« ibn sina's quest for the truth | Main | true prayer »
April 1, 2008
the real nature of prayer
It is prayer which causes the human, rational soul to resemble the heavenly bodies, eternally worshiping Absolute Truth, and seeking the imperishable reward. The prophet of God declared, “Prayer is the foundation-stone of religion;” and religion is the purifying of the human soul of all devilish impurities and carnal suggestions, turned away from mean worldly interests. Prayer is the worship of the First Cause, the One Supreme and Mightiest Worshipful; adoration is to know Him Whose Being is Necessary. It needs not that we should interpret the text, ‘And jinns and men were not created save to worship me’ (Koran li. 56) as meaning, “to know Me.” For worship is knowledge, and to be aware of the existence of One Whose Being is Necessary and Absolute, being seized of His Being with a pure heart, a spirit undefiled, and a soul wholly devoted to Him. The real nature of prayer is therefore to know Almighty God in His Uniqueness, as a Being wholly Necessary, Whose Essence is infinitely exalted and Whose Qualities are infinitely holy, with habits of sincerely in prayer; by which sincerity I mean, that one should know the Qualities of God in such a manner that there remains no opening to a multiplicity of gods, no intends to join others to His worship.
Ibn Sina - On Prayer
Posted by amin at April 1, 2008 11:30 PM