The Philosophy of Salah/Daily Connection/Prayer
April 7, 2015 at 4:24 pm
(This post was last modified: April 7, 2015 at 4:46 pm by Mystic.)
Salah means connection, and here I want to go through the inward reality of Salah.
A lot of people will look at the ritual, and think, "Why?".
We will start with the issue of "Wudoo". Wudoo refers to purification, but it's done with water. I won't go to details of the procedure of Wudoo, but rather, emphasize on the philosophy it.
You should know that according to Quran, God's throne was on water (11:7) and many places it states he has send down from the heaven purifying water.
One particular verse that stands out is:
(Quran 8:11) When He caused calm to fall on you as a security from Him and sent down upon you water from the heaven that He might thereby purify you, and take/keep away from you the uncleanness of the Shaitan, and that He might fortify your hearts and steady (your) footsteps thereby.
Imam Jaffar [as] said:
Precaution is like water flowing in a river. The three levels of precaution are like trees of every colour and variety planted on the bank of that river, each tree absorbing water from that river according to its essence, capacity, delicateness and thickness.
Then the benefits, which creatures take from these trees and fruits, are according to their value and worth. Allah said,
Palm trees having one root and [others] having distinct roots - they are watered with one water, and We make some of them excel others in fruit. (13:4)
Precaution in acts of obedience to Allah is like water for the trees, and the natures of the trees and their fruits in their colours and tastes are like the measures of belief. Whoever has the highest degree in belief and the purest nature with respect to the soul has the greatest precaution. He who is precautious has the purer and more sincere worship: whoever is like that is nearer to Allah.
My comment: Here we see Guarding against evil (Taqwa) and Guarding our relationship with God, has been likened to water. Our faith being like a tree, the greater the tree the greater amount of water.
Else where, Imam says:
If you seek purification and ablution (wudu'), then go to water as you would go to the mercy of Allah, for He has made water the key to being near to Him in intimate conversation, and a guide to the domain of His service. Just as the mercy of Allah purifies the wrong actions of His bondsmen, so are outward impurities cleansed only by water. As Allah said,
It is He Who sends the winds as good news before His mercy; and We send down pure water out of heaven! (25:48) and elsewhere,
We have made of water everything living. Will they not then believe? (21:30)
As He gives life to every blessing in this world from water, so by His mercy and overflowing favour He gives life to the heart and to acts of obedience, and to reflection in the purity of water, its fineness, its cleanness, its blessing and the subtleness of how it mixes with everything; through water He also gives life to the heart, when you purify those limbs which you have been commanded by Allah to purify, and which you use to worship in your obligatory and customary prayers.
From each limb come many benefits. When you treat the limbs with respect, then their benefits will soon spring up for you. Deal with Allah's creation like water which mixes with things and gives everything its due, while not changing itself in essence. This is expressed by the words of the Messenger of Allah, 'The sincere believer is like water.' Let your purity with Allah in all your obedience be like the purity of water when He sent it down out of heaven and called it pure. Purify your heart with precaution and certainty when you purify your limbs with water.
Comment: According to the Imam, all blessings of God are from water. That is why when we do Wudo (outer purification), we should be going to it hoping for God's mercy.
It should be noted the word "mercy" doesn't justice to the word "rahma" for the word "rahma" can mean mercy, but as well everything from God's compassion or love.
Other hadiths say to look for God's grace or go to God's grace when going to water.
We then see that we should purify our whole body to the service of God.
It says to purify our hearts with Taqwa (Guarding/precaution) and certainty when we purify our outer limbs with outward water.
It should be noted that it was stated all blessings are created from water. That said, all goodness created in humans, is a form of descent from water.
Consequently, water is a station of the beautiful names of God and prescence of God, as the Quran states "And his throne was upon water", and from there every good blessing comes about.
Consequently, the fruits of goodness grow from this water. Consequently, deeds that imitate outward good deeds without this water, are not accepted, for their substance is unclean.
It as Quran says "to him ascends the pure/good word, and the righteous action raises it" and else where says "he knows what goes down to it and what ascends in it".
The purification is to be done to God's Water of his presence on this throne, his expansive compassion and love, and purify oneself with the exalted presence of pure blessed nature of God's holy Names from the uncleanness that is insincerity, evil, and low inclination, and to receive his blessings in the form of vision of beauty (certainty) and guarding from deviation from his honour (Taqwa).
