Prayer (Salat

do all of them justice; one is obliged to admit that one’s worship of God can never be commensurate with His blessings. Ideally, man should always be in a worshipful state; he should remain in eternal supplication before his Lord. Five specific times of prayer have been ordained by a merciful God, Who does not wish to tax us beyond our capacity. Prayer, as the Quran says, is a duty incumbent on the faithful, to be conducted at appointed hours (4:103). Prayer at other times takes no specific form. But whether performed at the appointed hours or at other times, the purpose of prayer is remembrance of God (20:14). Remembrance of God has even been called the highest form of prayer (29:45). If one keeps this reality in mind, the meaning of those verses which enjoin remembrance of God in the various circumstances of life will become clear. Although prayer, in a specific form is obligatory only five times a day, one should, in reality, be praying at all times. One is required to remain in a prayerful state even when engaged in what seem to be purely worldly pursuits. One should be like the “men whom neither trade nor profit can divert from remembering Him.” (24:37). When the Quran refers to the people of Paradise as having been “in constant prayer” (70:23), prayer is meant in this vast, all-embracing sense. This constant prayer, or remembrance of God, does not consist of the repetition of any set words. True remembrance is expressed by spontaneous utterances, not by fixed formulas. When one becomes aware of higher realities, one becomes immersed in thoughts of God; one’s whole being shares in this divine state. The words which one then addresses to the Lord spontaneously are the stuff of true remembrance. In the words of the Prophet, it seems at that time as if one were grazing in the pastures of paradise: Whoever would like to graze in heaven’s pastures should remember God much (Tabarani). The Quran has divided prayer into two kinds: 1. Humble prayer (23:2) 2. Unmindful prayer (107:5)