Prayer and the Acceptance of Our Deeds
Before going into the depth of prayer, I came across a section where Ayatollah Sistani briefly explains the importance and basic etiquettes of prayer.
“Prayer is the best act of worship. If it is accepted by the Lord of the worlds, then all other ritual acts of worship (ʿibādāt) are accepted. If it is not accepted, then all other acts of worship are not accepted.”
— Islamic Laws, Chapter 3
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) has also said:
“The first thing for which a person shall be subjected to reckoning is prayers. If they are accepted, all his other deeds shall also be accepted. But if rejected, all his other deeds shall also be rejected.”
— Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, Volume 3, Page 22
Reading this made me realise just how much importance prayer holds.
It also made me think about all the other good things I try to do in life. I would not necessarily describe myself as a bad person. Of course, I have weaknesses that I need to work on. I may lack patience at times, gossip, spend unnecessarily, or have other habits that need improving. But at the same time, I also try to do good. I give charity, respect my parents, help others, and try to sacrifice in the way of Allah.
Yet prayer has been given such an important position that it made me question how much attention I actually give to it.
When I started thinking about my own prayer, I realised that I can put effort into many areas of my life, but prayer can sometimes become something I simply fit into my day. I get distracted. I rush. I squeeze it somewhere into my routine and then quickly move on.
Even something as basic as wudhu made me stop and think. Am I actually aware of whether I am doing it properly? Have I taken the time to understand it, or have I just learnt the steps and carried on?
Once I finish praying, I often go straight back to whatever I was doing before. Maybe I was watching something, playing a game, preparing dinner, or working. The prayer finishes, and within seconds my mind is somewhere else again.
This made me think of something completely different: preparing for an interview.
If I had an interview tomorrow for a job or a place at university, I know I would prepare myself. I would probably research the role or course, understand what it involves, and learn something about the people or organisation I was meeting.
On the day, I would make sure I was dressed properly and presented myself well. I would probably make sure I smelled nice too. I would try to remain calm so I could perform well, and I would make sure I was on time, perhaps even early.
During the interview, I would speak carefully. I would listen properly and think about my answers. At the end, I would probably ask questions and thank the person who interviewed me. Afterwards, I might even sit and think about how it went and what I could have done better.
Then I compared that with the way I prepare for prayer.
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Prayer is one of the most important parts of my religion, yet have I taken the time to understand it properly?
Who am I standing before? Why am I praying? Have I ever thought about how I present myself during prayer? Am I dressed properly? Do I apply attar or perfume when I can? Am I on time? Or do I simply get onto the musalla, pray, and finish?
While I am praying, am I speaking with respect and dignity? Am I actually aware of Who I am speaking to? Or am I rushing through the words simply so I can say, I have prayed, may Allah accept it?
That question stayed with me: why do I sometimes take something so important so lightly?
And when the prayer has finished, do I spend any time speaking to Allah? Do I ask Him for anything? Do I thank Him? Or do I perform sajdah al-shukr and immediately rush back to whatever I was doing?
When was the last time I actually reflected on the way I pray?
And perhaps the more important question is: what have I done to improve it?
When I looked more closely at what Ayatollah Sistani mentions in Chapter 3, I started to notice that a lot of it is not completely different from how I would prepare myself for something important, such as a job interview.
I already know how to prepare when something matters to me.
I try to be on time. I take my time. I think about who I am meeting. I try to be respectful. I make sure I am presentable and clean. I try to stay calm, awake, and focused.
That made me realise that many of the etiquettes of prayer are not strange or impossible. The difference is that I have not always given prayer the same level of thought and preparation.
Some of the things I am learning to think about are being on time, taking my time, remembering Who I am standing before, being humble and mindful, recognising how small I am in comparison to Allah (SWT), asking forgiveness for my mistakes, trying to stay away from sins, being calm and alert, presenting myself properly, and even smelling nice when I can.
Looking at it this way changed something for me.
I am not saying this is easy, nor am I saying it is hard. I am simply realising that it is something I can work towards once I understand why it matters.
I am still learning this myself. It is not something that happens with a click, and it is not something I can achieve overnight. It takes time.
I have failed interviews before, but I never thought that meant I should stop preparing for them. I would usually remind myself that practice helps me improve.
Maybe I need to look at prayer in a similar way.
The more effort I put into understanding it, preparing for it, and improving the way I pray, the better my prayer can become. Perhaps, with time, prayer can become something I no longer rush through, but something I genuinely look forward to.
