If you knew who is on your right and left...

If you knew who is on your right and left, you would have performed your prayers well. And know that you are in front of the One Who sees you although you cannot see Him.”[^6] In his famous Treatise of Rights, Imam Zain al Abidin(‘a) discusses the rights of the prayers thus: فَأَمَّا حَقُّ الصَّلاةِ فَأَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّهَا وِفَادَةٌ إِلىَ اللهِ وَ أَنَّكَ قَائِمٌ بِهَا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللهِ.

فَإِذَا عَلِمْتَ ذلِكَ كُنْتَ خَليقاً أَنْ تَقُومَ فِيهَا مُقامَ الذَّلِيلِ الرّاغِبِ الرّاهِبِ الْخائِفِ الرّاجِي الْمِسْكِينِ الْمُتَضَرِّعِ الْمُعَظِّمِ مَنْ قَامَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِالسُّكُونِ وَ الإطْرَاقِ وَ خُشُوعِ الأَطْرَافِ وَ لِينِ الْجَنَاحِ وَ حُسْنِ الْمُنَاجَاةِ لَهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَ الطَّلَبِ إِلَيْهِ فِي فِكاكِ رَقَبَتِكَ الَّتِي أَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُكَ وَ اسْتَهْلَكَتْهَا ذُنُوبُكَ. وَ لا قُوَّةَ إِلاّ بِاللهِ.

“As for the rights of the prayers, you should know that it is a means of reaching towards Allah. And you are standing before Allah when you are praying. When you are aware of this, then it is desirous that you stand during prayers like the one who is disgraced, desirous (of rewards), fearful, scared, hopeful, pauper, crying, respectful of the One Who is before Him.

Maintain a dignified calm, head down, limbs humble, tender heart, praying with the best of invocations within yourself, seeking the freedom of your neck from Him, an imprisonment caused on account of your sins and a destruction caused by your misdeeds. There is no strength except Allah’s.”[^7] Therefore, it is necessary that one who prays, considering the position and status of Salat , should pay full attention towards it with his heart and soul, which is worthy of the praying ones.

He should derive benefits of both this world as well as the hereafter, from it and the greatest reward of them all, that is, meeting with Allah, comes his way. It does not befit him to become heedless of Allah, his creator, during his prayers, and instead become engaged in himself. Although apparently this may seem difficult, rather impossible – which is why it is accompanied with such great rewards and compensation - but one should never despair of it.

Perhaps, with Allah’s grace, and our efforts, belief and piety, the difficulties will become easy and problems will be solved. For, if you take one step towards Allah, He will pull you a hundred paces towards Himself. Then, turn towards Him with your entire heart and soul. Don’t allow laziness and indolence to dominate you and keep Shaitan away from you.

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