The Ninth Word

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

فَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ ٭ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِى السَّمٰوَاتِ وَاْلاَرْضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحِينَ تُظْهِرُونَ1

O brother! You ask me about the hikmah of salâh being especially assigned to those five specified times. We shall indicate only one of the many hikmahs.

Yes, since the time of each salâh is the beginning of an important revolution, a mirror to the great disposal of Allah and a place where the universal bestowals of Allah within that disposal reflect, the salâh, which means to offer more tasbîh and ta’dhîm to Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl within those times and to offer shukr and hamd for the sum of His infinite ni’mahs accumulated between two times, has been commanded to be performed. To understand a little of this subtle and profound meaning, it is necessary to listento Five Subtle Points together with my nafs.

First Subtle Point: The meaning of salâh is tasbîh and ta’dhîm and shukr. It means that in front of the glory and grandeur (Jalâl) of Janâb-i Haqq, it is to offer taqdîs by saying “Subhânallah” through word and action. Also, in front of His perfection (Kamâl), it is to offer ta’dhîm by saying “Allahu Akbar” verbally and through action. Also, in front of His beauty, grace and favour (Jamâl), it is to offer shukr by saying “Alhamdulillah” through the heart, tongue and body.

That is to say, tasbîh, takbîr and hamd are the seeds of salâh. Because of this, these three things are present in all the actions and words of salâh, in every part of it. Also, because of this reason, these blessed words (kalimât al-mubârakah) are repeated thirty-three times after salâh in order to strengthen and reiterate the meaning of salâh. The meaning of salâh is strengthened through these concise summaries.

Second Subtle Point:

The meaning of ‘ibâdah is this: at the Court of Allah, the ‘abd performs sajda with wonder and love before the perfection of rubûbiyah, the qoudrah of As-Samad and the rahmah of Allah by seeing his own faults, impotence and poverty. It means that just as the sovereignty of rubûbiyyah demands ‘ubûdiyyah and obedience, so do the sacredness and purity of rubûbiyyah demand that, by seeing his own faults, with istighfâr, tasbîh and “Subhânallah”, the ‘abd should declare that his Rabb is pure and free of all deficiencies, free of and exalted from the false (bâtil) ideas of the people of dhalâlah and pure and exempt from all the faults of the universe.

Also, the perfect Qoudrah of rubûbiyyah demands that, by seeing his own weakness and the impotence of the creatures, within admiration and wonder, in front of the indescribable greatness of the works of As-Samad’s Qoudrah, the ‘abd should say “Allahu Akbar”, bow into rukû’ with submission, seek refuge and do tawakkul on Him.

Also, the infinite treasury of rubûbiyyah’s rahmah demands that the ‘abd should display his own need and the poverty and needs of all creatures through the language of beseeching and du'â and should proclaim the favours and ni’mahs of his Rabb through shukr, praise and “Alhamdulillah”.

It means that the acts and words of salâh comprise these meanings, and for these meanings, they have been established by Allah.

Third Subtle Point: Just as man is a miniature sample of the great ‘âlam and the noble Fâtiha is the Qur'an Great in Dignity’s illuminated sample full of nûr, so is salâh an index full of nûr that comprises all varieties of ‘ibâdah and is a sacred map that indicates all sorts of ‘ibâdah of all the classes of creatures.

Fourth Subtle Point: Just as the weekly clock’s hands that count the seconds, minutes, hours and days look to one another, are similar to one another, and are equivalent to one another, so too do the rotation of day and night that are the seconds of this ‘âlam of the world, which is the great clock of Janâb-i Haqq, the years that count the minutes, the periods of mankind’s lifetime that count the hours and the age of the ‘âlam's lifetime that counts the days look to one another, are similar to one another, are equivalent to one another and remind one another. For example:

The time of fajr, until sunrise, resembles and reminds the time of early spring, the time of man falling into his mother's womb and the first of the six days of the creation of the samâwât and earth, and it reminds the shuûn of Allah within them.

As for the time of dhuhr, it resembles and indicates midsummer, the prime of youth and the period of man's creation within the lifetime of the world, and it reminds the manifestations of rahmah and the faydh of ni’mahs within them.

As for the time of 'asr, it resembles autumn, old age and the Era of Bliss of the Prophet of the âkhirzaman (‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm), and it reminds the shuûn of Allah and the ni’mahs of Ar-Rahmân within them.

As for the time of maghrib, by reminding the setting of many creatures at the end of autumn, man's death and the world’s ruin at the beginning of the qiyâmah, it causes the manifestations of the glory and grandeur (Jalâl) of Allah to be understood, wakes man from the sleep of ghaflah and warns him.

