3.1.1 Value Of Prayer

Five fundamental religious duties are recognized by Islam, viz., prayer, zakat or poor-rate, fasting, pilgrimage and jihad, but while jihad is a national duty, the first four are, more or less, individual duties, though having an important national significance. Among these four, prayer undoubtedly occupies the most important position and is given the greatest prominence in the Holy Qur’an, poor-rate coming next to it.

The importance of prayer may be judged from the following facts: that it was the first duty enjoined on the Holy Prophet; that, though prayer and zakat are often mentioned together in the Holy Qur’an, prayer always takes precedence; and that the keeping up of prayer is the most frequently repeated injunction of the Holy Qur’an. It has also been generally recognized as the first and foremost duty of a Muslim. There are several reasons why prayer has been given this importance. It is really the first step in the onward progress of man and yet it is also his highest spiritual ascent (mi‘raj). Prayer keeps man away from evil; it helps him to realize the Divine in him, and that realization not only urges him to do disinterested service for humanity but also makes him attain the highest degree of moral and spiritual perfection. Prayer is also the means of levelling all differences of rank, colour and nationality and the means of bringing about a cohesion and unity among men which is the necessary basis of a living civilization.

What prayer really aims at is stated in the very beginning of the Holy Qur’an. There we are told that a Muslim, who would tread the road to self-development, must accept certain principles and carry out certain duties: “This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who keep their duty, who believe in the Unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them, and who believe in that which has been revealed to thee and that which was revealed before thee; and of the Hereafter they are sure. These are on a right course from their Lord, and these it is that are successful (muflihun)” (2:2-5). Falah, the infinitive form of muflihun, whether relating to this life or to the next, carries with it the idea of the complete development of the inner faculties of man and the achievement of both material and moral greatness; what, in other words, may be called the full self-development of man. This self-development is reached, according to the Holy Qur’an, by the acceptance of three principles, the existence of God, His revealing Himself to man, and the Hereafter; and by the exercise of two duties, the keeping up of prayer, or seeking communion with God, and the spending of one’s wealth for others or the service of humanity. The place of prayer in the self-development of man is given such a prominence in Islam that in the call to prayer the words “come to prayer” are immediately followed by the words “come to falah,” thus showing that self-development is attained through prayer. And on another occasion, the Holy Qur’an says: “Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers” (23:1, 2); where the word used for being successful is aflaha, carrying the significance of achieving full self-development.

Belief in God is the fundamental principle of every religion; nevertheless the object of religion is not simply to preach the doctrine of the existence of God as a theory; it goes far beyond that. Religion seeks to instill the conviction that God is a living force in the life of man; and prayer is the means by which it is sought to achieve this great end. The real conviction that God is comes to man, not by the belief that there is a God in the outer world, but by the realization of the Divine within himself; and that this realization is attained through prayer is made clear by what is stated in the beginning of the Holy Qur’an, as quoted above. The three requisites of a true Muslim are there given in their natural order. The first is a belief in the Unseen, which means a belief in God, the great Unseen Who cannot be perceived by the physical eye of man. The second, which follows immediately the belief in the Unseen, is the keeping up of prayer, thus showing that belief in the Unseen is turned into a certainty of the Divine existence, a realization of the Divine within man, by means of prayer; and it is with reference to this realization that we are told, a little further on: “And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and this is hard except for the humble, who know that they will meet their Lord and that to Him they will return” (2:45, 46). The third requisite, spending out of what God has given, is the natural sequel of the second, and shows that the realization of the Divine in man leads to the service of humanity. In one of the earliest revealed chapters of the Holy Qur’an, it is stated that prayer is useless unless it leads to the service of humanity: “So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayer, who do good to be seen, and refrain from acts of kindness” (107:4-7).

