CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

Brethren-in-Islam!

In my previous lectures I described to you the benefits of Salah from which you must have gathered what a tremendously powerful form of Ibadat it is, how it develops in man the capacity to reach the acme of servitude and how he is enabled to render what is due on him in this respect. Now I want to explain to you the advantages of congregational Salah on learning which you will be able to judge how Allah by His graciousness has combined all blessings in one single item. Firstly, Salah by itself was already sufficiently effective, but by ordering to offer it in congregation it has been rendered doubly powerful and invested with a dynamism which is matchless in bringing a healthy change of man.

What qualities does 'Salah' produce?

I have already told you that real Ibadat consists in considering oneself perpetually a slave of God, living in subjection to the Will of the Master like an obedient servant, and being constantly ready to execute His orders. And Salah equips man to perform this very lbadat. I have also pointed out to you that whatever qualities are required to enable man to do this lbadat, are all developed by Salah. Consciousness of being a slave, faith in God, in His Messenger and in His Book, belief in the Hereafter, fear of God, acknowledgement of God as Knower of the unseen and considering Him always close to yourself, readiness in all conditions to obey God and awareness of His commandments, these and all other such qualities needed to make man God's slave in the real sense of the word, are developed in you by Salah.

Complete servitude not possible by one man alone

But if you examine a little carefully you will come to know that a man, however, perfect he may be in his own place, cannot fulfill all the requirements of being a servant of God unless other servants of God also assist him. He cannot carry out all the injunctions of God until all those people with whom he has to live day and night and with whom he has to carry on dealing all the time, cooperate with him in this task of obeying God. Man is not alone in this world nor can he do any work singly. His whole life is bound in a thousand and one relationships with his fraternal associates, friends, neighbors, men with business dealings and countless companions in life. Allah's commandments too are not confined to one single man but are meant to set right these very relationships. Now if all these people cooperate with each other in carrying out the injunctions of God and render mutual help, all of them can jointly become obedient servants of God. And if all are bent on disobedience or if their mutual relations are such that they cannot help each other in following the injunctions of God, then it is impossible for a single person to act wholly according to the law of God in his life.

Not possible to fight alone with Satan

When read the Qur'an carefully you will know that God does not command that you alone should become His submissive and obedient slave but that He has also ordered that along with yourself you should make the world too submissive and obedient to Him and propagate and enforce His law in the world, and also exterminate the law of Satan wherever it is prevalent and then establish in its place the paramount of the law of Allah. This tremendous duty entrusted to you by Allah cannot be performed by one Muslim alone and even if millions of Muslims try to do it in individual capacity they cannot subdue the organized force of the servants of Satan. For this purpose it is necessary for Muslims to become one team helping and backing up each other, and all striving together to one single objective.

 What is desired is compliance with order

Then when you look at it with a deep insight, the fact will become evident to you that for such a grand objective it is also necessary that this union should be formed on the right lines. That is to say the party of Muslims should be organized in such a manner that their relations with each other are as correct and proper as these ought to be. There should be nothing wrong in their mutual relationship. They should have a unified aim. They should obey one chief. They should develop the habit of moving at his command. And they should also understand how far and in what manner they have to obey their chief and what are the occasions to disobey him.