God is Great

After it, with arms folded across the chest and a full awareness of the fact of our presence before the Almighty we should recite: (Transcription: Sub haana kal-laahumman wa bihamdika wa tabara kasm-uka wa taa alajado ka wa laa ilaaha ghairuka). O God, with Thy glorification and Thy praise; blessed is Thy name, great is Thy glory, and there is no God except Thee. (Transcription: ‘Aaoozu Billah-I-Min-ash – shaitanir rajeem: bismil laahir rahmaa nir raheem). I seek refuge in God from the wicked Devil and begin with the name of God, the Most Benevolent, the All-Merciful. (Transcription: Alhamdu lil-laahi rab-bil ‘Aalameen, ar rahmaa nir raheem, maaliki yaumid deen, iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nas-ta’een, ihdinas siraatal mustaqeem, siraatal ladheenaanamta ‘alaihim, ghairil maghdoobi’alaihim, wa lad daal leen. Aameen). Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds the Compassionate, Thee alone do we worship, and to Thee alone do we beg for help. Show us the straight path: the path of those whom Thou hast favoured; not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. Amen! Then some other Sura of the Quran, or a part thereof, should be recited. Here we give four brief Suras along with their translations. (Transcription: Wal’asr, in-nal insaana lafee khusr, il-lal ladheena aamanu wa aamilus saali-haati wa tawaasau,bil haqqi wa tawaasau bis sabr). By the Time! Lo, man is in a state of great loss, save those who believe and do good deeds, and exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to patient perseverance. (Transcription: Qul huwal laahu ahad, al-laahus-samad. Lam yalid, wa lam yoolad, walam yakul laahoo kufu an ahad). Say: “It is God, the Unique! God, the eternally besought of all! He begetteth not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him!” (Transcription: Qul’aoozu be rabbil falaq, min shar re ma khalaq, wa min shar re ghasiqin iza waqab, wa min shar rin naffasat-I-fil ‘aqad, wa min shar re hassidin iza hasad). Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn from the mischief of created things; from the mischief of those who practice secret arts; and from the mischief of the envious’ one as he practices envy”. (Transcription: Qul’aaoozu be rabbil naas, malikin naas, ilaahin naas, min shar ril was wasil khannaas, al lazi yo was wiso fi sudoorin naas, min al jinaat-I-wan nas). Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord and Cherisher of mankind, the King (of Ruler) of mankind, the God (or Judge) of mankind, from the mischief of the sneaking whisperer, who withdraws (after his whisper), (the same) who whispers into the hearts of mankind among jinns and among men”. Anyhow, after the Sura of Al-Hamd-o-Sharif some other Sura of the Quran, or a part of it, is to be recited. Only this much of the Quran is recited during each Rak’at of the Namaz, When the recitation has been completed, with the thought of the Majesty and Glory of God embedded in our hearts, we should say Allah-o-Akbar and perform the Ruku by placing our hands on our knees without bending them and pronounce a number of times the phrase: (Transcription: Subhaana rabbiyal ‘azeem). Glory be to my Lord, the most Elevated While reciting the above formula in the Ruku we should also meditate on its meaning, on the Glory and Magnificence of the Lord. Then the head be raised, from the Ruku, saying: (Transcription: Sami’al laahu liman hamidah) God has heard the servant who has praised Him (Transcription: Rab banaa lakal Hamd) Our Lord! Praise be to Thee Then, again, we should say Allah-o-Akbar from the depth of our hearts and prostrate ourselves before the Lord and perform two Sajdas simultaneously. During the Sajda the under-mentioned formula should be repeated a number of times imagining inwardly that God was present right there, seeing and hearing everything, and we were addressing the words directly to him. (Transcription: Subhaana rab-biya a’laa) Glory be to my Lord, the Most High While reciting these words in the Sajda, also, we should try sincerely to call forth within ourselves the realization of our abject helplessness and humility and the Supreme Might and Magnificence of the Lord. The deeper and stronger the realization, the better and truer will be the Namaz for this sentiment constitutes the very, life and soul of worship. This completes one Rak’at. All the remaining Rak’ats are to be offered similarly except that (sub-haana kal-laahumaa) is recited only in the first Rak’at. When we sit during a Namaz, or at the end of it, we recite (at-tahiuyaat) which, indeed, is its essence and substance: (Transcription: Atthiyaatu lilaahi