In the Nahj al-balaghah it is reported that Imam 'Ali (A) was asked by somebody...

In the Nahj al-balaghah it is reported that Imam 'Ali (A) was asked by somebody: 'Have you seen your God?' Ali (A) replied: 'Would I worship what I have not seen?' Then he elaborated his answer thus: He is not visible to the eyes but the hearts perceive Him through (the factual experience of) faith (iman). [^11] An interesting point that is implicit in the statements of the Quran is that man is in possession of himself as long as he 'possesses' God.

Only through the remembrance of God does he remember his self and become fully aware of it, and to forget God is to neglect one's own self. Forgetting God is accompanied by self-forgetfulness: Be not as those who forgot God, and so He caused them to forget their selves. (59:19) Rumi, following his verses quoted above, says: Even if the body should lie amidst fragrance and musk, On death it will petrify and give out its stink.

So scent not the body, but perfume the soul with musk, What is that musk except the Name of the Glorious Lord ? Hafiz says: Hafiz, if you desire presence, do not be absent from Him. If you desire His rendezuous, abandon the world and forget it. This shows why the remembrance of God is essential for the life of the heart; it awakens and illumines the heart and gives peace to the soul; it revives, purifies, refines, and humbles the human conscience and fills it with delight.

How profound and beautiful are 'Ali's words in the Nahj al-balaghah where he says: Certainly God Almighty has made His remembrance a means for cleaning and polishing the hearts. It makes them hear after deafness, see after blindness, and makes them submissive to guidance after being stubborn and resisting. In all periods and times when there were no prophets, there were individuals to whom He whispered through their thoughts and spoke to them through their intellects.

As a result they were enlightened with a light awakening their hearts, their vision and their hearing. [^12] Worship and the Rediscovery of the Self: There is so much that can be said about worship that if we were to be elaborate we would have to devote scores of chapters to this subject. Here we shall make a brief reference to the value of worship in the rediscovery of the self.

As much as the bondage to material matters and immersion in them severs man from his true self and induces self-alienation, worship helps him in recovering his own self. Worship awakens and arouses man from his spiritual slumber.