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We have been referred to as “humans”...
Indeed, what kind of a being is
referred to as “human”?
I am not going to get into the
details of this issue now as I have already discussed about it in my books “Know
Yourself” and “The Purification of Consciousness”.[i]
In this article I would like to
share some points with you about the devotion known as “Salaat”
(daily prayer), which was recommended to “humans” particularly, as to what it is
for and why it is obligatory.
As you might have also noticed,
almost perfect robots have been manufactured in recent years. Several movies
about robots such as “The Artificial Intelligence” and “I Robot”
have just been showing recently, in which robots were designed to have human
emotions as a hint.
On such a robot’s brain,
the whole “Koran” text software could easily be installed and also it could be
set up to perform a series of the ritual movements of salaat regularly. Then the
robot could perfectly perform those body movements and beside recite the whole
Koran in a few hours probably better than anyone of us. We can even fine-tune
that robot to shed tears while reciting certain passages in the Koran.
Well, then what is the difference
of man from a robot at all?
Are we really aware of who we
are?
Are we really aware that we
are not robots?
The
difference is that, humans can also ‘think’ of the meaning of what they read,
while fulfilling the same tasks as a robot; and besides, a human can comprehend
and experience the effects of his thoughts as well as keep living on those
thoughts’ special effects during the following time.
That reality is indicated through
the sign that say: Fawaylun lilmusalleena. allatheena hum aan salatihim
sahoona.
“So woe to those performers
that are neglectful of what the Salaat is.” (107:4-5)
What is the reality of salaat
that should be experienced, indeed?
I will try to discuss about it as
to what a simple person like me may at least experience throughout Salaat,
without going so far as to mention the experiences of ‘the elect’ or ‘the elect
of the elect’ in Salaat.
We should first of all remember
that...
Hazrat Mohammed (peace
be upon him) has put an end to the understanding of religion based on a sky
god (heavenly god) and communicated the basics of belief in the one referred to
as Allah, as well as how to witness what is believed and how to believe in the
Rasul that proclaimed all these.
If
we are able to comprehend what Hazrat Mohammed (peace be upon him) has
brought, we may also realize that none of the spiritual practices known as the
‘prayers’ (ibadat) including Salaat, that is performed every day,
have never been suggested to ‘worship or find favor in the eyes of a sky god up
there’, simply because there is no god at all.
It is not either a possibility
for a god to come down on earth in future!
Let us suffice with that about
the subject of Dajjal (Anti-Christ) or Messiah, as he is known by
these names and is expected to come in future along with the aliens
around him. I may write about that in detail later.
Yes. Well, if the prayers are
not done for a god out there that is BEYOND us, then why are they ever
fulfilled?
What does it mean to be in the
presence of Allah?
Where do we find the presence
of Allah?
What are we expected to acquire
through that practice that we are suggested to perform?
All of the people of Sufism who
have come and gone have agreed upon the fact with their levels of perfection
that “the way to turn to and attain the one referred to as ‘Allah’ for a
person is from within his own essence, that is through his own consciousness (nafs)
and his conscience.
“The conscience is the voice
of Truth from within.”
“The ways that go to ‘Allah’
is as many as the number of selves (conscious beings)”.
That statement indicates that the way for us to reach the truth is open from
within ourselves, not from outside, at all.
Both Dua and Salaat
(prayers) are nothing other than one’s “devotion” towards the one
referred to by the noun ‘Allah’.
Dua
is the act of making our desires come true through the actual experience of the
potencies from within our true self by setting them into action, which are
actually in possession of the one we refer to as “Allah”.
As far as the ordinary level
of people are concerned, Salaat is for the comprehension, realization and
the experience of some of the attributes owned by the one we refer to
by the noun “Allah”, and as well as for the
continuity of that experience after Salaat within daily life.
We have already shared some of
our ideas about those of higher spiritual levels in our book entitled as the “BASICS
OF ISLAM” in its “Salaat” section.
When we attend to Salaat,
we start by pronouncing subhanaqa or a similar statement.
Its reason is that we should
remember first the magnificence and limitlessness of the one referred to as ‘Allah’,
and also consider what the world and other values could mean beside it.
It is an absolute necessity to know the meanings of these statements so that
those meanings should be considered and their significance and the seriousness
should be realized.
Afterwards, “audhu”[ii]
is pronounced for the purpose of protecting the person by means of the truth of
“Billahi” from the facts that one is left without because of
accepting oneself as a physical body based on skepticism (wahm).
Then, “besmellah” which is
“B ismi Allah”[iii]
is pronounced. I have already discussed its meaning broadly in my book “ALLAH”,
and you can read it from there in detail. I am not going into details now in
order not to extend this article.
Then it comes to READ the “Fatiha”[iv].
Here the word “hamd”[v]
has in fact been used to mean “evaluation”. The statement that ‘hamd
for Allah’ means that ‘the evaluation belongs to Allah’ —only Allah
evaluates. Because, it only belongs only to the one we refer to as ‘Allah’
to evaluate the creations as due that Allah created. It is impossible for a
created being to make such an evaluation. It is therefore that by reading that
statement at the beginning, the limits and the capacity of a human being is
given emphasis and he is given notice as to observe his limits in life with
respect to the system that Allah created.
I would like to dwell on the
meanings of “Rahman” and “Rahim”, as different from
what has been told so far or we have told up to date.
“Rahman” is a
proper noun and cannot be translated!” (See ‘The Interpretation of the Koran
by Hamdi Yazir of Elmali’, volume 1, page 32.)
“Although ‘Rahman’ has
been taken to mean as the ‘Compassionate’, it cannot be translated that way.
