Part 19: “How to Taste the True Beauty of Salah”
The Farewell Scene........
If you have just finished the first Rik’a (unit) of your Salah, then rise for the second and rise for a new chance to improve your focus and to ensure that this time, your heart and mind are fully alive with the humbleness and humility required of us in Salah. If this is your last Rik’a, then we have arrived at the Farewell Scene… the sweet ending to this beautiful meeting between a servant and his Merciful Lord. We have arrived at..
The Tashahhud
Our hands are to be placed upon our knees or just above- on the lower thighs. As is proper when speaking to Our Lord, our farewell address must also begin first, by sending all praise and glorification to Allah, for His eternal existence, His perfection, and His sovereignty.. Greet Him directly; speak to Him with these beautiful words: “ Attahiyyatu lillahi”. All “Attahiyyat” (greetings/praises/glorification) is due to Allah alone and no one else. “ Wassalawatu”- and all our duaas and prayers are to Him. “Wattayyibat”- and all the good deeds, in the form of actions or words, are for Him alone. For Allah accepts only what is good, pure, and sincere. Now the words you will pronounce next will travel off to another land.. thousands of kilometers
away.. to Medina!.. to where rests the greatest man who ever lived- our beloved Prophet .. “ Assalamualaika ayyuha-nnabiyyu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ”- May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet! Everyday, you send this special greeting to him and he answers you back! Listen to this hadeeth: The Prophet pbuh said, “ There is not one who sends upon me his peace and blessings but Allah returns my soul to me, so that I can return upon him, my peace and blessings. ”
Our hands are to be placed upon our knees or just above- on the lower thighs. As is proper when speaking to Our Lord, our farewell address must also begin first, by sending all praise and glorification to Allah, for His eternal existence, His perfection, and His sovereignty.. Greet Him directly; speak to Him with these beautiful words: “ Attahiyyatu lillahi”. All “Attahiyyat” (greetings/praises/glorification) is due to Allah alone and no one else. “ Wassalawatu”- and all our duaas and prayers are to Him. “Wattayyibat”- and all the good deeds, in the form of actions or words, are for Him alone. For Allah accepts only what is good, pure, and sincere. Now the words you will pronounce next will travel off to another land.. thousands of kilometers
away.. to Medina!.. to where rests the greatest man who ever lived- our beloved Prophet .. “ Assalamualaika ayyuha-nnabiyyu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ”- May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet! Everyday, you send this special greeting to him and he answers you back! Listen to this hadeeth: The Prophet pbuh said, “ There is not one who sends upon me his peace and blessings but Allah returns my soul to me, so that I can return upon him, my peace and blessings. ”
Please glance over at the nearest doorway to you and imagine that the Prophet pbuh has just entered through that door. With his beautiful radiant face touched with a hint of rose, with his neatly wrapped ‘amama (head cover), in his pure white sweet-scented clothes.. and with his warm smile that melts your heart. He has chosen to greet only one today, and that’s you! How would you feel? What would you say? With these loving words above, you are speaking directly to the Prophet now. And just think. You have this honorable privilege at least 5 times everyday! How many of us have wished to have lived during his time, to see him and to be with him… With these words above, we are with him! So let us greet our Prophet with a heart full
of affection and full of appreciation and gratitude for the best example he has set and for this priceless message he has brought to us. And while we reflect over how much love and esteem we hold for him, let us remember… that we are now sitting in the hands of The One who created our Prophet and how much love we hold for Allah Himself- Whom as a result of your greetings and peace upon His prophet, now sends upon you a ten-fold share of the blessings and peace!
of affection and full of appreciation and gratitude for the best example he has set and for this priceless message he has brought to us. And while we reflect over how much love and esteem we hold for him, let us remember… that we are now sitting in the hands of The One who created our Prophet and how much love we hold for Allah Himself- Whom as a result of your greetings and peace upon His prophet, now sends upon you a ten-fold share of the blessings and peace!
After sending off praise and greetings upon Allah, then upon His Prophet, we now send the blessings of peace upon ourselves and upon all of Allah’s righteous servants: “ Assalamu alaina wa ala ibadillahisaaliheen”- upon every righteous servant whether in the heavens or earth- angel or man. Next- those powerful words of Tawheed- those words that affirm and renew our faith and sincerity: “ Ashhadu anna lailaha illa-llah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh ”- I bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. When death comes upon us, not one of us but will die sometime between any two given times of Salah- either between Fajr and Dhuhr, or Dhuhr and Asr, or Asr and Maghreb, etc. The Prophet pbuh tells us, “ The one whose last
words (in this life) are “La ilaha illallah”, enters Paradise. ” This is no time to drift! These words of affirmation above are the key to paradise! Finally, as this beautiful meeting nears its end, Allah has guaranteed that in these last precious moments you have with Him, your duaas made here- are answered! So first, ask for Allah’s prayers and blessings upon our beloved prophet and his family, seek much forgiveness for yourself and for your parents, then ask The Most-Gracious, Most-Merciful the best of this life and the best of the next. Try to learn the prayers (duaas) that the Prophet pbuh used to say, as they cover every possible need we could ever have. As you end your prayer and turn your head to the right in Salam upon those with you, you should be feeling a deep sense of comfort, peace and serenity now. If you don’t, then
your deeds are to blame, as they weigh down and numb the heart.. and distance you from your Lord. Seek Allah’s forgiveness for the deficiency in your Salah at least 3 times upon its completion, and stand up for Sunna prayer- for another chance to attain that needed peace that only Allah can supply.
And always remember, as your love for Allah grows and grows and as you draw nearer to Him, your heart will begin to come alive with the due humbleness before Him, your focus will improve, and finally, you will be able to taste the true beauty of Salah!
words (in this life) are “La ilaha illallah”, enters Paradise. ” This is no time to drift! These words of affirmation above are the key to paradise! Finally, as this beautiful meeting nears its end, Allah has guaranteed that in these last precious moments you have with Him, your duaas made here- are answered! So first, ask for Allah’s prayers and blessings upon our beloved prophet and his family, seek much forgiveness for yourself and for your parents, then ask The Most-Gracious, Most-Merciful the best of this life and the best of the next. Try to learn the prayers (duaas) that the Prophet pbuh used to say, as they cover every possible need we could ever have. As you end your prayer and turn your head to the right in Salam upon those with you, you should be feeling a deep sense of comfort, peace and serenity now. If you don’t, then
your deeds are to blame, as they weigh down and numb the heart.. and distance you from your Lord. Seek Allah’s forgiveness for the deficiency in your Salah at least 3 times upon its completion, and stand up for Sunna prayer- for another chance to attain that needed peace that only Allah can supply.
And always remember, as your love for Allah grows and grows and as you draw nearer to Him, your heart will begin to come alive with the due humbleness before Him, your focus will improve, and finally, you will be able to taste the true beauty of Salah!
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