# The Dilemma of Reverence

The dilemma of reverence…

The saying of the prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him):

“A person in Salah (prayer) is speaking in private to his Lord (Allah)”

Meaning that he is having a speech with him

By opening his heart, and showing reverence in prayer

When the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A person in Salah (prayer) is speaking in private to his Lord (Allah)”

That shows us that speaking in private to the Lord (Allah) is the great aim that was meant from prayer

And that a human should remove and refuse anything that prevents him from speaking in private to his lord

anything stands against him being sincere in his prayer to his lord

It is impossible for someone to focus on what he is saying when there is noise around

That is why righteous people used to have certain places in their houses for prayers

And you know the hadith of the blind man, and the hadith of the orphan’s mother, when they came to the prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)

And asked him to pray in a position in the house in order to make it a place of prayer

In which there isn’t any noise, which helps in approaching Allah

Sheikh Abo Al-Abas Al-Sabty who is buried in Marrakech (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:

Which is about that meaning:

How many people praying, they only gained from prayers….

But the sight of the prayer chamber, bowing and prostrating

As you can see him standing on the prayer carpet

While his mind is at the market thinking about buying and selling

Sheikh Yemeni Sharaf Al-Deen Ismaeel Ibn Al-Maqary (may Allah have mercy upon him) also said:

Praying without your heart in it, indeed a prayer with which you deserve punishment

Woe to you, if you only know who are you talking to so lightly, and between whose hands are you bowing without humility

Saying “It is You we worship” while you are thinking about someone else without necessity

While you would burst with rage and jealousy if someone removed his eyes from you to the others while talking to you

Are you not shy of Allah seeing you turning away from him, O you lacking gallantry?

A prayer which was held, only Allah knows that by which you have done in it you have committed a sin in worship

Those are verses from a very beautiful poem for him in wisdom and sermons

The beginning of it says:

Till when will you insist in arrogance and negligence

Till when this sleep will last, when will be the day of wakening

You have wasted your age, in which an hour would be bought..

By what the earth and heaven could be filled with, what a waste

How could you spend it for the sake of this “life”?

Which Allah insisted that it is even worth less than a wing of mosquito

A jewel which was thrown between garbage

And a gem that was sold for the cheapest price

You foolishly purchase what will perish (in exchange) for what is eternal

And purchase wrath (in exchange) for pleasure, hell [in exchange] for paradise

Are you a friend or an enemy to yourself?

As you throw it in every calamity

Even enemies if they do some of what you are doing to yourself

They would have mercy for you

Your enemies will show you mercy

While you didn’t show mercy to yourself

Sadly, you sold it “yourself” cheaply

While it didn’t deserve such treatment