| In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise is due to God, the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgement. It is You whom we serve, and it is You whom we ask for help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those on whom You bestow grace, not of those who incur anger and not of those who go astray. (Surah 1, al-Fâtiha) |
No, this is not about challenges to the institution of ritual prayer in contrast to spontaneous personal prayer. Nor is it about the struggle for keeping a prayer routine alive in a secular environment and a busy everyday life, or about the stuggle, well-known to every Muslim, for keeping up ritual prayer as something spiritually meaningful that goes beyond ticking off one more of one's daily duties.
Rather it is about the struggle contained within ritual prayer itself. Are you now surprised? Do you take it for granted that the familiar words and gestures are supposed to be reassuring and comforting and are disappointed when they, depending on your state of mind, can at times seem an empty habit or even cause challenging questions? Do you feel uncomfortable or ashamed when, every now and then, you are asking yourself, "Why am I doing this? What do I mean when I say this again and again? How do I relate to this passage that is being recited?" There is nothing wrong with these questions. They are a sign of a healthy enquiring mind that eventually can gain benefit from asking them and working on the answers. After all, it is no coincidence that the prayer niche in the mosque is called mihrâb, the place of confrontation.
Ritual prayer is indeed an encounter: certainly with God, but also with ourselves and with those who pray together with us, be it physically in a prayer congregation or ideally as part of that big circle of ours around the city of Makkah, wherever we are in the world. Preparing for prayer is therefore both a private, spiritual exercise that helps to purify and focus our mind and a preparation for public communication as it were that needs concentration and presence of mind. That is why we start by reminding ourselves that, whatever our mind is attracted to or preoccupied with and that might be justified and will be dealt with again later, Allâhu akbar, God is greater.
Surat al-Fâtiha is both an introduction and a focal point in ritual prayer. It is repeated in every unit of every prayer. Therefore there is perhaps a temptation to say it quickly in order to get on to the next passage. But it is worthwhile to follow the recommendation of our scholars and sages by reciting it slowly and reflecting on its meaning.
Al-hamdu lillâh,
praise is due to God.
This not only the first thing we say "in the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful", but, among Muslims, it is a common answer to the question, "How are you?" If you are fine, you say, "Al-hamdu lillâh," from the bottom of your heart and with a cheerful face. When things are not going well, pious people tend to say, "Al-hamdu lillâh 'ala kulli hâl" (praise is due to God under all circumstances) rather than complaining about their situation. How are you in prayer today?Rabbil 'âlamî:n, the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds. How many worlds are there? Science fiction fans might think of the possibility of human life in other galaxies. Most impressive, but we don't have to go that far. My world is made up not only of the people and things around me but also of my perceptions, interpretations and visions. The same is true for other people's worlds. There are as many worlds as there are human beings. That is why killing one human being is like destroying a whole world. In communicating with each other, we share part of our worlds, but there also seem to be incompatible worlds. Last but not least, all our worlds are changing along with our development and through our mutual influence. Scary? But we are not left to ourselves with these experiences. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all our worlds.
He is the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgement. At first sight, this looks like a logical contradiction, doesn't it? Mercy is usually associated with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, motherly love, while judgement brings up images of a just, strict, possibly condemning and punishing judge. Mercy is described as being the source of creation while judgement is associated with apocalyptic images of the end. Two apparent opposites. You might feel like resorting to the Hadith Qudsi, "My mercy overcomes My anger." Perhaps the term "motherly love" can offer a solution: a mother who brings up several children needs a well-developed sense of justice if she loves all of them. You might think about occasions of injustice that caused suffering where both mercy and justice demand that ultimately they are set right, or about your own potential to judge or misjudge a situation where you hope that God's mercy will make up for possible mistakes. Well, there are five daily prayers to figure that out.
It is You whom we serve, and it is You whom we ask for help. Do we? Who is "we" in the first place? The members of this prayer congregation? The Muslim community worldwide, and if so, the ideal one or the real one? All human beings who are somehow connected with God? What does the service imply? It is sometimes translated as "worship", but is that all? Isn't it equally part of this service to act within the framework of ethical principles by dealing justly and kindly with our fellow human beings and to refine our character to reflect the beautiful qualities given to us by our Creator? Whatever the answer, we human beings don't always make a good job of it and ask for help - certainly for each other's but most of all God's.
Therefore we ask God to "guide us on the straight path", to give us the orientation we need, answers to our questions that enable us to move on. We want to travel on a way that finds God's approval and pleasure by doing actions that we ourselves can ultimately be happy with. We certainly do not want to incur anger by harming others or doing things that we ultimately have to be angry with ourselves for, and we certainly do not want to wander around after meaningless and disappointing goals. Asking for guidance therefore implies being open for insight and aware of the voice of our conscience.
Keeping this in mind, we listen to the next passage that is recited, hearing it either through our own voice or through the imam's, trying to work out its relevance for our life. We acknowledge what we have heard with a bow and two prostrations and proceed to the next cycle. Finally we sit as guests in God's presence, saying words of greeting, the testimony of faith, prayers for blessings and supplications.
The Arabic word salâh, usually translated as ritual prayer, literally means link, connection: prayer is supposed to help us cultivate a balanced relationship with God and with creation. We therefore complete it with the greeting of peace to the right and to the left: we greet the angels, human beings, animals and plants in the world and wish them peace. Let us then take the peace we found through the struggle of prayer with us into our everyday life in order to transform it from a wish for ourselves and others into sincere efforts on the way to more justice, mercy and peace.
God, the night is over and the day begins to dawn. How I would like to know whether You have accepted my prayers or rejected them! Therefore comfort me, for You are the Comforter. You gave me life and sustained me. Praise be to You! Even if You were to send me away from Your door, I would not leave it because I carry Your love in my heart.
The supplication was transmitted from Rabi'ah the mystic.
(c) Halima Krausen, 2007