“‘Abdullah ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, used to prostrate in prayer until the birds would settle on his back thinking he was a wall.”
“When Ibn Az-Zubayr was performing the prayer, it was as if he was a branch shaken by the wind and catapult shots would be falling here and there and he would be heedless of them.”
Maymoon ibn Mihran may Allah have mercy upon him said, “I never saw Muslim ibn Yasar turning his head while praying. Once, a part of the Masjid collapsed and the noise terrified the people who were as far away as the market, and Muslim ibn Yasar, may Allah be pleased with him, was inside the Masjid praying and he never even moved his head.”
Maymoon ibn Mihran may Allah have mercy upon him also said, “When Muslim ibn Yasar, may Allah be pleased with him, entered the house, those who were there would become silent, and when he stood up for prayer, they would start talking and laughing.”
The readers of the above incidents should be either one of the two categories.
First: A young person who reads them for the first time and therefore he will be surprised and ask himself: how did such people attain this degree of humble submission?
Second: A young person who knows these situations and read them before and therefore he will say to himself: whenever I read these situations, I try to be humbly submissive in prayer and I do so for several days and then return to my previous state.
Whatever the case may be, you are kindly invited to answer this important question:
Do you imagine the degree of humble submission that our righteous predecessors reached?
A person on whose back birds would alight when he was in prostration and he would not feel their presence was not, at that moment, in this worldly life. Rather, he was absorbed in his prayer to the marrow. You can imagine that there are people whom birds wake up from their sleep, not merely distract them from prayer.
A person near whom a side of the Masjid collapses while he does not even make a simple turn to know what happened -- certainly his mind and heart were out of the Masjid. They were there, with Allah The Almighty.
When we talk about those who are humbly submissive in prayer, we do not mention these situations in order to get frustrated and disappointed when we compare them to our current state in prayer. Rather, we mention them in order to clarify that the prayer is not just an act of worship that when a person performs he will enter Paradise and when he leaves he will be punished by Allah The Almighty; rather, it is something greater than this.
Once, in a discussion about ‘submission in prayer’ one of a participant said: “If the callers to Allah managed to perform the prayer correctly, the Ummah's state would immediately change.”
Prayer is a special world filled with pleasure. If a person is able to live in this world, then he has got the most pleasant thing in this world – which is, talking privately to Allah The Almighty.
Therefore, it is necessary that our view of the prayer should change. It is not just a set of movements that we perform or not a worthless interaction; rather, it is an esteemed form of worship which revives the heart, purifies the body, refines the mind and blesses one’s life.
The important question now is: How can I be humbly submissive in prayer and enter into this delightful world that we have just talked about?
Yes, you can reach on that devoted state of submissive in your prayers by following the guidelines described below.
First: As a youth, you are required to avoid acts of disobedience as much as possible, particularly those which are related to sexual desire including giving free reign to your eyesight, masturbation, and so on. Many youths complain that they are unable to be humbly submissive in prayer because Satan comes to them at the beginning of prayer and starts to recall sexual images and scenes from their memories. Thereupon, the young man tries to ward this off but he fails and ends the prayer while he is more grieved than before. The only means to avoid this is to keep away one's memory from these things in principle. If your memory is indeed full of these things, you have to start deleting them and then refill it, but this time with the Quran.
Second: You must exalt the prayer and know that you will not worship Allah The Almighty with something more beloved to Him than the prayer. As the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) indicated, you should know that Allah The Almighty only accepts the prayers when the servant is attentive and humbly submissive. This should be your first and main concern when you start the prayer.
Third: You should supplicate Allah The Almighty to grant you humbleness in prayer and accept it even though you do not perform it perfectly. This is one of the most important reasons because 'supplication is the believer's weapon', as the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) told us.
Fourth: You should learn the correct manner of prayer including all the positions of prostration, bowing and standing, as the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) performed it. You should try to imitate him as much as possible in your prayer.
Fifth: Read what the scholars wrote about the secrets of prayer and the rationale behind each of its pillars; or listen to what the callers to Allah The Almighty say about this matter.
Sixth: Try as much as possible to perform a voluntary prayer before performing the obligatory one in order to get yourself ready for it.
Seventh: You should be keen to perform the prayer in congregation at the Masjid. Try as much as possible to attend the Takbeerat Al-Ihram (saying Allahu Akbar while one is standing at the beginning of the prayer) along with the Imam. When Allah The Almighty sees how keen you are to perfectly perform the prayer, He will grant you humble submission in prayer.
Finally: Do not feel despair despite making numerous attempts, because, believe me, it is worth it.
