notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
Greetings, dear teacher.
It is reported in the accounts of the great scholar that Sayyid Ali Aqa Qadi said to him:
“Do you want this world? Perform the night prayer. Do you want the hereafter? Perform the night prayer.”
Is an intention of this kind problematic in light of your explanations, or not? Does it fall within the bounds of minor shirk?
Any intention in prayer other than drawing near to God is considered an association with God; prayer should be offered solely with the intention of seeking nearness to Him, so that it may be accepted in His presence. Nevertheless, with God’s permission, prayer may be made a means of attaining one’s needs, because drawing near to God is itself an act of worship, and that nearness provides the means by which one’s needs may be fulfilled.
The intention behind every action is to draw nearer to whatever that intention is directed toward. If our intention in any act is anything other than drawing near to God, it is a form of associating partners with Him. Prayer must be performed solely with the intention of drawing near to God; otherwise, it will not be accepted by Him.
Every act of worship has many effects on a person’s life, especially prayer, whose benefits and effects are beyond measure. Simply intending to draw near to God brings all those benefits and effects to a person. But if someone prays with the intention of gaining those benefits, the intention shifts from “drawing near to God” to “drawing near to the benefits,” and prayer ceases to be an act of worship.
الإسراء : 84 قل کل یعمل على شاکلته فربکم أعلم بمن هو أهدى سبیلا
Say: “Everyone acts according to their own disposition, and your Lord knows best who is better guided.”
طه : 14 إننی أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا فاعبدنی و أقم الصلاه لذکری
“I am God. There is no deity but Me, so worship Me and establish prayer to remember Me.”
However! With God’s permission, we may use prayer as a means of seeking His help. Let us be clear: with God’s permission, we may make prayer and good deeds a means of attaining what we need. In truth, by drawing near to God, we present our needs before Him. And since presenting our needs to God is itself an act of worship, prayer offered to draw near to Him, along with asking Him to meet our needs, constitutes a further act of drawing near. In reality, drawing near to God is a means of attaining every need, and God’s servants may, with His permission, benefit from it in this way.
For example, prayer is the best means of keeping away from indecency and wrongdoing, and it is also the best means of seeking help.
العنکبوت : 45 اتل ما أوحی إلیک من الکتاب و أقم الصلاه إن الصلاه تنهى عن الفحشاء و المنکر و لذکر الله أکبر و الله یعلم ما تصنعون
Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book, and establish prayer. Surely, prayer restrains one from indecency and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of God is greater. God knows what you do.
البقره : 45 و استعینوا بالصبر و الصلاه و إنها لکبیره إلا على الخاشعین
Seek help through patience and prayer. It is indeed a difficult thing, except for the humble.