Brethren-in-Islam !
Today I elucidate before you the purport of another word which Muslims generally use but few people know its correct meaning. This word is ' Ibadat '. Allah has said in his Holy Book :-
"I have not created the jinn and humankind for any other purpose except that they should worship Me."
(Al-Qur'an 51:56)
It is clear from this verse that the purpose of your birth and of your life is no other than that of the worship of Allah. Now you can well imagine how much necessary it is for you to know the meaning of 'Ibadat. If you will not know the real meaning of this word you will not be able to fulfil the very purpose for which you have been created. And anything which does not fulfil its purpose results in fiasco. If a doctor cannot restore health to his patient, he is said to have failed in his profession. If a farmer cannot raise a good crop, he is said to have failed in cultivation. Similarly, if you have not been able to fulfil the real purpose of your life, i.e. 'Ibadat, it should be said that your whole life has been a failure. For this reason I want you all to hear and understand with full attention the meaning of 'Ibadat' and preserve it in mind because on it depends the success or failure of your life.
Meaning of ' Ibadat'
The word 'Ibadat' is derived from 'Abd. The meaning of 'Abd is servant and slave. Therefore the meaning of 'Ibadat is servitude and slavery. If a person who is a slave of somebody remains in his service as a slave and behaves with him as one should behave with a master, it is called servitude and 'Ibadat'. As against this, if a person who is a slave of somebody and also gets full salary from him but does not serve him just as a slave ought to serve his master, it will be called disobedience and insubordination. In fact, more appropriately, it amounts to being untrue to one's salt.
Now consider what should be the form of behaviour for a slave towards his master.
The first duty of a slave is to regard his master as his lord, and to consider it incumbent upon himself to be faithful to that being who is his master, nourisher, protector and warden, and firmly believe that no one except he is worthy of loyalty.
The second duty of a slave is to be always obedient to his master, to meticulously carry out his orders, never to draw back from his service, and to refrain from saying anything from his own mind or listening to anybody's word against his master's wishes. A slave is all the time and in all circumstances a slave. He has not the least right to say that he will obey a particular order of the master and disobey the other order or that he is his master's slave for a certain period and is free of his duty for the rest of the time.
The third duty of a servant is to respect and revere his master. He should follow the method laid down by his master for showing respect and reverence to him. He must definitely be present at the time fixed by his master for saluting him and should furnish proof of the fact that he is quite firm in his faithfulness and obedience to him.
These are the requisites which constitute together 'Ibadat'; firstly, fidelity to one's master; secondly, obedience to the master, and thirdly, respect and reverence for the master. What Allah has said in the verse : " I have not created the jinn and humankind for any other purpose except that they should worship Me " actually means that Allah created these two species so that they will be faithful only to Allah and to no other being, that they will follow the commandments of Allah only, that they will not listen to the order of any body else against Him, and will bow their heads in respect and reverence only to Him and to none else. These three things have been described by Allah in the comprehensive term: ' Ibadat '. This is what is meant from all those verses in which Allah has commanded that 'Ibadat' be performed to Him. The gist of the teachings of our Holy Prophet, and of all the prophets (peace be upon them) sent by God before him, is:
" You worship none save Him."
(Al-Qur'an 12:40)
Which means that there is only one Sovereign to whom you must be faithful, and that Sovereign is Allah, that there is one law which you should obey and that is the law of Allah and that there is only one being who should be worshipped and that Being is Allah.
Results of wrong meaning of ' Ibadat'
Keep this meaning of 'Ibadat' in mind and then give answers to my questions.
What will you say about that servant who instead of performing the duties prescribed by his master stands all the time before him with folded hands and goes on chanting his name? The master orders him to go and redeem what is due to such and such persons but he sticks to his post, and bowing to the master salutes him ten times and again stands up with folded hands. The master instructs him to go and remove such and such wrongs but he does not budge an inch and starts prostrating before him. The master commands: " Cut off the hand of the thief ". On hearing this order the servant still standing there, recites scores of time in an extremely melodious tone: " Cut off the hand of the thief," " cut off the hand of the thief, " but not once does he try to establish that system of Government under which the hand of a thief can be severed. Can you say that this man is really serving his master? If any servant of yours were to adopt such an attitude, I do not know what you will say about it. But I am surprised at you that a servant of God who behaves like this is regarded by you as a devout worshipper of God! This heartless person reads from dawn to dusk, God knows how many times, the Divine injunctions in the Qur'an but never stirs himself to carry out these injunctions. On the other hand, he starts offering Nawafil after Nawafil, chants the name of God on a thousand-bead rosary and recites the Qur'an in a melodious tone. When you see him in this position you exclaim: " What a devout and pious person he is!" This misunderstanding arises because you do not know the correct meaning of 'Ibadat'.
