Prayers, Our Strength - by Roman Ahsan

PRAYERS – OUR STRENGTH!

(By Roman Ahsan) – November 2004

God wants us to pray to Him so that He can answer our prayers. Now what if we refuse to pray to Him? Will life carry a meaning? What is life? Life is all about exercising patience and self-restraint, for Allah is with those who believe in Him. And Allah is with those who remain steadfast with Him, and never lose their hearts! That is the only secret of rising above all things, and becoming strong! Only if we submit ourselves to the One Supreme Being, can we form a connection with Him. Imagine how strong our God is! In fact, we do not have to imagine, we know it, but we seem to ignore the fact. Isn’t He the One, who brings high tides in the sea at night, heavy rains in monsoon, thunderous lightning which strikes, etc.? And this is an example of just one planet, which is Earth, while the Universe extends beyond limits. Isn’t it frightening if you ponder where does the universe end, and what is the beginning and end of time? Only when we believe in Him, can we relax, and let Him take us on the course, which He has planned for us.

The Spring season with the flowers blooming everywhere, or the rainbow in the sky in the aftermath of rain, are just some of the examples of God’s blessings! On the other hand, the tornadoes and storms are just a few examples of God’s fury! No doubt He is merciful, but He has His own plans. Where does our salvation lie? Our salvation lies in following the path of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.), the noblest of all human beings. However, we should remember that his life was full of trials and suffering, and only through exercising self-restraint and compassion was he able to win hearts, and effectively deliver God’s message. The life of a Momin (one who exercises self-restraint) is like walking through thorny bushes, and all the while trying to preserve oneself from them (the sins). A Momin is not obsessed with the rewards of this world, but is more receptive to what Allah has in store for him in the afterlife! However, that does not mean that a Momin does not believe in hard work, for Islam lays great stress on the dignity of labour. The rewards in the afterlife promise infinite beauties for those who do not let go their faith in Allah under all circumstances!

A wrong doing in this life would only contribute to Allah’s resentment, so what’s the use of making the scales tilted more towards bad deeds for the sake of temporary gains! However God is indeed Merciful, and Gracious, and those who truly repent their sins, are forgiven. All we need is self-restraint, which only sets in when a person is trying in earnest to please Allah, and it is a transformation process which takes its time! We have to love and fear Him at the same time.

As they say, “To err is human---”, so though the wrong track attracts us more, and we might want to subscribe to it consciously or unconsciously, but if we start believing in Him today, only then we will succeed one day! Insh’Allah!