THE NINTH WORD

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِIn the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

فَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ حٖينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحٖينَ تُصْبِحُونَ ۞ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِى السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْاَرْضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحٖينَ تُظْهِرُونَSo glorify Allah in the evening and in the morning. To Him belongs all praise in the heavens and the earth, as well as in the afternoon and at noon.” — The Quran 30:17-18

O brother! You ask me about the wisdom behind the designation of the five prayer times. We shall indicate only one of the many instances of wisdom contained therein.

Indeed, each prayer time marks the beginning of a significant transformation. It serves as a mirror to the acts of Allah and reflects His universal favours. For this reason, we have been commanded to perform the prayers at these appointed times. Prayer consists of glorifying Qadīr-i Dhul-JalālAllah, Who has power over all things and Whose greatness and majesty are boundless. at those moments, declaring Him free of all defects, and expressing gratitude for all the blessings bestowed between one prayer time and the next.

If you wish to gain some understanding of the subtle and profound meaning behind this, then listen together with me to the following Five Points.

The First Point

The meaning of prayer is to offer glorification (tasbīhThe glorification of Allah by declaring Him free from all imperfections.), exaltation (takbīrThe declaration that Allah, in His essence, attributes, and actions, is greater and more exalted than everything else.) and praise (hamdPraise and gratitude directed to Allah.) to Almighty Allah. That is to say, before His majesty and glory, one declares SubhānAllāhAn expression meaning “Allah is far above all imperfections.” through word and deed, thereby affirming His transcendence and holiness. Before His perfection, one proclaims Allāhu AkbarAllah is the Greatest. through word and deed, thereby exalting and magnifying Him. And before His beauty, one says AlhamdulillāhAll praise belongs to Allah. with heart, tongue, and body, thereby offering thanks to Him.

Thus, tasbīhThe glorification of Allah by declaring Him free from all imperfections., takbīrThe declaration that Allah, in His essence, attributes, and actions, is greater and more exalted than everything else. and hamdPraise and gratitude directed to Allah. are like the seeds of prayer. This is why these three expressions are found throughout the prayer, in both its recitations and its movements. It is also why these blessed words are each repeated thirty-three times after the prayer, in order to reinforce and reaffirm its meaning. Through these concise summaries, the meaning of prayer is strengthened and confirmed.

The Second Point

Worship means that the servant, in the presence of Allah, becomes aware of his own deficiencies, helplessness, and neediness, and then, in wonder and love, makes sajdahThe act of prostration in worship, in which a person places their forehead on the ground in submission to Allah. before His perfect rubūbiyyaAllah’s lordship over all creation and His provision for all their needs., His absolute power, and His Divine mercy.

That is, just as the sovereignty of Allah requires servitude and obedience from His servants, so too does His purity require that a servant recognize his own deficiencies and imperfections and seek forgiveness; that he acknowledge that his Lord is free from every kind of imperfection, pure and exalted above the false notions of those who have gone astray, and far removed from the deficiencies found throughout creation. It also requires that he proclaim all of this through the declaration SubhānAllāhAn expression meaning “Allah is far above all imperfections.”.