The universal experience of humanity bears out the truth of what the Holy Qur’an has said. Though to most people nowadays the existence of God amounts to little more than a theory, yet in every age and in every nation there have been men who, through prayer, have realized the great truth of the Divine existence within their hearts, and have laid down their lives for the good of humanity. In their case belief in the existence of God was a moral force which not only brought about a complete change in their own lives but also enabled them to transform the lives of entire nations for centuries and change the histories of peoples and of countries. Their selflessness and truthfulness were beyond reproach, and their testimony, which is really the testimony of all nations in all ages, establishes one fact, that belief in the existence of God becomes a moral force of the first magnitude when once it is realized in the heart of man through prayer to the Divine Being; so great a moral force is it, indeed, that even the most powerful material forces give way before it. Is not the experience of those great personalities a beacon-light for others showing them that they also can make God a moral force in their lives? The powers and faculties that are given to one man are also given to another, and through their proper use one man can do what another, before him, has done.

Again if, apart from the experience of humanity, we consider the question rationally, prayer to God is the natural sequel of the acceptance, in theory, of the existence of God. The aspiration to rise to moral greatness is implanted in human nature more deeply than even the aspiration to rise to material greatness; but the only way in which the former can be realized is to be in touch with the All-Pervading Spirit, the fountain-head of purity and the source of the highest morality. “All the perfect attributes are Allah’s” says the Holy Qur’an (7:180). But man stands in need of perfect attributes as well for there is implanted in him the unquenchable desire to rise higher and higher. How can he do so except by being in touch with the Being that possesses the perfect attributes, the Being that is free from all defects? And prayer is but an attempt to be in touch with Him. And the only way to become imbued with Divine morals is to get in touch with the Divine spirit, to be drawn away from all worldly trammels for a while, and to drink deep at that source, which is prayer to God. In many hadith, prayer is spoken of as munajat or confidential intercourse with the Lord (Bu. 8:38; 9:8; 21:12). In one it is related that man should pray to God as if he were seeing Him (Bu. 2:37). Such descriptions of prayer show its real nature to be that of being in actual intercourse with the Divine Being and intercourse means nothing but becoming imbued with Divine morals.

The right development of human faculties depends upon the purification of man’s inner self and the suppression of evil tendencies: “He is indeed successful who purifies it” (91:9), says the Holy Qur’an, referring to the soul. Prayer is spoken of as a means of purification for the heart. “Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps one away from indecency and evil” (29:45). Elsewhere too: “And keep up prayer at the two ends of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds” (11:114). In a hadith, the saying of prayers is compared to washing oneself in a river: “Abu Hurairah says that he heard the Holy Prophet say, If one of you has a river at his door in which he washes himself five times a day, what do you think? Would it leave any dirt on him? The Companions said, It would not leave any dirt on him (and he would be perfectly clean). The Holy Prophet said, This is an example of the five prayers, with which Allah blots off all the evils of a man” (Bu. 9:6). There are many other hadith in which it is stated that prayer is a means of suppressing the evil tendencies of man (kaffarah). The reason is plain. In 20:14, “the remembrance of Allah” is stated to be the object of keeping up prayer, while in 29:45, it is stated that “the remembrance of Allah is the greatest restraint” upon sin. A little consideration will show that a law generally requires a sanction behind it, and behind all Divine laws which relate to the development of man and to his moral betterment, the only sanction is a belief in the great Author of those laws. The oftener, therefore, a man reverts to prayer, to that state in which, disengaging himself from all worldly attractions, he feels the Divine presence as an actual fact, the greater is his certainty about the existence of God, and the greater the restraint upon the tendency to break that law. Prayer, thus, by checking the evil tendencies of man, purifies his heart of all evil, and sets him on the right road to the development of his inner faculties.