There is another servant who is busy day and night discharging duties entrusted to him by other people. He obeys their orders, and acts according to their laws, while he consistently flouts the commands of his real master but presents himself before him at the time of saluting and wags his tongue in chanting the master's name only. If a servant of any of you were to follow such a course, what will you do with him? Will you not throw back his salutation on his face ? When he will address you as master and lord, will you not at once turn back and retort : " You are an infernal liar and a cheat; you take salary from me and do the service of others. You verbally call me master and actually serve everybody else except me". This is a matter of simple common sense which everyone of you can easily understand. But how astonishing it is that you consider as 'Ibadat' of God the prayers, fasting, chanting on rosary-beads, recital of Qur'an, pilgrimage and Zakat of those people who day and night violate the law of God, act on the orders of unbelievers and polytheists, and never care for the commandments of God in the affairs of their life. This misunderstanding is also due to the fact that you are unaware of the real meaning of 'Ibadat'.
Take the example of yet another servant. The uniform fixed by the master for his servant is worn by this man with perfect trimming. He presents himself before the master showing the utmost respect and reverence. On hearing orders, every time he bows meekly and says: " With all my hearts I will obey", thus giving the impression that no other servant is more faithful than him. At the time of saluting, he stands ahead of everybody and excels all other servants in chanting the name of the master. But, on the other side, this very man renders service to the rebels and enemies of his master, participates in the conspiracies they hatch against him and co-operates with them in their efforts to efface his name from the world. In the darkness of night he commits burglary in his house and in the morning present himself with folded hands before him like an extremely faithful servant. What will you say about such a servant? Only this that he is a hypocrite, rebel and unfaithful. But what do you call those servants of God who behave like this? You call them Pir Sahib, Hadrat Maulana, religious people, pious persons and devotees of God. This is just because on seeing beards of full measure on their faces, their pyjamas two inches above their ankles, knobs due to Sajdah on their foreheads, their long sessions of Salah and their rosaries of big beads, you consider them highly religious and full of adoration to God. This misunderstanding arises also because you have not correctly grasped the meaning of 'Ibadat' and religiousness.
You think that standing towards Qibla with folded hands, bowing with your hands resting on the knees, prostrating with the hands, knees and forehead placed on the ground and uttering a few stereotyped words--only such few actions and movements are by themselves 'Ibadat. You think that to be hungry and thirsty from morning till evening every day from the first of Ramadan till the appearance of Shawwal moon is called Ibadat. You think that a verbal recital of some parts of Surahs of the Qur'an is called 'Ibadat'. You think that a visit to Mecca and circum-ambulation of Ka'ba is called 'Ibadat'. In short, you call Ibadat only the outward aspects of some actions, and whenever you notice any person doing these acts in their external forms, you think that he has performed 'Ibadat' of God and fulfilled the purpose of the verse:
" I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me."
(Al-Qur'an 51:56)
After that he is quite free to do whatever he likes all his life.
'Ibadat '----Servitude throughout life
But the actual reality is that the 'Ibadat' for which God created you and which He has commanded you to perform, is something quite deferent. It is this: You obey the law of God in your life at every step and in every condition and free yourself of the shackles of every such law as is opposed to the law of God. Every move of yours should be within the limits prescribed for you by God. Every action of yours should be in conformity with the method laid down by God. As such, the life that you will spend in this manner will be an embodiment of Ibadat. In such a life, your being asleep, being awake, taking food and drinking water, even moving about and talking, are all 'Ibadat'. So much so that your going to your wife and kissing your child are also 'Ibadat'. The deeds which you call totally worldly, are all religious acts and 'Ibadat', provided during their performance you observe the limits imposed by God, and watch at every step what is allowed and what is not allowed by God, what is Halal and what is Haram, what has been made incumbent and what is forbidden, with which deed is God pleased and with which displeased? For instance, you go out to earn your livelihood. In this pursuit, many opportunities arise for you to acquire forbidden (Haram) money easily. If, for fear of God, you abstained from that money and earned only Halal livelihood, the time you spent in the latter, endeavour is all counted as 'Ibadat'. And the bread you brought home, ate yourself and fed with it your wife and children and also fed those who are deserving of it as prescribed by God--for all these acts you become worthy of reward and blessings of Allah. If, while walking on the road, you remove a stonepiece or a thorn lest it should hurt the slaves of God, this is also 'Ibadat'. If you nurse a patient or show the way to a blind man or help a person in distress, this is also 'Ibadat'. If while conversing with people, you abstained from lying, backbiting, slandering and passing of sarcastic remarks, and feeling afraid of God, told the truth only then all that time you thus spent in clean talk will be reckoned as spent in 'Ibadat'.
