A Quranic Analysis of Prayer, part 3
A Quranic Analysis of Prayer, part 3
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
40:60 Your Lord says: “Pray to Me and I will answer your (prayer.)
Let us investigate the concept of prayer in the light of the above verse.
Some of us may have an expectation for something extraordinary to happen when one prays. For example, when I pray, I am praying to an Omnipotent One, and He should accept my prayer because I realize that He is my Lord and He can do it. However, there are some fundamental misunderstandings about the concept of prayers in mainstream culture.
To address those misunderstandings, we need to understand the nature of this creation, which seems to be fixed. Is it really fixed? What is extraordinary? When I know what the exact essential nature of this creation is, only then I can understand my communication with my Creator. To communicate with my Creator, I first need to understand my position in this universe, where am I located in this universe, where the changes are happening?
“We see only “Orderly Creation. In two dimensions: 1. Space wise. The universe exists now within a perfect order. 2. But it is not static, its content is continuously being changed. This change is taking place within, again, a perfect order. That is why we see that as if the universe is always the same because there is no change in its continuous perfectly changing. Every time the universe is being dynamic.”
We see in this ever dynamic universe with all of its contents two different orders taking place at the same time:
- In Space
2. In Time.
These are two types of order interacting with each other. Human mind may not be able to comprehend it if not deeply reflected on them. For example, if I am making a laptop, I will arrange the parts that form a laptop in a specific order. I can assemble the laptop in a well perfect order, and it will be working within an order. While I am following the order, can I keep the order of the laptop without letting the current stage of the laptop change? Impossible! Let us take another example, when you cut onions and fry them, after some time, the space of the onion shrinks, which is a change of the onions in space that happens in time. I cannot keep these two dimensional orders at the same time. Similarly, I can see that my body and feelings at this moment are perfectly arranged in an order. But I also see that I am being changed at every moment. Do we not notice that while I am changing in time this change is also taking place within a perfect order. These two changes in creation are being created so smoothly that we even do not notice that my orderly existence is changing. We feel as if we are not being changed.
We only observe the orderly creation. This orderly creation that we observe is taking place in a space and time dimension i.e. perfect order. We observe that the universe exists in a perfect order, just look at the relationship between the moon, the sky, the stars, and the particles, just to name a few items. Even the human body is put in a perfect order. What is arranging this order which is not static? If the orderly creation was static, then we will stay forever young. The elements and contents of this orderly creation are continuously being changed; nothing is static. The change keeps taking place within a perfect order. It is smoothly running, and we do not see any lags in creation. For example, when we sit on the plane, which is moving, we feel static. How about the Earth? Isn’t it revolving?! Did it occur to you today to think that we are on a moving Earth? Did you even think that you are perfectly changing when you are sitting on the moving train, while the Earth is rotating? Similarly, while doing anything, we are constantly in motion and changing. The change is so smooth that we do not think that we are changing. We are traveling in existence! Creation is taking place so perfectly and orderly, we do not think that we are changing. When we get a larger time gap, especially looking at old pictures, then we can see the obvious change. The universe seems to be static; however, it is dynamic and orderly changing.
The universe is always dynamic. The birds are getting old, I am getting old, the universe in its entirety is changing, the atmosphere is changing, the galaxies are changing, the atoms are changing. Everything is in motion, and they are excited to declare, as the Quran describes that everything is glorifying its Maker’s name and declaring that an Absolute Being is creating me and no one else.
Comment: Existence is happening in space time.
Space time means that space is in order and time is in order and their intertwining is in order. Anytime that we hold onto something, it is not the same anymore, because of the continuous creation, which we call time, has already changed.
Let us examine a scenario about spacetime. During the 1940s, the British colonizers were looking for the Sheikh (Religious Leader) because if the leaders are under control, then the herds are just followers. One of the soldiers was asking people about who the Sheikh was, as they did not know who he was. Just like the crucifiers were looking for Christ and got the wrong person. The Sheikh happened to be there and replied to the soldier: “I saw him around here a minute ago”. He was not lying as he had changed from a moment ago and was cleverly expressing the truth. In time, everything changes and he has changed.
