HUMILITY AND SINCERITY IN PRAYER
Sure Path to Positive Thinking
The Quran says:
Successful indeed are the believers;
those who are humble in their prayer […]
THE QURAN 23: 1-2
HUMILITY and utmost sincerity in one’s Salat or worship comes when you recall God, who will one day take account of your every thought, word and deed, and who will reward or punish you, as the case may be, for all of these. In this regard, the Quran talks about the humble;
Who know for certain that they will meet their Lord,
and that they will return to Him.
THE QURAN 2: 46
From this we learn that humility and sincerity are the condition engendered in one’s heart from the overwhelming consciousness of one‘s meeting with God. Humility and utter sincerity in prayer is to make oneself so awakened at the conscious level that when one utters the words that are part of the prayer, their meaning and significance activate one’s mind.
Humility and sincerity are the condition engendered in one’s heart from the overwhelming consciousness of one‘s meeting with God.
Various parts of one’s body perform the external actions that form part of the prayer and one’s mind is full of fear of having to stand in front of God. This condition becomes so overwhelming that one’s body begins to quake with fear. Acquiring this condition requires great effort. That is why patience has been included along with prayer (THE QURAN 2: 45).
A Persian poet says:
At night, when I stand up with the intention of offering prayers, I keep thinking, ‘What will my child eat tomorrow morning?’
In metaphorical language, what the poet is telling us is that for offering prayers with humility and utter sincerity, the mind should not be engrossed in some other thought. Instead, it should focus entirely on one’s meeting with the Lord.
Offering prayer with humility and utter sincerity is possible only for the person who before prayer has developed positive thinking.
Experience shows that the most powerful thing that can shift one’s focus away from something is negative thinking. In collective life, one repeatedly faces negative experiences. In this regard, one should abide by patience or sabr and completely save oneself from negative feelings. Offering prayer with humility and utter sincerity is possible only for the person who before prayer has developed positive thinking. And this is possible only when one develops a mindset infused with patience, so that despite the negative experiences one may encounter, one remains firmly established in positive thinking.
Make Amends
There are different
kinds of bad deeds.
But no matter what kind of
bad deed you have committed,
after each one you should feel repentant
and try to erase the effects of your
bad deed by doing a good deed.
The fact is that every bad deed you commit
can pollute your soul. Cleanse it by your tears,
or by some other kind of penitent behaviour