Man has been advised by the Quran to be steadfast in his prayer, for prayer fends away indecency and evil. (29:45)When the Prophet of Islam was asked about this verse, he said: “If a person’s prayer does not fend away indecency and evil then his prayer is not really prayer at all.”
What is prayer? It is to remember the fact that a human being is living before a God who–though human cannot see Him–can see him. Whoever leaves the mosque with this fact firmly embedded in his or her mind cannot live forgetful of God. In prayer, one testifies to the fact that God is the greatest of all beings. If one is truthful in one’s testimony, then one will not claim greatness for oneself when one has finished praying. Whatever one recites in prayer is a covenant before God that one will keep his commandments; then how is it possible that one should leave the mosque and treat people with arrogance and contumacy? The actions of prayer are a manifestation of the fact that one’s heart is full of fear and love for God. How can one claim to be full of fear and love for God in the mosque, and then live as if one knows neither fear nor love for His creatures when one goes outside?
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is an Islamic spiritual scholar who has authored over 200 books on Islam, spirituality, and peaceful coexistence in a multi-ethnic society.
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