“(O mankind!) Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret.” (al-A’rāf 7; 55)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) spent all his time being conscious of the togetherness with Allah the Almighty. Our Prophet (pbuh) not only was the person who knew Allah best in this world but also was the one who feared from Him most and comprehended His Majesty. This is why all his acts of worship and his prayers were in the mode of imploring. When we examine his supplications, we can see that he prayed and shed tears more for his ummah than for himself.
Abdullah b. Amr b. al-’As reported:
“One day the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) recited the following words of Allah the Almighty that Abraham (pbuh) uttered:
“O my Lord they have indeed led astray many among mankind; he then who follows my (ways) is of me, and he that disobeys me, but You are indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Ibrahīm 14; 36) and then he recited the supplication of Jesus (pbuh):
“If You punish them, lo! They are Your slaves, and if You forgive them (lo! they are Your slaves). Lo! You, only You, are the Mighty, the Wise.” (al-Maidah 5; 118)
After that he raised his hands and said:
“O Lord, Protect my Ummah, and show Your mercy upon my Ummah,” and wept; so Allah the High and the Exalted said:
“O Gabriel, go to Muhammad (though your Lord knows it fully well) and ask him: What makes him weep?”
So Gabriel (pbuh) came to him and asked him, and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed him that he was crying because of his concerns for his ummah. Upon this Allah the Almighty said:
“O Gabriel, go to Muhammad and say: Verily We will please you with regard to your Ummah and would not displease you.” (Muslim, Imān, 346)
Our Prophet (pbuh), who suffered a great deal and did not quail back from any hardships in order to convey the message of Islam to people and lead them to the straight path, was worried about people being astray. This is why he always prayed for unbelievers to accept Islam, for believers to stay on the straight path, and for the sinners to be forgiven. He did not even mind the worst oppression and kept praying for his enemies to be saved. According to Abu Dhar’s (r.a.) report, one night Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) performed prayer and recited the 118th verse of the surat al-Maidah (5) till morning. He was reciting this verse when he bowed down, when he prostrated … (Ibn Hanbal, V, 149)
Because Meccan polytheist had insisted not to accept the message of Islam, the Prophet (pbuh) went to Taif hoping that they would accept it. There, the polytheists did not welcome the Messenger of Allah, on the contrary they made fun of him and had their slaves throw stones at him. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) got wounded and his feet were bleeding. Sometimes he collapsed because of his pain, and they stood him up; and as soon as he walked, they began to stone, mock, and laugh at him again. After all these oppressions, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) rested for a while and then performed a two-rak’ah-prayer and raised his hands and invoked Allah the Almighty as follows:
“O Allah! I present to You my complaints, my weakness, paucity of my precautions, and being insulted by these people …
The most Compassionate of the compassionate! You are the Lord of the weak and You are my Lord! To whom are You leaving me? To those who stay away from You and frown at me when they see me! Or are You leaving me to the enemy that You give my task to his hand? …” (Haythami, VI, 35; Ibn Hisham, II, 29-30)
Invoking to Allah the Almighty so sincerely is something that can be done by someone who knows Him and esteems His Might best. Even though he had suffered so much for the sake of Allah, he was still afraid of making mistakes against Him and he was taking refuge to Him from His punishment. Moreover, he refused the offer of the Angel of the Mountains “to put the two mountains together and destroy the people of Taif.” Instead, he invoked to his Lord for them to find the straight path.
The below incident which was witnessed by Aisha (r.a.) not only shows our Prophet’s reverence to Allah the Almighty but also teaches us how to invoke to Him.
Aisha (r.a.) reported: One night I missed Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) from the bed, and when I sought him my hand touched the soles of his feet while he was in the state of prostration; his feet were raised and he was saying:
اَللَّهُمَّ أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ.
