The Twenty-fourth Letter

 

First addendum: Prayer

 

 

In His Name.

There is nothing that does not glorify Him with His praise.

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

Say (O Muhammad): “My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer.” (25:77)

 

Reflect on the following five points concerning this verse:

FIRST POINT: Prayer, a great mystery and the very essence of servanthood, is of three types, as follows:

That made by the tongue of innate disposition. All seeds and seed pits pray to the All-Wise Creator through their disposition and nature to grow into an elaborate plant or a huge tree so that they may manifest fully His Names’ inscriptions. The presence of the necessary circumstances to engender a particular effect is also such a prayer, a plea that the effect be realized. Arranging these circumstances may be likened to a tongue of disposition asking the All-Powerful and Majestic One to create the desired effect. For example, water, heat, soil, and light come together for a seed to grow into a tree. In effect, they pray: “O Creator, make this seed grow into a tree.” As creating a tree is a miracle of Divine Power, and as they have only unconscious, inanimate, and individual material existence, they cannot create it by themselves. That made with the tongue of natural need. All living beings pray to the All-Compassionate Creator, through their need, to satisfy their needs. God satisfies their needs by sending the necessary provisions, something that the beings themselves cannot do. In this sense, their need is a kind of prayer that reaches God’s Court, and causes are petitions to God to create the desired result. That made by conscious living beings for their special needs to be satisfied. Such prayers are divided into two categories. The first consists of supplications made in desperation or in connection with natural needs, by the tongue of disposition and with sincerity and pure intention. Most such supplications are accepted. As most scientific discoveries and technological innovations (regarded as a means of pride by supporters of modern civilization) are the results of such petitions, they are normally acceptable.351  The second consists of our daily prayers, which are divided into active and by disposition, and verbal and from the heart. For example, plowing the land is an active prayer that can be understood  as knocking at the door of the treasury of God’s Mercy and Munificence instead of begging provision from the ground.

SECOND POINT: Prayer has a great effect and always yields a result, especially when it is universal in nature. It may even be argued that prayer is one reason for the universe’s creation. As the Creator knew before creating the Prophet that he would desire eternal happiness for humanity and all creation, and to be favored with the Divine Names’ manifestations, we may say that God answered his future prayers by creating the universe. If prayer is so significant and comprehensive, how could He reject the prayers of countless Muslims and blessed people, as well as jinn, angels, and other spiritual beings, made for the last 14 centuries for the Prophet to achieve the greatest Divine Mercy, eternal happiness, and his aims?

The resulting prayers have acquired such permanence, comprehensiveness, and universality that they have reached the level of being done in the tongue of potential and natural need. And so Prophet Muhammad has acquired, along with Prophethood and personal merits, an exalted rank far beyond humanity’s powers of understanding and comprehension. So, Muslims, consider how great an intercessor you may have on the Day of Judgment. If you desire his intercession, follow his Sunna.

QUESTION: If he is the Beloved of God, why does he need so many prayers on his behalf?

ANSWER: That blessed person concerns himself with his followers’ individual and collective happiness, and worries over what may befall them. Although he has infinite degrees of eternal happiness and levels of perfection, he longs for each one’s happiness in all times and degrees, and grieves over each misfortune. Thus he needs and deserves countless blessings and prayers.

QUESTION: Why do we pray for things that will happen and for things that will never happen?

ANSWER: Prayer is a kind of worship through which servants proclaim their helplessness and poverty before God. Its apparent purposes are causes for praying, and its rewards are given mainly in the Hereafter. If your prayer seem to be unanswered, do not say: “My prayer has not been accepted,” but: “The time for prayer is not over.” How can believers not receive the eternal happiness for which they ask continually with great zeal and sincerity? How can the absolutely Benevolent and Compassionate One, to Whose infinite Mercy the universe itself testifies, reject their prayer to establish the World of Eternal Happiness?

THIRD POINT: Voluntary verbal prayer is accepted in two ways: either what is requested is given, or something better is given. For example, someone prays for a son but God Almighty sends a daughter like the Virgin Mary. In that case, we should say: “The prayer has been accepted in a better way.” Likewise, one prays for worldly happiness but is answered with eternal happiness. In this case, we should say: “The prayer has been accepted in a more beneficial way.” Since God Almighty is All-Wise, we pray to Him and He answers in accordance with His Wisdom. For instance, a feverish patient may ask for honey but receive quinine sulfate. How can the patient criticize the doctor for this, for the doctor diagnosed the illness and gave the patient something better.

FOURTH POINT: The most beautiful, pleasurable, and quickest result of prayer is received by those who know that there is One Who has Absolute Power over everything, Who hears, pities, and cures their pains. They are not alone in this guesthouse of the world; rather, an All-Munificent One looks after them and provides them with companionship. They consider themselves in the presence of the Being Who satisfies all needs and overcomes all enemies. Feeling relief, as if a heavy burden were lifted, they say: “All praise be to the Lord of the Worlds.”

FIFTH POINT: Prayer is the essence of servanthood to God and an indicator of sincere belief. Those who pray demonstrate that the One ruling the universe is fully aware of all affairs, hears their prayers, and enables them to achieve their aims. Seeing that this Being does everything, they hope that He will fulfill their expectations.

So consider how prayer shows a comprehensive Divine Unity and the pleasure and purity of the light of belief. Ponder the meaning of: Say: “My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer,” and heed the Divine decree: Your Lord said: “Pray to me and I will answer you.” (40:60). If He did not will to give, He would not give the desire to want.

Glory be to You! We have no knowledge save what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O God, grant blessings to our master Muhammad from past eternity to future eternity, to the number of what is contained in God’s Knowledge, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace. Also, grant us peace and protect us and Islam. All praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.

Said Nursi

351 For example, Newton must have seen many apples or other things fall before he “discovered” gravity. But as a reward for his endeavors and studies, God made his discovery dawn on him unexpectedly. This is true also for Archimedes’ “discovery” of water’s force of lifting. Some discoveries, such as that of needle by Elias Howe, were realized by means of a dream. No one can dream on one’s own and by one’s will, but God causes one to dream, even though one’s mental conditions have a small part in dreams. The dreams which give a warning or tidings of a future event are purely in God’s favor. (Tr.)