traduza o texto completamente e perfeitamente para o português THE ADVANTAGES OF PRAYER
There are several benefits accruing from prayer. All the time spent in
preparing for the nearness to Allah and supplication is a part of one’s
prayer.
Dear reader! You must have observed that Allah attracts the ignorant
creatures towards Himself by making innumerable promises. This can be
explained by the simile of a king making the hawk sit on his arm with affection to train it to hunt. He gives a variety of food to the bird to befriend it. When the hawk is fully trained, he lets it go hunting and to return and perch on his arm. Another example is of parents training and
educating their children and, in the process, informing them the myriad
uses of learning and skills. When the child is not attentive, they give him
pretty dresses and other goodies to attract him towards learning. When
the child gets motivated, he himself tries to excel in the skills that the
parents wanted him to acquire. Then, whatever comes in the way, the
child continues making progress. Similar is the disposition of man.
Man doesn’t understand the pleasures and the successes of the Hereafter. Therefore, the Almighty, with His kindness and indulgence invites
men towards Himself thus:
“O my creatures! Come. Whatever you ask for, I shall give you! I have
everything that can bring you closer to Me! They can thus accomplish
their wants in the world and also in the Hereafter.What degree of Munificence that, notwithstanding the Omnipotence, I have, I am calling you
closer to Me. But the ignorant creatures are worrying futilely that their
prsayers have remained unanswered!”
Therefore Allah says:
Truly man manifests ungratefulness to his Creator
Man wonders why his prayer remained unanswered. He doesn’t think
that supplication is a part of the prayer required of him. When he made
entreaty to Allah, he came closer to Him! He communicated his feelings
and wishes to the Creator and the Sustainer! He heard Allah's’labbaek (thy
beck and call)! O supplicant! If you realise the true happiness of prayer
and supplication, and the eyes of your heart fathom the mysteries of the
attention Allah gives to your lamentations, you would sacrifice your
own self not to talk of your mundane wishes! Imagine, a person gets the
opportunity with a man in authority, say, a king! And that monarch
looks with some attention at the visitor. In his wonderment the man
might forget to make his submission to the worthy!
375What a pity that when people supplicate before the Almighty Allah,
they forget that they have an opportunity to address Allah who has the
control of everything in the Universe.
Allah says, “O My creature! Pray and trust Me for your welfare!” And
man in his ignorance behaves stubbornly. If he hadn’t a screen of negligence over his mind, he could understand the truth. Allah says: O angels! Delay fulfilling his wishes! I like the voice in which he is supplicating. If man realises this, he will submit himself totally to the wish of Allah and shun praying for mundane wishes.
376THOSE WHOSE PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED
Authentic sources quote that Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) has said: There are
three types of persons whose prayers are answered:
1. Those who go on the holy pilgrame of Haj, their prayers are
answered. It is advisable that people at home are taken good care
of.
2. Those who do Jehad in the way of Allah. His family and children
must be provided support in his absence.
3. The prayers of the sick are also answered. People should, therefore
take care of the sick and should not upset them in any way.
Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s) said that five prayers are such that Allah
will certainly accept them:
1. Prayer by the Just Imam.
2. Prayer of the oppressed (mazloom).
3. The prayer of a pious son for his parents.
4. The prayer of pious parents for their son.
5. The prayer of a momin for his brothe momin in his absence.
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) has said: Allah shall definitely accept six types
of prayer:
1. Prayer of a pious father for his son.
2. Curse of a father for his disinherited (Aaq-shuda) son.
3. .Curse of an oppressed person against a tyrant.
4. The prayer of one momin for another.
5. The prayer of an oppressed when he recieves a consideration from
a cruel person.
6. Prayer for the pleasure of the Ahl al Bayt.
377BEWARE OF THE CURSE OF THE OPPRESSED
The Prophet of Allah (a.s) says, “Beware of the curse of the oppressed.that it goes beyond the skies and Allah looks at him with kindness and says, ‘Raise his prayer, I shall accept it!’”
The Prophet (a.s) also said, “Prevent yourself from your father’s curse.
It is sharper than the spear!”
It has come in the traditions that four types of prayer are not rejected
by Allah::1. A father’s prayer.for his son. 2. Prayer of the oppressed
against the oppressor. 3. Prayer of the person who is on the minor pilgrimage (Umrah). 4. The prayer of a person who is fasting.
It is said that the prayers of five types of persons are not answered: 1.
A husband, despite being capable of divorcing a nagging spouse by giving her the mehr (alimony), bears with her and doesn’t divorce her, but
prays against her. 2. A person whose slave had escaped from his custody
thrice but he doesn’t sell him and just curses him. 3. A person who
doesn’t walk hurriedly away from a wall precariously about to fall and
prays,’ O Allah! May the wall not fall on my head!’ 4. A person who advances a loan to someone without taking any witnesses and then prays,
‘O Allah! Get back my money to me!’ 5. An able bodied person capable
of earning his livelihood, but doesn’t exert himself to earn, prays’ O Allah! Give me livelihood!’
The Prophet of Allah (a.s) has said, O Abu Dhar! If in a town only disobendient sinners are there with only three pious persons, Allah will not
send curse to that place.
O Abu Dhar! Allah is proud and appreciatve of three persons. The
first: One who says the Adhan (call for prayer) and Iqamah (the call to rise
for prayer) while alone in a forest and offers his mandatory prayer. Allah
asks the angels with pride to look at his sincere creature who has not forgotten the Creator even in the loneliness of the jungle. The second: One
who does the Namaz e Shab (the night prayers) and prostrates in the
loneliness of the night despite being overwhelmed by sleep. Allah tells to
the angels that the spirit of the sincere creature is with Him while he is in
prostration. The third: A person on the battlefield steadfast fighting the
enemies while his own comrades have fled with fear in their hearts!:.
Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s) narrates that offering mandatory prayers in
the view of the people is preferable. Praying in the mosque is preferable
to praying in the loneliness of the home. Similarly giving Zakat in the
precincts of the mosque is better as it would encourage others to follow
suit. The non-mandatory prayers and charity and alms to poor and
378needy is better given in privacy. This will preclude the chance of giving a
feeling to the people that the person is proud of his status and the recepients of the help might also feel embarrassed if the help is proferred in
public.