Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Third Fascicle

Qâdi-Zâda Ahmad Emîn bin ’Abdullah ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ
’alaih’ (1133 – 1197 [1783 A.D.]) states as follows in his treatment
of Esmâ’ul-Husnâ (Beautiful Names of Allâhu ta’âlâ) in his book
entitled Ferâid-ul-fawâid: ‘Prayer’ means ‘worship’. Therefore
‘namâz’ has been called ‘prayer’. In Islam prayer means
invocation whereby you entreat Allâhu ta’âlâ to bless you with
your wishes. Allâhu ta’âlâ likes a Muslim who says prayers. He
visits His Wrath upon a person who does not pray. Prayer is a
Believer’s weapons. It is one of the mainmasts of Islam. It is a nûr
that enlightens earths and heavens. Prayer removes the cares and
disasters that have already arrived. And it repels the ones that
have not arrived yet. As is understood from an âyat-i-kerîma
which purports: “Pray to Me with a true heart! I shall accept such
prayers,” prayer is an act of worship like namâz and sawm
(fasting). Another âyat-i-kerîma which is widely known purports:
“I shall make those who are reluctant to worship Me despicable
and contemptible and hurl them into Hell.” Allâhu ta’âlâ creates
everything through causes and sends His blessings behind causes.
And He has made prayer a cause whereby to dispel harms and
troubles and to give useful things. All Prophets ‘’alaihim-ussalawât’
prayed. And they commanded their ummats to follow
their example and pray. However, there are conditions to be
fulfilled for praying. First, we should repent for our sins make
tawba, say the prayer termed istighfâr, [1]
give alms, adapt our
belief (îmân) to the îmân taught by the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat,
believe and trust that our prayer will be accepted, sit on both
kness in the direction of Qibla, and say hamd and salât first, (i.e.
to start the prayer as follows: “Al-hamd-u-li-l-lâhi Rabb-il-
’âlamîn wa-s-salât-u-wa-s-salâm-u-’alâ sayyidinâ Muhammadin
wa ’alâ Âlihi wa Sahbihi ajma’în.”) The prayer must be repeated
more than three times. Things that are harâm or things which
have taken place should not be asked for. We should not give up
hope with a feeling of failure and despair that our prayer has not
been accepted; we should carry on for a long time until our
prayer is accepted. We should not eat harâm food or drink harâm
beverages or say words that are harâm. It is stated as follows in
[1] The prayer of istighfâr is: “Es-taghfirullah al’adhîm al-ledhî lâ ilâha
illâ Huw-al Hayy-al Qayyûm wa atubu ilaih.” In want of time, the
short form, “Es-taghfirullah,” will do.
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