THE MAGIC OF PRAYER: When You Whisper To God, He Listens!

 

The Magic Of Prayer

When You Whisper

To God, He Listens!

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

«And when my servants question you

(O Muhammad) concerning Me, then surely

I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant

when he cries unto Me. So, let them hear

My call and let them trust in Me,

in order that they may be led aright.»

(al-Quran 2:186)

When you offer prayer (Salaat), you whisper with Allah, the Almighty. It means that you are communicating with your Creator directly, one on one. Sometimes when you don’t offer prayer and say that you don’t have time for it or you forgot to offer prayer, there is a message in it. Maybe Allah is telling you that you are disconnected. You are doing something against God's commands, like an act of disobedience. Think about it. You must have committed a sin or done something wrong! You should, therefore, repent and try to get back on the right track. He is the most Merciful and will definitely forgive you.

Think about your faith (Imaan), its level, its intensity and its depth! If your faith is so weak that it cannot carry you to your local mosque nearby for prayer, how would it carry you to Paradise on the Day of Judgment? Did you ever ponder? Did you ever try to understand the meanings of the call for prayer? Pick up a booklet on the subject of ‘Salaat’ and read the translation of ‘Azaan’ and the contents of ‘Salaat’. When the caller (Mouazzan) says: ‘Haeeya al-alfalah’, he is saying; ‘Come to the success’.

Now, everybody wants to be successful in life because it is considered to be the ultimate goal. But ironically when the caller (Mouazzan) invites us to success five times a day, we ignore it with one excuse or the other. We are looking for success all over the world, throughout our lifetime, but don’t find it. On the other hand when success itself calls us, we don’t even respond. Funny?

«And there may spring from you, a group

who invite to goodness, and enjoin right

conduct and forbid indecency. Such are

they who are successful.»

(al-Quran 3:104)

We measure success on the scale of wealth or material possessions. Wealth and material possessions are temporary for this world only. A Believer should always think about the Hereafter, because, according to the Quran, that is the real and everlasting life. This world is a trial for us. A wise man once said: Try to live in the world and don’t let the world live in you. Because a boat floats well as long as it stays in the water, but if the water stays in the boat, it sinks.

We all believe in luck. Most of the times we Muslims say that everything is pre-destined, whatever we do, wherever we go, whatever we get or don’t get, whatever we achieve, etc. This is not 100% true. Only a part of it is true. Allah has taught His creation how to pray, how to beg for His mercy or how to supplicate for His blessings. When humans pray, Allah likes it, listens to it and grants it. You can change things with prayer! Had Allah pre-destined every little affair as ‘luck’, He would not have taught humans to pray or supplicate (Dua). Supplication can change your condition. Prayer is not a spare wheel that you pull out when in trouble. It is a steering wheel that always directs you to the right path.

As human beings, we get frustrated over small failures and sometimes we lose hope. That is not the right attitude. Never lose hope! Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, Allah smiles from above and seems like saying: ‘Relax, it’s just a bend, not the end.’ 

 

All things in life are temporary. If it is going well, enjoy it. It is not going to last for ever. And if it is not going well, don’t worry. It can’t last for ever either. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it rather takes away today’s peace. Try to be content with whatever God has given you. But trust Him for His blessings for the future. And pray for it. Look at the birds how they put their trust in Allah. Every morning they leave home in search of food (or Allah’s bounty). They don’t even know where they are going and what they are going to get to eat. Allah takes care of them and provides them with food and water. Every evening when they fly back home, they carry no food in their beaks for tomorrow. They trust their Creator for that.

Learn your ‘Tawakkal’ (trust) from the birds. God listens to everybody’s prayers, especially those who are in distress, and He answers them too. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them. And sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone else has prayed for you. Prayer brings peace to your mind and heart. Prayer can do magic. Put this magic to work!

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