'Abdullah would rise before Fajr (dawn) each morning and rush to the Mosque to offer the prayer. He would return to the Mosque for Maghrib (sunset) and 'Ishaa' (evening) prayers as well. He read the Quran daily. He studied other Islamic books in his spare time. He spent much of his free time with his family and took his role as the spiritual leader in his home quite seriously
Five years later, he found that he would go days, sometimes a whole week without performing a single prayer. He no longer attends congregational prayer at the Mosque—he didn't have time with his new job. This new job involved his working closely in nightclub establishments with people of questionable backgrounds. This resulted in his becoming very secretive about many of his work activities; he didn't even talk to his wife about them because he knew she would disapprove. Work kept him busy all night and throughout the entire weekend. Many of his new friends also worked with him and he began to spend a great deal of his free time with them. Because of this, he spent less time with his family. He had to sleep during the day in order to be able to work each night.
His wife noticed a great change in his demeanor. They had several discussions about his work and how it was affecting him and his relationship with Allah Almighty. He agreed, and would begin the process of searching for new work, but inevitably, chose to stay in his current job. He soon found himself feeling very distanced from his wife and children. Even though the money was abundant when he first began, it was now barely paying the bills.
He felt his marriage crumbling beneath the years of neglect. He found himself succumbing to depression over his circumstances, unmotivated to initiate the things he knew he would have to do in order for his life to change.
It is interesting to note that 'Abdullah's life seemed much more peaceful and balanced when he engaged in his regular religious duties, and began to suffer significantly when he abandoned them.
Could this simply be a coincidence? Imam Muhammad Baianouni the scholar from North Carolina in USA accurately sums up situations like this stating: "The regulation of a man's conduct within one system of life is one of the most important reasons of success and stability. The absence of this regulation is one of the greatest crises a man suffers from in his life. This happens when man is left without guidance from Allah, The Most High, or without proper upbringing based on the Divine Guidance. Under these circumstances, man's life becomes miserable on this earth and he will be amongst the losers in the Hereafter".
A religion of discipline
It is only from the infinite wisdom and mercy of Allah that we have been given a system of belief that instructs and assists in guiding our actions and behavior. By participating in the daily obligations of our faith outlined in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) we are more likely to enjoy Allah's bounty in this life, and reap the rewards in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty ordered all believers to be disciplined in their worship, and not to disobey Him. In the Quran, Allah Says (what means) "So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do." [Quran 11: 112]
The intensity of our faith changes throughout our lives. There are times when we are of strong faith, and times when we struggle. Many brothers and sisters who proudly claim Islam as their religion unintentionally find themselves "slipping" in their religious duties. Seemingly overnight their lives go from pleasurable and carefree to darkness and confusion. You may begin to acknowledge that you have landed in such a state because of the choices you made, but you are lost as to how to go about changing things.
Being steadfast in our duties to Allah Almighty is what keeps you from languishing during your darker moments. Remember that your ultimate return is to Him Almighty, so you must develop discipline and a consistency in your daily routine to keep your faith from sinking.
Developing discipline
Recognizing your shortcomings is the first step towards becoming more disciplined. Allah Almighty Says (what means): "…Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves..." [Quran 13: 11] When you decide to change for the sake of Allah Almighty, Allah will help you change. Each one is responsible for oneself and will be questioned accordingly on the Day of Judgment, with no one to intercede on your behalf. You must make the choice to live your life according to Allah's Will on your own. You will not benefit from being told about what you need to do and how you need to change in order to have a more fulfilling life. You must take an interest in making those changes for yourself. Only then can you reap the rewards. Think about the wives of the Prophets Noah and Lut, may Allah exalt their mention. Each Prophet may Allah exalt his mention tried unsuccessfully to offer the best guidance to his wife, but because there was no real interest on their part, it was said to each of women (what means): "…Enter the Fire with those who enter!"[Quran 66: 10]
I have a good friend who was going through a very rough time. Her faith was at an all time low. During several of our conversations, she lamented that Allah Almighty was punishing her for not being a "good Muslim." I asked her: "Why must Allah be punishing you? Allah puts us through many tests and trials in this life to give us the chance to know Him better." We debated back and forth about this for some time. She was really stuck in the debts of despair, and found my comments annoyingly optimistic. I reminded her that Allah Almighty is also Merciful and that this trial for her could be the wake up call she needed to have an opportunity to renew and redeem her faith and become closer to Him Almighty. Perhaps Allah had to put her through such difficulty to get her attention and give her a chance to make changes.
There are many things you can do to establish discipline in your daily life. Such consistency not only balances our faith, but all other aspects of our lives as well:
Evaluate yourself regularly to make certain you are doing all that you can spiritually.
Perform your daily prayers punctually each day.
Read the Quran regularly, with an effort to truly understand what you are reading.
Seek knowledge regularly, religious and other, through books, CDs/tapes, classes and lectures.
Keep company with righteous people.
Have confidence in your faith and, more importantly, in Allah Almighty.
Regularly spend some time alone in contemplation and worship.
Islam is a complete way of life. As believers, we should desire the discipline that allows us to regulate our lives and keep chaos away. In choosing this way of life, peace and contentment are your right. Discipline comes as a result of performing certain duties consistently. Ask Allah to help you to establish discipline in your religious commitment and to be able to submit to all that pleases Him Almighty.