As for the time of 'ishâ, by reminding the ‘âlam of darkness veiling all the works of the ‘âlam of daytime with its black shroud, the winter veiling the face of the dead earth with its white shroud, even departed man’s remaining works dying and entering beneath the veil of oblivion and the world, which is the realm of the trial, being closed completely, it declares the glorious disposals of Al-Qahhâr Zuljalâl.

As for the nighttime, by causing both the winter, the grave and al-‘âlam al-barzakh to be understood, it reminds man of the degree of the need of man’s rûh for the rahmah of Ar-Rahmân.

As for the tahajjud at night, it informs and warns how necessary a light tahajjud is amidst the grave's night and the darkness of the barzakh, and amidst all these revolutions, by reminding the infinite ni’mahs of Exalted True Mun’im, it proclaims to what degree He deserves hamd and praise.

As for the second morning, it reminds the morning of rising from the dead and assembling for judgment. Yes, just as the morning of this night and the spring of this winter are reasonable, necessary, and certain, the morning of the rising from the dead and assembling for judgment and the spring of barzakh are equally certain.

That is to say, just as each of these five times is at the beginning of an important revolution and reminds great revolutions, so does each remind the miracles of Qoudrah and gifts of Rahmah, both pertaining to years, centuries and ages, through the indication of the great daily disposals of the qoudrah of As-Samad. It means that the fardh salâh, which is the fundamental duty of the fitrah, the basis of ubûdiyyah and an absolute debt, is most appropriate and worthy in these times.

Fifth Subtle Point: By fitrah, man is extremely weak, but everything attacks, grieves and saddens him. He is also extremely impotent, but his troubles and enemies are numberless. He is also extremely poor, but his needs are abundant. He is also lazy and powerless, but the responsibilities of life are extremely burdensome. Also, being human connected him to the universe, but the fade and separation of the things he loves and with which he is familiar continually hurt him. The mind also shows him exalted aims and eternal fruits, but his hand is short; his life is short; his power is short; his patience is short.

Thus, it is clearly understood how necessary it is for a rûh in such a state to seek recourse, present a petition to the Court of Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl, Ar-Rahîm Zuljamâl and seek success and help from Him at the time of fajr through supplication and salâh, and how necessary a point of support it is for bearing the duties and work that will be loaded on his back and that he will undergo in the coming ‘âlam of daytime.

As for the time of dhuhr, it is the time of the day's zenith, the time that the day tends to fade, the time for daily work getting close to finishing, the time for a temporary rest from the pressures of preoccupations, the time of the rûh's need to break from the ghaflah and confusion caused by the transient world and arising from impermanent and heavy work and the time that the ni’mahs of Allah become manifest.

He is not a human who does not understand how beautiful, how fine, and how necessary and appropriate it is to perform dhuhr salâh, which means that, by being saved from the pressure, striped off the ghaflah and leaving meaningless and transient things, man’s rûh ties the hands at the Court of the True Mun’im, Who is Al-Qayyûm Al-Bâqî, offers shukr and hamd for the sum total of His ni’mahs, seeks help from Him, displays its impotence before His glory (Jalâl) and grandeur with rukû’ and proclaims his wonder, love and submission before His faultless perfection (Kamâl) and peerless beauty (Jamâl) with sajda.  

As for the time of ‘asr, it reminds and brings to mind both the sorrowful season of autumn, the saddening state of old age and the grieving season of the âkhirzaman. It is also the time for daily work to be completed, the time that the ni’mahs of Allah, with which he has been honoured on that day, such as health, salâmat and full of khayr services, have formed a great sum; through the indication of the huge sun tending to fade, it is the time for proclaiming that man is a guest-official and everything is temporary and inconstant.

Now, a man who is a true human can understand how exalted a duty, how appropriate a service, and how suitable a way of paying the debt of fitrah it is to perform the ‘asr salâh, which is man’s rûh — that desires eternity and is created for eternity and worships the bestowal and suffers pain due to separation — rising at the time of ‘asr for wudhû’, offering supplication to the Court of As-Samad, Al-Qadîm, Who is Bâqî and The Eternal Qayyûm, taking refuge in the unfading and infinite grace of His rahmah, offering hamd and shukr for His boundless ni’mahs, bowing submissively into rukû’ before the glory of His Rubûbiyyah, performing sajda humbly before the eternity of His Ulûhiyyah, being ready for the service of ‘ubûdiyyah before the hudhur of the grandeur of Allah, finding ease and true consolation of the heart and obtaining extremely delightful happiness.

At the time of maghrib, the time that reminds the time of the delicate and beautiful creatures of the ‘âlam of summer and autumn setting amidst sad farewells due to the commencement of winter. It also reminds the time when man leaves all his beloveds amidst a sorrowful separation and enters the grave through his death. It also recalls and reminds the time of the migration of the world’s inhabitants to other ‘âlams through the death of this world amidst the earthquakes of its sakarât, and the time of this realm of trial’s lamp being extinguished; it is a time that severely warns those who worship their beloveds that set in the fade.

How can a man be a human if he does not understand what a sweet and pure duty, what an esteemed and pleasurable service, what a pleasant and beautiful ‘ubûdiyyah, what a serious haqiqah, and what an enduring conversation and permanent happiness in this transient guesthouse it is to perform the maghrib salâh, which is, at such a time, man’s rûh — that is a mirror filled with a desire by fitrah to a Jamîl, Who is Bâqî — turning its face towards the ‘arsh of the grandour of Undying Qadîm and Eternal Bâqî, Who performs these immense works, turns and changes these immense ‘âlams, then, saying “Allahu Akbar” over these transient beings, withdrawing its hands from them, then, tying its hands for the service to Allah and standing (qiyâm) before the hudhur of Enduring Bâqî, then, saying “Alhamdulillah”, offering hamd and praise to His faultless perfection (Kamâl), peerless beauty (Jamâl) and infinite rahmah, then, saying ‌2 اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ‌ , offering ‘ubûdiyyah to and seeking help from His sovereignty without a minister, His Rubûbiyyah without an assistant and His Ulûhiyyah without a sharik, bowing into rukû’ before His glory without impotance, infinite grandour, and infinite qoudrah and displaying its weakness and impotence, poverty and abasement together with all the universe, then, saying ‌سُبْحَانَ رَبِّىَ الْعَظِيمِ‌ , declaring his Rabb, Who is ‘Adhîm, is pure and free of all deficiencies (tasbîh), then, performing sajda before the unfading beauty (Jamâl) of His Essence, His unaltering sacred attributes and unchanging perfection (Kamâl) of His eternity, proclaiming its love and ‘ubûdiyyah within wonder and submission by abandoning mâsiwâ, and finding Al-Jamîl, Who is Bâqî, the Eternal Rahîm instead of all transient beings, then, saying سُبْحَانَ رَبِّىَ اْلاَعْلَى , declaring its Most High Rabb, Who is pure and free of all faults, and is exalted above any deficiency, then, sitting for tashahhud and offering the blessed tahiyyahs and pleasant salawât of all creatures, on its own account, as a gift to that Undying Jamîl, Eternal Jalîl, then, offering salâm to His Rasûl Al-Akram, renewing its allegiance to him, displaying its obedience to his (asm) commands, then, in order to illuminate its îmân through renewal, testifying to the wahdâniyyah of As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl by witnessing the order full of hikmah in this palace of the universe, then, testifying to the risalah of Muhammad the Arabian ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, who is the proclaimer of the sovereignty of Rubûbiyyah, and who delivers the knowledge about the things that please Him and is the interpreter of the âyahs of the book of the universe?

At the time of 'isha, the remnant traces of the day remaining on the horizon disappear, and the ‘âlam of night envelopes the universe. It reminds the Rabbânî control and arrangement of Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl, Who is مُقَلِّبُ الَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ3, in turning that white page into this black page; it reminds the Ilahî works of Al-Hakîm Zulkamâl, Who is 4 مُسَخِّرُ الشَّمْسِ وَ الْقَمَرِ , in turning the adorned green page of summer into the chilling white page of winter. It also brings to mind the Ilahî shuûn of Al-Khâliq of death and life on the people in the grave passing entirely to another ‘âlam by their remaining works even ceasing from this world through the passage of time. It is also a time that reminds and brings to mind the glorious control and arrangement of Al-Khâliq of the earth and samâwât and the manifestations of His beauty (Jamâl) on this narrow, transient and insignificant world’s being destroyed, its death with its immense sakarât and the unfolding of the broad, eternal and great ‘âlam of the âkhirah. Also, the universe's Mâlik and its True Mutasarrif and its True Ma’bûd and Mahbûb can only be the One Who turns, writes and cancels and changes night and day, winter and spring, the world and the âkhirah, like the pages of a book, with ease. It is a state that proves that the Absolute Qadîr rules over all of these works.

