:sl: Clark,
Welcome to the forum. I hope you have a beneficial stay here.
Regarding your incident, to be honest with you it is the first time I hear about it. I believe it happened because you were genuinely seeking guidance from God. And God has responded by showing you part of the path.
I will post a reply to a question here that I think you will find helpful. I hope it helps.
Question:
Why do Muslims kiss the ground when they pray?
Why do they bow on the ground?
Can’t you simply pray while your head is held up in dignity?
What is so sacred or holy about the ground to be kissed?
Answer:
Salaam Arthur,
Thank you for your question.
To answer your question let me clear up some confusion. Muslims do not kiss the ground when they pray. They simply place their forehead and the bridge of their nose on the ground. Muslims only worship Allah; for they believe there is no God beside Him, the Creator of existence. For this, they bow their head humbly in respect to Him, while praying.
Let me explain further; prayer is an act of worship. As with all acts of worship it is an act of obedience, an act of reverence, an act of surrender and an act of submission. In fact, the dignity of a believer is in his/her absolute submission to his/her Creator, only to this Creator, and no one else.
God does not need our worship; it is we who need Him. Prayer is - or should be - of benefit to us. The Muslim should be humble and concentrate totally on his/her prayer. ‘Holding one’s head up with dignity’ has a touch of pride or arrogance about it – the ego is showing. How can man be arrogant in front of God?
Everything we do is with the help of God, whether we admit it or not. For this, we should be grateful. We should humble ourselves in our prayer. Therefore, we bow and say: ‘All praise is for God the Greatest’ - in terms of awe and reverence. Then, we really show our humility by touching the ground with our forehead during prostration and saying: ‘All praise is for God Most High.’
Just look at us in this position, we are as humble as possible and we are recognizing, as far as we are able, the greatness of God. God tells us in Surah 96, verse 19:
*{… but prostrate and draw near [to Allah]}*
Also Allah says in Surah 40, verse 60:
*{And your Lord says: “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell humiliated.”}*
Abu Hurayah (may God be pleased with him) reported that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“The closest that a servant can be to his Lord is when he is in prostration. Therefore, make abundant supplications [while prostrating]. (Reported by Muslim.)
What Muslims are told about the ground is that, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said:
“The whole earth is a masjid (a point of prostration or a mosque) for me and my followers.”
In other words, formal prayer can be prayed anywhere on earth, not just in a mosque. This is why one sees people, praying anywhere and everywhere, even stopping their vehicles and praying by the side of the road. This happens particularly in Muslim countries.
And, Allah knows best.
http://www.islam-online.net/servlet/...=1123996015870
:w: