28. THE MOSQUE

28. The Mosque ~ 82 ~ renounce his life of ignorance and heedlessness in favour of a life inspired by Islamic moral values. Throughout the prayer (salat) the phrase, ‘AllahuAkbar’, ‘God is great,’ is repeated several times. Implicit in these words is the idea that the person uttering them is not great. Their frequent repetition is a lesson in modesty, designed to rid the worshipper of arrogance and egoism, and turn him into a humble servant of God. The acts of kneeling down and self-prostration are also repeated several times in the course of the prayer, in symbolic submission before God. In this way, the worshipper is conditioned by salat to surrender himself to his Maker in all humility. The various postures in the salat climax in the act of self-prostration – the ultimate demonstration of submission. Real proof of this submission to God will only become manifest, however, in subsequent dealings with other human beings, in which it is clear that self glorification has been replaced by glorification of the Almighty, and that feelings of superiority have given way to profound humility.