The compassion or the mercy of Allah Taala is not a feeling of kindness
as a hearty emotion or a selfish inclination. As explained in the chapter of
Fatiha, it means the WILLINGNESS OF GOODNESS (irada-i khayr) and
INFINITE BLESSING (anam). (The same book, volume 1, page 33.)
“The existence is the basis of
all goodness and blessings. Creating us with our physical and spiritual beings
upon such a willpower of goodness, through bringing us into existence from
nonexistence, Rahman is at the same time the owner of highest compassion
(rahmati jalila) that manifest and produce the gifts of our lives and
survival. Because there cannot be any creation outside of the reach of that
rahmat, it is called as the rahmat with highest of blessings (jalaili
niam). (The same book, vol. 1, page 77.)
Now from there it becomes clear
that far beyond the common idea of human judgments that it is ‘compassionate and
merciful’, Rahman is, in the universal sense, the
one that makes to exist, that brings the existence into
being out of nothing as he desired!.
Rahim,
however, denotes the one that creates the mechanism to form the system of
such an existence.
The word ‘Rahim’
is of Arabic origin. Mother’s ‘womb’ is also called as ‘rahim’. The same
way as a mother’s womb can develop the baby upon its own characteristics
beginning from the level of a cell up to a mature level to live in the world,
Rahim also develops a unit through the characteristics that the Names
of the one referred to as Allah denote and manifest, which were desired and
brought into existence by Rahman beforehand.
Therefore, any individual or any
being is a unit that was created by Rahman and Rahim.
In other words, every individual has come into existence as a combination and
a composition of the Names of the one denoted by the noun ‘Allah’ in the way as
the names ‘Rahman’ and ‘Rahim’ signify.
This is so considering the
universal sense of these Names and we should avoid from confusing them with our
understandings based on worldly human judgments.
Besides, I leave it to you to
decide how an acceptance of god bearing with a human sense of compassion
somewhere up there fits with reality, if we simply consider the fact that each
and every minute all live beings slaughter or eat another alive.
It is
clearly apparent now how necessary it is to update the realities of ‘Allah’,
‘Religion’ and ‘Sunnatallah’[vi]
that were explained by Hazrat
Mohammed, in the way as our present understanding and level of comprehension can
allow.
Well,
let us continue our topic without leaving the substance of our issue further...
What does human, who were created
as an effect of characteristics denoted by the nouns of Rahman and
Rahim, need to remember and experience five times by means of
salaat fulfilled at least five times a day with certain time intervals?
We should remember that human,
who was made to exist with the characteristics that the Names of the one
referred to as ‘Allah’ tell us about, is a “being of consciousness” who will
live forever with powers in his origin as a result and effect of his very truth,
rather than being a physical body that will rotten away and turn to soil after
death. And his after death body is called as “spirit” (ruh).
It is the effect of having the
quality of “Rahim”
that a human being can comprehend his truth, discover the potencies that
originates from within the Names of Allah in his self and reach the “spiritual
level of immediacy” (qurbiyyat) through entering into the realm of
“certainty” (yakeen) .
And a human being can live the
manifestation of the spiritual qualities of “Ownership” (Malikiyet) or
“Rulership” (Melikiyet) in the “Day of Religion” (YawmidDİn)
through himself.[vii]
In order that this can be
experienced by a person, divine guidance (hidayat) should reach him from
the inner dimensions of his essence known as baatin. That’s why we demand
it by saying “guide us on the straight path” when we read
Fatiha.
We then ask for it to be made easy for us to follow the path
of those that have been given the blessing with that guidance; in other words,
those that the property of living the truth within their true selves have been
manifested through themselves. We also ask for not to be among those who have
denied that truth and have fall down into rage and curse or have been
grabbed by opinions far from the truth and
suffered the denial of their true selves.
[viii]
Subsequently, a number of signs
from the Koran is recited. They are reflected upon their meanings.
As I have already mentioned
above, further details can be read from the Salaat section of our book, “Basics
of Islam”.
I hope that we have been able to
give answer to the question “what is salaat?” at least to a small degree and in
the level of common people. I am not going further into the depths of it for I
think it is not suited to both the place and the time at present. They who have
a passion for it should reflect upon the outcome of those meanings…
Let it be known that there are
further depths of this subject and my explanations are not even the part of an
iceberg above the surface.
I think that it will be very
useful to reconsider the explanation of Rasul of Allah that “it is the
payment of sins committed between two prayers (Salaat)” upon such an
understanding and to reflect upon its reason.
I would like to remind you the
following sign to consider from this point of view once again.
“So woe to those performers
that are neglectful of what the Salaat is.”
If we have overstepped the bounds
and said something by mistake by a slip of the tongue, I trust that you will
pardon us. Let it be tolerated for our sincere intention…
AHMED HULUSI
January 20, 2005
NC, USA
[i] Those books are
not yet translated.
[ii] “A'uzu billahi
minashaitanir rajim”, an expression or a phrase meaning “I seek refuge to
Allah from the outcast Satan.”
[iii] Bismillahir
rahmanir rahim, meaning “in the name of Allah, Rahman, Rahim.”
[iv] The Chapter of
“Opening” in the Koran.
[v] “Al-hamdu
lillahi rabbil 'alamin”, allusion to the verse in the Chapter of Opening.
[vi] The universal
system that operates upon its rules.
[vii] Allusion to
the the second verse in the Chapter of Fatiha (Opening) that “Allah is the
Possessor (or Ruler) of the Day of Religion”.
[viii] The verse
“The path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those who have gone
astray...”
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