“Everything is created in an orderly manner in the past, now, and in the future. Why should we not expect any change in the order when we pray?”
Usually, when I pray, I would expect something to change in the creation according to my expectations, which could be out of the orderly creation. For example, I am outside without an umbrella, it is raining, and I pray “O God please stop the rain?” Will the rain stop for me? No.
Because we see that in the universe nothing is exactly the same now and in the future although orderly creation never changes. For example, none of the snowflakes have the same shape.”
Every moment is changing perfectly within an order. Let us investigate a flowing river, which is also changing at every moment. The flowing river is not the same. The universe is continuously changing within an order. Scientists are also aware of this fact, but they do not mention that the order cannot happen by itself. There is no evidence that the orderly creation is happening by physical matter. Rather, they say that life came out of some sort of chemical reactions which we do not know. It is strange to be looking into how to explain the origin of life within things of this universe. One can keep investigating for a billion of years to try to explain the origin of life within things of this universe, but it will never happen. Scientists keep people in suspense that one day they will discover how life originated. Similarly, if you keep praying for rain to stop, will rain ever stop because of your prayer? Impossible! The rain is coming into existence as a result of a particular order, the order does not change, and we cannot expect any change according to our desire. The One who keeps the order perfectly working arranges as He wills. He says don’t look for the origin of life within the universe and this message is valid from the beginning of time to the destruction of the universe.
Materialists minded Scientists have been keeping people in suspense for the past few centuries, making up false excuses, looking for the source of life within the matter and the universe. If we think about it, matter and all chemical interactions are taking place within a perfect order and under certain principles, which is established by the Creator of the universe, and this order never changes according to our desire. The essence of life and the essense of matter are completely contradictory to each other. How can matter be the source of life, senses, intelligence etc. since it does not have any of these qualities at all?
Comment: The order can be seen in two aspects, because it is the will of the Creator. However, from our perspective, we see it in two dimensions, typically a space dimension and time, perfectly continuously changing order.
“This shows that every moment the content is continuously being changed. This demonstrates that the Source of Existence must be infinite, i.e. Absolute Being, who is called God.”
Not only every particle is changing, but also the molecules are changing. The cells of the living bodies are changing, the organs are changing. For example, when we are young, we seldom get breathless, but when we get old, we do not have the same momentum as our heart and lungs are changing. Our bodies are getting old, we are changing at every moment of existence. In Islamic tradition, this progression from particles to atoms to molecules, then organs, and finally bodies is referred to as ‘zarrat wa murakkabat’ (particles and their combinations). All of these combinations are separately declaring the qualities of their Creator, which is called glorification. In other words, our organs are declaring, “only an Absolute Being can bring about the change taking place”. When I say that I believe in God, I believe in the One who is bringing about the change that I observe, and I am calling it God, I am not imagining it. The One who is doing the change is my Creator, I believe in Him, and I believe that there must be an Absolute Being, the only One that I can pray to, invoke my needs towards, express myself to Him, because the rest of creation is subject to His will, and they have no choice.
We see that human beings have choices, but everything is under the control of an Absolute Being. There is a relationship between His way of creating and my will of choosing.
“When we pray, we pray to God as if we are asking Him to change the order, but we see no change in creation neither now nor in the future. We do not know if our prayer is accepted, but it is answered. We do not need to see the change in the order to see the answer. God creates the next moment according to our choices and prayers”.
When I pray, I am asking for a change according to my choice and expectations, and if I see no change in the order, then I think that God did not change the content of creation. The content is changing according to the will of the Creator. Your choice to choose is free, you can choose anything by obeying the order, but the result is created by God.
