The State of the ‘abd in al-Qira’ah and al-Isti’adhah
As he is about to recite the Qur’ān, he precedes it by seeking refuge in Allāh from the accursed Satan who never spares any effort in his tireless endeavor, to bring about the downfall of the ‘abd (of Allāh) – especially when the ‘abd is in a station of utmost honor (i.e. șalāh) while seeking to perform the single most beneficial deed for this life and the Hereafter. Hence, he (Satan) is fervently determined to prevent the ‘abd (of Allāh) from praying by any means; failing to do so he wants to see to it that at the very least, his heart does not benefit from it (i.e. the salāh) by casting into his heart all sorts of whispers and thoughts to distract it from fulfilling the duties of servitude to Allāh. Therefore Allāh has ordered His slave to take refuge in Him from Satan (before starting his recitation in salāh) to assure the safety of his salāh, so that his heart may be revived and illuminated by the understanding he acquires from contemplating the words of Allāh as He is the Master in whose hand is the success, grace and life of his heart. This also explains why Satan is keen to distract his heart from understanding the words of Qur’ān when recited.
The State of the ‘abd in al-Fatihah
A person should pause a little at the end of each ayah he recites from al-Fātiḥah to wait for the response from his Lord; as if he is waiting to hear Him to say, “My abd has praised Me” when he recites;
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
“All Praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of all Worlds”
and “My abd has extolled Me” after reciting;
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
“The All-Merciful, The Most Merciful’’
and “My ‘abd has has glorified Me” after reciting;
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
“Master of the Day of Judgement
and “This is between Me and My ‘abd and My ‘abd shall have what he requested” after reciting;
سبإِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
“You Alone we worship and You Alone we ask for help”
Only the one who has experienced the true taste and sweetness of salāh can realise that no other statement could ever replace the takbir and al-Fatiḥah in șalāh, just as how no acts can ever replace the standing, bowing down, and prostration in șalāh. This is because each act and each statement in salāh has a unique effect and comprises a distinctive experience, besides its representation of the worshipper’s servitude to Allāh.
The statement of Allāh;
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
“All Praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of all Worlds”
confirms the perfection of Allāh’s Names and Attributes, and declares His transcendence above every defect and shortcoming, be it in respect to His Names, Attributes or Actions. All His Actions comprise Wisdom, Mercy, Justice and Benefit, and all his Attributes are Perfect and Lauded, and all His Names are Supreme and Beautiful.
The Meanings of Al-Hamd
The praise entitled to Him fills up this worldly life and the Hereafter as does the heavens and earth and all that is between them and contained within them. The entire universe utters His Praise. The creation, its affairs, existence and non existence as well as its sustainability owe themselves to His Praiseworthiness. Truly, everything exists just to praise Him for it is the objective and purpose of every creature. Every object in existence attests to the praise that He is entitled to; the Messengers He sent and the Books He sent down entail that He be praised; the creation of Paradise and Hell calls for praising Him. Paradise inhabited with its people and Hell inhabited with its people testify to the praise He is entitled for.
The obedience and disobedience of mankind have not transpired except to testify to the praise Allāh is worthy of. The leaves of trees would not fall nor would atoms move, had it not been for His praise. Exalted be He, is praised for His Essence even if none of His slaves had ever praised Him, just as He is the One and Only Ilāh even if none of His slaves had been monotheists – and He is the true Ilāh worthy of worship even if none of His slaves had believed in Him.
Keeping this in perspective it is evident that it is actually He who praises Himself on the tongue of His slaves, because when a person praises Him it is only due to His permission that such praise is uttered by their tongues, and is established in their heart through his permission. Truly, to Him is all the praise and to Him belongs everything; in His Hand lies all goodness; He is the absolute controller of everything, all that is apparent or hidden. This is only a brief glimpse of the countless aspects of servitude to Allāh included in this statement al-ḥamd, it is only a drop of water out of the ocean of the knowledge of what servitude to Allāh comprises and entails.
[‘Asrar al-Salah wa’l-Farq Wa’l-Mawaazanah bayna dawq al-Salah wa’l Sama’, Imam ibn Qayyim al_Jawziyyah [d. 751H], English Translation (Inner Dimensions of the Prayer) by Ayman ibn Khalid (pg 17 – 36), Dar as-Sunnah Publishers]
