The effects and blessings of servitude and submission

The effects and blessings of servitude and submission

1. Sense of honor and esteem

Imām Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (‘a) says in his litanies [munājāt]:

.عَبْداً لَكَ اَكُونَ اَنْ عِزّاً بى كَفىٰ اِلٰهى

“O Lord! It is already enough of an honor for me that I am Your servant.”[1]

Which honor is more sublime than that man could talk to his Creator and He in turn would listen to the words of man and grant them?!

In this fleeting world, if a person speaks with a scholar or a great man, he feels a sense of honor because of his presence and the opportunity to be in conversation with him, and that a person who was once a student of a certain distinguished professor also gives him self-esteem.

2. Sense of strength

So long as a child is holding the hand of his strong and kind father, he feels a sense of strength, but if he is alone, he experiences fear and apprehension lest others annoyed him.

A person who is linked to God feels a sense of strength vis-à-vis the superpowers, ṭāghūts and arrogant (powers).

3. Sense of dignity

Dignity [‘izzah] means not to come under the influence of others. In the school [maktab] of the prophets [anbiyā’] (‘a), all dignity belongs to God just as all power belongs to Him. Thus, the Qur’an criticizes those who incline to other than God, saying: “Do you want dignity from other than God?”[2]

It is natural that linking with the Absolute Beloved and Eternal Power gives dignity to man, just as words such as “Allāhu akbar” [Allah is greater] humiliate the ṭāghūts in the eyes of man and make him dignified in comparison to them.

So, the Qur’an orders us to seek power and strength from prayer and worship when we face difficulties and adversities:

﴾ وَالصَّلَوٰةِ بِالصَّبْرِ وَاسْتَعِينُوا ﴿

“And take recourse in patience and prayer.”[3]

During critical moments, the saints of God also used to strengthen themselves through prayer. On the afternoon of the ninth day of Muḥarram in Karbalā’, the army of Yazīd made an assault on the camp of Imām al-Ḥusayn (‘a). The Imām (‘a) said: “Postpone the battle for one night as I am fond of prayer and I would like to engage in worship tonight till morning.”[4]

The righteous servants of God are not only fond of the obligatory [wājib] prayers but also of the recommended [mustaḥab] prayers. The recommended prayer is a sign of fondness for prayer. There are many people who perform the obligatory prayers due to fear of divine wrath for missing them. With respect to the recommended prayer, however, love rather than fear is not the issue.

Yes, anyone who loves somebody likes to talk with him more and does not want to separate from him. How could man claim that he loves God when he has no enthusiasm for speaking with Him?!

Of course, this distaste for prayer and recommended acts is not without reason. In fact, according to the traditions, sin takes away the opportunity for the night and dawn supererogatory prayers.[5] 

In any case, the one who does not perform the optional prayers is not worthy of expecting virtues from God, just like someone who is waiting for the advent of the Reformer [muṣliḥ] (Imām al-Mahdī (‘a)) while he himself is not reformed or righteous [ṣāliḥ].

The recommended prayers also compensate for the defects and shortcomings of the obligatory prayers.[6] A certain person asked the Imām (‘a): “My heart is not in my prayer and I do not benefit from the blessings of prayer. What should I do?” The Imām (‘a) said: “After the obligatory prayers, perform the optional prayers as they compensate for the shortcomings of the former and lead to the acceptance of the obligatory prayers.”

It is on account of these effects and blessings that the saints of God paid much attention not only to the obligatory prayers but also to the optional prayers, and they used to keep aloof from those things that obstruct and disturb this religious wayfaring and spiritual ascension such as excessive eating, excessive talking, excessive sleeping, eating unlawful or unlawfully earned food, debauchery, and worldly engagements, which keep man away from worship and make prayer heavy for him. As the Qur’an says:

﴾ وَ إِنَّها لَكَبيرَةٌ إِلاّ عَلَى الْخاشِعينَ ﴿

“And it (prayer) is indeed hard except for the humble.”[7]