INFINITE MIND, FINITE WORLD

Moses, a strong man, stepped forward and watered the girls’ animals for them. Afterward, the girls took their animals and left. Now, all the people had left, and it was nighttime. He was in an unfamiliar place, alone, and possibly without having eaten. If the Egyptian officials had seen him, they might have caught him. There was no one of his own to help him. It was completely dark, and he might have gone hungry. Moses sat under a tree, feeling helpless. At that moment, these words came from his lips: Lord, I am truly in need of whatever blessing You may send down for me. This prayer depicts the state of a person who has reached the ultimate level of helplessness. At this point, when a person prays, their connection with God is established through humility. This is the only path to God—through helplessness. There is no other way to establish a connection with God. When a person discovers their powerlessness and realizes that God is All-Powerful and has the ability to help everyone, these two aspects come together. On one side, there is the All-Powerful God, and on the other side, there is the all-powerless human. This is the state where all barriers between the servant and God are removed, and a direct communion is established between the person and God. When the prayer is made, it becomes a whisper to God. It is mentioned in a Hadith: “When a servant prays, God becomes so near to him that He whispers to him.” (Musnad Ahmad) When Prophet Moses prayed, his prayer was accepted, and that very night, his problem was solved. The girls went and told their elderly father, who was unable to walk. He asked them to bring the man to him, and the girls came shyly to bring Prophet Moses to their house. The prayer that Prophet Moses made in his solitude, in a state of helplessness, was accepted then and there. This is the essence of prayer. Prayer is not just about memorizing and repeating Arabic words; that is not prayer. It should not be like a tape recorder repeating words. Prayer is about the condition of the heart, about the yearning of the heart. A person’s whole being becomes prayer. When a person discovers their powerlessness and realizes that God is All-Powerful and has the ability to help everyone, these two aspects come together. On one side, there is the All-Powerful God, and on the other side, there is the allpowerless human.