The service of prayer is divided into two parts, one to be said in private and the other to be performed in congregation, preferably in a mosque. While the private prayer is meant simply for the development of the inner self of man, the public one has other ends as well in view, ends, indeed, that make the Islamic prayer a mighty force in the unification of the human race. In the first place, this gathering of all people living in the same vicinity five times daily in the mosque is a help to the establishment of healthy social relations. In the daily prayer services these relations are limited to a narrow circle, i.e., only to members of the same neighbourhood, but the circle becomes wider in the weekly Friday service which gathers together all Muslim members of a particular locality and still wider in the two great ‘Id gatherings. Far more important than this, however, is the levelling of social differences brought about by means of congregational prayer. Once within the doors of the mosque, every Muslim finds himself in an atmosphere of equality and love. Before their Maker they all stand shoulder to shoulder, the king along with his poorest subject, the rich arrayed in gorgeous robes with the beggar child clad in rags, the white man with the black. Nay, the king or rich man standing in a back row will have to lay his head, prostrate himself before God, at the feet of a slave or a beggar standing in the front. There could be no more levelling influence in the world. Differences of rank, wealth and colour vanish within the mosque and quite a new atmosphere, an atmosphere of brotherhood, equality and love, totally differing from the outside world, prevails within the holy precincts. To be able to breathe, five times daily in an atmosphere of perfect peace within a world of strife and struggle, of equality where inequality is the order of the day and of love amid the petty jealousies and enmities of daily life, is indeed a blessing. But it is more than a blessing; for it is the great lesson of life. Man has to work amidst inequalities, amidst strife and struggle, amidst scenes of hatred and enmity, and yet he is drawn out of these five times a day and made to realize that equality, fraternity and love are the real sources of human happiness. The time spent on prayer is not, therefore, wasted even from the point of view of active humanitarianism; on the contrary, the best use of it is made in learning those great lessons which make life worth living. And these lessons of fraternity, equality and love, when put into practice in daily life, serve as foundations for the unification of the human race and of the lasting civilization of mankind. In fact, the five daily congregational prayers are meant, among other things, to carry into practice the theoretical lessons of equality and fraternity for which Islam stands; and however much Islam may have preached in words the equality of man and the fraternity of the community of Islam, all this would have remained a dead-letter, had it not been translated into the everyday life of man through the institution of five daily congregational prayers.

Prayer, in Islam, thus not only enables man to realize the Divine in him, not only makes him drink deep at the fountain of Divine morals, purifies his heart and sets him on the right road to the development of human faculties; but it goes a step further and, levelling all differences, brings about love, concord and a true union of humanity. This last object, it can be easily seen, cannot be achieved without a regularly instituted form of prayer, so that all men should gather together in mosques at the stated times and should stand up reverently, bow down and prostrate themselves before their great Maker as one. But even apart from that consideration, it was necessary that permanence should be given to the institution of prayer by requiring its observance at stated times and in a particular manner. The truth is that the grand idea of holding communion with God or realizing the Divine within man, which is so essential to the moral elevation of man, could not have been kept alive unless there was an outward form to which all people should try to conform. In the first place, no idea can live unless there is an institution to keep it alive. Secondly, the masses in any community, even though it may be educated, can be awakened to the recognition of a truth only through some outward form, which reminds them of the underlying idea. And thirdly, there can be no uniformity without a form and without uniformity the community or nation, as a whole, cannot make any progress, the end in view being the moral elevation of the community as a whole and not the elevation of particular individuals. It is a fact that Muslims as a nation have a more vital faith in God than the followers of any other religion. It is this faith in God that accounts for the early Muslim conquests, before which the mightiest empires were swept away like a straw; it is this same faith in God that enabled the Muslims to hold their own against the onslaughts of Christian Europe during the Crusades; and it is this faith in God again that enables Muslims today to carry on the spiritual contest with Christianity, inspite of the fact that all the material forces in this contest, such as wealth, power and organization, are on the side of Christianity. The Islamic institution of prayer which keeps the spirit of the Muslim in touch with the Divine spirit is without doubt the basis on which this strong faith in God rests, and the value of prayer in the formation of this noble trait in the Muslim national character is incalculable.

It must, however, be added that prayer in Islam is not so rigid as it is generally thought to be. It is true that all Muslims are required to assemble at particular times in the mosques, and to follow the lead of the Imam, as an army would obey the orders of its general; and such uniformity is essential to enable prayer to serve the double purpose of bringing about the communion of man with God and the union of man with man; but every prayer is divided into two parts, one to be performed in congregation, the other alone. Even in the congregational part there is ample scope for the individual to give expression to the soul’s sincerest desire before its Maker, and for an outpouring of the true sentiments of the heart. But in the private part of the prayer, it is not only left to the individual to select the portions of the Holy Qur’an which he likes, but he can also give vent to his own feelings by making any supplications that he likes and in any language that he chooses, in any of the four postures, the posture of standing, bowing, prostration and sitting.