Therefore, the real Ibadat of God is to follow the law of God and lead a life according to His commandments from the period of adolescence to the time of death. There is no time fixed for 'Ibadat'. It must be performed all the time. There is no one particular shape of this 'Ibadat'. In every work and in every form God's Ibadat must be performed. Since you cannot say : " I am servant of God at such a time and I am not a servant of God at such a time", you cannot also say that such and such a time is earmarked for God's service and 'Ibadat' and the remaining time is not meant for that purpose.
Brethren ! You have now come to know the meaning of 'Ibadat' and also the fact that to serve God and to be obedient to Him throughout life in all circumstances is called 'Ibadat'. Now you, may ask : "What then are these things such as Salah, fasting and pilgrimage teach?" The answer is that the aim of these 'Ibadaat', which Allah has enjoined as obligatory upon you, is in reality to prepare you for that big Ibadat that you have to perform throughout your life in all conditions. Salah reminds you five times a day that you are a slave of Allah and to Him alone is due your servitude. Zakat repeatedly brings home to you the truth that the money you have earned is a gift of God. Do not spend it on corporeal urges only, but render what is due to your Master. Hajj makes such an impression of love and majesty of God on the heart that if once this impression gets rooted, its effect will never abate during the whole life. If after performing all these 'Ibadaat' your whole life becomes an embodiment of the 'Ibadat' of God, then undoubtedly your Salah is Salah, your fast is fast, your Zakat is Zakat and your Hajj is Hajj. But if this object is not achieved, no purpose is served by doing Ruku' and Sajdah, by spending days in hunger and thirst, by going through the formalities of Hajj and by setting aside Zakat money. These outward functions may be likened to a body which, if it has a soul and moves about and does work, is certainly a living human being, but, if it is soulless, it is no more than a corpse. A corpse has everything like hands and feet, eyes and nose but is devoid of soul. So you bury it under earth. Similarly, if the rules of Salah are being fulfilled, but if the fear of God, love for Him and loyalty to Him, for development of which Salah and fasting have been made compulsory, are missing, it will also be a soulless exercise.
In my future lectures I shall explain to you in detail how each one of those 'Ibadaat which have been made compulsory, prepares man for that big 'Ibadat'. I shall also explain that if you perform these 'Ibadaat' with full understanding and try to fulfil their main objective, what a great effect it can produce in your life !
I have explained to you in my last lecture how Salah prepares a man for Allah's 'Ibadat, i.e. servitude and obedience. Whatever I said in this connection should have helped you to comprehend that if one offers Salah regularly considering it his duty according to the Divine injunction, it keeps alive in his mind the fear of God, the belief in His Omniscience and Omnipresence and the conviction that he is accountable before Him, even though he may not understand the meaning of what he is reciting. By this continuous practice the belief that he is slave of none but God and that God alone is his real Sovereign and Ruler, becomes a living consciousness in his mind. The habit of being dutiful and ready to carry out God's commandment is developed. All those qualities are automatically developed in him which are necessary to transform the entire life of a man into one of servitude and worship of God.
Now I want to stress the fact that if a man were to observe this very Salah with a full understanding of its contents and consciousness of what he is reciting, imagine what a tremendous effect will it produce on his thoughts, habits and natural qualities and to what great extent his power of faith will develop and how his life will be refashioned.
'Adhan' and its effects
Let us first take the case of Adhan. You are summoned by it five times a day with the following words:
Allahu Akbar, ( repeated four times )
Allah is the Greatest of all,
Ash-hadu al-la Ilaha ill-Allah( repeated twice )
I testify that there is no god but Allah.
Ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-Rasulullah ( repeated twice )
I testify that Muhammad (peace be on him) is the Messenger of Allah.
Hayya' ala-a-salah ( repeated twice )
Come for prayer.
Hayya'ala-a-falah ( repeated twice )
Come for well-being.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
Allah is the Greatest of all, Allah is the Greatest of all.
La Ilaha ill-Allah,
There is no god but Allah.
See how forceful call it is ! How this voice reverberates five times a day and reminds you that. " All the big entities on the earth whom you see laying claim to divinity are liars. In the earth and the heavens there is only one Being Who possesses the attribute of greatness and He alone is worthy of worship. Come and worship Him. In His worship alone lies your well-being of this world and that of the Hereafter". Who is there who will not be moved on hearing this voice? How is it possible for anyone who has faith in his heart to hear such a great testimony and so powerful a call, and yet sit heedlessly and not run to bow his head before his Master ?
Wudu' (Ablution)
On hearing the above voice you rise from your seat and first of all see whether your body is clean or not, whether you have done Wudu' or not? This shows that you are conscious of the fact that the matter of attending the court of the Lord of all the worlds is different from all the other affairs of the world. Other works can be done in every condition but here it is highly disrespectful to attend without cleanliness of body and dress and, over and above it, without further purity, i.e. Wudu'. With this feeling you first satisfy yourself about your being clean and then begin doing Wudu'. If in the course of Wudu', while washing your limbs, you remember Allah and after finishing it recite the prayer taught by the Messenger of Allah (peace be on Him) no only your limbs but along with these your heart also will be washed clean. The words of this prayer are : -
Ash-hadu al la Ilaha ill-Allahu Wahdahula Sharika lahu Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abdu-hu wa rashuluhu Allah-umma j'alni min-attawwa bina waj'alni minalmuta-tahirin.
" I testify there is no god save one single God, Who has no associate and I testify that Muhammad is Allah's slave and messenger. O God ! include me among the penitents and make me keep pure."
Beginning
After this, you stand up for Salah with your face toward Qibla. Neat and clean you are attending the court of the Sovereign of the universe. First and foremost, you utter the words :
Allahu Akbar
"Allah is the Greatest of all ".
Admitting this superb reality, you raise your hands to your ears as if you have relieved yourself of the world and whatever there is in it. Then you clasp your hands around yourself so that you are now standing reverently before your Sovereign with folded hands. After this you make the following submission:
'Tasbih'
Subhanak-Allahumma wa bi-hamdika wa tabarakasmuka wa ta ala jadduka wa la-Ilaha ghairuk.
" O Allah, I affirm Thine purity and that too with your praise. Highly blessed is Thy name. Sublime is Thine greatness and there is no god save Thou".
'Ta'awwudh' (Seeking refuge with Allah)
A'uzu billahi min-ash-shaitan-ir-rajim "
I seek refuge in God from the intermeddling and mischief of coursed statan".
'Bismillah' (In the name of Allah)
Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
" I begin with the name of Allah Who is most Beneficent and Merciful."
'Hamd' (Praise of Allah)
Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbil-alamin
" Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds".
Ar-Rahman-ir--Rahim
" The Beneficent, the most Merciful ".
Maliki Yaum-id-din "
Master of the Day of Judgement".
Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in
" Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone we ask for help".
Ihdi-na-a-sirat-al-mustaqima
" Shows us the straight path ".
Sirat-allazina an'amta 'alaihim
" The path of those whom Thou hast favoured ".
Ghair-il-maghdubi 'alaihim wa la-ddallin "
Not ( the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray "
Amen ( Surah Al-Fatiha )
" Amen ! O God ! let it be so. O Lord ! grant this our prayer."
After this you recite some verses of the Qur'an each of which is wisdom and beauty. There are instructions, admonitions and lessons as also directions to guide you to the same straight path for which you have prayed in Surah Al-Fatiha.
For instance :
DIFFERENT SURAHS OF QUR'AN
1. 'Wal-Asr' (103)
Wal-'Asr-i Inn-al-Insana lafi Khusrin "
By the time," " Lo! man is in a state of loss."
