'al-Khushoo fis-Salat' by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali - Part 2

The Benefit of the Worshipper's Standing Before His Lord

Author: Shaikh Alee Hasan al-Halabi (trans. by Abu Iyaad)

Source: From the Introduction to 'al-Khushoo fis-Salat' of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

The Prayer is a sanctified and holy moment (mauqif) for the worshipper in the presence of his Lord and Deity in truth. He fulfils (by its performance) his covenants, obligations and statements of confession which are contained within and are required by the testimony that: "There is nothing which has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammed is His Messenger" and by whose attestation one becomes a muslim.

These covenants, obligations and resolutions: among them are those of belief, those of speech and those of action; and the explanation of that is as follows:

Secondly ~ The Rukoo':

This is an obligation in action. The worshipper bends his back and (bows) his head during it out of obedience, lowliness and humility to his Deity.

So by this he fulfils his covenants of being constant in his obedience, carrying out the orders of his Deity, refraining from His prohibitions, ruling by His Sharee'ah in happiness, adversity and every other situation.

The worshipper returns (to fulfil) these covenants and obligations every time he performs the rukoo' both in the obligatory prayers or the supererogatory. Whoever bends his back in the prayer in obedience to Allah and after that rebels from some of His commands or shows boldness towards some of His prohibitions due to the calling of his desire or whim, then he has contradicted his fulfilment of this obligation to the extent of the evil of his action.