Thus, you certainly understood how pleasant, how beautiful, how sweet, how elevated, how esteemed and delightful, and how reasonable and suitable a duty, a service, an ‘ubûdiyyah and a serious haqiqah is to perform the ‘ishâ salâh, which is, at the time of ‘isha, man's infinitely impotent, weak, poor and needy rûh that is plunged into the infinite darkness of the future and shaken amid infinite events saying لاَاُحِبُّاْلآفِلِينَ5, like Ibrâhîm, seeking refuge at the Court of Undying Ma’bûd and Eternal Mahbûb through salâh, then, within this transient ‘âlam and transient life and dark world and dark future, supplicating to Eternal Bâqî, then, within a little eternal conversation and a few minutes of eternal life, seeing and seeking Ar-Rahmân, Who is Rahîm’s favours of rahmah and nûr of hidâyah that will apply a salve to his wounds arising from the separation and fade of all beings and friends and will illuminate his future and sprinkle nûr on his world, then, temporarily forgetting the world that forgot him and hid itself, pouring out its griefs to the Court of Rahmah with the heart’s weeping, then, just in case, before entering sleep that resembles death, rising for salâh, in order to perform its last duty of ‘ubûdiyyah and close its daily book of deeds with a pleasant end, that is to say, entering the hudhur of a Ma’bûd and Mahbûb, Who is Bâqî, instead of all the transient ones it loves, the hudhur of a Qadîr, Who is Karîm, instead of all the impotent ones that it begs, the hudhur of a Hafîdh, Who is Rahîm, in order to be saved from the sharr of the harmful beings before it trembles, then, starting with Fâtiha, that is to say, praising and extolling Ar-Rabb of all the ‘âlams (Rabbul ‘Âlamîn), Who is the Absolute Kâmil and Absolute Ghanî, and Rahîm, Who is Karîm, instead of praising and being indebted to deficient, poor creatures that are useless and absent, then, progressing to the address of ‌اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ‌6, that is to say, together with its smallness, nothingness and loneliness, entering the rank of an important official and an pampered guest in this universe due to its relation (intisâb) to The Owner of the Day of Judgement (Mâliki Yawmiddîn), Who is the Sultân of azal and eternity, saying ‌اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ‌7, in the name of all creatures, offering the ‘ibâdah and calls for help and assistance of the great jamâ’ah and the huge community of the universe to Him, then, saying ‌اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ‌8, asking for the hidâyah to as-sirât al-mustaqîm, which is the luminous way that goes to eternal happiness within the darkness of the future, then, thinking the grandour of the Zuljalâl One Whom like the sleeping plants and animals at this moment, the hidden suns and manifest stars are the lamps and servants in this guesthouse of the ‘âlam, like soldiers subjugated to His command, then, bowing into rukû’ by saying “Allahu Akbar”, then thinking the great sajda of all creatures, that is to say, on the sajjâda9 of their setting on their departure from this world with extreme order, all the varieties of creatures at each year and each century, even the face of the earth and the world, like the sleeping creatures at night, performing sajda by saying “Allahu Akbar” when they are discharged from their worldly duty of ‘ubûdiyyah with the command of ‌كُنْ فَيَكُونُ‌10 like a well-ordered army, or an obedient soldier, that is, when they are sent to al-‘âlam al-ghayb, then, like their being resurrected — some are the same and some are partially the same —, raised and girded ready for the service to Allah with an awaking call of giving life that arises from the command of كُنْ فَيَكُونُ‌ in the spring, this insignificant man, too, going to sajda at the presence of that Rahmân Zulkamâl and Rahîm Zuljamâl, by following those creatures and saying “Allahu Akbar” within a love combined with wonder, a self-annihilation combined with eternity and a humility combined with dignity, that is to say ascenting to a kind of mi’râj.

It means that since these five times, each of them is an indication of a great revolution, a mark of the immense works of Ar-Rabb and a sign of the universal ni’mahs of Allah, fardh salâh, which is a debt and an incumbent duty of man, being assigned at those times possesses infinite hikmah.

‌سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ‌

‌اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلٰى مَنْ اَرْسَلْتَهُ مُعَلِّمًا لِعِبَادِكَ لِيُعَلِّمَهُمْ كَيْفِيَّةَ مَعْرِفَتِكَ وَ الْعُبُودِيَّةَ لَكَ وَ مُعَرِّفًا لِكُنُوزِ اَسْمَائِكَ وَ تَرْجُمَانًا لاٰيَاتِ كِتَابِ كَائِنَاتِكَ وَ مِرْاٰتًا بِعُبُودِيَّتِهِ لِجَمَالِ رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ اَجْمَعِينَ وَ ارْحَمْنَا وَ ارْحَمِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ اٰمِينَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ‌

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