IIlallazina amanu wa 'amilus-salihati
" Save those who believe and so do good works "
Wa tawasau bil-haqqi wa tawasau bi-s-sabr "
And exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance. "
This Surah teaches us that the only way for man to be saved from destruction and failure is to believe and do good work. And this too is not enough. There ought to be a class of believers who should help each other in keeping Deen intact and in establishing it.
Or for instance :
2. 'Humazah' (104)
Wail-ullikulli humazatin lumazati
" Woe unto every slandering traducer,
Nil-lazi jama'amala wa 'addadah
" Who hath gathered wealth ( of the world ) and counted it.
Yahsabu anna malahu Akhladah
" He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal.
Kalla layunbazanna fil hutamah
" Nay, but verily he will be flung to the Consuming One is !
Nar-ullah-il-muqadat-ullati tattalio'alal afidah
" ( it is ) the fire of Allah, kindled, " Which leapeth up over the hearts ( of men ).
Innaha 'alaihim musadatun fi amadam mumaddah
" Lo ! it is closed in one of them
" In outstretched columns."
Or for instance:
3. ' Al-Ma'un ' (107)
Ara-ait allazi yukazzibu biddin "
Hast thou observed him who belieth accountability ?
Fuzalik allazi Yadu 'ul-yatim "
That is who repelleth the orphan,
Wala Yahuddu 'ala Ta am-ul-miskin
" And urgeth not the feeding of the needy,
Fa-wail-ul-lilmusallin-allazina hum'an salati-him sahun. Allazina hum Yura'un Wa Yamna'un-al Ma'un
" Ah, woe unto worshippers
" Who are heedless of their prayer;
" Who wish to be seen ( at worship )
" And refuse small kindnesses".
" This surah teaches us that faith in the Hereafter is the essence of Islam. Without it a man can never walk on that which is the path of God. In short, whichever Surahs or verses of the Qur'an you recite in the Salah they impart you some kind of instruction or guidance and point out to you what are those commandments of God which you should follow in this world.
4. 'Ruku' (bowing)
After reciting these instructions you say Allahu Akbar and do Ruku'. Placing your hands on the knees you bow before your Master and utter repeatedly (either three times or five times or seven):
Subhana Rabbi-al-'Azim
" Blessed is my Lord the Magnificent ". Then you stand straight and say :
Sami'-Allahu li-man hamidah
" Allah listened to him who praised Him".
'Sajdah'
Then saying Allahu Akbar you prostrate twice in Sajdah and repeatedly utter :
Subhana Rabbi-al-Aa'la
" Blessed is my Lord Who is most High and Sublime".
5. 'At-Tahiyyat' (Salutation)
Then you raise your head saying Allahu Akbar and sit reverently and recite :-
Atta-hiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibatu as-salamu'alaika ayyuh-an-Nabbiyu wa rahmat-ullahi wa barakatuhu
As-salamu 'alai-na wa 'ala'Ibadullahi-is-Salihin Ash-hadu an-la-Ilaha ill-Allah Wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluh
" Our salutations, our prayers and all pure things are for Allah. Salutation to you O Prophet and Mercy and Blessing of Allah. Peace be on us and on all pious servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god save Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah".
While giving this testimony you raise your first finger because this constitutes in the Salah a declaration of your faith and it is necessary while uttering it to give special attention and emphasis to it. After this you recite Durud blessing upon Muhammad (peace be upon him) :
'Salah'
Allahumma Salli ala Muhammadin wa 'ala Ali Muhammadin
Kama Sallaita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima Innaka Hamid-um-Majid
Allahumma barik'ala Muhammad-in-wa'ala ali Muhammadin Kama barakat 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamid-um-Majid
" O God ! bestow benediction on Muhammad and on his progeny just as You showered blessings on Abraham and on his progeny. Most certainly You are adorned with the best qualities and are sublime. O God ! confer blessings on Muhammad and on his progeny just as You conferred blessings on Abraham and on his progeny. Most certainly You are adorned with the best qualities and are sublime. After recting this Durud you supplicate Allah :
6. 'Dua' (Supplication)
Allahumma inni a'uzu bika min 'azabi Jahannam wa a'uzu bika min'azabil Qabri wa a'uzu bika min fitnatil Masihiddajjal wa a'uzu bika min fitnatil mahya wal mamati wa a'uzu bika min-al ma-sini wal maghrim
" O God! I seek Your protection from the torture of hell, and I seek Your protection from the torture of the grave and I seek Your protection from the mischief of Dajjal pretending as Messiah and I seek refuge with You from the mischief of life and death. O God! I seek refuge with You from the responsibility of misdeeds and from indebtedness."