In Islam there is no Sabbath. A day is not set apart for worship, as in Judaism and Christianity. One day of prayer with no business and six days of business with no prayer, is not the Muslim’s rule of life. Prayer is made a part of the everyday affairs of man. There is a prayer in the morning before sunrise when a man rises from his bed; another just after midday, a third in the afternoon; a fourth at sunset; and a fifth before going to bed. Prayer is thus the first daily act of a Muslim and it is also his last act of the day, and between these two there are other prayers during hours of business or recreation. Thus Islam requires that, in all the varying conditions through which man has to pass, his spirit should be in touch with the Divine Spirit. Even when busiest, he should still be able to disengage himself from all wordly occupations for a short while and resort to prayer. The object in view in this arrangement is clearly that man should feel the Divine presence under all conditions, so that while he is doing his work, God should still be nearest to his heart. It would readily be seen how immensely such arrangement must enhance the value of prayer as a moral force in the transaction of everyday affairs.

The Islamic mode of worship is calculated to concentrate attention on one object, the realization of the Divine presence. The ablution preceding prayer, the reverential attitude in standing, the bowing down, the kneeling with the forehead placed on the ground, and the reverent sitting posture—all help the mind to realize the Divine presence as a fact; and the worshipper, as it were, finds his heart’s joy in doing honour to the Great Master, not only with his tongue but with his whole body, adopting a reverent attitude. There is not the least doubt that the spirit of humility in man finds particular expression in the reverential postures which must be adopted in prayer. The whole prayer is a most solemn and serious affair during which the worshipper does not turn his attention to anything else, nor does he indulge in any movement which should distract his attention or disturb his prayerful attitude. The prayer is thus an undisturbed meditation on the Divine, and it is for this reason that in Islam it is not accompanied with music but by recitations from the Holy Qur’an speaking of Divine love, mercy, power and knowledge. In fact, what is considered ritualism in the Islamic institution of prayer is only a way to feel the Divine presence and ponder over His greatness, glory and love by adopting certain reverential postures, and it would be seen that the Islamic mode of worship combines in it all the reverential postures that can possibly be adopted, the posture of standing, sitting, bowing down and prostration.

It cannot be denied that a particular posture of the body will generate in man feelings of pride and haughtiness while another is suggestive of true humility, and it is only the latter frame of mind that can bring man closer to God. If, therefore, humility is the essence of prayer, the particular postures of standing, sitting, bowing down and prostration are also essential for creating that spirit in man, and any change would be a change for the worse, a change that might well bring about failure to achieve the very end for which prayer is intended.

Naturally a man would like to unfold his heart before his Maker by praying in the language in which he can most readily express his feelings, and this is fully recognized in Islam. Not only in private prayer but in the course of the public service as well, the worshipper is at liberty to pray to God in his own tongue, after or during the recitation of portions of the Holy Qur’an in a standing posture, or after utterance of words of Divine glory in that of bowing down or prostration. In the public service such prayers would undoubtedly be limited, since the worshipper must follow the Imam, but in the private portion they may be of any length.

The question, however, assumes a different aspect when the public service itself is considered, for, unless the public service is conducted in a language which is common to all Muslims, there must again be a failure in achieving the great end for which prayer is instituted. As already stated, the unification of Muslims through prayer is as much an end and object of prayer as to bring man into communion with God. It is prayer that daily gathers together persons of different callings and different ranks and positions in society, under one roof, and on a perfect status of equality, and these homogeneous units are again united by the more extensive gathering for the Friday prayers, or the still larger assemblies at ‘Id prayers, culminating in that mighty assemblage at Makkah of all nations and all races on the most perfect status of equality — European, Asian and African, king and beggar, all clad in one dress — the annual concourse of the pilgrims from the farthest corners of the earth. Now all these various gatherings, from the great gathering of all nations at Makkah down to the smallest gathering in a village mosque, are expressly for Divine worship, and if there were a babel of languages prevailing in these gatherings, the object of unification of the human race through Divine service — an idea unique to Islam — would fail altogether. The bond of a common language is one of the greatest factors towards unification, and this bond Islam has established by the use of a common language at the Divine service. This language, it is evident, could be none other than Arabic, the language of the Holy Qur’an. Anyone who realizes the grand object which Islam has set before itself of unifying the human race through Divine service, will at once appreciate the necessity of having that service in Arabic.