We should be aware that we must not be in a bargaining situation when we pray. Rather, we must be aware that: “It seems to be the best option, please give me the best option. I think that this seems to be the best option for me, according to my experience. Please give me the best according to your infinite and absolute knowledge”. Unfortunately, we get disappointed when our expectations are not met, because we do not trust His infinite (encompasses the past and the future) knowledge. When I pray, I must know that I am asking an Absolute Knowledgeable One who knows my choice. Feel comfortable in your trust in being aware that He knows what is best for you. Prayer means filling in an order form and presenting it in a way that you trust His Absolute Knowledge. Rather than “please give me this job, say “please give me the best job that you know”. Perhaps we may ask God to give this particular job, for example, but it may not be the best option for us. We do not know what tomorrow brings, perhaps we may be given death. That is why we must know that the prayers are always answered, but we must trust in His knowledge, not our knowledge while we are praying to Him. We may think that what I want is the only option, that is our mistake. We must be realistic: “This seems to be the best option, but I have to acknowledge my status. I do not know everything in the universe, and I have no idea what will happen one minute later.
We must follow the order of the creation of the universe, which is the choice of God. When I am choosing among the options in the order, I am just obeying the choice of the Creator. I am filling in the order form according to the will of the Creator. We can never get out of the order of creation, established by God, which scientists refer to as “nature”. Alas, those who attribute following the order to “nature” will see their mistakes in the hereafter.
The Quran mentions that we are all “ebadu Allah” or worshippers of Allah, whether we believe in God or not.
“If you say: We frequently offer supplications, but they are not accepted. But the verse in general, it states that every supplication is answered.
The Answer: To answer is one thing, to accept is something quite different. Every supplication is answered, but it’s being accepted and exactly what was sought being given is dependent on Almighty God’s wisdom. For example, if a sick child calls the doctor, saying: “Doctor! and he replies: “Here I am, what do you want? and the child says: “Give me that medicine!”, the doctor will either give him exactly what he asks for or something better and more beneficial for him. Or knowing that medicine is harmful for his illness, he will give him nothing. This is the answer from the doctor. So, the prayer of the child is answered but the child thinks that it is not accepted if the doctor knows that this particular medicine is harmful to him.”
The universe is continuously moving, and we are comfortably sleeping here. We trust His wisdom, that He does everything for a reason His intention is not to harm me. Would an engineer make a laptop so that it becomes a harmful device to itself? Everything created has a purpose to it.
We see that everything is created as a result of Mercy of its Creator and within wisdom, otherwise we cannot explain why there is existence. Nothing is purposeless in its existence.
We must be aware that while I am praying to God verbally, His knowledge must be Absolute and He arranges creation in a merciful way, He has his own wisdom, which is Absolute, and I cannot comprehend it. He is communicating with me through my spiritual and material needs, which are based on mercy. He has given me the capacity to communicate with Him perfectly. He has given me the freedom to choose.
We are free to choose in practicing what we want to do. This freedom is confined within obeying the order of the universe and this freedom is given guidance through revelation which says that if you follow this way of life, you will be happier. That is an option for us to choose and get the result accordingly. Just as a student is free to attend classes or not, similarly, the new creation that we experience is a new class for us and we are free to attend it or not. Every time that we miss the class, we lose, and we waste our time. The consequences of our choices will be seen on graduation day, i.e death in this world.
This perfectly arranged universe is something that we do not think about as it deserves to be thought of. How many movements are happening in the galaxies? The sun, moon and the solar system are always in movement at the same time, and we are comfortably doing our tasks without any disturbances, so how can we say that the Creator of this universe is not a Merciful and Wise Creator?!
We must learn to place our trust in the Creator. It does not mean that I am not going to physically obey His act of creation which is nothing but His Will , which is called action wise prayer, and communicate with the spirit that He has given to me. I know that He is the One who is creating me right now and has given me the sense to communicate with Him verbally as well. Also, through the revelation sent by the Prophet, which keeps reminding us to pray to Him, I know that I can only ask the Creator for what I need.
Finally, we must stop being ignorant about our status in this universe. God’s creation is taking place under His will, which materialists are naming “chance”, “nature”, or “luck”.
Conclusion of this discussion may be summarized as: I must make sure that I am aware that my prayer is always heard and answered.
Tags: Quranic Analysis of Prayers Series
