By
the grace of Allah, I continue the subject-matter of my Friday Sermon which I
started last week in Kerala.
Wa
aqimis-Salaata tarafayin-nahaari wa zulafam minal-layl; innal hasanaati
yuzhibnas saiyi-aat; zaalika zikraa liz-zaakiriin.
And establish prayer at the
two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do
away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.
(Hud, 11: 115).
In
the Holy Quran, in verse 115 of chapter 11 (Surah Hud) which I have just
recited before you, it is stated that ‘hasanat’, that is, good deeds,
remove one’s shortcomings. Here by ‘hasanat’ is meant Salat and
the presence of heart and mind during Salat. Such presence is achieved
by imploring and beseeching God in one’s own language. The best prayer is Surah
Al-Fatiha because it is a complete prayer. When the farmer has learnt the skill
of farming, he would then be on the right path of farming and he will be
successful. Likewise, you should seek the right path that leads to a union with
God and you should pray to Him saying, “O Allah, I am a sinful servant of
Yours and am miserable and worthless. Please guide me, for You alone can guide
me. I need Your help for You alone can help me.”
You
should present all your needs, be they great or small before Allah because He
alone is the Provider. He who prays the most and with complete sincerity and
humility, is the most good. If a person were to beg every day at the door of
the most mean person, one day he too would give something. Why then would a
person not find what he asks at the door of God Almighty Who is the Most
Generous, without comparison. It is the case that he who asks, does eventually
receive.