Concept of Prayer is a Constituent of Belief in the Existence of God — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 3
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Concept of Prayer is a Constituent of Belief in the Existence of God.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: III – Concept of the Acceptance of Prayer in Islam
Pages: Book pp. 91–92 (PDF pp. 109–110)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [A Common Principle Between Science & Prayer] | Next: [Prayer is a Spiritual Means to Success] »
Historical Account
I could provide hundreds of examples and prove that our God is not a superficial King, nor is He the slave of His own law, in that He cannot make changes to it. No doubt, as we shall mention ahead, He does not do anything contradictory to His own custom or promise, conversely, He is a living and powerful God, Who listens to the prayers of His servants and arranges for their definite outcome. However, it is obvious that just as He is not the slave of His own law, similarly, He is not the slave of His servants either, and it is not necessary that He accepts every prayer. As a matter of fact, the acceptance of prayer is intertwined to various specific conditions which, God-willing, we shall describe ahead.
[These examples are more or less found in every religion, for in their origin all religions, the foundation of which is laid upon Divine Revelation, are from God. In their eras, they have all witnessed Divine succour, although now, they have gone astray and have been deprived of this succour.]
Following this fundamental note, for the enlightenment of readers we present a few Qur’ānic verses and Aḥādīth relevant to the concept of prayer, so that they may be educated as to the essence of the Islāmic teaching in this regard. Therefore, it should be known that Du‘ā is an Arabic word which means ‘to call’ or ‘to implore’ someone, and in calling or inviting although the predominant sense is of imploring or invoking for something, but in its wider sense, all kinds of invocation are included, whether for the purpose of seeking Divine succour, or for some other purpose. For example, if an individual addresses God merely to express emotions of love and devotion, this is also a form of Du‘ā, even though there is no aspect of imploring or seeking of assistance. However, in addition to its wider meanings, the word Du‘ā has also taken on a specific and precise conventional meaning, which relates to invoking or imploring or seeking assistance. In this context, the latter meaning is implied.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Section: III – Concept of the Acceptance of Prayer in Islam | Navigation: « Previous: [A Common Principle Between Science & Prayer] | Next: [Prayer is a Spiritual Means to Success] »