was salawaatu wal taiyyabaatu, as salaamu ‘alaika ayyuhan nabeeyu wa rehmatul laahi wa bara kaatuh, as salaamu ‘alainaa wa’alaa ibaad laahis saliheen, ash-ha al-laa ilaaha il-lal-laah, wa ash-hadu an-na Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasoluh). The most blessed greetings, the purest and most sincere inclinations unto Got. Peace be with thee, O Prophet, as well as the mercy of God and His blessings. Peace be with us also, and the pious servants of the Lord. I attest that there is no God if not God himself, and I attest that Mohammad is His servant and Apostle. If a Namaz consists of three or four Rak’ats, when we sit after the second Rak’at only the above invocation is recited, and, at the end of the last Rak’at, the Durood Sharif and a prayer are also added to it. The Durood Sharif runs as follows: (Transcription: Allaahnmaa sal-li ‘alaa Muham-madin wa ‘alaa aal-I-Muhammadin kamaa sal-laita ‘alaa Ibraa-heema wa ‘alaa all-I-Ibraa-heema innaka hameedum majeed). O God, bless Mohammad and his posterity (or followers) as Thou hast blest Abraham and his posterity (or followers); Verily, Thou art the Praiseworthy, the Majestic. (Transcription: Allaahumma baarik ‘alla Muhammadin wa ‘alaa aal-I-Muhammadin kamaa baarak ta ‘alaa Ibraaheema wa ‘alaa all-i-Ibraa-heem in-naka hameedum majeed). O God, magnify Mohammad and his posterity (or followers) as Thou hast magnified Abraham and his posterity (or followers); Verily, Thou art the Praiseworthy), the Majestic. Though the Durood Sharif we invoke the favours and blessings of the Lord on the Prophet and his family and all those who bear a special association with him. It is, after all, through the agency of the Prophet that the Divine boon of Islam and Namaz has reached us. God has, therefore, charged us with the duty of praying for him, his family and his descendants at the end of each Namaz as an expression of our gratitude to him. After the Durood Sharif it is required of us to recite the under-mentioned prayer for ourselves and with it the Namaz is brought to an end by turning the head, first to the right and then to the left, and wishing everyone peace and blessings of the Lord. (Transcription: Al-laahumma in-nee zalamtu nafsee zulman katheeran, wa laa yaghfirudh dhunooba il-laa anta, faghfir lee maghfiratum min indika warhmanee in-nika antal ghafoorur raheem). O God, I have done my soul a great harm and no one can forgive sins if not Thee; so grant me forgiveness with Thy pleasure and have pity on me. Thou art Most Forgiving; Most Merciful. By means of this prayer we make an open confession of our sins and misdeeds and beseech God for His Mercy and Forgiveness. It is best for us always to consider ourselves defaulters and transgressors and make an open hearted admission of our faults and lapses even after performing an act of worship of the class of Namaz, and to repose all our hopes in Divine Compassion and Mercy. We must not allow pride or vanity to come near us because of our devoutness or worship-fullness for, whatever we may do, we can never hope to acquit ourselves fully of the duty of worshipping God and adoring Him and of rendering to Him what is His due. All that is necessary to know about Namaz has been described in this lesson. Once again, we assert that Namaz is that elixir among the various modes of worship which can transform a man into an angel, in the sphere of his deeds and morals, provided that it is offered with due concentration and the feelings of reverence and humility. Brothers, we just cannot afford to take lightly the significance, worth and value of the Namaz. So overpowering was the Prophet’s anxiety for his followers to remain steadfast in the matter of Namaz and offer it regularly and unfailingly that he took pains to exhort them about it even during the last moments of his life when it had become extremely difficult for him to speak. Muslims who neglect the Namaz and do nothing to establish it and to keep it alive in their midst should imagine, for the sake of God, how are they going to face the Prophet on the Day of Reckoning, how are they going to look towards him, after disregarding so shamelessly his last will and testament during their life. Come, let us all pray now in the words of Prophet Abraham: (Transcription: Rab-bij ‘alnee muqeem-us-salaat-I-wa min zurriyatee, rab-bana taqabaal duaae, rabbanaghfirlee wa le waalidaiyya wa lil momineena yauma yaqoomul Hissab). Oh my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring; Oh my Lord! And accept Thou my Prayer. Oh our Lord! Cover (us) with Thy Forgiveness me, my parents (and all Believers) on the Day that Reckoning will be established.