Light Upon Light

#15 The Salah

Assalamualaikum waRahmatullahi waBarakatuhu everyone!

This chapter is something important in Juni's life, yet I feel like I haven't done justice to it. If there are any errors, please forgive me.

It is imperative for you to know that Salah is, without any doubt, the domain of tranquility for devotees (muhibbin), the enjoyment of the souls of the monotheists (muwahidin), the garden of the worshippers (abidin), the essence of enjoyment of the humble ones (khashi'in), the test of the sincere ones (sadiqin), and the scale measuring the mettle of those embarking on the right path (salikin).
-- Ibn al Qayyim Rahimahullah, Inner Dimensions of the Prayer.

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#15 The Prayer

"Dadi, I want to pray!"

Dadi looked up from her heavy volume of Tafsir, unperturbed that I had burst into her room out of nowhere. I blushed in shame as Dadi kept scrutinizing me, her hazel eyes showing no change of emotions. Which nearly sixteen year old girl does not know how to offer Salah?

That's right, there's a huge imaginary neon sign pointing right at me.

All these days I kept observing everyone in the house pray not just the five obligatory prayers, but also various nafl prayers throughout the day. While I longed for the same bliss as them, I've always been nervous and afraid of my lack of knowledge. I knew all the physical movements involved in Salah, that is all I knew.

I've never cared for prayer before. Old Juni just saw it as a pointless waste of time, going into a bunch of postures and muttering things to no one like a lunatic. How wrong I was, how terribly wrong I was.

Just imagining all the mountains of sins I have accumulated makes me shiver in fear.

"I've been waiting for you to come to me for some time. I obviously knew you didn't know or care about Salah before." Dadi said finally.

She had a welcoming smile on her face. Smiling sheepishly, I joined her on the divan. Setting her Tafsir aside, Dadi removed her glasses and looked at me. There was pity in her eyes as there was hope. Relief surged through me, I should have known Dadi would not berate me for not knowing or not praying.

"Salah is a gift beta. There is no form of worship like it, it is sublime and beautiful and perfect. It is the one means through which we get to go as close to our Rabb as possible. Subhan Allah."

I smiled in response. Dadi had such an eloquent way of speaking and explaining concepts. I believe it is her intense love for Islam that fuels these anecdotes. Alhamdulilah, I praised Allah over and over for bringing me to my Dadi, she has lit the spark in me to know more and get closer to Him.

"Every other form of worship was revealed to the Prophet on this Earth. But Salah, the Prophet travelled through the seven heavens and received knowledge of this great worship. Doesn't that show how important it is? How elevated its status is?"

Subhan Allah, it was such a profound statement. Pondering over it makes one realize how important offering Salah is. It would be an honor to just be able to pray. It was a gift indeed. I was mesmerized by Dadi's words and my heart swelled with longing to just pray. I waited with bated breath for her to continue speaking.

"The companions of the Prophet S. A. W were ecstatic when Salah was taught to them. They finally had a direct means to communicate with Allah. Our Ummah is blessed with Salah, for we are the only ones who can directly pray to our Lord with no mediator in between. When you are praying it is just you and Allah. It is that exclusive, no one else is invited. Salah is the highest form of worship, and it is the first one we are going to be questioned about on the Day of Judgement."