لاَ أُحْصِى ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَماَ أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
“O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You (Your anger). I cannot reckon Your praise. You are as You have praised Yourself.” (Muslim, Salāt, 222)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) continued to pray to his Lord all the time, in comfort and in hardship, or in scarcity and abundance. It has been narrated on the authority of Umar b. al-Khattab who said:
“When it was the day on which the Battle of Badr was fought, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) cast a glance at the infidels, and they were one thousand while his own companions were three hundred and nineteen. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) turned (his face) towards the Qiblah, then he stretched his hands and began his supplication to his Lord:
“O Allah, accomplish for me what You have promised to me. O Allah, bring about what You have promised to me. O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is destroyed. You will not be worshipped on this earth.” He continued his supplication to his Lord, stretching his hands, facing the Qiblah, until his mantle slipped down from his shoulders. So Abu Bakr came to him, picked up his mantle and put it on his shoulders. Then he embraced him from behind and said:
“Prophet of Allah, this prayer of yours to your Lord will suffice you, and He will fulfill for you what He has promised you.” So Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, revealed the Qur’anic verse:
“When you appealed to your Lord for help, He responded to your call saying: I will help you with one thousand angels coming in succession.” (al-Anfal 8; 9) Allah the Almighty helped the believers with angels on that day.” (Muslim, Jihād, 58; Bukharī, Maghāzī, 4)
Our Prophet (pbuh), who did not accept any support or refuge from anyone except Allah and always presented his needs to Him, invoked to Allah the Almighty for the needs of his ummah in Battle of Badr as follows:
“O Allah, they are on foot, provide mount for them; O Allah , they are naked, clothe them; O Allah, they are hungry, provide food for them.”
Allah then bestowed victory on them. They returned when they were clothed. There was no man of them but he returned with one or two camels; they were clothed and ate to their fill. (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 145)
Whenever the companions were in need, they would come to the Prophet (pbuh) and ask him to pray for them. Even polytheists came and asked for help from him during a famine. (Bukhari, Tafsir, 44; 2-3) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed for rain during a famine as follows:
“O Allah, You are Allah, there is no deity but You, You are the Rich, while we are the poor. Send down the rain upon us and make what You sent down a strength and satisfaction for us for a time.” (Abu Dawud, Istisqa, 2)
From time to time the Prophet (pbuh) prayed together with his companions in order to teach them how to pray; because Allah the Almighty states in the Qur’an that He does not want a servant who does not pray:
قُلْ مَا يَعْبَؤُا بِكُمْ رَبِّى لَوْلاَ دُعَاؤُكُمْ
“Say (O Muhammad, unto the disbelievers): My Lord would not concern Himself with you but for your prayer. But now you have denied (the Truth), therefore there will be judgment.” (al-Furqān 25; 77)
When polytheists were leaving after they had lost the battle at Uhud, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) told his companions:
“Get in line, I will praise and pray to my Lord.” Companions got in line behind the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and then he prayed saying:
اَللّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ كُلُّهُ. اَللّهُمَّ لاَ قَابِضَ لِمَا بَسَطْتَ وَلاَ بَاسِطَ لِمَا قَبَضْتَ وَلاَ هَادِيَ لِمَنْ أَضْلَلْتَ وَلاَ مُضِلَّ لِمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَلاَ مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلاَ مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلاَ مُقَرِّبَ لِمَا بَاعَدْتَ وَلاَ مُبَاعِدَ لِمَا قَرَّبْتَ. اَللّهُمَّ ابْسُطْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ بَرَكَاتِكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ وَفَضْلِكَ وَرِزْقِكَ. اَللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ النَّعِيمَ الْمُقِيمَ الَّذِي لاَ يَحُولُ وَلاَ يَزُولُ. اَللّهُمَّ اِنِّى أَسْأَلُكَ النَّعِيمَ يَوْمَ الْعَيْلَةِ وَالأَمْنَ يَوْمَ الْخَوْفِ. اَللّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَائِذٌ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَعْطَيْتَنَا وَشَرِّ مَا مَنَعْتَنَا. اَللّهُمَّ حَبِّبْ إِلَيْنَا الإِيمَانَ وَزَيِّنْهُ فِي قُلُوبِنَا وَكَرِّهْ إِلَيْنَا الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الرَّاشِدِينَ. اَللّهُمَّ تَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ وَأَحْيِنَا مُسْلِمِينَ وَأَلْحِقْنَا بِالصَّالِحِينَ غَيْرَ خَزَايَا وَلاَ مَفْتُونِينَ. اَللّهُمَّ قَاتِلِ الْكَفَرَةَ الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ رُسُلَكَ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ وَاجْعَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ رِجْزَكَ وَعَذَابَكَ. اَللّهُمَّ قَاتِلِ الْكَفَرَةَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ، إِلهَ الْحَقِّ!
“O Allah! All praises belong to You. There is no one who can stretch what you folded; and there is no one who can fold what you stretched. There is no one who can guide to the right path those whom You misguided; and there is no one who can misguide those whom You guided to the straight path. No one can give what You do not give; and no one can prevent what You give. No one can make close what You ward off; and no one ward off what You make bring closer.
