Dr Adekunle Mikail

”Say: My Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer; but you have indeed rejected the truth (about it), so that which is necessary ( punishment) shall come” _ The Glorious Qur’an 25 Vs 77

Prayer is a form of worship. This is the affirmation of prophet Muhammad salawatu-llah alehi about it! Remember, we discussed here, a little bit last week about the encyclopedic statements in forms of prayers and wisdom which the oft-knowledgeable God bestowed on His messenger, Muhammad salla-llahu alehi wasalam?

Parts of these encyclopedic statements in forms of wisdom were mentioned here too in the closed week! Today, the second part of the coded encyclopedic statements bestowed on our noble prophet will be deliberated upon and this is Prayer!

In the beginning, all Allah’s real prophet’s are given answered prayers, I.e, Allah in His infinite wisdom , Has made it compulsory on His own blessed soul to answer His apostles’ prayers, no matter how big or little! Even, the negative forms of prayers ; curse, if they railed it on who deserved it, would not go without hitting the target!

This is true of prophet Muhammad ‘s prayers too! In terms of his good prayers, what ‘Abdullah Ibn Abass and Annas Ibn Malik had become in terms of knowledge, rank and character are products of the prophet’s prayers!

‘Abdullah Ibn Abass was a cousin of the prophet. He was the son of Abass Ibn Abdulmutallib. Abdullah ibn Abass was known for his knowledge of traditions and his critical interpenetration of the Qur’an. From early time, he would gather information from other companions of Muhammad,give classes and write commentaries .

Ibn Abass was born in 3 BH (619- 620) and his mother Lubaba Ummu Fadli, the friend of Khadijah who had embraced Islam same time with her friend and by that who was the second woman in Islamic history to do so, took him to Muhammad before he had begun to suckle and that was the beginning of the close relationship between them.

As he grew up, he was by Muhammad’s side doing different services like fetching water for ablution . He would pray with him and follow him on his assemblies , journeys and expeditions. It is said that Muhammad would often drew him close; pat him on the shoulder and pray, ” O God ! Stabilize his heart and teach him the knowledge of the Book (the Qur’an)!

Muhammad salawatu-llah alehi, had supplicated for him to attain discernment in religion. Ibn Abass kept following Muhammad, memorising and learning his tradition. After the death of the prophet, he continued learning from the older companions until he became a scholar of Qur’an and tradition himself.

In addition to his own scholarship , Ibn Abass was a teacher, his house became the equivalent of a university , where he taught. One of his companions described a typical scene in front of his house as follows:
” I saw people converging on the roads leading to his house until there was hardly any space in front of his house. I went in and told him about the crowds of people at his door and he said : ‘get me water for ablution ‘ . He performed ablution and seating himself said: ‘ go out and say to them: whoever want to ask about the Qur’an and its letters (pronunciation), let him enter.’
This I did and the people entered until the house was filled . Whatever he was asked , Abdullah was able to elucidate and even provide additional information to what was asked. Then to his students, he said : make way for your brothers ‘ . Then to me he said ; ,’go out and say : who wants to ask about the Qur’an and its interpretation ,enter .
Again, the house was filled and Abdullah elucidated and provided more information than what was requested”

In the case of Annas Ibn Malik, he had joined the family of the prophet salla-llahu alehi wasalam through the permission of his mother , Ummu Sulaiym in the year of the Hijrah in 622 and was with the prophet till 632 C.E , after his death!

For all the ten years that Annas spent with the prophet, he was a good, attentive and dutiful boy to the prophet and this made the prophet to pray for him as such:” Oh Allah increase his wealth, children and years !

It was said that, all the aforementioned prayers came into fruition as the prophet had wanted them. Annas was to become a wealthy companion, have a large numbers of children, grandchildren and great grand children and died at the age of 103!

At his death, he was said to have more than hundred children aggregated from his children, grand children and great grand children altogether! Not only that, he was of the seven narrators of the prophet’s hadith known as al-mukthirin ( the increasers), for having translated extraordinary numbers of ahadith from the prophet salla-llahu alehi wasalam.

Letter to my Son and Daughter

Prophet Muhammad salla-llahu alehi wasalam, despite the fact that Allah Has pardoned him of his faults, still prayed ! He prayed and stood in front of his Lord for long until his feet became distended, puffed up and swollen! When his beloved wife, ‘Aishah queried him the reason he would want to kill himself despite the fact that his faults and misdeeds were already pardoned and cancelled, he said :” if Allah Had pardoned my misdeeds and cancelled my faults , do you not want me to be a shower of gratitude on Allah’s grace?!

Among the prophet’s many reported prayer formulas two will suffice you here and through them you will know that you too can pray to God until you are given everything!

In the first place, the prophet used to pray every morning after his early morning Subh prayer as such:
”Allahuma Inni-Ahuthubika min-jahdi -l- Balai, Wadriki -Shaqa’i, Wa-Suhu-l-Qada’i, Wa-Shamatati-l-a’adaai!”

Meaning:
”Oh Lord, I seek refuge in you from every form of difficulties, attainment of misfortune, bad fate and the gloating of one’s misfortune by one’s enemy!”

Imagine , o you who have faith in prayer; if perchance, one keeps praying in this manner and seeks refuge in God from the above for things that buy and inherit griefs upon griefs for man and eventually , God answers one’s prayer and one is free from the four schadenfreude for life!

Imagine, when one is safeguarded from every difficulties one can think of here in life and that of the hereafter. Reflect on the benefits inherent in being saved from attaining misfortune! Allahu Akbar, misfortune is attained as success is attained here in this our life! People , consciously or unconsciously, move towards the misfortune that will disrupt their life like they knowingly or unknowingly move to the success they will attain!

Bad fate including bad destiny is a feature of this life! Some, no matter their efforts in the attainment of their goals, will surely be constrained from attaining them except they pray fervently to the moulder of fate, Allah, to safeguard them from it!

And if bad fate befalls a man, his associates, friends and enemies will definitely gloat over it. While the enemies will do it to his face, the friends, in their sympathies, will do it, indeliberately at his back!

The Meanings Of Sustenance

This is the reason we need to copy the manner of prayer of the prophet above, so that what our minds are dreading will not become our lots!

The second manner of prayer of the prophet goes thus:
” Allahuma Inni- As-haluka min-fadlika wa-Rahmatika, fa-innahu la-yamlukaha illa-Anta”

Meaning:
” O Lord, I beseech from you a portion from your grace and blessing, for nobody is capable of granting it except you”

The grace and blessing of Allah are superabundance! Their varieties, forms and numbers cannot be quantified no matter the ability of man to do anything! From this manner of the prophet’s prayer, I demand you to pray my esteemed readers, until you are given everything!

Do not be like a people who do not pray and who see prayer as an objectionable act that is ineffective against all life’s eventuality and for all life’s goodness! Instead, they take their intellects as gods other than God to supplicate to!

Pray friends, until you are given everything you ever want in this life and in the hereafter, and know that as God was ever ready to answer the prayers of the righteous yesterday, He will do today! Reflect on the words of a poet who has documented what a sincere prayer can do :
” Through the prayer of those who prayed they had attained high hierarchy/ with God above others different from them (I.e those who do not pray”!

Satan is ever busy with mankind!

When you are through with that, still deliberate on the inimitable words of Allah , Qur’an 25 Vs 77 as follows :
” Say ( o Muhammad) : My Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer; but you have indeed rejected the truth (about it), so that which is necessary ( punishment) shall come”