A lot of people will look at the ritual, and think, "Why?".
We will start with the issue of "Wudoo". Wudoo refers to purification, but it's done with water. I won't go to details of the procedure of Wudoo, but rather, emphasize on the philosophy it.
You should know that according to Quran, God's throne was on water (11:7) and many places it states he has send down from the heaven purifying water.
One particular verse that stands out is:
(Quran 8:11) When He caused calm to fall on you as a security from Him and sent down upon you water from the heaven that He might thereby purify you, and take/keep away from you the uncleanness of the Shaitan, and that He might fortify your hearts and steady (your) footsteps thereby.
Imam Jaffar [as] said:
Precaution is like water flowing in a river. The three levels of precaution are like trees of every colour and variety planted on the bank of that river, each tree absorbing water from that river according to its essence, capacity, delicateness and thickness.
Then the benefits, which creatures take from these trees and fruits, are according to their value and worth. Allah said,
Quote:وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَى بِمَاء وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ
Palm trees having one root and [others] having distinct roots - they are watered with one water, and We make some of them excel others in fruit. (13:4)
Precaution in acts of obedience to Allah is like water for the trees, and the natures of the trees and their fruits in their colours and tastes are like the measures of belief. Whoever has the highest degree in belief and the purest nature with respect to the soul has the greatest precaution. He who is precautious has the purer and more sincere worship: whoever is like that is nearer to Allah.
My comment: Here we see Guarding against evil (Taqwa) and Guarding our relationship with God, has been likened to water. Our faith being like a tree, the greater the tree the greater amount of water.
Else where, Imam says:
If you seek purification and ablution (wudu'), then go to water as you would go to the mercy of Allah, for He has made water the key to being near to Him in intimate conversation, and a guide to the domain of His service. Just as the mercy of Allah purifies the wrong actions of His bondsmen, so are outward impurities cleansed only by water. As Allah said,
Quote:وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء طَهُورًا
It is He Who sends the winds as good news before His mercy; and We send down pure water out of heaven! (25:48) and elsewhere,
Quote:وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
We have made of water everything living. Will they not then believe? (21:30)
As He gives life to every blessing in this world from water, so by His mercy and overflowing favour He gives life to the heart and to acts of obedience, and to reflection in the purity of water, its fineness, its cleanness, its blessing and the subtleness of how it mixes with everything; through water He also gives life to the heart, when you purify those limbs which you have been commanded by Allah to purify, and which you use to worship in your obligatory and customary prayers.
From each limb come many benefits. When you treat the limbs with respect, then their benefits will soon spring up for you. Deal with Allah's creation like water which mixes with things and gives everything its due, while not changing itself in essence. This is expressed by the words of the Messenger of Allah, 'The sincere believer is like water.' Let your purity with Allah in all your obedience be like the purity of water when He sent it down out of heaven and called it pure. Purify your heart with precaution and certainty when you purify your limbs with water.
Comment: According to the Imam, all blessings of God are from water. That is why when we do Wudo (outer purification), we should be going to it hoping for God's mercy.
It should be noted the word "mercy" doesn't justice to the word "rahma" for the word "rahma" can mean mercy, but as well everything from God's compassion or love.
Other hadiths say to look for God's grace or go to God's grace when going to water.
We then see that we should purify our whole body to the service of God.
It says to purify our hearts with Taqwa (Guarding/precaution) and certainty when we purify our outer limbs with outward water.
It should be noted that it was stated all blessings are created from water. That said, all goodness created in humans, is a form of descent from water.
Consequently, water is a station of the beautiful names of God and prescence of God, as the Quran states "And his throne was upon water", and from there every good blessing comes about.
Consequently, the fruits of goodness grow from this water. Consequently, deeds that imitate outward good deeds without this water, are not accepted, for their substance is unclean.
It as Quran says "to him ascends the pure/good word, and the righteous action raises it" and else where says "he knows what goes down to it and what ascends in it".
The purification is to be done to God's Water of his presence on this throne, his expansive compassion and love, and purify oneself with the exalted presence of pure blessed nature of God's holy Names from the uncleanness that is insincerity, evil, and low inclination, and to receive his blessings in the form of vision of beauty (certainty) and guarding from deviation from his honour (Taqwa).