7. 'Salam' (Salutation at the time of concluding the prayers)
After recting the above Dua, Salah is complete. Now you return from the court of your Master, and what is the first thing you do on return? You turn your head to the right and to the left and pray for the safety and blessings of all those present and everything in the world:
As-Salam-o-Alaikum wa Rahmatullah
(Peace to you and mercy of Allah).
This is like good tidings that you have brought for the world on your return from the court of God.
The above is the Salah which you offer at dawn on rising from bed before you start the work of the world. Then after being busy for a few hours in some work you present your self in God's court in the afternoon to offer the same Salah again. Then after keeping busy for some hours you repeat it before dusk. Then again yourepeat it at dusk. Ultimately, on being relieved from the worldly work, and before going to bed, you present yourself for the last time before your Master. The concluding part of this final Salah consists of Witr, in the last rak'ah of which you submit a grand covenant before your Master. This is called Dua-i-Qunut. The meaning of Qunut is affirmation of humility, subservience and servitude before God. Listen carefully to words with which you make this affirmation:
8. 'Dua-i-Qunut'
Allahumma inna nasta-'inuka wa nastahdika wa nastaghfiruka wa nu minubika wa natawakkalu 'alaika-al-khaira wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruka wa nakhla'u wanatruku manyyafjuruk
Allahumma iyyaka na'budu walaka nusalli wa nasjudu wailaika nas'a wa nahfidu wa narju rahmataka wa nakshha 'azabaka inna 'azabaka bil-kuffari mulhiq.
" O God! We seek help from You. We ask for Your guidance. We seek Your forgiveness. We affirm faith in You. We rely on You only and say all praise exclusively for You. We express gratitude to You and do not commit ungratefulness. We will abandon every such person and sever connection with him, who disobeys You O God! We are servile to You and we offer Salah and Sajdah to you only, and all our endeavour and striving are aimed at seeking Your pleasure only. We look for Your mercy and fear Your retribution. Certainly Your dire punishment will befall those who are unbelievers.
'Salah' and character-building
Brethren-in-Islam!
Imagine a person who hears the voice of Adhan five times in a day and feels that some big thing is being testified and we are being summoned to the presence of a highly powerfull sovereign; who every time on hearing this call, leaves all his work and runs to that Sublime Being Whom he considers Master of himself as also of the entire universe; who before every Salah purifies his body and soul with Wudu' and who performs with full understanding all these things again and again in the Salah which I have just now described to you--
how is it possible that fear of God will not arise in his heart that he will not feel ashamed to violate God's commandments, that his soul will not shudder during his repeated attendance before God on account of his sins and evil doings?
How is it possible that a man who affirms servitude and obedience to God, and believes in His being Master of the Day of Judgment, will, on resuming his worldly work, indulge in lies, dishonesty, usurping of others' rights, taking and giving of bribe, taking and giving of interest, causing injury to slaves of God and commit obscene and illicit acts, and yet go again in the presence of God loaded with all these misdeeds and have the guts to repeat these very affirmations?
Aye! How is it possible that after making affirmation with full consciousness before God thirty-six times a day that
" Thee (alone) we worship; Thee alone we ask for help" and worship others besides God and extend your hands before them for help?
If once you have committed violation after making the affirmation, the second time when you go before God your conscience will censure you and you will be feel ashamed.
The reproach will be greater at a second violation and the heart will upbraid you from within all the more. How can it happen throughout your life that you are continuously offering Salah five times a day and yet your deeds are not set right, your morals are not improved and your life is not fundamentally changed?
For this very reason Allah has emphasised the characteristic of Salah as :
" Verily Salah prevents man from committing indecency and lewdness".
Yet if there be such a man who is unaffected even by such a tremendous reformatory process, then it is due to the wickedness of his own self not the fault of Salah.
It is not the defect of soap and water. The reason is coal's own blackness.
Brethren !
There is very great deficiency in your Salah. And it is this that you do not understand what you recite in it.
If you spend a little time you can learn by heart the meaning of all these Duas (supplications) in English or in your own tongue. Its benefit will be that you will understand what you recite.
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