It is only short-sightedness, intensified by ignorance of the wider issues of unification, that makes some men think that the Divine service must be held in the language proper to each nation, and that a service held in any other language will not fulfil the purpose of worship. In the first place, the Islamic prayer does not consist of mere words of praise of the Divine glory and majesty, or the mere expression, in words, of the inner feelings of the heart. That no doubt is an important part of prayer but even more important than this is the attitude of mind, the inner feeling itself, of which the words are meant to be an expression. Now this attitude of mind is produced, in the first place, by the atmosphere about the worshipper and by the particular postures of reverence which he adopts. The mood, more than words, generates a true spirit of humility, and the first condition of a prayerful mind is humility, as the Holy Qur’an itself lays down: “Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers” (23:1, 2). Suppose there is a man who takes part in a public service without understanding a word of Arabic. It would be entirely wrong to say that prayer does not benefit him, for there are the movements of his body, the raising of the hands to the ears, the standing up with folded hands, the bowing down, the placing of the forehead on the ground, the sitting down in a particular attitude of reverence, which all go a long way towards producing in him humility and consciousness of the Divine presence. He may not understand the language used, but here he is himself giving expression to his inner feelings in the language of his bodily movements. In fact, his whole self is expressive of what the words convey. It will indeed be highly more beneficial if he understands the spoken language also, but it is absurd to say that the language of movements has no meaning for him.

Now let us come to the language of words. The most repeated expressions in the Islamic service are Allahu Akbar, Subhana Rabbiy-al-‘Azim, Subhana Rabbiy-al-A‘la, and the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an, called al-Fatihah. As regards the first expression there is hardly a Muslim in the world, whatever language he may speak, and whether educated or uneducated, young or old, male or female, who does not understand the meaning of Allahu Akbar. It is with this expression that a man enters into the Divine service and it is with it that he changes one posture of the body to another, so that with the very entrance in prayer, the mind receives an impression of the glory and majesty of God and assumes an attitude of prayerfulness to God and of humbleness before Him, and this impression on the mind is renewed at every change of movement, and thus the contemplation of Divine glory and greatness is the one occupation of mind during the service. Take the next two expressions, Subhana Rabbiy-al-‘Azim, repeated when the worshipper is bowing down, and Subhana Rabbiy-al-A‘la, repeated in the state of prostration. Even if a man does not understand their meaning, he does realize, when bowing that he is bowing before the great God, and does realize when lying down prostrate that he has laid his forehead on the ground before Him Who is the Highest. Yet, even a child would not take more than half an hour to learn these phrases and their meaning. And similar is the case with the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an which is so often repeated in prayer. The seven short sentences of this chapter can be learnt, along with their meanings, in a short time and with very little effort. Even if one were to conduct Divine service in one’s own language, still he would have to spend some time in learning it, and the learning of the significance of the Arabic words would only require a little additional time. Keeping in view the grand object of unifying the human race through Divine service, the time thus spent would represent the most usefully spent period of one’s life.

