1. When the Most Merciful turns toward His servant and grants him His favour, His mercy becomes beyond description.
قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِذَا قَامَ الْعَبْدُ الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ نَظَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ قَالَ أَقْبَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ وَ أَظَلَّتْهُ الرَّحْمَةُ مِنْ فَوْقِ رَأْسِهِ إِلَى أُفُقِ السَّمَاءِ وَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ تَحُفُّهُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِ إِلَى أُفُقِ السَّمَاءِ وَ وَكَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مَلَكاً قَائِماً عَلَى رَأْسِهِ يَقُولُ لَهُ أَيُّهَا الْمُصَلِّي لَوْ تَعْلَمُ مَنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْكَ وَ مَنْ تُنَاجِي مَا الْتَفَتَّ وَ لَا زِلْتَ مِنْ مَوْضِعِكَ أَبَداً
*Al-Kāfī* (Islamic edition), vol. 3, p. 265, al-Kulaynī, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, Tehran, 4th ed., 1407 AH.
Whenever a faithful servant rises to pray, God turns His attention toward him and faces him until he has finished his prayer. Mercy spreads above his head as far as the horizon of the sky, while the angels surround him, reaching up to heaven. God appoints an angel over him to say: “O worshipper! If you knew who is looking upon you, and with whom you are communing, you would pay attention to nothing else and would never leave your place.”
2. Offer the prayer as an act of direct address, not as a report. In this way, presence of heart remains unbroken. By “direct address” is meant that one’s intention comes before one’s words, and that one’s inward state accords with what one says.
3. Since prayer is the highest means of drawing near to God, true nearness is attained through an accepted prayer, and all the worshipper’s actions and movements become a response to the will and regard of the Worshipped One.
A beautiful prayerful gift from the Imam of Prayer
قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع إِذَا اسْتَقْبَلْتَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَآيِسْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَ مَا فِيهَا وَ الْخَلْقِ وَ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَ فَرِّغْ قَلْبَكَ عَنْ كُلِّ شَاغِلٍ يَشْغَلُكَ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَ عَايِنْ بِسِرِّكَ عَظَمَةَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ اذْكُرْ وُقُوفَكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هُنالِكَ تَبْلُوا كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ما أَسْلَفَتْ وَ رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلاهُمُ الْحَقِّ وَ قِفْ عَلَى قَدَمِ الْخَوْفِ وَ الرَّجَاءِ فَإِذَا كَبَّرْتَ فَاسْتَصْغِرْ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَى وَ الثَّرَى دُونَ كِبْرِيَائِهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى إِذَا اطَّلَعَ عَلَى قَلْبِ الْعَبْدِ وَ هُوَ يُكَبِّرُ وَ فِي قَلْبِهِ عَارِضٌ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ تَكْبِيرِهِ فَقَالَ يَا كَذَّابُ أَ تَخْدَعُنِي وَ عِزَّتِي وَ جَلَالِي لَأَحْرِمَنَّكَ حَلَاوَةَ ذِكْرِي وَ لَأَحْجُبَنَّكَ عَنْ قُرْبِي وَ الْمَسَرَّةِ بِمُنَاجَاتِي وَ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ تَعَالَى غَيْرُ مُحْتَاجٍ إِلَى خِدْمَتِكَ وَ هُوَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكَ وَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِكَ وَ دُعَائِكَ وَ إِنَّمَا دَعَاكَ بِفَضْلِهِ لِيَرْحَمَكَ وَ يُبْعِدَكَ عَنْ عُقُوبَتِهِ وَ يَنْشُرَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ بَرَكَاتِ حَنَانِيَّتِهِ وَ يَهْدِيَكَ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رِضَاهُ وَ يَفْتَحَ عَلَيْكَ بَابَ مَغْفِرَتِهِ فَلَوْ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَلَى ضِعْفِ مَا خَلَقَ مِنَ الْعَوَالِمِ أَضْعَافاً مُضَاعَفَةً عَلَى سَرْمَدِ الْأَبَدِ لَكَانَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ سَوَاءٌ كَفَرُوا بِهِ بِأَجْمَعِهِمْ أَوْ وَحَّدُوهُ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الْخَلْقِ إِلَّا إِظْهَارُ الْكَرَمِ وَ الْقُدْرَةِ فَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاءَ رِدَاءً وَ الْعَجْزَ إِزَاراً وَ ادْخُلْ تَحْتَ سَرِيرِ سُلْطَانِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى تَغْتَنِمْ فَوَائِدَ رُبُوبِيَّتِهِ مُسْتَعِيناً بِهِ مُسْتَغِيثاً إِلَيْه
Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 87
Imam Ṣādiq (AS) said: “When you stand facing the qibla, give up hope in this world and all that it contains, and in people and all that they possess. Forget it all. Empty your heart of everything that preoccupies you, distracts you from God, and draws you to itself—everything, that is, except God, the Exalted. Turn to the majesty and glory of your Lord with the depth of your heart and with sincere devotion. Then see yourself standing before His majestic presence.
“God, the Exalted, says: ‘On the Day of Resurrection, every soul will be confronted with what it sent ahead, and they will return to their Lord, their True Master.’ Let your standing be grounded in both fear and hope.
“When you pronounce the opening takbīr of the prayer, regard everything as small before His majesty and greatness, and consider all creatures between heaven and earth lowly and insignificant. For when a worshipper says ‘Allāhu akbar’ while his heart contradicts what his words proclaim, unaware of the true meaning of the takbīr, a call comes from the Lord, the Exalted: ‘O liar! Are you trying to deceive Me? By My might and glory, I shall deprive you of the sweetness of remembering Me and shut you out from nearness to Me and the joy of intimate communion with Me.’
“Know that the Lord, the Exalted, has no need of your service; He is independent of you, your worship and your supplication. Yet, through His grace and kindness, He has invited you to Himself, so that He may envelop you in His mercy and generosity, save you from His punishment and wrath, send down upon you the blessings of His kindness and mercy, open to you the door of His forgiveness, and guide you to what pleases Him. Even if God, the Exalted, were to create worlds many times over, lasting to the end of time, it would make no difference to Him whether every inhabitant of those worlds disbelieved in Him or believed. For He looks to the worship and obedience of His creatures only as an occasion to display His generosity, bounty and power.
“So make modesty your covering and helplessness and need your garment. Place yourself under the sovereignty, authority and rule of the Lord, the Exalted, so that you may benefit from the gifts of His Lordship and the effusions and lights of the Real. Continually seek God’s help, and take refuge in Him in all your affairs.”
Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa / translated by Muṣṭafawī, text, p. 53