong because we feel the guilt that sin places in the heart. Therefore, remorse serves as the driving key of repentance and serves as a gateway to the last stage.

The third and final condition is a firm resolve that he will not revert to those vices ever again in the future. If he adheres to this resolve, God will bestow upon him the strength for true repentance and he will be rid altogether of his vices which will be replaced by good morals and praiseworthy actions. This is a moral victory. It is for God Almighty to bestow the power and strength for it for He is the Master of all power and all strength, as He has said: All power belongs to Allah (2:166)

Topics researched in these books of The Promised Messiah-

Spiritual Treasures, vol. 23. pp. 125-126

Malfoozat, Vol. I, pp.132-134

How God satisfied my heart

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Alhamdulillah, I am a convert to Ahmadiyyat. By the Grace of Allah I was born into an Ahmadi Muslm family. I believe, however, that being born into an Ahmadi Muslim family does not constitute one to entirely be an Ahmadi.  The reason for this is that I believe we have to learn about faith through questioning and only when we do that will true belief enter our hearts. 

We read in The Holy Qur’an that the Prophet Abraham asked Allah, “My Lord, show me how You revive the dead”. Allah responded by asking, “Do you not believe?” to which Abraham replied, “Yes, but (I ask you) in order that my heart may be at rest.” One may infer from these verses that Abraham  did not fully believe, but this is not the case as he desired for his heart to be satisfied. 

This is the story of how Allah satisfied my heart.

When I was in my mid teens something happened in my life which made me question God’s existence.  One of my dearest friends (May Allah bless his soul) suddenly passed away in secondary school after contracting a violent form of cancer. This lead to me to raise a series of questions regarding things such as the existence of God, God’s Benevolence, evil and suffering, life after death and religion in general. I have to admit, there was a time where I cursed God in the foulest language because I was angry at the way things were in my life. Little did I know that this was going to serve as the basis of my hearts satisfaction in Allah, Islam and Ahmadiyyat.

So my journey started. I began to look for the answers to my questions in every major respective faith. I looked into Buddhism and even started practising meditation. I looked into Christianity and began to attend Sunday service. I looked into Judaism but my heart was not at all content. I then thought to myself that I should look into that religion that I was born into. After all, what would I say to God if I didn’t explore the religion which was right in front of me?

That year, my mother purchased a copy of the Holy Qur’an with English Translation from the annual Jalsa Salana UK for me. Till then I had only read the Qur’an when I was a child. So I made a promise to God. I said that if I do not find truth in this book then I have not found truth in anything and hence I would not have found truth in God.  My sincere prayer and my heart’s yearning for the truth laid a foundation.

By Him in whose hand is my life, when I finished reading The Holy Qur’an, I was not the same person I was when I started. I wanted to be like those mentioned in The Holy Qur’an. I wanted to be among those who on the Day of Judgement Allah could point to and say, “You know those people I was talking about... Here they are... Enter My Garden for I am well pleased with you.” My friends at the Mosque, at school and ‘on the street’ also noticed a change in my personality and mannerisms.

Reading The Holy Qur’an made me realise that God did indeed exist. One of the reasons why I believe this is because of the many sciences mentioned in The Holy Qur’an such as embryology, astrology, mathematics, anthropology, spirituality, logic and reason. A man who did not know how to read could not have made up such intricate truths without knowledge from an Almighty God. This is my simple reasoning to which I believe The Holy Qur’an as the Word of God and proof of the existence of God. The Holy Qur’an is indeed the miracle of Islam.

Now, after my faith in God had been somewhat established, I sought to reason why there are so many divisions within Islam. It seemed that many of the sects of Islam were very far from the true teachings of The Holy Qur’an. It was during this time I began researching  by reading the books of The Ahmadiyya Jama’at and questioned my friends and their Imams at their respective mosques. Until this day, I have not come across anyone who can refute anything of the Ahmadiyya theology. Through following what The Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had said we can establish a living relationship with God; and by The Grace of Allah, I have experienced firsthand the sweetness of true faith. Alhamdulillah. 

This is the reason why I began this by stating that I am a convert to Ahmadiyyat. I hope now that those who read this understand why I said that even though I was born into an Ahmadi family everyone needs to question his faith and learn about it just as Abraham did.

The Holy Qur’an says that we should always be ready to accept the Truth where we find it. This means that it is incumbent on every true seeker to not only hold this belief but to express it that he is ready to accept the truth for ‘Only Allah knows who is misguided and who is on the straight path.’ I have held this belief in Ahmadiyya Islam for well over a decade now and as the late Munir Hamid Sahib (May Allah raise his status in Paradise) said: "It is Allah Who bought me into this movement, and I'm not leaving until Allah takes me out." My craving for the Truth and seeking of His Love obligates me to accept it where my heart finds it.

My humble prayer is for everyone to become a faithful seeker of Truth. May God enable us all to be guided on the straight path. May God imbue in us His love and make it dearer to us than ourselves, our families and cold, refreshing water, Allahumma Amin.