There are two other considerations which make it necessary to maintain the Arabic language in Divine service. The Holy Qur’an, parts of which are recited in the service, was revealed in the Arabic language, and it is a generally admitted fact that a translation can never fully express the ideas of the original. And when the original is the word of God, and the ideas expressed are those relating to God’s majesty and glory, it is still more difficult to convey the full significance in a translation. Again there is a music in the original which no translation can possibly render. The music of the Holy Qur’an is not only in its rhythm but also in its diction. Now music plays an important part in producing an effect on the mind, and the recitation of the Holy Qur’an thus serves the purpose of communicating grand and beautiful ideas to the accompaniment of music. Hence it is that the Islamic service has never stood in need of the artificial music of the organ, having within itself the true music of the human soul. Even if a translation could convey something of the grand and rich ideas of the Holy Qur’an, it could not convey the music which, along with the idea, exercises such a potent influence on the mind of man. A Western orientalist remarks in the introduction of his translation of the Holy Qur’an: “The Arabs made use of a rhymed and rhythmical prose, the origin of which it is not difficult to imagine. The Arabic language consists for the most part of triliteral roots, i.e., the single words expressing individual ideas consist generally of three consonants each, and the derivative forms expressing modifications of the original idea are not made by affixes and terminations alone but also by the insertion of letters in the root … A sentence, therefore, consists of a series of words which would each require to be expressed in clauses of several words in other languages, and it is easy to see how a next following sentence, explanatory of or completing the first, would be much more clear and forcible if it consisted of words of a similar shape and implying similar modifications of other ideas. It follows then that the two sentences would be necessarily symmetrical, and the presence of rhythm would not only please the ear but contribute to the better understanding of the sense, while the rhyme would mark the pause in the sense and emphasize the proportion.”

Another orientalist pays a tribute to the language of the Holy Qur’an as follows: “The language has the ring of poetry, though no part of the Kuran complies with the demands of Arab metre. The sentences are short and full of half-restrained energy, yet with a musical cadence. The thought is often only half expressed; one feels the speaker has essayed a thing beyond words, and has suddenly discovered the impotence of language, and broken off with the sentence unfinished. There is the fascination of true poetry about these earliest soorahs; as we read them we understand the enthusiasm of the Prophet’s followers, though we cannot fully realise the beauty and the power.”

It will be seen from these two quotations that even Western writers who have read the Holy Qur’an in the original recognize that its translation can convey neither the elements of music in its recitation, nor yet the full significance of the original. The opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an can be taken as an example. This chapter, the Fatihah, is the most essential part of the Islamic prayer. The seven verses of this chapter must be recited in every rak‘ah of every prayer, whether private or public. Take the recitation first. A reference to the transliteration and translation, given further on, will show that the translation has in it nothing of the musical cadence of the original, and the effect upon the ear of the mere recitation of words is quite lost in the translation. But even more important than this is the inability of any language to convey the exact significance of the short words of the original, even in long sentences. Take, for instance, the word Rabb which occurs here first of all as an attribute of the Divine Being, and is the most frequently repeated of attributes in the whole of the Holy Qur’an. In English it is generally translated as Lord, but that word does not at all convey the real significance of the Arabic word Rabb, which, as already pointed out, carries with it the idea of the fostering of a thing in such a manner as to make it attain one condition after another until it reaches its goal of completion. It is a word composed of but two letters, ra and ba, yet the significance which it carries is so vast that a whole sentence would be required in other languages to convey its meaning fully. The word Lord or Father does not express that idea at all. The same is the case with the next following attributes, Rahman and Rahim, which are both derived from the same root rahmah signifying tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence, and are closely related in meaning; the former indicating that quality of love and mercy which comes into operation, even before the creation of man, by providing for him things which are necessary for his life; and the latter that which comes into operation when man makes use of these things and has thus done something to deserve it. No words in any other language can fully express these great ideas and this fine distinction. Similar is the case with ibadah, used in the middle verse, which is rendered in English by worshipping, but which really carries the meaning of obedience coupled with the utmost submissiveness. The word ihdi, occuring in the fourth verse, is rendered guide, but hidayah, the root from which it is derived, means guiding and leading on the right way with kindness until one reaches the goal. How could these ideas be expressed in small and simple words, suitable for prayer, in any other language? Indeed, this petition, which is the essence of the whole institution of Islamic prayer, would lose its real significance by being translated into any other language.

