INFINITE MIND, FINITE WORLD

My Lord! open up my heart, and make my task easy for me. Loosen the knot in my tongue, so that they may understand my speech. Today, I would like to discuss the concept of Dua. In English, it is known as prayer. The word Dua means “to call” or “to call upon God.” Let us begin by understanding what prayer truly is. Prayer is an act of humility, a way for a person to establish a connection with their Lord. This is the essence of prayer. Prayer is a means of building a relationship with God through humility. This is why a Hadith states: Prayer is the essence of worship. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) Now, let us turn to the concept of deen, i.e., religion. Religion is the establishment of a relationship between God and His servant. All acts of worship are aimed at achieving this relationship, and prayer is a powerful tool for this purpose. A clear example of this is found in the Quran where the Prophet Moses expresses his sincere need for blessings from God: Lord, I am truly in need of whatever blessing You may send down for me. (28: 24) Prophet Moses was born in Egypt, as mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible. When he was a child, he was taken to the palace of the king of Egypt. Pharaoh’s wife, being childless, wanted to adopt him as his son. Later, when he received prophethood, he had to leave the palace, and the people turned against him. Certain events led him to quietly leave Egypt, fearing capture by the officials. He travelled day and night until he reached Midian. There, he found a well in a remote area, away from the city. It was an agricultural age, and people raised goats and sheep. There was a man there who had no sons but two daughters. After grazing the animals all day, they had to water them in the evening. When Prophet Moses arrived, he saw two girls standing aside helplessly, while others watered their goats and sheep. Moses asked why they were standing separately. The girls explained that they could not water their animals until the men had finished. They were waiting for the men to finish, but by then it was already evening. This is a transcript of a lecture delivered by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan on December 15, 2006. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful THE ESSENCE OF PRAYING