O Allah! Spread Your mercy and blessings upon us. O Allah! I want from You endless blessings which will never change and vanish. O Allah! I ask from You blessings on the day of need and safety on the day of fear. O Allah! I take refuge in You from both what You have given and what You have not.
O Allah! Let us love faith and make our hearts adorned with it. Make us hate from disbelief, immorality, and disobedience. Make us among those who are on the straight path and those who know what is beneficial for religion and for this world.
O Allah! Let us live as believers and take our lives as believers. Let us join among the righteous without losing our dignity.
O Allah! Destroy the unbelievers who deny Your messenger and hold people from Your path. Send Your punishment and torment upon them. O Allah! Destroy those unbelievers whom You sent the book. O the True and the Right God!” (Ibn Hanbal, III, 424; Ḥākim, I, 686-687; III, 26)
Someone’s invocation to Allah means his/her acceptance of Allah’s Majesty and it is a manifestation of his/her servitude and weakness before Him. This is why servants’ prayer and supplications attract Allah’s contentment. Only the arrogant, conceited, and ignorant ones turn away from praying. Sincerity and earnestness in invocations are indicators of the servant’s spiritual station and level of perception.
Up to this section we tried to examine the Prophet’s life of worship a little; because a perfect presentation of his life of worship is impossible. However, we need to try to learn his acts of worship in order to take them as examples for us. Of course he is the most perfect exemplar sent to all of humanity and he was sent to teach us how to worship Allah the Almighty.
Acts of worship commanded by Allah are the manifestation of our faithfulness to our promise to Him. These acts of worship guide the believers to the straight path and they will be witnesses for their performers on the Day of Judgment. Rumi (q.s.) nicely explains the meaning of our worship in the following lines:
“This ritual prayer and fasting and pilgrimage and striving in the path of Allah are the attestation of the inward belief. The giving of alms, gifts to friends and the abandonment of envy are the attestation of one’s secret thoughts. Inviting guests, hospitality, feeding and treating them nicely mean, saying with our actions, that “we, O noble guests, are true believers as you are. We, too, keep our promise to Allah, and we too show our inner purity as you do.”
Gifts and presents and offerings bear witness (say implicitly), “I am pleased with you.” If anyone exerts himself in helping others by giving money or in some other way, he/she means to say, “I have the essence of abstinence or generosity in me”. This alms-giving and fasting are witnesses in regard to both these qualities.
Fasting implicitly says, “O Allah! This person has abstained from what is lawful and did not drink when he was thirsty by following Your command: how can this person get close to what is unlawful”
And his alms-giving says (implicitly), “He separated himself from his most beloved property and presented it to the needy: how, then, can he steal when he gets a chance?”
If he performs all these acts and goodness out of vanity, or to deceit people, then these witnesses will not be accepted in the court of Divine justice.” (Mathnawī, V, verses: 183-191)
The object of the acts of worship should not be to kill the inner self but to keep it on the straight path; because it is impossible to kill the inner self other than by natural death. By means of these acts of worship our inner selves will get disciplined and adorned with good manners.
Just as in all aspects of his life, our Prophet’s (pbuh) measure in the acts of worship was not quantity but perseverance and regularity. He (pbuh) stated this reality as follows:
“…the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant one even though it is little.” (Bukharī, Riqāq, 18)
The Prophet’s (pbuh) worship was continuous and encompassed harmoniously all parts of his life. This is why he was always with his Lord and busy with His remembrance. Those who examine the Prophet’s (pbuh) acts of obedience would think that he did nothing in his life but just worshipped; while those who look at his daily activities might think that he had no time to worship. Whereas the most salient part of his life is that he managed to establish a unique balance between the life of servitude to Allah and daily activities.
The endless Pride of the universe (pbuh) perfectly performed his acts of worship, just as he regularly executed his daily responsibilities. He took care of his family and the needy; he became the perfect guide for a great ummah, established a strong state, sent envoys to neighboring rulers and invited them to Islam, welcomed their emissaries, controlled and led armies, fought when he faced obstacles before conveying the message of Allah, made preparations to help others, and took precautions not to be defeated. He sent tax-collectors, gathered alms, and distributed them saying: “If I do not act justly, then who would?” He conveyed every message which he had received. He explained the verses, if they needed to be interpreted. He established his own tradition and deduced rules from the fundamental source, the Qur’an. When he did not receive a revelation from Allah the Almighty, he solved the problems by resorting to what he had already received.
Even though, in all these aspects, he thoroughly executed his heavy daily responsibilities, he also performed his acts of worship better than those who secluded themselves in a mountain, and became a light to the people around him.