Thus the Fatihah, being the only essential portion of the Holy Qur’an which must be repeated in every rak‘ah of a prayer, may rightly claim to be the guiding principle of a Muslim’s life and a true index of his mentality. The main principles underlying the Fatihah may be considered briefly here. These are, firstly, the desire to give praise to the Divine Being under all circumstances, for the chapter opens with the words “All praise is due to Allah”. The Muslim has to come to prayer five times a day whatever the circumstances may be. There may be occasions when he is in distress, has suffered a reverse or a defeat, has a friend or near relative in distress, when someone very dear to him has just passed away and he is under the burden of a great bereavement, yet in all these conditions he is required to give praise to God Who brings about all these conditions, just as he would do had he received a blessing or some great benefit from God. The attitude of mind thus produced is to live in perfect peace with one’s environment, neither to be carried away by joy, nor give way to dejection or depression. It is an attitude of mind which keeps a man steadfast in pleasure as well as pain, in joy as well as sorrow.

The second and third main ideas which determine a Muslim’s mental attitude towards things are contained in the words Rabbi-l-‘alamin, the Nourisher unto perfection of all the worlds or all the nations. This attribute of God brings to man the comfort of knowing that whatever may happen to him, whether he receives a blessing or faces disaster, he must still be sure that he is being led on to perfection through these different stages. The addition of the words al-‘alamin, all worlds or all nations, opens up his mind and widens the sphere of his love and sympathy not only towards all men, to whatever nation or creed they may belong, but also to the whole of God’s creation. The man who recognizes that God is the Nourisher unto perfection of all men cannot bear hatred towards them. He must recognize, in fact, that God is much more to all men than is a father to his sons.

The fourth main idea is carried in the words Rahman and Rahim. God is Loving and Beneficient; He has provided man with everything necessary for his development, physical as well as moral and spiritual; but still that development depends on the right use of outward things as well as of the inner faculties which are meant for this object. The choice is man’s whether he takes advantage of those means and reaches the goal, or rejects or ignores them and suffers the evil consequences thereof.

The fifth and sixth great ideas contained in the Fatihah are those conveyed in the words Malik yaum al-din or Master of the Day of Requital. God is here called the Malik or the Master, and not Malik or King. The two words are almost alike, but there is this vast difference between a Malik and a Malik that the latter is bound to give to each what he deserves, but the former may, if he likes, forgive an offender altogether. There are some religions that lay so much stress on Divine justice that they refuse to recognize a God who can forgive offenders without having some compensation. Such a narrow view of Divine justice has a corresponding effect on the morals of a man. The word Malik rejects this idea, and shows God to be a Master, Who can forgive if He likes, however great the offence may be. The addition of the words yaum al-din, the Day of Requital, is by way of reminder that man must face the consequence of his own deeds. There is no deed, good or bad, that is without a consequence, and if these consequences are not seen by man in this life, there is still a Day of Requital, even after death.

The seventh idea is contained in the words iyyaka na‘budu, the idea of rendering obedience to God with entire submission. This is meant to create in man the mentality of obedience to the Divine commandments, even when these are opposed to the commandments of some temporal authority or to his own wishes. This attitude also gives man the strength to carry out the Divine commandments.

The eighth idea is contained in the words iyyaka nasta‘in (Thee do we beseech for help). The mental attitude which it is sought to create by these words is that of entire dependence on God and never despairing of the attainment of an object, for even if outward means have failed, there is God, the Controller of all means, Whose help will not fail the man who depends on Him.

The ninth idea is contained in the words ihdi-na. This signifies the soul’s inner desire—prayer being nothing but the expression of the soul’s inmost desire—of being led on and on to the goal, such being the significance of hidayah. These words also show that the mentality of being content to live in perfect peace with one’s environment is not a negation of action. The Muslim attitude towards the world is not one of inaction or listlessness; on the contrary, it comprises both the desire to remain in peace with his environment, and the desire to move on and on so as to reach the great goal. He gives praise to God at every step, yet his is not a stationary condition; he is not the slave of his environment, but forever struggling and striving to master it; he does not stand for peace without progress, nor yet for progress without peace, but for peace and progress combined.

The tenth idea ruling the Muslim mentality, as disclosed in the Fatihah is the longing to walk in the footsteps of those who have received Divine blessings of any kind, temporal or spiritual, and the desire to be able to avoid the errors of those who have been the object of Divine displeasure or those who have gone astray. The latter are the followers of the two extremes, while those who have received the Divine favours are those who keep to the middle path—which is the straight path.

With these ten ideas ruling man’s mind (and this is what is aimed at by the frequent repetition of the Opening Chapter in prayer), a man is armed with the best weapons both for happiness and success.

It is sometimes said that prayer leads to idleness and indolence, because it causes a man to depend on his supplications for what he wants instead of working for it. The objection is, of course, due to a complete misconception as to the nature of prayer. Prayer to God does not mean that a man has simply to entreat the Divine Being to grant him this or that favour and do nothing himself towards attaining it. Prayer is, in fact, a search for means and is thus an incentive to action. The Fatihah is the most important Muslim prayer, yet as already shown, its central idea is one of action or being led on to action, for here the supplicator does not ask for certain favours but only to be guided on the right path. The actual prayer is contained in the words ihdi-nas-sirat al-mustaqim, i.e., guide us on the right path, or, as shown with reference to the meaning of hidayah, lead on to the goal by keeping us on the right path. Prayer is thus only the means of leading a man onwards and discovering the path by walking whereon he may attain the goal. It is a search for means to attain to a goal and a yearning to walk on a certain path. In face of this clear teaching, it is a mistake to suppose that prayer for any object negatives the adoption of human means to gain it. Elsewhere the acceptance of prayer is spoken of as rewarding a man for the hard work he has done: “So their Lord accepted their prayer, saying, I will not suffer the work of any worker among you to be lost, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other” (3:195).

The rule has been laid down in the Holy Qur’an in several places that no end can be gained without making a hard struggle for it: “We have certainly created man to face difficulties” (90:4); “And that man can have nothing but what he strives for; and that his striving will soon be seen. Then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward” (53:39-41); “Say: O my people! work in your place. Surely I am a worker” (39:39). The question may however be asked, what is the need for prayer if man must work for an end and avail himself of the means to gain it? Here, again, is a misconception as to the capabilities of man. It often happens that, notwithstanding the hardest struggle, a man is unable to gain an end, and finds himself quite helpless. In such a case prayer is a help, a source of strength, to the worker. He does not lose heart nor does he despair, because he believes that, though the means at his disposal have failed, though all around there are difficulties and darkness, though his own strength is failing, yet there is a Higher Power with Whom nothing is impossible, Who can still bring a ray of light to dispel the darkness and Who remains a perpetual source of strength for him in his helplessness, and that by praying to Him he can still achieve what seems otherwise quite unattainable. That is the function of prayer, and it is thus one of the means to gain an end when all other means have failed, and a source of strength to man at all times, but especially in moments of utter weakness and despair.

That such is the true function of prayer, and that it is only a source of greater energy and greater strength to enable man to face difficulties and achieve an end, is shown by the early history of Islam. Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Companions were undoubtedly the greatest believers in prayer — they are spoken of in the Holy Qur’an as spending two-thirds of the night, half the night or one-third of the night in prayer (73:20) —, and yet this was the very band of men whose love for work knew no bounds, whose energy was inexhaustible and who faced extreme difficulties with an iron determination. Surely the men who in ten years conquered two of the most powerful empires of the world, who with but the scantiest of resources faced armies double and treble and, on occasions, ten times the size of their own, whatever other charges may be brought against them, cannot be said to have been idle and inefficient. And it is a fact of history that, whenever the great Muslim conquerors were faced with the most critical situation, they fell down in prostration before God, seeking strength from the Source of real strength. Prayer, in fact, transformed the neglected race of the Arabs into the most distinguished nation which history can show, turned an idle and inefficient people into the most zealous and untiring workers for the progress of humanity, in all phases of its advancement. Truly, prayer is meant to awaken, and does awaken, the latent energies of the human soul.